Chapter Five

 

Konrad met Dallas at Halman Hotel for lunch. The two men had been discussing a joint venture, an upscale boutique hotel. Konrad hadn’t embarked on that territory yet, and it had been a dream of his. As heir of the Halman Hotel chain, Dallas was the best man to go into business with.

At the Mariposa bar attached to the Halman Hotel in the heart of the Museum District, Konrad drank a short glass of scotch, neat. With the way Scottie made him feel, he needed a drink to get himself straightened out. What was it about her that ruffled him so much? Besides the obvious, which was that she was stunning. He’d been with stunning women on most days of the week though. She was something else he couldn’t pinpoint.

“Hey, man.” Dallas came up behind him, tapping him on the shoulder, startling him. “Sorry I’m late. Was crunching some numbers upstairs.”

“As a JVP of Finance does.” Konrad shook Dallas’s hand. In all sincerity, Dallas was the one friend he trusted most. Though rough around the edges, considering he spent the majority of his childhood on a cattle ranch in East Texas, Dallas had a lot in common with Konrad. They both were dedicated to their work and to expanding their empires.

Dallas sat, nodding at the cute bartender who apparently knew exactly what he wanted. In seconds, she placed a Jack and Coke in front of him. He winked in appreciation. Not two seconds passed before he’d taken a hefty gulp, nearly emptying the glass. Looked like he’d needed a drink too.

Dallas knocked on the wooden bar with a heavy knuckle after he’d set his glass down. “I sure as hell needed that. So, what’s going on?”

“What did you think about Fabian’s dinner party last night?” Konrad surprised himself with his question.

Dallas shook his head. “Antonia has that son of a bitch by the balls.” He took another drink, the last of it. He chuckled, maybe feeling the same disbelief Konrad felt. “Lucky bastard.”

Perhaps not.

“I must admit, he does look ridiculously happy.” Konrad recalled the look on Fabian’s face when he’d announced his engagement to Antonia. He looked absolutely smitten. Antonia was his world, and there was no question about it.

“She is a lovely woman,” Konrad added. Antonia was more than that. Had to be. Fabian had been more of a ladies’ man than Konrad. In fact, Konrad assumed he and Fabian would be bachelors for life. If Antonia could make him fall… Well, that meant it was possible to fall, which was a disconcerting thought.

“Fabian better not fuck it up is all I’m saying.”

Konrad looked Dallas square in the eyes. “Could you allow yourself to fall like that?”

Dallas didn’t answer straightaway. He mulled over the question, looking in his empty glass like a psychic looks at a crystal ball. “Let’s just say I did fall for someone, but out of my own stupidity, I lost her. Seems like a lifetime ago now.”

Konrad was shocked. He’d never heard Dallas mention this before. From that revelation, Konrad concluded that falling in love appeared to be either the best thing or the worst thing that could happen to a person. “Well, mate, we don’t have to worry about running out of women. We’ll always attract them. Even when we’re fat, disgusting bastards.”

Dallas grunted. “How do you figure?”

“We have accents. Women love accents.”

“Mine is nothing exotic like yours.”

Konrad laughed. “If only they knew who I really am, they’d stay far away from me.”

“Oh, come on. You’re being hard on yourself.” Dallas punched his friend in the shoulder.

Perhaps. Emotions rose up in him again as he thought of everything that had happened the last couple of days. A change of subject would fare him well. “Where the hell is the lunch menu? What kind of two-bit operation are you running here, Halman?”

Dallas punched Konrad again, that time not as light. He waved over the bartender. “Bea, what do you recommend for lunch?”

“Filet mignon and sautéed spinach?” Bea set her slim hand on the bar. Konrad noticed the shiny cherry-red varnish on her petite nail beds. She was coquettish indeed, and she might be Konrad’s one-night-stand type if she didn’t work for one of his best friends. Which brought him to another thing. Scottie…

“Works for me,” said Dallas, answering Bea. “You good with that, Kon?”

Konrad nodded.

With a thumbs-up, Dallas turned to Bea. “Two.”

Once Bea had left to fulfill their orders, Konrad took a sip of his drink, nearly draining it, his thoughts on Scottie again and the secret they shared. He still didn’t understand why she’d opted out of acknowledging him as her boss. And why it bothered him so deeply.

Dallas nudged Konrad. “What’s wrong, man? I can see the wheels turning in your head.”

“I’m a bit out of sorts today.” Konrad glanced out past the bar to the fountain off Main Street, the crystalline water streams gleaming in the sun.

“Is it about business? Don’t worry about those hotel locations. My guys are researching. I got that handled. I’ll have some lots to show you by next week.”

He shook his head. “No… I’m confident about that, mate.” Konrad knew if he told Dallas about Scottie, he’d have to admit some feelings to himself, which seemed small compared to the unburdening of it. “It’s the oddest thing…”

“What is?”

Konrad drew in a breath. “You remember that girl from last night? The server?”

“Dark-haired girl? Brown eyes?”

“I think they’re hazel.” Not think, knew. He knew they were hazel. Gold and olive, her irises were completely mesmerizing.

Dallas’s eyebrows lifted. “Yeah, I remember her. Why?”

“She’s my temporary assistant while Marisol is out on maternity leave.” Konrad wanted to be casual and factual about who she was, but his voice betrayed him. He was bothered.

Dallas’s eyes grew wide. “She’s what?”

“Crazy, right?” Immediately, he regretted his decision to tell Dallas. In three months, Scottie would be a non-issue.

“That’s more than crazy.” Dallas pressed on, though Konrad waved off the conversation. He was done with it. Dallas was not. “You didn’t mention it.”

“No.” Konrad quickly became aware at the absurdity of the conversation and his feelings.

You looked at my legs. Konrad conjured up that moment between them, a smile threatening on his face. He was so inappropriate, but he wanted to look at her legs, her toned, seductive legs. Had Scottie any idea how seductive she was? He guessed not, since she’d worn another bland outfit that morning.

“And she didn’t mention it, either…”

Konrad looked back at his friend. “No, she did not.”

“And why?” Dallas wasn’t going to let up.

“She thought it would be better to not acknowledge each other.” Konrad dropped his gaze to his glass again. He couldn’t look Dallas in the eyes with a lie on his lips. “It’s fine. It’s not a big deal or anything.”

“Except it is a big deal. I’ve known you for a while. Since Harvard. You wouldn’t mention it if it wasn’t. Right?” Dallas waited for an answer Konrad didn’t want to admit to. He knew him so well. And because Dallas knew him so well, a grin parted his lips after a realization on his part. “Wait … no fucking way!”

“What?” Game over. Konrad tugged on his tie, feeling choked by his own silent admission. He must be losing his edge. He slapped the bar. “Who do I need to shag to get another drink around here?”

Dallas grinned. “You can’t get out of his conversation, Kon. Do you like that waitress?”

Konrad gave his friend a direct look. “No, mate. I don’t fucking fancy her! She’s not even my type.”

Dallas furrowed his brow. “You mean because she has two jobs and not a trust fund?”

Konrad was full of shit, and Dallas was absolutely right. Konrad’s rotation of women lived his wealthy lifestyle. They required it. Furthermore, he understood them, what they needed. A Chanel purse for a broken date. A Cartier bracelet for a broken promise. They always knew how to settle down when he’d offered a gift. Konrad sensed Scottie was not like that. There was something too innocent about her. He suspected she’d require more than a Cartier bracelet for a broken promise.

“Oh, wait a goddamn minute.” Dallas pushed Konrad’s arm, nearly knocking it off the bar. That would be the grand revelation, then. “I see what’s going on here.”

“Hey! Watch the bespoke shirt.” Konrad had officially lost his fight. The thing he wanted to keep to himself, Dallas was about to announce to the world.

“You’re bent out of shape because she didn’t acknowledge you. And how could any woman not acknowledge you!” Dallas howled. His perception was immaculate. If only he’d use that keen sense in business only and not in deciphering Konrad’s innermost secrets.

“For God’s sake,” Konrad muttered, quite mad at himself. With women like Pilar and Anisette ready for his bed at the drop of a hat, he should be focusing on them and not his attraction to his temp, who clearly was not impressed with him in the least.

But it was true, though. Every bloody thing Dallas said.

“Finally, a woman who hasn’t fallen for your charms in two seconds of knowing you.” Dallas was having too good a time with the information.

Konrad grew serious, evening out his emotions. “I’m her boss, so she’s just being professional, I’m sure. I commend it. Besides, have you not seen Pilar?”

“Oh, I have seen Pilar, my friend. But that’s not the point, now is it?” Dallas was serious too.

God. He was right again.

Bea arrived with perfect timing. Konrad couldn’t be more grateful to her. She placed their plates on the bar. “Two filet mignons for our handsomest patrons.”

“You have to say that because you work for me.”

“Uh-uh, Halman. You’re just a junior VP. She doesn’t work for you just yet.” Konrad winked at a giggling Bea. Konrad needed to get at least one jab in. He’d lost the whole damn fight.

****

Back at the office, Konrad felt a bit more at ease, even when he received a thank-you email from Antonia for attending the engagement party. Konrad responded with the enthusiasm he knew his friends deserved. However, it all left him with the same longing he’d felt at the engagement dinner. He’d hoped that nagging feeling would subside sooner rather than later.

Konrad passed Susan at reception, waving as he walked through the doors leading into the Korr Properties suite. A few employees stopped him for signatures on documents as he walked to his office. The time had come to take Scottie on the grand tour of Korr Solutions. Excitement made his feet move faster to his office.

As he turned the corner, he heard Scottie’s voice, even as low as it was. He paused, coming to a complete stop at the edge of her cube. Her words became clearer. She was on the phone.

“What do you mean I don’t qualify for a credit line? I have never had a credit card before.” Silence passed for several beats, and when she spoke again, she was indignant. “This makes no sense at all. How can you deny me when I don’t have any delinquencies as a negative mark against me? No, I can’t get a co-signer.”

His heart clenched. Was she in trouble? Did she have financial problems?

“Look, I just need a credit card with a thousand-dollar credit limit. I have been banking with you since I was eighteen. That’s five years! Isn’t that worth something?” The distress overflowed from her voice.

Konrad was compelled to act in some way but didn’t know how or what.

She must have heard him move, and at the moment she faced him, her face turned red, likely from her embarrassment, even though she had nothing to be embarrassed about. This touched him in a way he’d not anticipated.

Her mouth parted the moment their eyes met. She was completely frozen. The voice on the other end of the line sounded from the receiver, though she didn’t respond right away. Scottie closed her mouth. Konrad felt bad that he’d caught her. She looked mortified.

Calmer, she said into the receiver, “I understand. I will have to get back to you. Goodbye.” She hung up the phone. “Mr. Korr?”

Konrad lifted his eyebrow. “Miss Roberts?”

Her cheeks blushed. “Uh… Is there something I can help you with?”

The grand tour of Korr Solutions seemed so trivial after what he’d just heard, but she was his temp, and he could only be concerned about that. It was hard to forget the desperation in her voice, though. The mortification on her face. “Can you be ready in five minutes?”

“Yes, of course. Is there something wrong?” Her eyes widened, and she looked so innocent, like she’d never had a deviant thought in her life.

“I want to take you down to Korr Solutions for the tour.” Konrad’s voice was softer than he expected.

“Yes, of course,” she said, stumbling over her words. “I’ll go to your office in five minutes.”

He nodded and walked across the aisle into his office. He was more perplexed than he ever had been. Dallas was right. Scottie didn’t swoon for him upon meeting him. Didn’t even give him any indication that she thought he was a decent guy. And though they’d only known each other a day, Konrad was drawn in. He was intrigued. For the first time, he thought, as disconcerting and unprecedented as it was, he could easily swoon for her.