Page 44 of Contention

Her breathing become shallow as she fantasizes.

Embarrassed by herself and the way she feels like she’d love to watch him do…well,anything.Withanyone. She feels her mouth dry, just staring at him, and Kara clutches her drink to her, looking away to take a large gulp from it.

She feels warm, way too warm. Her face must be red.

Uselessly, Kara fans herself with the hand not holding her franken-drink after looking away from the man at the other end. Slightly tipsy and way too warm, she mutters quietly to herself, luckily drowned out by the music, “He gets my heartrate way up, way up there.”He’s like cocaine. Don’t look at him, don’t look at him, you’re acting like one of those girls that’s caught sight of their favorite movie star.

But it’s like that. I don’t even know how to act. It’s absurd, I’ve never been this struck by a guy’s looks before.

Calais turns his head in her direction, scowling. Always scowling at her. What is he so goddamn upset about? “What’s wrong with your face?”

The limo takes a sharp turn, nearly throwing Kara into his lap. She luckily catches herself with her free hand on his thigh.Ack! She rights herself and yanks her hand away. Looking up at Calais with a face going even more red, Kara says sarcastically, “Oh, nothing that would interest one such as you, my lord.”

He flushes an interesting shade of crimson. “Would you stop?”

Kara blinks at him blankly, despite being glad for the distraction. No, she will not stop being a thorn in his side; it’s what hedeserves. Seeing her expression, he looks upward in exasperation, sighing heavily. “You have some serious balls, hopping in here again. You shouldn’t have come. Taking this risk, all because I put you straight? What are you, a spoiled child?”

Fucker, she’s never been spoiled in her life! She’s almost glad for the rush of irritation his accusation brings her, distracting her from everything else.

Sitting herself back into her seat, she extracts herself from under his arm, her leg still pressed against his, Kara scowls. The heat of his thigh is most definitely not shifting her awareness. She is most definitely not aware of every part of her body that he touches. “I told you! I want to set the record right about Wednesday night. Mycareeris on the line. You threw me out like a naughty child when I was trying to explain-”

He sneers at her, mean and unpleasant now that he has her full attention. He leans down close, so close that his nose almost touches hers. Kara can hardly breathe, momentarily, and he’s hissing lowly, “Youarea naughty child and there was nothing I needed to hear from you. I protectmyinterests.”

For a moment, Kara considers what to say. She whispers back the best she can, because she doesn’t want Bittinger to hear her up front, though he seems preoccupied once more. “I fucking swear, I didn’t learn anything that I can use against your client. I know you are fully capable of crushing my non-impressive career. I’d like to ask you to not ruin it.” Her voice softens, but damn, she doesn’t want to plead with him. “Please, just let the mistake slide. Like…the way I letyourmistake slide.”

His eyes flash at that, because he knows she’s right. She could attempt coming after him for what he did to her, but she hasn’t. She’s let his awful, disgusting ‘mistake’ slide right by, even though she shouldn’t.

She swallows thickly, hating herself. Hating him. Hating how much influence Calais holds over her. Her fingers are aching to dig into his shoulders and shake some sense into him. When he doesn’t respond for a few uncomfortable moments, Kara’s voice cracks embarrassingly. “What do you want me to do? Beg you? Go down on my-”

He makes a noise that resembles a frustrated growl in the back of his throat. His hands clench, like he wants to grab her. Kara tenses, muscle memory making her heart jump, but he doesn’t follow through. Calais leans back in his seat, resting the back of his head against the leather. Calais looks down his nose at her, tropical eyes narrowed. “Someone else intervened on your behalf. You don’t need to worry about it anymore. This is completely unnecessary.”

Who spoke for her? Then, it comes to her in a wave of unease.

“Gale called you.” The words, accusing, tumble from her lips. “Gale, who is going to your firm.”

His only response is a grim smile.

It’s like the sole purpose for his existence is destroying her life. Absurdly, Kara feels like crying, but rationalizes that’s just her drunk, tired ass getting emotional. “You’re ruiningeverything. I liked working for Gale.” She hiccups sadly, reminiscing on all the times the admirable woman took her under her wing. Ugh, why are her eyes burning? She blinks hard, avoiding his gaze, gritting her teeth hatefully. “And you knew why she was leaving, didn’t you? That’s why you brought it up in court that day. To knife Derrick.”

It’s not fair. Of all the places Gale could have gone, why did she choose Calais, Vickers, & Yates? Kara stares at the dark carpeted floor of the limo, mentally pining.

A warm hand settles on the top of her head. “You’re like one of those dogs in an animal shelter commercial,” Calais mutters to her, voice smooth. Conceited, naturally, but soft with no edges now. “So pathetic looking.”

Bastard. “I’m-” She hiccups wretchedly as she tries to duck away from his hand. “-Lovely.”

Now, he finally gives her a smile, softening as he gently plays with a strand of her hair, curling down her shoulder. Touching her,why is he touching her?“Not one bit, sweetpea.”

Ah, so that’s what he looks like when he’s telling a fib and damn, it makes her insides quiver.Kara loathes this man.He’s horrid and terrible, but he’s also refined, in control, and her body reacts to his in a way that shames her. Because, at the heart of it, she wants to feel overpowered.

She wants to feel overpowered, the way she always felt with her father, she wants the fight-

-and she never wants to win.

And she’s wrong, so wrong in the head, the therapist said it wasn’t surprising for her to be like this, after her childhood, but it doesn’t make it alright. With men her own age, boys, in Kara’s mind, she finds it so easy to bowl them over, so easy to push and have her way.

She treats them like doormats.

It doesn’t give her what she wants.

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