Chapter 17
SHAWN
I understood why Kara ignored me throughout the rest of dinner, I knew I deserved it.
As soon as Jason left my office this morning with the good news, I’d set the wheels in motion for bringing her on board at Osterh?gen.
I wanted her professionally and personally, so I could satisfy both of those desires in one simple move.
I also wanted to track down her ex-husband and beat the shit out of him. It should have been obvious with the way Paul had introduced himself that he viewed Kara as a possession and not an equal. I’d come across enough C-level men who acted that way, whose partners were treated as servants.
Power corrupted, and I knew I wasn’t immune to it either. I’d have to overcome all my own obstacles, and Paul’s too, before she’d give me a true chance.
At the end of dinner, the conversation drifted to the moment she’d discovered I was traveling with her on my plane, and I felt a twinge of worry.
“I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal,” Kara said, “since he looked like he was going to die.”
Worry escalated as I searched for a way to steer the conversation in another direction. “I’m sure I wasn’t that—”
“What? Why?” L said, confused.
“Because he’s afraid of flying.”
Fuck.
L and Jason turned to me, her expression skeptical and his full of annoyance. He asked me in German why she would think that.
Because she’d been ready to leave me on that plane, so it had been a ploy. I’d had to give her another reason to stay.
“I never said I was afraid of flying. I said I don’t enjoy it, which isn’t a lie.” I watched her closely, unsure how she would take this revelation.
Not well was the answer. She gave me a deliberate look, pure and cold. I wasn’t proud of the manipulation before, and now . . . I most definitely regretted it.
“Wow.” Her tone was deceptively calm. “You are quite the actor.”
“I’m sorry. I—”
She put a hand on my hip, shoving me toward the end of the booth so she could escape. “Let me out so I can say good night.”
I stood and tried to help her to her feet, but she ignored my offered hand. As she rose from the booth, she finally gave me her full attention. Her expression was frosty. “I don’t want your apology.”
The dominating side of my brain seized control. “You’re not going to get one.”
I might as well have knocked her legs out from under her. “Excuse me?”
“I didn’t lie. I don’t like flying, and, yes, it’s a control thing. I wasn’t sure you were going to stay on the plane, so I decided to exaggerate my discomfort.”
Anger flashed in her beautiful eyes. “You decided—”
“I’m willing to do what’s necessary to get what I want. You should know by now that includes not fighting fair.”
I drove the point home when I yanked her into my arms and crushed my lips to hers, making resistance impossible. She was angry with me, flustered . . . but we were standing in the middle of the restaurant and had an audience. She didn’t want to make a scene.
Well, too fucking bad because that was exactly what I planned to do.
My hands were on her back, pressing her forward and flattening her amazing breasts against my chest. I couldn’t help myself. I slid a hand lower to rest on the curve of her ass, and a jolt of surprise glanced through her body.
Kissing her was . . . addicting.
It pumped steam into my blood, fogging my mind and making my body buzz harder than drinking too much beer on an empty stomach. It also disabled the logical side of my brain.
My tongue slipped into her warm mouth, and the corners of my own lifted in a pleased smile when she allowed the possession. Reluctant, then welcoming it. She could be mad, but her body responded to me regardless.
I didn’t care that we were putting on a show for the other diners in the restaurant.
There came a sound of surprise from L, but it was nearly drowned out by my brother’s harsh words. “Shawn, what the fuck?”
I ignored them both, as did Kara. As much as she didn’t want to, she desired me as badly as I did her. But I needed to be strategic.
It was harder than I thought it would be to relax my grip and step back, leaving her looking adrift. “Markus will pick you up at nine-thirty for your interview,” I said. “I have appointments all day, but you can tell me how it went over dinner tomorrow night.”
I said goodbye to my family, who could not have looked more displeased with me, and realized I liked the shade of red she flushed when she was irritated the most.
And if she was mad now, just wait until tomorrow.