Chapter 28 #2
The air around Konni started to shimmer, and the familiar overlay of scales appeared.
Heat waves warped the air around him, expanding outward and beginning to take shape.
As that shape became more solid, it became harder to see the man instead of the dragon, until only the dragon crouched in front of us.
“His clothes are still there. Just like he is,” his mom said softly before nudging me. “Go say hi.”
Feeling no fear, just awe, I walked forward and stared into the large golden eye watching me. That eye closed as I reached out to touch a dull-looking scale. The rumble he emitted sounded like a distant motorcycle.
I looked back at Kaya. “Where is his ear?”
“Top of his head, near his horns, there’s an opening behind the set of larger scales.”
“Does he have good hearing like this?”
“Better in this form than his other one.”
I nodded, met his curious gaze with a grin, and asked, “Would you mind doing a flyover? I’d like to look at your dragon undercarriage before I take you for a test ride.”
Both moms burst out in laughter, and the dragon disappeared in an instant. Konni threw me over his shoulder, and we didn’t see the outside of our bedroom until the next morning.
Mom smirked at me from the stove as I sat down at the breakfast table.
“The inspection went well,” I said since we were alone. “Pretty sure I’ll buy it.”
A squeal came from the pantry. Kaya appeared a second later.
“Does that mean I can start planning a welcome party?” she asked.
Mom laughed at my expression, which was a mix of horror and guilt.
“What? Is she not willing to take responsibility after having her way with me?” Konni asked, coming up from behind me to kiss the top of my head.
“Something like that,” I said, fighting my flush.
Thankfully, his appearance distracted Kaya.
“You disappeared too fast with Sophia last night. I wanted to ask what happened with Lianna yesterday. Her mom called, asking for a family dinner tonight. I told her it wouldn’t work since your father is still traveling, but she said she’s concerned about your relationship with Lianna, that Lianna told her things are tense at work, and she didn’t know what to do. ”
I snorted. “Things are tense because I’m pushing Lianna’s jealousy buttons.” I held out my hand to show the tennis bracelet and pointed to the earrings.
Kaya nodded. “I thought as much, which is why I told her that our kids are both adults and don't need their moms interfering in their lives anymore.”
“Wait,” Konni said, pulling out his phone. “Can you say that again? Make sure you’re looking at the camera, please.”
She threw a tomato at him, which he caught and tossed back.
“Keep it up, and I’ll call her back and say I changed my mind.”
He went to rub her shoulders while complimenting her hair and asking if she’d gotten it cut recently. She wasn’t buying his flattery and batted his hands away, only to hug him.
“You’re lucky you’re cute,” she muttered.
He grinned at me over her head.
“You’re not that cute,” I said.
She laughed and told him to sit down so she could serve breakfast.
“What are you two doing today?” I asked when we were all seated.
“I’m helping your mother dig a little deeper into the jobs she lost. Nothing dangerous. Just a few calls to friends to gossip. Since you’re both still trending in the news, it’s a great lead-in.”
“Good idea,” Konni said.
She beamed at him, and Mom chuckled, so much more relaxed here than when we’d been on our own. As much as I hoped we’d find out who was behind the fire quickly, for our safety, I also wanted it to take some time so we’d have no reason to leave.
They waved us off at the door, and I waited until we were on the main road to look at Konni.
“Lianna’s desperation is showing if her mom called. I don’t think it’ll be too much longer before something happens.”
He glanced at me, worry furrowing his brow. “Don’t do anything alone.”
“Pfft. You should worry more about yourself. She’s got it so bad for you, you might end up pregnant if you drop something in front of her.”
“I’m serious, Sophia.”
“So am I. If she touches your dragon parts because you’re not taking my warning seriously, don’t come crying to me. Actually, if she touches you, you’re in quarantine for a month. One-night stands don’t have standards. Relationships do, and I won’t accept seconds.”
The car swerved to the shoulder, and I found myself caught by Konni’s golden gaze and the strong hand holding the back of my neck. At first, I thought I’d upset him. The hungry way he looked at me corrected that thought.
“Humans might not do jealousy, but it’s my catnip, Sophia.”
Then he was kissing the daylights out of me.
After a week of sex whenever and wherever I wanted, I shouldn’t have felt so desperate to have him again, but I was. My hand slipped under his jacket, and I petted his chest.
All of Konni was my catnip. His body. His moods. The way he watched me as if he couldn’t get enough. I wanted it all.
He broke off the kiss, breathing heavily, and set his forehead to mine.
“We can be home in five minutes or to the office in thirty. You choose.”
“We’re going to the office, but no sex,” I said, understanding what he wanted.
He groaned, and I leaned in to kiss his Adam’s apple.
“We’ll have all the time in the world tomorrow to do what you want.”
I liked toying with him. He always gave me the aggressive attention I wanted.
After he kissed me dizzy again, he drove us to the office. We were almost there when Marius called.
“We have a problem,” he said. “Reporters waiting on the sidewalk outside the building. They won’t disperse, and the police can’t do anything since they’re not obstructing anyone or on private property. You may want to use the parking garage today.”
“Thanks for the heads up, Marius,” I said.
“Anytime.”
Konni hung up and tapped the steering wheel, obviously trying to guess what the reporters were after, like I was.
“Who benefits the most from more scandals about me?” I said, thinking out loud. “Right now, I’m leaning toward Lianna. She wants you, and I’m in the way. If she makes me look bad enough, she’ll push for you to fire me like she’s already tried to do.”
“It won’t happen.”
“If it does, I’ll just come sit in your office to keep you company.”
He flashed me a heated look.
“I’m also thinking that Dad and Hestian wouldn’t want to risk alienating a business giant like you.
At least, not for me. The contract with Hestian isn’t worth being blacklisted by Steele.
And Hestian could find another baby Pez dispenser.
Right now, I’m only a so-called easy target because of my perceived financial woes.
Once he knows I’m not in a situation ever to agree, I’m too difficult a target. ”
“Makes sense.”
“I guess we’ll know who’s behind it after the pictures are published and someone makes a move.”
“So park in front and walk in as usual?” he asked.
“Yep.”
The reporters were right there when he pulled up to the curb. Thankfully, a pair of security guards came to open my door while another took Konni’s keys to park his car. I waited for Konni to join me on the sidewalk, and we walked in together.
This time, I didn’t walk a step behind him; I walked at his side. He glanced at me, then down at my hand. I switched my purse to that side so he wouldn’t try anything. He chuckled softly.
As we walked, I listened to the rapid click of shutters. Not a single reporter asked questions.
Interesting.
Neither of us spoke on the way up to the executive floor. I didn’t veer off to make his coffee, either, but went straight to the CEO suite where the Snack Pack was waiting.
“How was it?” Marius asked.
“Weird,” I said. “They took pictures without asking anything.”
“Which means they probably already have an article written,” Konni said.
“On it,” Edi said, sitting and turning to his computer.
“Sophia will be with me today,” Konni added.
They nodded. I set down my purse, picked up my tablet to make it look good, and followed him into his office. He hung his suit jacket on the stand behind his desk before unbuttoning his sleeves and rolling them up.
The sight of his forearms made me think things I shouldn’t be thinking.
“Not that I mind the look, but what are you doing?” I asked.
He flashed a quick grin at me. “I’m getting ready to distract you until—”
“Article is up,” Edi said, poking his head in.
“Same smear campaign. Assistant job to social-climb. Hired through connections. Staged data leak to get Mr. Steele’s attention—and your position.
They’re questioning whether you’re a distraction, whether more projects like the Riverfront project will fall apart if you stay, and what that means for the future of Steele Corp. ”
“Wow. That was fast.” I looked at the time. “Five minutes?”
“Since it’s speculating on facts, there’s no defamation, per se, to issue take-down notices. Do you want to issue a press release clarifying?” Edi asked.
“Give us a minute to talk,” I said. “Can you close the door?”
He nodded and withdrew just as Konni’s phone started to ring. He glanced at the number, and his gaze narrowed slightly before he put it on speaker.
I sat across from him and listened to his conversation with one of the stockholders. When he finished with that one, another called. Both conveyed the same message: The stock prices were falling due to the continued scandals, and he needed to handle it soon or risk losing his position as CEO.
His phone started to ring again. The door burst open before he could answer it.
I glanced over my shoulder.
Lianna strode in, dressed to kill—Konni, not me. If he were even slightly interested, the body-hugging dress with the questionable-for-corporate cleavage cut neckline would have done him in.
Her angry gaze dismissively swept over me as she crossed to his desk.
“Enough is enough, Drake. Stock prices keep falling. Stockholders are calling me, asking for explanations about what’s happening here.
I can’t keep covering for you or stand by and watch as everything we’ve built together slowly falls apart because of her.
” She held up her printed resignation letter. “Choose. Me or her?”
It wasn’t quite the evidence I’d promised, but she’d literally hand-delivered what he needed to get rid of her.
Standing smoothly, I plucked the paper from her fingers and handed it to Konni.
He glanced at the paper, picked up a pen, and signed it.
“You’ve worked hard when you didn’t need to,” he said, looking up at Lianna. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for Steele and will make sure it’s appropriately reflected in your compensation package.”
Shock robbed her of speech as he glanced at Edi, who was in the doorway.
“Please notify Gail and escort Ms. Stonestock to her office so she can pack her personal belongings.”
Lianna’s shock turned to rage, then smoothed into her cool mask.
“You made the wrong choice, Drake.”
She turned on her heel and walked out.
Edi winked at me and shut the door again.
“Although her timing proves to me that she was behind the article, it’s not definitive proof,” I said. “Is the fallout as bad as she said? Have Steele’s stock prices been falling?”
“Stock prices are always moving. She’s only trying to stir up more trouble, which will die down now that she’s gone.”
Konni picked up his phone and called IT to revoke all of Lianna’s permissions and change any admin passwords she had access to immediately.