Page 54 of Dissension

Not able to deny that, Bianca troops on. “-but here’s the thing; he clearly likes you. It’s why he spends time with you. It’s not just about work. But you pretend he’s nothing and all the other women are falling all over him.” Bianca sits down next to her. “Can you blame him?”

“He does not like me. I amuse him.” Kara grits out, feeling her insides sicken. Why does this bother her so much? Itshouldn’t-

Is it because she’s still wounded about Nick? Is that why she can’t handle the idea of being hurt again? Of getting close to a man she’ll never have a prayer of keeping for herself?

Footsteps reach their ears. “Hey. What’s wrong?” Dieter has followed them outside. Being harassed by gold-diggers and shallow influencers must have gotten boring for the moment. “The party is inside.”

Bianca gets up off the bench and steps off to the side, pretending to be interested in her phone.

Angrily, Kara wipes at her face, sniffing. She can’t let him see that she cares, that any of it got to her. “Nothing. Go back in there with your playdate.”Ouch. That came out obvious.Kara, you idiot.

Like clockwork, his eyebrow quirks in understanding.

“Chickadee. Don’t be bitter.” He’s standing behind her now. Slowly, he reaches out and plays with Kara’s hair as she tries to not look at him. “I don’t even know her name. Any of their names.”

She turns to look at him, hoping her eyes don’t look red. “Ha. You wouldn’t.” His pupils are dilated; he’s done some lines already tonight.

“What is that supposed to mean?” He walks around the bench, coming to stand in front of her.

“What do you think?” Her tone comes out as a hiss. “You use women like tissue paper.” She mimics blowing her nose and tossing it away.

His face slowly shifts from its good-natured expression. “Yeah, well, some women like that, don’t they?” He snaps back, becoming the waspish snit he’s known to be. “I’m just minding my own business and they fucking cling on like flies to a pile of shit.”

“Is that the sound of you admitting you’re shit?”

“It’sa saying.” He seethes. Someone has mussed his soft hair and Kara feels red pulse behind her eyes. Some bitch was what,petting him?

She’s standing up now and he’s in her face, those blown pupils eating her alive. He’s high and fired up and Kara is justupset.This is gasoline and fire meeting.

The tension between them grows heavy, as if waiting for one of them to back down.

Coming back to them with hesitation, Bianca touches Kara’s shoulder. “Kara, I’m gonna head back to my place; do you want to come with me?” Bianca is giving her an out, giving her a way to escape this embarrassing argument with her stupid fucking client, but there’s no way Kara is leaving this argument. She doesn’t run away.

She shakes her head, maintaining eye contact with the snake in front of her. “I’m fine, B. I’ll call you tomorrow?”

Bianca nods cautiously, eyes darting between them for a moment before going to hail a cab.

When they’re alone again, aside from the milling party-goers around them, Dieter scoffs. “Are you on the rag? You’re being idio-”

Her eyes prick with her emotions. Anger at him, but mostly fury at herself for getting caught up in Dietrich Bittinger. “Justfuck off.” Kara tries to walk away, wiping at her eyes again hatefully, feeling him pull her to a stop.

“You’re mad about some bimbo hitting on me?” Dieter turns her around to face him again, looking incredulous. A faint hint of amusement lurks in his green eyes and Kara despises it. “Since when?”

Slapping his hands away from her, Kara replies, “Stop making this into something it isn’t! You’re a troll and I can’t stand you.” Her voice cracks and she feels her face crumple with emotional anguish. She’s quickly losing control of herself.

He’s like a shark that’s smelled blood in the water.

“What is it that youwant?” He’s so close, crowding up on her, his breath on her ear. “You want me to be yours? Play house together?” There’s something cruel and mocking in his tone.

“No,” Kara whispers miserably, a part of her deflating from his words. There’s a part of her that does want it. She wantshim. She wants all that perfection that he embodies because she’ll always bebroken.

When she’s by herself, she’s this thing of loneliness and rage, broken by a terrible childhood. With Nick, she can be broken with someone else, but it’s stillbroken.

But Dieter? He’s far from broken. He’s unattainable and golden, even if he isn’t faultless.

Dieter rears back from her as if she’s slapped him. His green eyes are nearly black in the low lighting, giving him a dangerous cast. A sneer crosses his lips, covering his shock. Kara doesn’t dare assume he’s hurt. “No?” He repeats mockingly. “Don’t lie. It’s what all these sluts want from me. They want what I represent. The money. The power-”

This time, she slaps him.Hard.

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