Page 30 of The German's Guilty Pleasure
I froze. What was I supposed to say to that? Do I make something up, or do I answer honestly? Oh God, I was so out of my element here. I glanced between Gretchen and Lars, my eyes wide and sweat breaking out on my upper lip.
“She only learned about its existence today,” Gretchen jumped in. “I am sure she will give us a full report once she has had some time to spend on the ins and outs of it.” All of their shoulders shook at her remark. I didn’t care. She had noticed my discomfort and thrown me a bone, unlike her son. At least someone in the family had some manners and discernment.
Autumn set her empty glass down and motioned toward the hotel. “Who’s ready for some bump and grind? There’s a fantastic band about to start in the bar.”
Gretchen stood. “I have been dying for a Miami mojito. I will not bump and grind, but I will watch you!”
Gretchen had definitely had enough mojitos already, but I wasn’t her keeper. Lars stood and folded his hands in front of him. “I am afraid I need to get Serenity home. We both have an early meeting, and it is already late.”
“Fine, fine,” Gretchen said, looping her arm through Britni’s. “Take the car and Serenity. I will bunk here for the night, yes?” she asked the rest of the group who all nodded eagerly.
“We’d love to have you!” Autumn said, clapping wildly.
Lars swallowed, and the look that crossed his face was uncomfortable, but he finally relented. “Of course,Mutter. Call me in the morning, and I will send a car for you.”
Gretchen waved her hand around. “I will take one of those Yeber’s,” she said, puffing her chest out with determination.
“Yeber’s?” I asked in confusion.
“She means Uber,” Lars said out of the corner of his mouth.
“Oh! Uber! No.” I shook my head frantically. “Promise me you won’t take an Uber in Miami, Gretchen. Not in that outfit.”
The General grasped her elbow the way a gentleman would. “I will return her to the plaza myself come morning without a hair out of place. Acceptable?”
Lars nodded once and shook hands with him. We said our goodbyes to everyone else, including Gretchen. He grasped my elbow, not like a gentleman, and led me away from the group without a word. It was going to be a long drive back to Kontakt.
Twelve
Lars
The trip back was quiet, uncomfortable, and absolutely stifling. Serenity sat staring out the window and never said a word as the miles passed. I was biting my tongue to keep from doing one of two things, yelling at her for being that way in front ofMutter’sfriends or begging for her forgiveness. Since I did not want to get into either one in the car, I chose silence in the deafening darkness.
It was the first time I had ever noticed how terrible it could feel to be with someone but still feel alone. I wondered if this was how she used to feel with Babette and Maynard. I wondered if this was how she still felt tonight. My heart broke at the thought of it. I bit my lip and blinked back the tears that threatened to fall.Verdammt! I already knew life was cruel, why was I being like this?
I shook my head and steered the car into the parking lot of Kontakt. The windows were lit sporadically, and behind those windows, some of my engineers were working, others were building our newest innovations, and some lights were on for security. The building never slept, and apparently, neither did I. It had been almost fifteen years since I had slept more than a few hours a night. I guess it was my new normal. I filled those hours at night with business, which was why Kontakt U.S. was already successful after only a few short months. I did not know how much longer I could keep it up, though.
I jammed the gear shift into park, and she glanced at me for a moment, opened her door, and bailed. She was through the doors before I was out of the car, and by the time I reached the vestibule, she was smoke. She must have lucked out and the elevator was waiting for her. The second elevator door opened, and I stepped in, hitting the floor for my office. I would take my personal elevator into my penthouse to avoid seeing her in the hallway. I needed a shower and a shot of brandy before I dealt with her again.
I went directly to the bedroom and stripped my clothes off. The water was hot and exactly what I needed to loosen the tension in my shoulders. There was so much rattling around in my head that I did not know where to start. My gut said to start with her.
After I dressed in a pair of workout pants and a t-shirt, I grabbed a glass and poured a finger of brandy, which I drank standing on the balcony. It took two more shots before I felt the rest of the tension leave my shoulders. I took another shot for the road and then padded down the hallway barefoot. I had to talk to her, even if I was unsure of what to say. I had to make sure there was no disagreement come morning in front of the clients. I would rather have it out with her in the privacy of her apartment than the public boardroom. I probably deserved whatever she had to say, but I hoped she would at least listen to what I had to say, too.
I approached her door and knocked once. I was sure Lexie was long in bed since it was after one a.m., and I forced myself not to call Serenity’s name and risk waking her or Seth up. The last thing I wanted them to know was that I visited Serenity this late at night. The door opened a crack, and blackness filled the small opening.
“Not tonight, Lars. I’m tired,” she whispered through the hole in the door.
“Me too, but we need to talk about this before morning. I do not want distention in the ranks in front of clients.”
“I know how to be professional, Lars. I’m not a child.”
“Oh, I am aware. We need to be adults and talk about this.”
She sighed heavily, but the door swung open. She motioned me in, dressed in nothing but a towel. I swallowed hard before I stepped in and closed the door behind me. She refused to make eye contact with me and kept her eyes pointed at the floor. “I was in the shower. Let me put some clothes on.”
She stepped behind the partition, and it was then that I saw my mistake in the design of the apartments. The barriers were opaque, but when the rest of the space was dark, the light shining behind it gave me more than a PG-rated show. That show left me hard and turned on as hell. I was in big trouble when it came to this woman. She turned the light off in the bedroom and went straight to the kitchen, rummaging around in the fridge.
“Do you want anything to drink?”
