Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Kaya and Mom were in high spirits when we came home that evening.
“That press release was brilliant,” Kaya said. “It was so hard for me not to mention it when your Mom and I went live making dessert together.”
“What did you make?” Konni asked, his interest visibly piqued.
“Bombolini.”
He hugged her. “You’re the best mom in the world.”
Mom cleared her throat. Konni’s guilty look and quick “moms” correction had me giggling as we all sat at the table.
“Actually, I have to agree with you,” Mom said with a wry smile as Konni filled my plate.
“Kaya is the best mom. Lianna called this afternoon, asking her to go shopping, but Kaya politely shut it down and suggested that, if Lianna was bored, she should focus on finding her mate so she can bond with her future mother-in-law. You should have heard Lianna stammer.”
“I can’t imagine she liked hearing that,” I said, taking my first bite.
“She didn’t,” Kaya said. “But it’s what she needed to hear. The sooner she accepts she’s not Konni’s mate, the better. Now tell me what happened with the shareholders today.”
“They stopped calling after public opinion started to shift and stocks rose.”
“I’m sure Lianna’s not done trying yet,” I said. “Instead of living the rich girl life, she went to work with you for years, hoping to gain your attention and approval. That kind of dedication doesn’t just vanish.”
“Is that what you’re doing? Giving up the rich girl life to win my approval? You already have it,” Konni said, his eyes glittering with a familiar gold.
“Giving up? Heck no. I’m strategically positioning myself to embrace that life fully.”
The gold increased.
“Say the word, and it’s yours.”
“Pfft. If it’s handed to me, people will think they can take it away. By earning it in the eyes of everyone watching, we’ll be able to live a more peaceful life.”
“And you definitely need more peace if you want to keep dragging poor Sophia away every chance you get,” his mom said.
It was like she’d given him permission. Because a second later, I was tossed over his shoulder.
“What about dessert?” his mom called, laughing, as Konni strode away with me.
His hand smoothed over my backside as he softly said, “I’m about to have it.”
Anticipation lit inside of me.
I wasn’t “poor Sophia.” I was “that lucky bitch Sophia” because my mate knew just how to have me screaming his name as he had his way with me until I passed out.
Sleeping in his arms was divine. Waking up in them was even better, though. I listened to his contented rumble and smiled when he kissed my temple.
“I don’t want this to change,” I said without opening my eyes.
The volume of rumbling quieted.
“You’re worried. Why?”
“Do you know why I never wanted more than a one-night stand? Seeing my dad’s betrayal and mom’s hurt definitely played into it, but I think it might have been deeper than that.
I never wanted to set myself up for disappointment.
Not just in relationships, though. It was everything.
I never aimed too high. I never went after what wasn’t realistically achievable.
Even fashion, which I passionately love, I never let myself get too attached to anything.
With all the financial issues mom kept having, I knew I might need to sell whatever I bought. ”
I rolled over to face him. “You changed things. Me. I let myself want you, not for a night, but forever because what we have right now is perfect. I’m not afraid of you leaving, but I am afraid that something is going to change this.”
As I spoke, his eyes erupted with gold, and his pupils dilated. “Tell me exactly what you like about right now.”
“Sleeping next to you. Being kidnapped right after I’m fed. The sex. Having your attention before I even know I want it. Being respected, listened to, and cared for. Feeling valued and important, not just as your girlfriend or future mate, but as a person too.”
His hand captured the back of my neck as he pressed his forehead to mine.
“Thank you,” he said. “Now I know exactly what never to change to keep you forever.”
He kissed my forehead then scooped me out of bed in a way that had me squealing and laughing.
We were late for breakfast again.
“You might want to choose a different top if you’re trying to keep your romance private,” Mom said as she passed me my plate.
I used my phone to look at my neck, where Konni had briefly kissed me before leaving the bedroom. The stark red mark there earned him a warning glare.
“You know I have the Southside presentation today.”
He shrugged lazily. “The owner should be looking at the design, not your neck.”
His mom swatted the back of his head for me in passing, and I went to change into something with a higher neckline.
By the time we arrived at the office, I understood why he’d done it. Distraction. I’d spent the ride scolding him and reiterating boundaries instead of obsessing over the design I planned to pitch.
Once we were in the office, though, he switched to boss mode and asked Edi to set up the meeting room while I tested the presentation in there.
I was still mid-presentation when one of the marketing people opened the door. She paused, visibly surprised, but recovered quickly.
“How long until the room is set? I’d like to test our presentation too.”
“Another ten minutes,” Edi said.
She left, and Edi stared after her thoughtfully.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
“How I would try to sabotage your presentation at the last minute.” He collected the presentation copies he’d been setting out and called IT to monitor the network connection for the meeting room. Then, we left to put the 3D rendering on our tablets, just in case.
When we returned, the marketing team had finished the room setup with presentation folders for everyone. They’d printed out the draft version of my presentation. Edi collected all the copies and tossed them.
The correct version was in the folders by the time the client arrived. He didn’t say much as Konni explained the issue with the original plan, but seemed interested in what we wanted to propose.
The marketing team pitched theirs first. They’d made some last-minute changes, adding more design elements for cohesion, but with an old-town feel like I’d done with mine. The owner was impressed.
When it was my turn, the network went out. I used a cord to directly connect to the projector and wowed the owner with my proposal.
Thirty minutes later, someone from PR was snapping pictures of him signing the contract and shaking my hand.
Before the press release about the new immersive shopping experience planned for the Southside was even finished, the marketing team member who’d entered the room early was walked out of the Steele building. IT had proof she’d tampered with the network connection to the projector.
I was sitting at my desk, feeling pretty good about removing yet another of Lianna’s underlings from Steele, when Bomir mumbled angrily under his breath.
“They just won’t stop trying, will they?”
“What happened now?” I asked, moving to peek at him around his monitor.
“Another article. I’ll send the link.”
He sent it to the group that included Konni. I skimmed fast.
Another desperate smear campaign, questioning how someone with my general business degree out-designed seasoned designers. It hinted at plagiarism, idea stealing, and upper management corruption.
Prior to Kaya’s live videos, hate and consensus to fire me would have filled the comment section. Now, I saw a shift. People were questioning who I’d angered, citing the data leak, house fire, and the fall into the lake as too many coincidental incidents to be anything but intentional targeting.
“Take it down,” Konni called from his office.
“Hold that thought,” I said to Edi as I hurried from my desk.
Konni watched me enter and close the door.
“You want it to stay,” he said, guessing my intent.
I clasped my hands under my chin and pretended to plead. “Pretty please?”
He had me against the door a second later, kissing me hungrily until he stopped for some dragon rubbing.
“Is it okay to talk about work when you do this or rude?”
He chuckled. “I’d double my efforts if I were trying to do more than ease my need to touch you right now. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
While rubbing my hands over his back to help his neediness, I told him about the comments pointing to Kaya’s live posts and the growing speculation about the news I’d been in lately.
“The comments prove that people see this article for what it is. I think we should let it ride, at least for a while, to see what happens. Promoting press releases while suppressing controversial pieces will only make it look like we have something to hide.”
He kissed the side of my neck, blazing a path to my mouth. When I was breathless and reconsidering my “no office sex” stance, he eased up.
“Okay. We’ll leave it. Tonight, you can reward me for giving in to you so well.”
My hair wasn’t as neat when I left Konni’s office, but none of the Snack Pack commented. They just acknowledged the decision to keep the article up and talked about taking shifts to monitor the comments throughout the night.
“It’s not that serious, guys,” I said. “Haters will hate, and the more we try to shut them up, the louder they’ll get. If you want to check it before you go to bed, fine, but no alarms or shifts.”
When we got home, Kaya was ready with her phone. Rather than doing another live, she wanted to take photos to celebrate the Southside contract signing.
After dinner, the moms quietly debated which photos to upload while Konni and I washed dishes. He was moving fast, and I knew why.
“Done,” Kaya said as he set the last dish on the drying rack.
The look in his eyes said he’d run out of patience and wanted to steal me away. I wasn’t the only one who saw it.
“Make sure to check the post before he distracts you,” Kaya said.
He stole my phone, plucked me off my feet, and strode away with me.