Chapter 4
Half an hour later, she was back in an SUV with Oscar, waiting for Kylan to make his appearance. Every two weeks, she had dinner with Keith, Kylan’s uncle. He was an angel investor for Ross Corp, and the only thing he asked in return, was to have dinner with Kylan.
Keith was someone that Kylan could tolerate slightly more than others, much like Ryan and herself. Sometimes, he asked her to go to dinner too, and other times he let her go home instead. She wasn’t surprised he would want her involved today, with the extra prevalent shadow hanging over his head.
Kylan finally made his way into the back seat of the car. He sat next to her, with only the middle seat in between them. She gave him a small smile, and he nodded his head at her.
“Did you-” he began..
She knew what he was going to ask. “Your dry cleaning was picked up and taken home,” she told him calmly.
“And what about-” he added.
“Your suit for the gala this weekend? Pressed and tailored. It’s at your home, too,” she said with the same calm tone.
Kylan nodded at her slowly, eyeing her carefully. “Right. Good work,” he said curtly.
It was the closest her boss ever came to saying thank you, and she smiled at him again in response.
Twenty minutes later, Oscar was dropping Katrina and Kylan off at the latest upscale restaurant Keith chose. Kylan had the decency to hold the car door open for her, and she nodded at him in thanks as she climbed out.
Keith was already waiting inside when they walked in, and the two of them made their way over to him, Kylan on her heels. She sat down across from Keith, with Kylan on her right.
“Ahh, my dear Kate. You’re still working for this grumpy little shit?” Keith asked her, lifting his glass of a far too expensive Cabernet Sauvignon, and taking a long drink from it
She laughed and nodded. “I am.”
Kylan scoffed and lifted the glass of whiskey Keith had already ordered for him. “I wanted it neat, old man,” he complained about the ice in his cup.
“I’ll take that one if you don’t want it. I’ll order you a new one,” she offered her boss.
Kylan eyed her curiously before he handed her his whiskey. Katrina drank it easily, wincing as the fiery liquid skirted down her
throat.
Dinner went as it always did, with Keith poking and prodding at Kylan relentlessly, and Kylan responding with less and less patience as time wore on
Katrina entered the conversation where she felt it was relevant, but she spent the majority of the time enjoying her steak and vegetables quietly. It was really the only true draw from these fancy dinners: the expensive food.
She noticed that Kylan was looking at her more so than he usually did. She couldn’t read his expression, as always, but it was making her increasingly more on edge as time went on. She didn’t know what was on his mind, and it was making her
nervous.
Finally, she finished dinner, and Keith stood to say farewell. “I still don’t know why you’re working for this one. You could do a lot better, Kate. Does he even pay you well?” Keith asked her, putting on his jacket in the process of speaking.
“He pays me well enough. I’ll forever have a mountain of student debt, but that’s not his fault. It’s just what happens when you have to pay your own way through school.”
Katrina shrugged nonchalantly, avoiding Kylan’s gaze. She didn’t normally discuss her pay with anyone and especially not in front of her boss.
Keith laughed and shook his head. “Give your assistant a raise, you damn brat,” he chastised Kylan.
She felt her face grow warm and looked down at the table in embarrassment. “Really, Keith, I’m fine. Thank sen
dinner, as always she told the older gentleman politely
Kylan glowered at Keith but made no move to say anything at all.
Keith was used to his behavior and simply runtled his hair, before he turned and walked from the restaurant..
Kylan was looking at her again, and she met his stare this time. “Sir? Shall we go!” she suggested.
He continued to stare at her for a moment lenger, and she began to grow self–conscious.
“Do I have something on my face?” she asked him, grabbing a napkin and wiping her mouth swiftly.
“Your face is fine. Let’s go, Kylan said quietly, standing from his chair and leading the way back to Oscar.
The drive home was silent and Katrina couldn’t quite pinpoint why, but Kylan seemed to be especially tense for the entirety of the ride. When Oscar dropped her off and she offered a goodnight. Kylan didn’t even look at her.
She wasn’t entirely put off by his behavior, but it did make her a little confused.
Fully making her way inside after an especially exhausting day, she kicked off her cursed heels and drew a bubble bath for
herself
Katrina promptly stripped her clothing and soaked in the warm, inviting soapy water for a long time. By the time her skin was rinkled, she had got out and dressed in her usual nightgown. She brushed her teeth and removed her makeup. She Enally walked to her bed, yawning the entire way.
She was just about to plug her phone in to charge when she received a text message. By this point, it was nearing midnight, and she was confused about who would be talking to her this late.
It threw her off even m
more when she saw the message from Kylan. He never communicated with her this way. It was either always through email, an in–person conversation, or via a phone call.
I have something to discuss with you at our usual meeting, first thing in the morning.” his text says.
“Is everything all right. Sir?” she replied.
“Go to sleep.”
She stared at her phone in confusion. Why was he acting so strangely? What did he have to talk to her about, and why was he warning her beforehand!
Yes, Sir. Goodnight”
He didn’t respond after that, and she was left feeling restless for a long while before her body finally allowed her to fall asleep.
-0-0-0-
The next morning, Katrina went through her normal routine of getting ready for the day, opting to wear a form–fitting red dress that stopped just above her knees. She chose a pair of black heels and paired the ensemble with a pair of black nylons.
She kept her midnight black hair down, curling it again quickly with practiced hands. She finished her makeup with a bold red lip. Katrina then grabbed her briefcase and her peacoat.
Thirty minutes later, she arrived at Ross Corp. Kylan’s tea and her coffee in hand. She was doing her best not to be nervous about what Kylan could possibly have to talk to her about, but it was nearly impossible.
She couldn’t help but wonder if she had gone too far, with how she backed up Ryan and his idea that Kylan finds someone to publicly date to marry, no matter how fake it should be. Katrina had merely spoken her mind, but Kylan wasn’t always the sort of person who appreciated that kind of forwardness, if at all.
She reached her floor, stepped out, and walked to deposit her jacket and briefcase in her office. She squared her shoulders. took a deep breath, and then finally walked next door to Kylan’s office.
She stepped inside his office, setting his tea down in his usual spot, and then took a seat in front of his desk with her coffee.
He was standing at his window, much like he always was in the morning, and he had his hands in the pockets of his black suit pants. He turned around to face her, and she was surprised to see he was only wearing a white button–down shirt. It was
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Chapter i
wrinkle–free and tucked in, as usual, but she didn’t think she had ever seen him without a suit jacket before.
The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his forearms, and the first two buttons of his shirt were undone. He looked… different, and she fought to avert her eyes.
Katrina knew Kylan was attractive, and she knew that everyone else noticed it too. It wasn’t a surprise, but she never paid him any mind in that regard. It was highly inappropriate, not to mention the fact that Kylan was a difficult man, all around.
She couldn’t read Kylan’s facial expression while he approached her. He came to a stop in front of Katrina, leaning back on his desk and folding his arms across his chest.
He stared at her for a long, drawn–out moment, and the sudden unexplainable tension in the room around her became stifling
“Sir? Shall we go over the day’s schedule?” she finally suggested, doing her best to keep her voice neutral
Kylan cleared his throat. “Stand up, Katrina. Over there.” He gestured to the center of his office.
She gave him a weird look, but she still put her coffee down on his desk. Katrina then rose from her chair and walked to where he pointed. She stood with her hands clasped in front of her.
And then, Kylan began to slowly circle her. She followed him with her eyes, every time he walked in front of you.
She felt entirely too exposed like she was under a microscope. Of what kind, she wasn’t certain. Katrina only knew that Kylan was looking at her, all of her. Was something wrong with her choice of clothing? It was no different than how she had dressed for the last three years. Surely, he couldn’t be so nitpicky now.
“Sir, what are you doing, exactly?” she asked him slowly, swallowing against her suddenly dry throat.
“Kylan,” her boss responded calmly, all while he continued to circle Katrina.
Kylan? She never referred to him by his first name. Not to his face, anyway. What the f*ck?
“Sorry!” she chose to clarify, her voice an octave higher than it normally was.
Kylan stopped in front of her abruptly, and she was startled at the fact that he was closer to her than he ever was. Even when she had her heels on, he was still taller than her, she had to look up at him to make eye contact. His grey eyes looked stormy this morning, and her throat grew ever drier.
“For this conversation. I’d like you to call me Kylan,” her boss explained.
His voice was even, and she would have no idea that he was anything but bored, were it not for how intense his eyes looked. “Okay Kylan, what is this about?” His name sounded foreign on Katrina’s tongue when she said it in his presence.
Kylan took a deep breath, still standing directly in front of her and still staring into her eyes. “Katrina Morgan. Twenty–eight years old. You’re an only child, and you were raised by a single father, in a coastal town in Maine. You double majored in public relations and business management. You graduated from New York University, third in your class when you were twenty–four. You worked for a start–up company for a year, and that company is now obsolete. Then, you came to work for me here at Ross Corp., and you’ve been here ever since.”
Kylan spoke so matter of fact, it was like he was reciting a speech for a corporate meeting, and not like he was telling her her own life story.
“You have a decent number of friends, and you’ve had a few boyfriends, but nothing serious. You’re a nice girl, and everyone here at Ross Corp. is undeniably fond of you. You know how to work the public, and you’ve helped me out of more than one questionable situation since you started here.”
Kylan scanned her up and down, and she felt all too exposed once again. He met her gaze once more, with a small nod of his head.
“You’re an attractive woman, and your face is certainly symmetrical,” he said nonchalantly, and Katrina’s eyes widened at the odd compliment?
“How much debt are you in from your school, Kate?” Kylan asked her now.
She swallowed, her heart beginning to run a marathon in her chest. It was the first time he called her Kate.
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Chapter 4
“I don’t see why that’s prevalent, Sir,” she responded through her teeth.
Kylan scoffed. “Kylan,” he reminded her and added firmly, “just answer the question.”
Katrina sighed and looked at Kylan, her eyebrows furrowed in definite confusion. “Fifty–thousand dollars, Kylan,” she relented, despite how uncomfortable she was.
“Any other outstanding debts?” he asked her, moving to sit back in his chair behind his desk.
She took it as a sign that she could also sit, and she did so gratefully. Her legs were very nearly jelly, by this point. “N–no. I prefer to keep my life as simple as possible when it comes to finances,” she told Kylan honestly,
Kylan nodded thoughtfully; his hands spread under his chin to prop it up. He was still eyeing her curiously, and it only continued to make her more nervous
“I have a proposition for you,” he began, his tone of voice completely unreadable. “I’ve already cleared it with Ryan, as well as Max in HR.” he added with a shrug. He pulled out a black folder from within a desk drawer and proceeded to place it on his
desk in front of her.
put
Katrina moved forward in her seat slightly, and he opened the cover of the folder for her. She was surprised to see he had something like this together, without her help. And she wondered again what the hell this was all about if he was going about things in such a way
She openly gaped at the top of the first page in the bindings of the folder. The header read:
“Marriage Contract for Kylan Ross and Katrina Morgan”
