Burned by Passion (8 page)

He shook the tingling images off and wondered absent-mindedly why his father wanted him there.

“Take a seat, Blake,” his father said in a grim voice. Blake’s brows tilted but he silently complied, trying to read his father’s expression. Now what?

“In case you’re wondering,” Bretton began, “I didn’t ask you here to berate you for ruining what should’ve been a perfect evening for everyone. Neither are you here to be asked to apologize for your rudeness, especially to me. I realize I probably deserved it. I’ve always had issues with control and I realize that I probably had it coming, after saying what I did. So this isn’t about any of that. No; what I want to find out is exactly what you were up to after you left the dining room last night.”

Blake paused, concealing his surprise at the turn of conversation. What the hell was his father getting at? “I don’t know what you mean,” he said evasively, and looked up as his father got to his feet, his face a hard mask as he moved from behind the desk.

“Very well, Blake. I’ll explain what I mean,” his father snarled, added bluntly, “I want to know if you raped my secretary, Kira in this very room?”

Blake went cold, too shocked to reply.

“And don’t bother denying it,” Bretton said harshly. “I know she went after you. What I’m not sure about is what happened next but I have a good guess. She followed you into the library obviously to confront you about your horrible behavior during dinner. One thing led to another and you forced yourself on her.”

“Wait…what? That’s not how it happened at all,” Blake gritted out, jumping to his feet. Father and son stood face to face; both their expressions were darkened with fury.

“Then you better explain to me what you did. Or by God I’m calling the police right now to have you thrown in jail, but not before I teach you a thing or two that’ll knock some sense back into you.”

Blake stared at his father, showing in his dark scowl that he didn’t like being threatened. But then he saw the true anger and dismay in the man’s face and calmed down enough to say after a deep sigh, “Believe me when I say Dad, that I did not rape Kira.”

“Then how do you explain this?”

His father withdrew his hand from behind his back and in it were a ripped pair of white bikini panties.

Blake closed his eyes briefly.
Shit. Shit. Shit
. Just what he fucking needed. “Damn,” was all he could mutter.

“Yes,” Bretton growled. “Now tell me you deny what must’ve happened.”

Blake sank back into his seat, pushing his fingers through his hair as he let out a sigh. “Okay, I admit that I made love to Kira last night. That much is true. I won’t deny it. But it wasn’t rape! Jesus! How could you think I would be capable of such a thing?”

At his father’s enraged intake of breath, Blake added bleakly, “Dad, it just…happened. One minute we were snapping at each other and the next we were…” He paused, shook his head and exhaled harshly. “We couldn’t help ourselves.”

“You mean
you
couldn’t help yourself,” Bretton accused, shaking his head in amazement.

Blake looked up squarely at his father and nodded. “I’m prepared to take the blame for what occurred. I started it, and now that I think about it I’m not sure I gave her a fair chance to refuse.”

His eyes darkened with defiance as he added, “I’m not ashamed of what happened. It’s too late for that. I’m only sorry she ended up regretting it. She left immediately, probably hating me and never wanting to see me again.” There’s no
probably
about it, he added to himself cynically.

“Well, that certainly makes me feel better,” was his father’s sarcastic reply before he turned and began pacing the room. “I’m not sure what to think or say. Kira has always been such a well-behaved, sensible girl. A good girl in every sense. It’s almost impossible to believe she let you seduce her like that. But I guess it isn’t her fault. She can’t be used to men like you. I’m sure you were far more than she could handle,” Bretton said grimly, swiveling to glare at Blake. “Well thank you Blake, for bedding my secretary. I hope she isn’t the first in the long line of women you’re likely to ravish during your stay. Please keep your hands off the maid, and the cook if you can.”

Blake flinched, looking down at his clenched hands. He wondered how much angrier his father would be if he knew Kira had been a virgin. Blake didn’t regret anything that happened last night; he’d only hated that she’d felt bad about it. They’d shared something out of this world that even he couldn’t explain. He’d never have guessed she was a virgin, though there’d been a telling innocence in the sweet way she’d succumbed to him from the start. None of it had been planned. The only way he could explain it was that it had happened because it was meant to be. And he’d never forget one second of it. Ever.

“Now look here, Blake,” his father snapped suddenly in a granite hard tone that had Blake glancing up at him. “This is one time I’ll definitely interfere in your life. If I find that you come near that girl again without honorable intentions, then I’ll see to it myself that you get kicked back to England without prospect of return. I don’t give a damn if you’re my son. Believe me, if I have to choose between you and a very dear young woman who’s been like a daughter to me…”

“You don’t have to threaten me Dad,” Blake said calmly. “I’ll never do anything to hurt her. Not again.”

And Blake had meant it. Now turning away from his bedroom window he sighed raggedly. He’d been attracted to her from the start, but he’d never planned on taking advantage of her and it bothered him that his father or even Kira would think that. Blake had never acted so spontaneously and even now, a fire raged on in his loins just for her. But he had to prove to her that this was more than just physical desire. She’d touched something deep inside him. He hated that she’d felt cheapened for giving herself to him. He’d make her understand that this was something special. They’d both felt the same triggering passion that no one else had been able to invoke within them.

Speaking with her minutes ago had brought that same rampant ache right where he lived. He’d heard of people meeting and sparks flying, but with Kira it had been like fireworks erupting. Her earthy, vivacious beauty, her strength of character, had shone through even in that brief moment and the chemistry they shared was beyond compare. He wasn’t ready to walk away from all that until he found out exactly what it could mean for them both. He needed to show Kira there could be so much more.

But first, Blake realized there was something he had to do.

Chapter Eight

Kira tidied up her desk, clearing up for the weekend. She slung her purse over her shoulder and then left the near-empty office. Her boss, Mr. Carter had long since gone. As she took the empty elevator down to the ground floor she let her mind go over the past few days.

Thankfully she’d heard nothing from Blake since that one call on Monday. As far as she was concerned they had nothing to say to each other. Whatever had happened, she intended to put it far behind her. This was her one act of impulsive madness which she had no intention of repeating again in her life.

Though a part of her felt a twinge of regret at how easily he’d backed off. Obviously he’d been faking being so desperate to see her again. After all he’d already got what he wanted so what else was there to hang around for?

Kira remembered her father always telling her she was no good for anything but being some man’s cheap floozy. He’d always berated her for her full-figured shape and warned her that with her kind of ‘porn-star body’ the only thing a man would want her for was to bed her, not wed her.

It was a horrible thing for a father to say to his young daughter barely over nineteen at the time. But it was one of the reasons why she’d held on so long to her virginity even until age twenty-four. She’d been so sure she’d only give herself to a man who loved her truly and who’d love her back. She’d been saving herself for marriage, yet Blake had easily snuck through her defenses and she had surrendered to the darkest rage of passion she’d ever experienced. Why on earth would she want to see him again and remind herself how far she’d fallen from her own standards?

Trying to get him out of her mind hadn’t been as easy as shutting him out of her life. Each time she closed her eyes, she’d see them once more, clinging with heated lust. She hated herself all over again for letting it happen.

Wrapping her coat around her now chilled frame, Kira finally stepped out of the elevator and was soon outside the office and onto the street. Only to stop short when she saw Terrence, leaning against his car, arms folded, in front of the office building. When he saw her he straightened and she waited nervously until he came up to her.

“Hello Kira,” he greeted, but his expression was far from cordial. His eyes were narrowed to slits, his jaw taut. She hadn’t seen him this mad before – and she could understand the reason why he was pissed.

She knew he’d been expecting her to call after the party, undoubtedly to apologize and explain why she’d walked off that night, leaving him and not coming back. Kira hadn’t been able to call him and had certainly been reluctant to face him again.

“Um…hi Terrence. Look, I’m on my way home now…”

“Not yet,” he said shortly, gripping her arm. “Come into the car and let’s go where we can talk.”

Kira didn’t waste her breath trying to argue. Terrence deserved an explanation. He’d probably grown tired of waiting for her to contact him and decided to make the first move. And that had made him even
more
pissed Kira was sure.

Inside the car he didn’t drive off immediately but instead turned to face her. From the way he looked Kira knew he wouldn’t wait until they got to their destination before he gave her a full inquisition.

“Why didn’t you call?” he asked abruptly.

Kira stared straight ahead through the windscreen. “I’m sorry. I should have. I’ve been so crazy busy at work.”

“Is that really all you can say?” Terrence said with quiet anger. “I don’t know what the hell has gotten into you lately, Kira. Especially the night of the party. And that reminds me – why the hell did you go after Bretton Carter’s son?”

This time Kira twisted in her seat to face him. “I don’t know why you have to question me about my actions. But I guess you deserve to know. Mr. Carter is my boss; you saw how Blake behaved at dinner. I had to give him a piece of my mind!”

“You had to do zilch! It was none of your damned business! You shouldn’t have interfered. A stunt like that could get you fired.”

Kira winced. Terrence cursing at her and looking like he could strangle her were not was she was used to. She sighed heavily. “I know what’s going on between them Terrence. I was hoping I could help.”

“You have no idea how it looked to everybody when you dashed after him like that, do you?” Terrence asked with astonishment, and Kira stiffened.

“And when you never returned; even when your boss finally decided to put an end to the evening you still weren’t back. No one else seemed to notice but I certainly did. I waited around forever for you to return and you never did.” Terrence’s eyes bored into hers as he asked, “Are you going to tell me what happened?”

Kira tried to keep her gaze steady and not shift from his. “Nothing happened, Terrence.” She wasn’t even sure why she was lying. Maybe not just because she was ashamed, but because Terrence didn’t look like he could handle the truth. He’d never forgive her and she already couldn’t forgive herself.

“Blake and I just talked. I’d met him earlier and I felt I could have a word with him and let him know his behavior just wasn’t appropriate,” she said quietly and then bit on her lip hard. “Look I know you’re angry and I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have done it and I wasn’t thinking of the consequences. I apologize if you felt hurt by my interference. You’re right; it was stupid of me to try to jump in between the two of them. If I had it to do all over, I wouldn’t have. I hope we can put this behind us.”

“I wish I could,” Terrence said bitterly, fist clenched on top of the steering wheel. “I mean I’m not sure how much more I can stand with the insults. I know that snooty boss of yours doesn’t like me for whatever reason. If I didn’t trust you completely, I’d say there was something fishy going on with you and him.”

“What do you mean?” Kira asked angrily while inside she quaked. Could he possibly suspect?

“I’m just saying be careful. I don’t like the way you’re getting involved with the Carters. For one thing I don’t trust that boss of yours. I mean who invites his secretary to a family event anyway? You’ve only been with his company a year and now he treats you like one of them? Yeah right. That’s why I insisted on escorting you to that party. Not like it did much good; you went ahead and did what you wanted to do anyway. I was so mad when you ran off.”

“I said I was sorry,” Kira said with an impatient sigh. “Now can you please drive me home or do I have to get the bus? I’m really tired and I want to get some rest.”

Terrence suddenly groaned. “Damn! I was going to take you out tonight!”

Kira almost smiled at his change of mood and how he didn’t think he should have asked first before thinking she’d go out with him tonight. That was the way it was about their relationship; they took so many things for granted and now there were so many blurred lines – one of which Kira had already crossed when she’d had sex with Blake.

Now Kira wondered what Terrence would say if she actually told him what had really happened. She could only guess his reaction and it wouldn’t be pretty. She figured that Terrence was one of those type of guys that could be really cool on the surface but when they snapped…shit hit the fan really quickly. She shuddered inwardly and called herself all sorts of a coward from keeping the truth from Terrence just to save her own skin. What kind of person was she turning into? Terrence was right. She didn’t like the Kira she’d become either.

***

When Blake told his father about his decision not to return to England but to settle temporarily in New York, Blake had been surprised at the old man’s incredulity. What was so hard for his father to believe about Blake choosing to stay back in the U.S.? Yes it was a big change for him after staying so long in London but it wasn’t that much of a culture shock considering he’d been born here. In any case none of that even mattered. He knew the main reason why he wanted to stay.