AdamsObsession (13 page)

But the past few days had proven that solution to be awkward
and difficult. For one thing, she didn’t like the leers some of the other women
in the office gave Adam when they thought no one was watching. For another, she
had to constantly stop herself from reaching out to fondle him should he wander
too close. It was difficult to censor every thought, every word.

And how annoying was it that they could never attend an event,
such as this banquet, as a couple? Instead, they would have to arrive alone,
pretending to be stag.

How lame was it to date from across the room?

But if they hadn’t agreed to keep their relationship a
secret from the others in the office, they would never have embarked on a
relationship in the first place.

And oh, she was glad they had.

As hard as she’d tried to protect herself and avoid getting
hurt, as blasé and sophisticated as she pretended to be about it, she’d fallen
for him. And hard. He’d gone from a silly workplace crush to the man of her
dreams in the space of a week.

She loved him. Like she’d never loved anyone before.

And he wanted her. He might not love her, might not feel a
fraction of the raging emotion she felt for him, but she had that at least. He
wanted
her.

The bottom line was, she had two choices. She could leave
Adam—a thought that chilled her to the bone—or she could leave Trillo–Maris.

Yes, she loved her job but it was just a job. She’d turned
down three other positions when she’d accepted the offer from Tristan. She
could always find another job. If she had to choose between them, she chose
Adam.

Her path was clear.

Tomorrow she would troll through her Rolodex and polish her
resume.

As for tonight…

She sucked in a breath and threw back her shoulders. A tiny
smile teased her lips.

Tonight she would go to the banquet and seduce Adam.

In front of everyone.

And to hell with the consequences.

Chapter Fourteen

The banquet was held at the fanciest restaurant in the area,
perched high in the west-facing hills of the San Fernando Valley. As Katherine
pulled into the drive, handing her keys to the waiting valet, she caught her
breath. It was like a fairyland. A quaint pond with a charming waterfall
welcomed guests to the sprawling, cross-shaped restaurant, and all the trees
surrounding the building had been decked out with tiny white lights. It would
be a romantic night.

If she had anything to say about it.

A thread of excitement shimmered within her at the thought
of seeing Adam, dancing with him, teasing him, tantalizing him.

Despite her mood and the fight she’d had with Adam that
afternoon, Katherine was bound and determined to enjoy the evening. She would
laugh and joke and have fun. She would do her damnedest to seduce Adam, right
here at the banquet.

And she’d made it a point to dress the part.

Her black dress had a sassy, flippy skirt that hit her
mid-thigh. Her legs were bare. She wore the heels he’d given her, and beneath
her dress, the thong and demi-bra. She thought of wearing the bracelets and
anklets as well but only for one steamy, salacious minute. Her private moments
with Adam were just that—private. She had no desire to advertise to all and
sundry. Besides, just seeing those heels should be enough to tip him off as to
what she wore beneath.

She’d put her hair up but only because he’d asked her not to
let Jack see it down, and though it was up, it was woven into a seductive knot
of curls and braids that framed her face. She looked her best and she knew it.

She took the stairs into the restaurant at a leisurely pace,
partly to enjoy the view of the sparkling valley below and partly to make sure
she didn’t embarrass herself in those heels. As she entered the elegant banquet
hall, she waved to Sara and Shannon at the welcome table, who were blowing up
balloons and chatting genially with the few people who had arrived. Soft music
played in the background. The room sparkled in the candlelight.

Along with these observations, she also noticed immediately
Adam wasn’t there. A frown of disappointment passed over her face. They hadn’t
discussed their plans for tonight but he was co-owner of Trillo–Maris. Surely
he had to make some kind of appearance at a company event.

Whether or not Adam was coming became a moot point as soon
as Jack found her. She made the mistake of walking to the bar to get a drink
and he spotted her immediately. They were in a knot in the corner, Jack and his
interns, as they often were in social situations, watching the females,
whispering things amongst themselves and giggling.

Katherine walked up to the counter and ordered a white wine.
She’d seen their little huddle and had every intention of beating a fast
retreat but Jack cornered her before she could make it back out into the
banquet hall.

“Hey, Kat.” He sounded extra smarmy, a nod, perhaps, to the
fact that this was a dress-up affair. “You’re super hot tonight.” He waggled
his eyebrows, making Katherine think of the mating caterpillars she’d seen on a
documentary once.

She bit back a smile. “Hey, Jack. Are you having a nice
time?”

Again with the eyebrows. “I’ll be having a better time when
you and I are on the dance floor.”

“
What?
”

“Don’t tell me you forgot? You promised me a dance.”

“I did?”

Jack frowned and leaned in closer to hiss, “You remember.
When I gave you the VoIP?”

Oh yeah. Holy crap. She’d promised Jack a dance. She
wrinkled her nose. This was shaping up to be a miserable evening. She forced a
smile. “When would you like to dance?”

His hungry gaze raked her up and down and she winced
inwardly. Why, oh why had she dressed like this? Certainly not to seduce
Jack—or his interns—but judging from the drooling and whispering and giggling
going on in the corner, this outfit was doing the job. She wanted to go home
and change into sweats or something.

Jack moved his hips and wiggled his arms in a way that made
her wonder if someone had dropped live bees in his pants. “How about a little
horizontal tango?”

Katherine glared.

He winced. “Just kidding.”

“You really need to learn how to talk to women.”

“Yeah. Right?” He tugged on his beard and ran a finger under
his collar. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to teach me?”

“No.”

“Just the dance then?”

She sighed. “If I must.”

He shot a glance back at his entourage, each man tracking
the encounter with the breathless zeal usually reserved for a new
Star Trek
episode.

“Okay. How about the first slow dance?”

Katherine shuddered all over and not in a good way. “I
didn’t promise you a
slow
dance.”

His face scrunched up. “Come on, Katherine. I gave you that
beta without hesitation. I think I deserve at least the same courtesy.”

Katherine frowned. Ugh. He was right, in a sense. She did
owe him a dance. Better to get it over with now before everyone else arrived to
witness her humiliation. Oh. And while her stomach was empty. You know, in case
she got urpy. The thought of dancing with him was already making her a little
nauseated. She grabbed Jack by the hand and dragged him over to the dance
floor.

“Ack,” he squealed. “What are you doing?”

“We’re dancing.”

“Now?”

She looked him in the eyes. “It’s now or never.”

“Oh baby.” He yanked her into his arms.

She went with a yelp, falling inelegantly against him. She
couldn’t help remembering the time she’d danced with Adam and fallen against
him
—what
a difference. Adam was hard and warm and smelled wonderful. Jack was doughy and
sweaty and he smelled vaguely like old cheese. Katherine found her balance and
pushed back, ignoring Jack’s cry of dissent.

“There.” She held him in a perfectly respectable embrace—an
arm’s length away. “That’s better.”

“Aw, come on, Katherine.” He tried to edge a little closer
but she resisted.

She remembered what Savage had told her and the thought of
Jack having any kind of designs upon her person was, well, untenable. The last
thing she wanted to do was encourage his interest.

But apparently
breathing
was enough to encourage his
interest. As the music swelled, he spun her around and in the process drew her
closer until she was nearly up against him, close enough to feel his…his…
Oh
dear.

And then he grabbed her ass.

Adam wended his way through the knot of partygoers at the
door of the banquet hall and greeted Shannon and Sara, who were handing out
name tags to employees and their dates. “Beautiful evening.”

He made a quick scan of the crowd for Kat as he headed to
the bar for a drink. He’d been thinking of nothing but her all afternoon,
pondering their dilemma. And he’d hit on a solution. It was perfect. It would
allow them to continue seeing each other in a way that wouldn’t affect her
career or his. They could be together every day and every night for as long as
they both should live…and it would make Tristan happy.

Heaven knew, that was critical at this point.

Something about Adam’s relationship with Kat had put Tristan
in a nasty mood. It couldn’t be that Tristan harbored a secret passion for Kat,
could it? Adam scoped out the growing crowd, searching for his brother as he
waited for his drink. He spotted Tristan leaning against a column by the
plate-glass windows that opened out on the valley below.

The expression on his face made Adam freeze. Tristan was
staring at something across the room. Adam followed his gaze and suddenly,
everything fell into place. Well, nearly everything.

Tristan was watching Sara and Shannon as they laughed and
chatted with the newcomers. The burning expression in his eyes made it clear he
wanted one of them but his own rule—
thou shalt not fish in the company pond
—made
such a liaison impossible.

No wonder Tristan was so annoyed Adam had found his passion
swimming in that pond.

Adam wondered which of the women was his brother’s Achilles’
heel but the mention of Kat’s name in a nearby conversation captured his
attention, and his curiosity over his brother’s love life dissipated in a
flash. He narrowed his focus on Kenny and Billy.

“Oh, yeah.” Kenny crossed his arms and snorted. “It’s done.”

“You really think he’s going to seal the deal tonight?”

“The bet is all but won. I mean, she’s dancing with him,
isn’t she?”

Billy shrugged. “I dunno. Lots of girls have danced with me
but I’ve still never gotten laid.”

“Dude. Totally don’t tell anyone that.”

“Dude,” Billy agreed. “But still—”

“Look at them out there.” Kenny jerked his head toward the
dance floor.

Adam followed Kenny’s nod and his heart stopped—literally
stopped—in his chest. There was Kat in Jack’s arms. And Jack’s filthy,
miserable, wormy fingers were on her ass.

He choked on his own breath, frozen with fury at the sight
of another man’s hands on Kat’s luscious butt. He saw red as the urge to march
over to Jack and Kat and rip them apart possessed him. And then maybe rip Jack
apart.

Why was she dancing with him? How could she allow him to
touch her so intimately? What on earth was she thinking?

Memories of Betsy roiled, making his knees shake. Agonizing
emotions battered his soul.

Could it be that Kat was really like Betsy after all?

He couldn’t accept that, refused to believe that, but the
proof was right there before his eyes. The woman he had fucked so thoroughly
that afternoon was in another man’s arms, allowing him to paw her posterior.

He got a hold of himself, his rage, quickly, and took a
quick swallow of his drink. Kat wasn’t like that. She wasn’t. And besides…that
was
Jack
.

Even as his sanity returned, he saw Kat forcibly remove
Jack’s death grip on the globes of her ass.

She said something to him, something accompanied by a
furious frown, but Jack laughed and pulled her closer again. His hands came
around and clasped, once more, on a bit of real estate Adam considered his own
private property.

Yeah
, he thought. He was definitely going to kill
Jack. But before Adam could take a breath, before he could say anything, before
he could take Jack to task or do him bodily harm, Kat did it for him. She
pulled back and with the lethal spire of her high heels—the heels he’d given
her, he noticed with a rush of possessive pleasure—she ruthlessly gored Jack’s
instep.

A yelp resounded through the room and Kat’s move had the
desired effect. Jack let go of her and staggered back. Then Kat, regal and
proud, swept from the dance floor.

“Dude,” Billy breathed. “Jack is totally not winning that
bet tonight.”

Adam glared at the two interns. “He’s not winning that bet
any
night.” He slammed his drink down on the table and followed after Kat.

He found her outside the front doors, her flushed face
tipped up to the cool breeze.

“That was interesting,” he said in a soft purr.

Kat spun around. Her mouth dropped open. It was a pretty
sight. “Adam. You came.”

“It
is
my party.”

She smiled. God, she was something when she smiled. “I
wasn’t sure. After this afternoon and all.”

“I was an ass.”

“I was an idiot.” They both spoke at the same time.

He smiled. “What a pair we make.”

“We are a pair.”

They gazed at each other through the velvet shadows. A soft
zephyr tangled with the skeins of his hair and teased the fringe on her hem.
The stars were out, he noticed. She outshone them all.

“Kat…” Emotion ravaged his voice.

This was it.

She was here and he was here and the night was perfect.

The only thing lacking was a ring but he could take care of
that detail later.

“Yes, Adam?”

Gazing into her eyes, he took her hand. “Will you—”

“Oh, there you are.” Jack’s brash voice completely shattered
the moment. Adam rounded on him with a dark glower. Jack, perilously unaware of
how close he was to death, continued. “We didn’t get to finish our dance.”

Kat frowned and set her fists on her hips. Adam could see
how annoyed she was but obviously Jack could not. “Our dance is finished.”

Uh oh.
She used
that
tone.

“But you promised me a dance. That means a
whole
dance.”

“Our dance is over.”

Jack frowned and narrowed his eyes. “If you don’t give me
the dance you owe me, maybe I’ll just tell Adam here why you promised me a
dance in the first place.” He folded his arms over his chest and favored Kat
with a smug look.

Kat smiled just as smugly. “Fine. Go right ahead.”

Jack blinked, his arrogance slipping just a tad. “He’s your
boss, Katherine. Think about this.”

“Tell him.”

“I’ll do it. Don’t think I won’t.”

Kat glanced at Adam, who was watching this byplay with
amused interest. “Go right ahead.”

Jack stomped his foot on the ground and pouted. “That’s not
fair. You promised me a dance and you only gave me half a dance.”

“You grabbed my ass,” Kat reminded him.

Jack seemed genuinely confused. “But that’s part of
dancing.”

“Only for guys who want to get smacked,” Adam murmured in an
aside.

“I didn’t like it.” This, Kat said rather gently in Adam’s
opinion. “I told you I didn’t like it and you did it anyway. That’s not the way
you treat a woman.”

“But I thought you liked it rough.” Jack’s bald statement
caused both Adam and Kat to blanch.

Her eyes met his, limned with horror and mortification. His
heart lurched. He knew what she was thinking and it wasn’t true. He’d never
said anything to anyone about their risqué love play. And he never would.