Page 15 of Foreplay with the Boss

The two of them shook hands, and I didn’t miss the way Randall’s eyes lingered on the neckline of Kat’s shirt, something that continued even after he’d taken a seat. I fought back the urge to kick him under the table and tell him to knock that shit off. I’m pretty sure it was frowned upon to kick prospective clients.

But checking her out and thinking about her naked was my job, and I didn’t want anyone else to do it. I cleared my throat, and he looked at me. I pushed his menu toward him. “This place is famous for their steak and shrimp. I can never choose, so it’s good they have an entrée that includes both.”

When the waitress came over, she started with Kat, who ordered a salad and asked what the low-calorie dressing was.

I frowned at her. “You’re not having a salad.”

The smile she gave me appeared polite but had sharp edges. After only a few days of being around her, I could see the difference between her real smile and her I’m-imagining-creative-ways- to-injure-you one.

If she wanted suggestions, my vote went to rough foreplay, with some even rougher sex.

“Yes I am,” she whispered, and for a second my mind was so caught up in imagining pornographic scenarios that I thought she was saying she was open to it. But then she looked at the waitress and opened her mouth, assumedly to pick the fucking low-calorie dressing. I was sure this had to do with her comment about trying to lose weight, which was ridiculous. She was fucking perfect, and this place had the best steak in the city—she wasn’t having a salad on my watch.

“She’ll have the steak…” I eyed her. “Medium well,” I guessed. “With the shrimp.” I put my hand on her knee. “Unless you have a seafood allergy?”

She glanced down at my hand and blinked at it, before seeming to remember we were in the middle of the argument. She lifted her chin. “I don’t, but?—”

“And I’ll have the same, but make mine medium rare, please.” “Make that three,” Randall said. “But rare for me.”

Funny how the instant another guy announced they were going to have their steak rarer than yours, you felt the need to change; to prove you were manly enough to eat bloody, barely cooked meat. But I was more evolved than I used to be back in college when everything was a challenge and I always had to win.

The waitress nodded and gathered the menus.

“But…” In this instance, I was glad that Kat was too soft-spoken, because the waitress didn’t hear her, or possibly she just didn’t want to get in the middle of it.

I turned my attention to Randall. “You said you had a few more questions, so ask away and let me reassure you that Craze Marketing and Advertising Firm is the best choice for Walker Hospitality.”

“Really it boils down to one thing,” Randall said. “The monthly fee is on the higher side, and I know another company who’ll do it for cheaper.”

“I’m sure you can find cheaper, but you won’t find better, or anyone who can increase your profit margin like we can,” Kat said. “That’s one of the many benefits of having a comprehensive team who does both the advertising and marketing.”

I glanced at her.

“Sorry. Did you want to tell him that part?”

“Be my guest.” Truth be told, I had explained that already, but I hadn’t gotten his attention the way Kat did. For one, I didn’t have her amazing breasts or that dazzling smile. I could be charming when I wanted to be, but I found ruthless and overly- confident worked better in business, two things that hadn’t worked so far on Randall.

Kat ran a hand through her hair and I caught a whiff of perfume or her shampoo, and whatever it was smelled as intoxicating as she looked. “Well, I took a look at your company’s website and the marketing you have in place right before we came, and I saw at least five things we could improve on right away.”

“Like what?” he asked.

She clicked her tongue at him. “You want me to just give our secrets away? Come on, Randall, you know better than that.”

The guy hung his head like he was ashamed, but his grin was too big to pull it off. “Had to try, you know.”

“Just like you know Jame—Mr. Stone and I would never fall for that. But I believe that with a few tweaks, we can increase your visibility, your brand recognition, and most importantly, your profit margin. Enough to pay our higher fee and then some. It just depends on if you’re happy putting around in a four-cylinder sedan or if you want a V-8 Caddy that growls when you start it and leaves your competition in the dust. There’s a reason an Escalade costs more than a Volkswagen Beetle.”

Randall looked at me.

“Not much else to say, really—she summed it up perfectly. I promise to personally set up your account and watch over it, and I think my reputation speaks for itself.”

“And will Katrina be working on it as well?” he asked.

In other words, I want to be able to call her under the pretense of business, with the hopes of it leading to more. No fucking way, buddy.

She looked to me for the answer, which I appreciated. “Katrina’s only with us temporarily—she has an office to run in Hartford.” The reminder bothered me. I told myself it was a good thing. There might even be a week or two period before she returned to her old job where we could cram as much time between the sheets as possible. A nice, banging farewell.

Only then I’d be shutting down that office, eradicating the job I was supposed to be training her for. Then she’d hate me and probably think that I used her, which left her off-limits once again, and I couldn’t see a time when that would magically change, no matter how much I wished otherwise.

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