Page 46 of Wild King
He shakes his head as he turns on his heel and walks back toward the other side of the office. “I never saw her. I liked to work from home. The only reason I met her was because of the King Industries Christmas party. We met, had a good time talking, and got together a few times after that. I didn’t see her at work. Not even on Zoom meetings.”
As I sit there watching him pace, all I can think is Gina’s basing her claim of Kellen sexually harassing her on the sex. As much as I don’t want to ask, I need to know something.
“Did you ever tell her if she didn’t do something for you when the two of you were together that there would be a problem or some punishment at work?”
Kellen smiles and sits down on the sofa across from me. “I didn’t have to threaten her. She was more than willing. I’m the one who’s getting threatened, not her.”
His smugness bothers me. I know I shouldn’t let it get to me because I need to keep our relationship completely professional, but the way he talks about his time with her irritates me.
“I need to be alone. I have work to do,” I abruptly say, turning away from him to focus on the papers on my desk.
“Why? I thought we were talking.”
When he doesn’t leave, I know I have to before I get emotional about something I need to keep entirely professional. I walk out of the office heading outside to get some fresh air.
And space. God, I need some space from this man right now.
Of course, he doesn’t let up and follows me out the front door. The sun’s just setting below the tree line, and the orangesand reds after a warm spring day color the sky in a way that fits with the anger building inside me.
“What’s wrong? We were talking back there, and suddenly you need to be alone? Why?” he says as he continues to trail behind me across the front lawn.
Finally, I spin around and snap, “What could possibly be wrong, right? The man I had a wonderful time with on vacation ended up ghosting me, and then I find out I’m being hired to fix the mess he’s made of his life with some woman. I have to listen to him talk about sleeping with her like it meant nothing to him, and I can’t help thinking he’d say the same thing about sleeping with me since he left me standing alone in a villa without even a damn goodbye. All the while I’m supposed to be a professional as he lashes out at me and treats me like I’m the person who ruined his life. And you ask me what’s wrong?”
Kellen stares at me with what looks like disbelief for a few seconds, but it doesn’t stop him from once again wanting to talk to me. He starts to say something, but I stop him, holding my hand up in front of his face.
“Don’t. Okay? Just don’t. Let me do my job, and soon both of us will be able to go our separate ways.”
When I turn to walk away, desperate to not feel so exposed and vulnerable, he touches my arm and stops me cold. I look into his eyes and see something unexpected.
And then he speaks, and I’m stunned.
“What if I don’t want that?” he asks.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Kellen
The lookon her face tells me I’ve shocked her with my confession. I haven’t been trying to hide what I’m feeling, but that’s about as obvious as I’ve been with her since our time at the resort.
“Don’t want what?” she asks, shaking her head.
“Us to go our separate ways.”
Her expression morphs into one of pure unhappiness. “Don’t act like you didn’t abandon me back at that resort, Kellen. I was just another in a long line of women for you.”
I shake my head, hating that she believes that about our time together. “That’s not true. You were different, Salem.”
“Sure. Why is it I don’t believe you?”
Feeling we need a joke to lighten the mood, I smile and say, “Because you’re a skeptic when it comes to men?”
Salem rolls her eyes. “It’s not skepticism when the truth is you’re a player, Kellen. It’s okay. It’s not a crime, although your little tryst with Gina is causing you trouble right now. I’m sure you’ll come out of it fine, though. I’ll do my work. Your lawyerswill do their work. And you’ll return to the world as a man women want.”
She turns and walks away, but I’m not ready to give up just yet. I follow her back into the house and say, “I’m not claiming I wasn’t looking to have a good time when I met you. That’s not a crime, Salem. Adults get to do that. It’s actually one of the best parts of being an adult since the rest of our days are filled with work and bullshit. So I’m not claiming I wasn’t that player, as you call me. That doesn’t change the fact that you were different.”
That makes her stop, and when she looks back at me, I see I haven’t convinced her at all. “Are you saying you treated me better than you usually treat women? You left me standing alone in your villa, completely confused about where you could be and then having to admit you left me. You left me standing there, Kellen, while you snuck off to your private jet to escape. So what do you usually do with women? Poison them? Stab them just as they’re orgasming? Do tell me because if I’m so different, I’m truly curious how you usually act with women.”
“You’re twisting my words. You know what I mean.”