Chapter 7 #2
“All right. Let’s go.”
He would brood inside his apartment, and there was the added pleasure of drowning himself in alcohol.
***
The apartment was way too quiet, and what usually comforted her and offered her a sense of security was working against her now.
She felt caged in, untethered and restless.
She was unable to work, unable to think of anything except the way she had felt in his arms. He had turned her on the way he had always managed to do in the past. No one had ever had the ability to do that to her before.
She had been out with several guys, trying to forget him and how he made her feel.
But nothing had worked, and she had simply stopped trying.
Her one venture into taking a relationship into the physical aspect had turned into a disaster.
She recalled going out with Brandon, a handsome and successful lawyer.
They had been going out for six months when she decided that it was time.
The pace had been set: dinner at a fancy restaurant where they had talked and laughed over mutual interests, and then she had gone to his place, a tasteful townhouse with a concierge service.
He had kissed her several times, kisses that had given her a pleasant buzz.
She had told herself that the fire she had experienced when she was a teenager was a flash.
She was a mature woman now, so there was no need for any of that.
Things were going well, until he started to take off her clothes.
The panic had come, and try as she might, she could not fight it off.
She had tried. God knows she had tried really hard, but all she felt was revulsion.
When he captured her breast in his hand, she had screamed like a lunatic and had him jumping back in shock.
Humiliation had layered over guilt and panic and then resignation. Brandon had stared at her with confusion and then contempt, which had her scrambling to put her clothes back on. She had tried to apologize, but that had only served to fuel his anger. She had left hurriedly, awash with despair.
The awful experience had taught her not to try anything like that again. Her mother, brother, and best friend had tried to hook her up, but aside from going to dinner or a quick drink at a bar, she had not taken it further.
Pouring more wine, she took it with her to her bedroom, vowing that from now on, to keep things on a professional level.
***
She was on edge the entire few days of the working week, until she remembered that she had a reprieve. He had told her during the meeting that he would be out of town, which meant she had some time to recover from being with him that night.
She worked assiduously, going over reports, making her own notes to the ones he had left behind.
And he had done plenty. She was beginning to realize that Landry Crenshaw was entirely thorough and excellent at what he did.
Her eyes grew wide as she read the plans he had for the airline.
She had called the meeting and spoken to the ground and air employees and seen the look of interest on their faces at the changes ahead: new uniforms in blue and red with a touch of white on the sleeves and collars, an overhaul of the entire service, and advertisements outlining it all, and more.
She worked until way into the evening, giving her assistant more and more work as ideas took shape.
By Friday, she felt empty and drained and needed an outlet. The new gallery, she decided, and called to try and rope her brother into attending with her. He refused, of course, telling her he had back-to-back surgeries that would go into the middle of the night.
“That’s exactly what you need. Go and have fun for both of us.”
So, dressing in a snug-fitting beaded romper with a chic white jacket and leaving her hair loose around her face and down her back, she went out. She just wanted to indulge her taste in art, and she might just feel the urge to buy something for her living room wall.
The place had been a restaurant at one point, which had gone out of business due to lack of finances.
She had no idea who had taken over the building, but it was situated in the trendy part of town where there were shopping areas and trendy restaurants.
She had heard about the grand opening and that Jackson and his brother, Jason Colby, along with several other famous artists, had highlighted their talents.
The door was opened by a big burly man wearing a fitted black suit and a charming smile that revealed perfectly white teeth.
Ignoring the admiring gleam in his eyes, she surrendered her long and flowing cashmere jacket to the coat-check girl, before wandering into a room with a high-arched ceiling and discreet lighting that spotlighted the arts on display.
A server approached and handed her a glass of champagne, which she accepted automatically.
Her eyes skimmed the room, and she noticed several high-profile faces.
Then one very striking one stood out and had the drink arrested halfway to her mouth.
There was no mistaking that lovely face, with the thick and luxuriant blonde hair and porcelain skin that looked so stunning draped from neck to ankles in siren red.
As if feeling eyes on her, Kathy turned and saw her.
Kady saw the flash of recognition, then the hesitation. Swiftly, the pleasure came, and with it a warm smile. Kady waited for the younger woman to make her way towards her, during which time she tried to compose herself. Kathy looked too much like her brother for Kady’s comfort.
“As I live and breathe!” She floated over in her usual graceful way, holding out delicate, fine-boned hands. “Kady-Ann Klein.”
Putting her untouched glass of champagne onto a nearby table, Kady took her hands and offered a smile. “Small world,” she murmured.
“Well, darling, this happens to be my place of business,” Kathy told her with a quick smile, discreetly scanning the other woman’s face and figure and admiring both. Kady-Ann Klein had turned into a raving beauty. No wonder her brother was still hung up on her.
“What do you mean?”
Letting go, Kathy turned her head, and immediately a server materialized as if through thin air to hand her a glass of bubbly.
“My family owns this place, and I twisted Landry’s arm to get my parents to agree to me taking up the position of manager.
” Sliding her hand through Kady’s arm, she nudged her through crowds of people admiring the paintings on the wall and headed up the stairs.
People floated up and down the stairs, often stopping to get Kathy’s attention.
Kady watched in amusement as the younger girl smiled, bussed cheeks, pointed to paintings or sculptures with the ease of a natural.
“I hope you’re here to do more than browse.”
“I’m not sure I can afford even the most basic artwork.” She stopped at what was clearly one of Jackson’s paintings, a bold splash of red and green with an underlying gold that bled into the others. It was dazzling and hypnotic, as all of his paintings were.
“Spectacular, isn’t it?” Kathy knew her stuff and knew enough to rope in her client. “It’s called ‘Rivers of Sexuality.’”
“Why-” Kady leaned closer and saw the almost hidden images of a woman in the throes of an orgasm. Sucking in her breath at the blatant and suggestive art, she felt the heat starting at the core. “Well.” She had to clear her throat and felt her senses swimming.
“Darling, it has that effect on most of us.”
“Jackson has a way of turning the basic into the complicated.”
Beneath her fingers, Kathy felt when Kady stiffened at the sound of the voice behind them.
Sliding her hand from Kady’s arm, she launched herself into her brother’s arms and went on her toes to kiss him. “You’re back!”
“Just half an hour ago.” Even though he was speaking to her, his eyes were on the woman who had turned around slowly to face him. Heat slammed into his body with the power of a sledgehammer and had him jolting. Need for her was immediate and staggering.
Feeling the thick sexual tension between the couple, Kathy stepped back, flustered at the look on her brother’s face. He loved her! Kathy thought achingly. And if she wasn’t mistaken, the feeling was entirely mutual.
“Find me before you leave,” she ordered, doubting very much that they heard her, and they certainly didn’t notice when she walked away.
“Hi.” His deep voice was a caress on her skin. She felt the familiar longing taking over and strangling her.
“Hi.” She had to swallow the lump that had lodged itself in her throat. “I... your family owns this place.”
“Yes.” He drew closer and had to touch her. Lifting a hand, he skimmed his fingers down the side of her neck, loving the feel of her soft skin. “How are you?”
“Fine. I-” She had to escape. If she stayed, she was going to make a fool of herself.
He looked good enough to devour and smelled divine.
The electric blue sweater was a perfect foil for his golden beauty.
“I was just leaving.” The lie came swiftly, and she had a sick feeling that he knew it was a lie.
Taking her hand, he linked their fingers. “Let’s go say hi to Jackson, shall we?”