Page 29 of Playboy Boss

Chapter Eleven

Go see her. No, I can’t.

Those statements dueled in Konrad’s mind for at least a half an hour after Scottie left, leaving a trail of her sugary perfume behind. The faint smell remained in his car, and he savored it until it left. He must’ve been hooked if he was savoring her perfume as if it were an IV giving him energy. But there he was doing it. Decision made. He wanted to smell her perfume again.

Screw the Thursday happy hour he’d had with his mates every week. Konrad needed to see Scottie again. Out of the office. He needed to be close to her. Maybe nothing would happen. It didn’t matter. He just wanted to be near her.

An email notification chimed his computer just as he was about to leave. He glanced at it, annoyed to be kept any longer. Fabian had sent him a link to the Houston Society Pages engagement announcements. Front and center was a picture of Fabian and Antonia, smiling like fools. A caption underneath it read: Two powerhouse families unite with the engagement of Antonia Robuchon to Fabian Pallis.

The same dense, dull feeling Konrad had at their surprise engagement dinner came back full force. Oh God, could it be possible Konrad’s feelings had progressed to outright jealousy of their engagement? That he himself wanted to have exactly what they had?

His gaze drifted to the announcement below. Shocked at first, he looked away just to be sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. He read the announcement again.

Houston socialite Anisette Bonnenfont and real estate mogul Blaine Craft announced their engagement among family and close friends last night at an intimate dinner. They plan a Turks and Caicos destination wedding next spring.

Blimey. Was everyone getting married?

Konrad sat back in his chair. His mind spun with the news. He didn’t know she had been dating someone else. Good on her. Anisette deserved a real estate mogul who could give her forever. He was sure that was why she’d visited him, to tell him she wasn’t available for anymore dalliances, for the convenient get-togethers he’d demanded of all his women. And he’d ditched her. Sent her a Chanel scarf instead.

Fuck, Korr, you’re a real tosser.No more. He didn’t want to be that anymore.

He looked up from his computer, staring at Scottie’s cube through the glass wall. His obligations were gone. All the women he’d been seeing, he’d either pushed them away or they’d left him. The slate was clean again.

He looked back at the announcement on his computer screen and wondered what it would be like to read his own engagement announcement. Konrad shut his laptop, his body soaring to get to Scottie.

The moment Konrad stepped foot in the Bowie Brew, he got a whiff of cheap liquor. He may as well have sniffed a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Never would he be caught dead in a dive bar, but this wasn’t about appearances. He was there for something that might be a terrible idea.

A rowdy group at the far end of the bar caught his attention. His group. They carried on with drinks in their grips. Scottie was the one who laughed the loudest, which brought a smile to his face. He wished she laughed more around him. She had no idea how beautiful she looked when she laughed. He approached, noticing Scottie held a beer. He’d not pegged her for a beer girl. She looked more like a fruity type. Fuzzy navel maybe. Or sex on the beach. Images popped in his head about sex on the beach. With her.

His body responded to the images, and he had to stop his stride for a second to contain himself. Then, warm and zipping with energy, he moved again toward the group, wondering if she would still be calm as if nothing had happened between them, as if they didn’t share secrets. He must have sent out telekinetic messages to her, because she turned her gaze to his, her eyes widening from the surprise. It wasn’t exactly an indication she was happy to see him, and it made him wonder if he had been too presumptuous. Did the kiss affect her at all? But then a small smile curled her lips, and he was energized again.

Konrad approached the group, smiling with each acknowledgement of his employees.

“Well, look who’s graced us with his presence. The boss man himself.” Jeff’s voice boomed over the loud bar. He might have already had one drink too many.

Konrad bowed to an awkward applause, and when he stood to his full height, he noticed Scottie’s eyes on him. Light flashed in her olive irises, making him think she might be happy to see him. “I just wanted to make sure my employees are not terrorizing anyone in my name.”

“Never!” Jeff said, deceitfully joyful. There was no mistake he wasn’t enthused with Konrad’s presence. “Have a seat.”

An empty seat beside Scottie beckoned Konrad. He pointed to it. “That chair has my name on it.” All eyes were on him as he squeezed between Scottie and the empty chair, his hand touching her arm in the process. “Pardon me.”

His heart pounding, he leaned into Scottie, getting a whiff of her perfume, and peered at her glass. “What are you drinking?” he asked.

“Uhh…” She seemed bothered but didn’t back away from him. “It’s pear ale.”

He chuckled. “I didn’t take you for a pear ale type of person.”

Her eyebrows quirked up, eyes glittering. “Oh really? What type of person did you take me for?”

Don’t say, “Sex on the beach.” “I don’t know. Something fruity.”

“Fruity?” She was amused with his assessment.

“Right. Like … a fuzzy navel or something so dreadful as that.” He laughed, and to his surprise, she did too.

“I most certainly am not a fuzzy navel drinker.”

“That’s excellent. You can keep your job then.” Konrad winked at her, but it was the heavy silence around the table that pulled his attention back to his employees. They’d caught Konrad flirting with Scottie, because that was exactly what he’d done.

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