Page 73 of Contention

Oh, give me a break.Anger flashes behind Kara’s vision and she hisses, “I’m not his keeper. Leave him a message, he’s busy.”

With a glower, Kara hangs up, immediately regretting it.Well, that was flamingly rude and unprofessional of me. Debbie’s going to complain and I deserve it.She sees Bob at his desk, rifling through his paperwork, likely for some divorce case. His rotund belly is pushing out the buttons of his button-down. “Bob, can you call Debra Mills? She’s losing it.”

He chuckles, the lines of his face deepening. “You think my bedside manner is better than yours? Ha!” When Kara scowls at him darkly, he nods. “Alright, alright! You’re a hangry broad right now, don’t you have a lunch meeting? Scram, before you harm someone. I can see that freakish look in your eye; eat and get rid of it!”

Ah, yes. It’s Wednesday and Kara has lunch with Gale Clarke. She quickly goes to the bathroom to check her coverup makeup, just to make sure nothing too scandalous is showing. The bruises on her wrists have mostly faded, but she still puts makeup over them to hide the worst of it. Uncovered, they look darkly yellow, hints of purple. An ugly reminder of what she did to herself.

Nicholas Havenwood-Calais, her weapon of choice.

She’s wearing a lovely black blazer today, complete with embellished buttons, but it’s hot outside and she’ll likely need to take it off, leaving her wrists mostly bare, aside from her watch.

She pushes thoughts of the night that made those bruises to the back of her mind, trying to not feel a coil of desire in her belly at the thought of blue eyes going midnight black with lust, being held down, the way he sounded when he came, the way he tasted on her tongue…

Stop reminiscing. You’re going to be late.

But, thoughts of him just won’t go away and Kara wishes she could splash her face with water to clear her mind, but she has mascara on and that would be a heinous mistake.He hasn’t texted…or called,Kara thinks darkly, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The nasty part of her mind says,What did you expect? You’re nothing to him. You’re an object for amusement, for pleasure.

An outlet for violence.

She hates to admit how much she liked it, how afraid of herself that makes her feel. What does that say about her, that she liked what he did to her body? Echoes of adrenaline, fear, and arousal pulse in her veins as she thinks about his hips pressed to hers, of his body filling hers in every way that counts. Even his facial expressions send coils of heat to her core.

Go see Gale. Get your mind off him. You’ve thought of nothingbut himfor days.

It’s a sick obsession.

Confident that she looks presentable, Kara makes her way to lunch with her mentor, shaking off her uncomfortable emotions. It’s by the river, with charming outdoor seating, if Kara recalls correctly. When she arrives, she gives the name for the reservation and the hostess points her in the direction for the outdoor patio.

The river is lovely, boats floating by, sunlight glittering with charm off the water. The skyscrapers rise up into the sky, though luckily not obscuring this particular patio, which Kara knows is one of Gale’s favorite spots.

Kara catches sight of Gale easily enough. Her blonde hair shines like a beacon in the sunlight. Her table is overlooking the water, by the edge of the patio railing. She waves Kara over with the air of a queen. “Kara, over here! Come sit!”

Making her way through the filled tables, ducking and dodging wait staff, trying to not hit anyone with her giant tote, Kara approaches the table, high heels clicking. Already, she notices that Gale isn’t alone; a man is sitting with her, his back to Kara. Likely a client finishing up a quick chat.

The pair look like angels, glowing gold in the warm early summer sun that’s sprinkling down across the patio.

Placing her tote on the back end of the chair between the pair, Kara smiles at Gale, happy to see her. The other woman gets up and embraces her warmly in a wave of lavender and rose, saying, “My paperwork keeps growing in your absence. I’ve missed your youthful enthusiasm, friend.”

“Oh, stop,” Kara mutters back to her, giving her a squeeze that warms her heart, easing the tension in her body. Kara’s own mother rarely hugged her. “Your paperwork keeps growing because you’re one of the best, Gale.”

“Flatterer,” Gale replies teasingly as she steps back. Her blue eyes look behind Kara and she gestures to the gentlemen, saying, “Kara, of all my clients, I’m not sure you’ve ever met my crown jewel.”

Kara twists with a polite smile, her hand at the ready for a good shake when she feels her spine stiffen, eyes catching on his face. Her smile freezes and it takes a great effort for her to keep it in place, as if nothing is amiss. Mother effingwhat…of all the people she’d expect to be sitting with Gale, this isn’t one of them.

Stunning, bright green eyes glitter with amusement and mocking recognition. Kara is already wondering where the air in her lungs has gone, mind racing as she puts her hand forth after a slight moment of hesitation.Oh my God, and he definitely remembers me.

Heat crawls up her neck. He’s going to touch her hand. She’s going totouchhim.

He remains sitting, like a lord on his throne, confident as he takes in her nervousness. With that bright smile that makes her insides melt, he lies through his glittering teeth, “We certainly haven’t had the pleasure. I’m Dietrich Bittinger.”

A warm hand encompasses Kara’s in a firm grip as he introduces himself to her, pretending right along that he’s never met her before. That she’s never been in a limo with him. That she’s never seen him snorting cocaine off scantily clad women. That, he in fact, tried to trade one of those women in exchange for her. That he’s likely one ofthe mostdevastatingly handsome men she’s ever come into contact with- and it horrifies her. “Kara H-Hayes,” she squeaks out embarrassingly, unable to look away from his lovely, piercing gaze.

The direct sunlight makes his pupils small, showcasing his clear, light green irises. Kara had seen that they were green when she first met him in the limo, but his drug-dilated pupils had nearly eaten all of his eye color. To see them now, in daylight…

There’s a thing she’s heard about, but never really experienced. Encountering someone that literally makes it hard to speak to their face because they’re so…well, striking. As if looking them in the eye will somehow amplify how unattractive you are next to them. Kara feels this keenly and it’s like a punch in the gut.

She’s drowning and shedoesn’tdamn well like it.

Dietrich holds onto her hand for longer than appropriate before sliding his hand away, practically a smooth caress that he passes off easily, reaching for his lemonade as he leans back in his chair. He glances at Gale, thinking, tongue briefly in his cheek. “Where’ve you been hiding this little bird, Gale?”

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