AJ felt the slowing of the car’s momentum and let up from his kiss. She didn’t want to give him time to speak.
“Come up to my place,” she whispered. She didn’t want this night to end. She could already see him sprawled out on her bed, his broad shoulders and toned abs taking up the majority of the space as his blue eyes peered out at her. It was exactly what she wanted.
“I want to.” He held onto her tightly as he opened his eyes and looked down at her. Regret and desire raged in his pale blue eyes and she prayed the desire would win out.
Suddenly an intercom came over the car as the driver spoke, “Sir, there’s a suspicious man taking photos of the car.”
“But I can’t.” The words left his lips reluctantly. “The press is always watching.”
“I understand.” Disappoint echoed through her voice. The image of him in her bed faded slowly.
The car was silent for a moment. Neither of them wanted to move. If they moved, then that would mean the night was over. There was no way she could arrive at her house in his limo and not get out. There was no way for him to come upstairs, not if they wanted to keep up the pretense that this was all business.
Kat moved first. “I guess maybe I’ll see you at work,” she said, sounding unsure of herself and trying to pair it with a smile.
He nodded and then slowly sat up, releasing her from under him. She pushed herself up, fixed her shirt, and used her fingers to forcefully straighten her hair before grabbing her briefcase. She stepped out from the car. AJ emerged on his side soon after.
“Thank you for driving me home,” she said loudly with the driver’s comment in mind. Someone was watching them. It was a little unsettling to think that someone was taking her picture right now and writing down her words. She hoped that they believed that they were just working. The last thing she wanted was to make AJ’s life harder.
She reached out for a simple handshake, trying to emit the most professional appearance possible while simultaneously fighting the urge to push him back in the car and take a turn on top. AJ shook her hand warmly, holding it for only as long as was acceptable. Her heart ached when he let her go. She smiled and turned and walked straight up to her apartment, wishing the entire way that he was behind her.
18
AJ
The papers from the lawyers were stacked high on AJ’s desk. He sifted through them for the fifth time that morning, but his eyes just skimmed over the legalese. He understood what it meant, and none of it was good. The sex scandal lawsuits involving his partner were hitting them hard, and although he was normally an optimistic person, he felt less than hopeful on this particular day. The entire business was at risk.
What am I going to do? AJ thought, as he leaned back in his computer chair and stared at the ceiling for answers. It was just too much pressure and too much unknown. The future of the company was at stake and most of the weight was on AJ’s shoulders.
The door to his office was closed, but outside he could hear the hustle and bustle of his employees as they started their morning work. Their future was on the line just as much as his. He worried for them, he worried for himself, but mostly he worried for Kat. Since she worked for the company, the legal ordeal affected her as well.
Beautiful Kat, he thought, the image of his lover flashing into his mind.
For the first time that morning, AJ smiled. Just the thought of Kat caused his face to lighten. He thought of her lips and the way she tasted when they kissed. He remembered the incredible sex they had enjoyed on the day of the wedding reception and the way she turned him on more than any woman ever had. The image of Kat, if only for a fleeting moment, caused all of AJ’s worries to dissolve. She was his only relief.
When he opened his eyes, the stack of papers was still on his desk. They hadn’t magically disappeared, like he had hoped they would. Nope. They were there, along with everything else that troubled his mind.
He groaned and picked up the top sheet of paper. As much as he would rather do anything else, he needed to continue damage control. A knock on the door drew his attention before he could start.
“Come on in,” AJ said, grateful for just about any distraction.
The door opened, and in the doorway stood George, his personal assistant, looking anxious as usual. George shot him an apologetic look that didn’t bode well for AJ’s day.
“What is it?” AJ asked, his patience already running thin.
George stepped into the office and closed the door behind him.
“Well, I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news. I think this is where I ask you which one you want to hear first,” George responded.
A sigh escaped AJ’s lips as he motioned for George to sit down in the chair across from his desk.
“I was really hoping you were only going to have good news,” AJ said. “But I’m always a fan of saving the best for last. So give me the bad news first.”
George held up an envelope and then set it on the desk in front of AJ. “We received another letter from the lawyers. Sounds like they’re going to take this whole thing to court. They denied our offer for an out-of-court settlement. They obviously think they can get more money this way. Or maybe they think they can just scare you into a bigger settlement offer.”
AJ chuckled as he set the letter on top of the pile of papers. It was either laugh or cry. George was right. It was bad news. But it wasn’t worse than anything else that was in that stack of documents. Besides, there was always a chance they could win if the issue got taken to court.
“Do me a favor, George,” AJ said, as he brought his elbows to his desk and leaned forward. “From now on, anything that comes to our office that’s related to this issue, send it straight to my lawyer. I pay him a lot of money to read this stuff and make decisions. He’ll know what to do with all this far better than I will.”