Yours Truly (Billionaires and Brides 2)

“AJ?” She finally whispered, though it felt like someone else was speaking.

“Kat?”

His words were soft and sounded more like an escaped breath. All professional edict had gone out the window. He moved to his desk and the leather chair squeaked as he sat down. AJ’s fingers were locked together and rested on his desk. He had neglected any motion that resembled a handshake or to offer her a chair. Kat had no idea what to think.

She began searching for the words to her presentation, needing something for her mind to hold on to. Everything in the room was still, though Kat felt as if the ceiling was crumbling above her. Her big break, her big opportunity to make something of herself, and all she could think of was the thrust of hips rather than the words she needed to say.

She tried to recall the introduction and tried to force the words between her lips, but nothing came out. Her mind was completely blank. It had played over and over in her head a million times, forwards and backwards. Kat had practiced and rehearsed this presentation until she was sure she could do it in her sleep. She thought she had prepared for every scenario, every rebuttal to her idea, but she never could have never envisioned this.

Every sentence had vanished. Her bag full of documents now felt like nothing but a hollow and weightless prop. Again, she tried to search for something, anything to bring her back to the moment at hand, but she failed. Her presentation was gone.

The silence was a weight on her as she struggled to find her calm. Kat could feel the weakness in her legs as she stood there. She wanted to collapse, wanted to do like her presentation had done and vaporize into thin air.

She wondered whether she had been standing there for one minute or twenty. The tension in the room had filled like a dammed lake that was beginning to trickle over. Finally, without thinking, she spoke.

“It’s you.” It was all she could muster and it slipped out in a soft whisper.

His eyes remained locked with hers. They were as soft as she remembered and their gray tint seemed to glow against the backdrop of the window.

Slowly, she began to take in the perfection of the rest of his face. His skin was soft. It was obvious that he had freshly shaved and the outline of his jaw stood out because of it. His hair was neatly combed and business-like, far different than she had left it the last time she had seen him.

His shoulders were square and he sat perfectly straight against his throne-like desk chair. It was like looking upon a finely painted portrait that was both beautiful and terrifying. His face was stern. He had appeared happy when she entered and although the outline of his lips had hardly moved, he now looked almost angry.

He moved his hands, shifting the position of his arms and her mind flooded with the memory of his naked body. She couldn’t help it. His shiny red tie and expensive business suit jacket dissolved, exposing his bare chest and sculpted shoulders.

Katie shut her eyes. The world around her was spinning and she fought the nausea creeping up from her stomach. She took a deep breath and began to count to five, centering herself.

How stupid she had been to obsess over getting a call back. He’s the billionaire CEO running your company, why would he call? She should have known he hadn’t called for a good reason. This was as good as any other.

She wondered how many other girls had succumbed to his spell. How many others had he seduced and forgotten? And how many others had been as stupid and oblivious as her? Probably not many. Most people at least remembered what their boss looked like before jumping into bed with them.

I’m just one of his flings, she thought. Just another one night stand with some unassuming girl. But this girl is professional and smart. She reminded herself of all the hours spent working towards this moment, this presentation. She was too deserving of this opportunity to let it slip away because of some one night stand. I am a smart, professional adult. I can do this.

Kat allowed herself one more deep breath before reaching to her bag to remove her documents. She was going to give this presentation or die trying. She tossed her bag onto the chair beside her.

“I’m here to present the future of Shoesy.” Her voice came out squeaky, but she was just glad it had come out at all.

AJ reached for the packet of graphs and explanations she’d spent the last month working her butt off on. For a moment she was proud of her new-found bravery, but her celebration was immediately cut short. AJ tossed the packet she had worked so hard on onto the filing cabinet behind him without a second glance.

“You’re not even going to look at it?” she asked incredulously. Fire flared within her. She was awash with a thousand emotions, but she could clearly identify a sense of frustration beginning to erupt. “Do you know how hard I worked on that?”

His lips twitched as he watched her react. A grin slowly started to form. It started in his cheeks but quickly took over the entirety of his expression.

“Just like I remember.”

His sentence took her by surprise. The frustration that had overtaken her face quickly dissipated and she felt herself blushing fervently.

> No! Smart and professional. Focus on the work.

“I’d really like to show you what I’ve done.” She felt herself trying to recover from the flurry of butterflies beating rapidly in her chest. She paused, unsure if it was appropriate but needing to say it anyway. “It’s why I had to leave that morning.”

He didn’t move or react. Heat filled her face. She was supposed to be a professional and here she was bringing up their night together. A night he clearly wasn’t interested in as he hadn’t called her. She straightened up taller. “If you look at the first page, you’ll see our profit margins will increase by a projected-”

He ignored her efforts to control the moment and interrupted her. “Did you leave me a note?”

It took her a moment to respond. “I did.” She felt the guilt of her presentation fighting against the angst in her stomach. But she had to ask. “Did you not get it?”

“No. Well, sort of.” His light blue eyes held her captive. “Someone threw it away before I had a chance to read it.”