47. Kian

47

KIAN

" L orelei," I say a little firmer than usual.

She's freaking out, and I have absolutely no fucking idea how to deal with it.

Rescuing her from that elevator was one thing, but this, in the middle of a restaurant?

Fuck.

I knew there was a good reason why I only date women who want to use my name to help their own careers or social standing.

I've never cared about any of them. Plus, it helps that any tears they shed are nothing more than crocodile tears. I'm sure they work perfectly on their fathers, allowing them to get their own way, but they won't work on me.

This isn't fake, though.

"Temptress?"

The second her body tenses, I know I've got her.

It takes a few more moments, but her eyes lift to mine.

"I'm sorry," she whispers.

"Would you prefer if we went and found a McDonalds?" I offer.

No sooner have the words left my mouth than her lips curl into the most incredible smile.

"No, it's okay. I just…" She blows out a slow, calming breath.

"Did you know," I say, keeping my voice low, "you're the most beautiful woman in this restaurant tonight?"

She shakes her head, refusing to believe my words.

"Kian, you can't?—"

"It's true. You've no idea just how beautiful you are, do you?"

"I'm your assistant, Kian. You can't?—"

"I'm the boss. I can do whatever the fuck I want," I state arrogantly.

She rolls her eyes, looking much more like herself again.

Our server approaches with the bottle of red I ordered, and after showing me the bottle, he pours a little into my glass for me to taste.

While I do so, Lorelei pulls her cell out of her purse and checks something.

"That's great, thank you," I tell the server, instructing him to fill our glasses and leave us alone.

I'm not feeling very generous tonight. I don't want to share Lorelei with anyone, even the man supplying us with wine.

"Everything okay?" I ask, hating the small frown that appeared when she started reading what's on her cell.

"Yeah, just my brother being…well, my brother."

"Is training going well?"

She shrugs. "If he's training as hard as he's partying, then we should be good."

Reaching out, she takes a sip of her wine.

"Oh my god," she moans the second it hits her tastebuds. "That's so good."

I smirk, sipping from my own glass. "I have good taste."

"That's good, because I have no idea what to order."

"Allow me?"

"Sure. Go for it. We know how much you like to get your own way." My lips part to respond, but I don't get a chance to say anything, even if it is to agree. "Excuse me," she says, abandoning her cell on the table and pushing her chair back.

I watch her leave, my eyes locked on her ass in her tight red dress with my cock aching beneath the table.

The server looks over, asking if he should wait, and I gesture for him to come and take our order.

Once he's scribbled down all my favorite dishes, he disappears and leaves me alone to wait for Lorelei.

She takes longer than she should, and the need to go and find her burns through me.

I wouldn't put it past her to run and hide in our room. A shot of excitement hits me right in the dick.

No, she wouldn't. That would be too easy.

She would make it a challenge.

I'm busy musing over all the places she could hide when her cell lights up on the table.

I lean over to look at the screen; I don't even really have any desire to see who it is. I've no reason to doubt that she was talking to her little brother. But the second my eyes land on the notification and I see a really long name, my curiosity is piqued.

Reaching out, I spin her cell around.

Ryde my dick.

What the actual fuck?

Before I know what I'm doing, I've unlocked her cell—she really needs a better passcode than her birthday—and I've opened the message thread with this asshole.

Ryde my dick: Feeling lonely tonight, baby. Wanna keep me company?

"Motherfucker," I hiss under my breath.

This is the asshole who was meant to get her titty pic.

Despite how much I want to scroll up and discover what else she's been sending him, I don't. I've already seen too much.

Instead, I close her messages and open her contacts.

I might have second-guessed looking at her conversation, but I don't have the same reservations about blocking him. And while I'm there, I take out her ex, too.

Lorelei doesn't need either of them in her life. Not anymore.

In a rush, I place her cell back, hopefully in exactly the same position as before.

Not two seconds later, she emerges from the door that leads to the bathroom.

My breath catches in my throat at the sight of her. Her makeup is light and perfect, her red lips making my cock swell all over again. Her thick curls are free around her shoulders, and I can't help but imagine how soft they're going to feel wrapped around my fist. Then there is the dress…I might not have seen all that much of it when I dragged it from her closet, but I saw enough to know that it was going to knock me on my ass. And fuck was I right. It's sinful.

I shift in my chair, desperately trying to ease the pressure on my dick as she retakes her seat.

"Thought you were embarking on a game of cat and mouse, Temptress."

"Just having a moment."

"Am I that much to take?" I ask, cocking my head to the side.

She scoffs. "You've no idea."

"Aw, come on, admit it. You wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world than sitting here with me right now."

"Awfully presumptuous of you," she mutters before reaching for her wine. "I really need some food to go with this."

"It should be here soon. So tell me, what would you be doing if you were at home right now?" I ask, leaning forward and resting on my forearms. I swear to God if she says sexting her friend with the moronic name, I'll probably tip the thing over.

"Washing my hair," she says simply.

"Sounds riveting."

"If you had curls, you'd understand."

"I'm sure I'll learn to understand."

"Kian," she breathes.

"Stop," I interrupt. "Stop trying to fight what you know is inevitable."

"You know, you're not God's gift to all women. There are some exceptions out there."

"Oh, I have no doubt. But thankfully, you're not one of them."

Her eyes narrow, and her lips purse. She can argue all she likes. I know as well as she does how her body melts into mine when we're close.

"You're blurring the lines all over the place here, you know that, right?"

"Lines? What lines?" I smirk as our starters arrive.

Lorelei's eyes widen when she discovers what I ordered, but she doesn't say a word until we're alone again with a huge platter sitting between us.

"Oysters, really?" she states.

"What?" I ask innocently. "They're my favorite, and you can't get better ones than here."

"Right," she mutters, eyeing the shellfish suspiciously.

"Have you had them before?"

"Oh yeah, used to be on the menu weekly when I was a kid," she deadpans.

"I'll take that as a no, shall I?"

"Asshole," she hisses.

Ignoring her, I pick up the small fork we're going to need and then select my first oyster.

"Pick one," I demand. "And then you need to loosen it." I show her what I mean before waiting for her to do the same. "And then you tip it into your mouth."

I keep my eyes firmly on her as I lift the shell to my lips and tip, letting the oyster slide into my mouth. The incredible taste of the ocean coats my tongue.

While I swallow mine down eagerly, Lorelei is a little more hesitant. And when she finally takes the plunge, her face screws up in disgust.

"Ew, that's gross," she complains, making me laugh.

"It's an acquired taste," I confess. "Not quite McDonalds."

She glares at me.

"Try another. They're really good for you." I wiggle my brows at her.

"You mean, you hope they're good for you," she accuses.

"Not sure I need any help."

"Trust me, your arrogance is the perfect antidote to anything that might be even remotely tempting about you."

"Have another oyster, Lorelei," I demand, aware of how much she hates it, despite the fact she always follows orders.

The second one must go down a little better because she's not so reluctant to reach for the third.

"See, they're good," I say as I wipe my mouth with my napkin.

"Third time's a charm, right?"

We remain quiet as our server takes the empty platter away, and Lorelei speaks once we're alone again.

"So, what would you usually be doing if we were at home right now?"

I check my watch. "I'd probably be at home, waiting to see if I'm going to receive a hot photo tonight or not."

She rolls her eyes. "I can confidently say that you wouldn't."

"How would you know? You're not the only one who's trying to steal my attention, Temptress."

Her eyes widen and her cheeks redden. Jealousy is a really good look on her.

"You're obviously sharing these images with other men. Why shouldn't I be getting them from other women?"

"You can. You can get as many pictures from as many women who are willing. None of my business."

"You're lying to me again."

"Kian," she snaps.

"Life would be easier if you could be honest."

"Oh, that's rich, Mr. Let's Fake Date and Lie to Everyone."

"Doesn't mean I'm hiding what I want, though, does it?"

Her lips purse before she takes another sip of her wine.

"What we show the rest of the world and what we are behind closed doors can be very different things."

"Both are going to see that I'm your assistant."

"You argue too much."

"And you demand too much."

"Only because I know it'll be worth it. For both of us."

Our main dishes arrive, leaving Lorelei with my previous statement.

She knows it's true.

Just as much as we both know that it's a line we probably shouldn't cross. But I stopped playing by the rules a long time ago.

I want her. I'm making no secret of that.

And so what? What's a little sex between the boss and his assistant? We wouldn't be the first colleagues to embark on something similar. It's not like either of us is going to do anything stupid and fall in love.

It's just sex.

Hot. Steamy. Unforgettable. Sex.

My grip on my cutlery tightens as desire sweeps through me again.

"Eat your dinner, Kian," Lorelei warns as I focus on her instead of the plate in front of me.

"But what if there's something else I want to eat more?"