Page 58 of Insufferable Boss

"Also, he's your brother, but that's irrelevant, of course," she added. I smiled.

"I'm going to visit you during one of the upcoming weekends as soon as your place is ready, so keep that in mind. I'll be your first guest. Well, of course, that's if Mr. CEO doesn't christen the place before I get there.”

"I'm having so much trouble keeping my head screwed on straight because of you," I told her.

"What?" She sounded appalled. "How?"

"Your comments keep putting the worst of ideas in my head, and they don't leave."

"Well, despite all your inner torment, it seems as though you're having a blast-"

"I'm hanging up," I told her, and before she could say anything else, I ended the call.

Today felt like a Friday evening, though it was a Thursday, and it almost made me want to take the following day off so that I could truly begin to settle down in the city. From what I heard, finding an apartment here was going to be quite a struggle, and if I was to stay for long, then I had to settle in and start putting down some sort of roots.

I thought of my phone call with Diana, and as usual, all she had said about Kane occupied my mind as I went around the hotel suite, arranging the pile of scattered clothes and toiletries I had thrown about and ignored for the better part of the last four days while trying to get to work on time.

Was I really not going to accept his invitation and completely ignore him? This was sure to send a clear message, and that was the fact that I didn't exactly want to be fraternizing with him. I was reluctant, but it was probably for the best.

My alternative plan to order in some pizza, wash it down with some wine, and watch a movie sounded pretty good. So, after taking a long and invigorating bath, I wrapped myself up in a robe, ordered my pizza, and started searching for a movie. It came much quicker than I expected, which was a welcome relief from trying to find one thing to watch from the hundred available.

My hair was clumped together and damp, forcing me to pull the towel wrapped around it away as I hurried over. I was naked underneath my robe, but a quick tightening of the lapels, and I was decent enough.

"Thank you," I said happily as I pulled the door open, ready to swipe with my card. What I soon found, however, was that there was no pizza and no delivery boy. Standing there was a dangerously looking Kane with his bowtie loosened around his collar and his expression far from happy. My heart skipped several beats.

I instantly became self-conscious, pulling the already closed robe even tighter together, especially as his gaze ran down my body.

"W-what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I extended an invitation to you," he said, and I felt somewhat sheepish.

"Well, I didn't accept it," I said. "It was just an invitation." I met his gaze and internally felt sorry in case he had truly expected me, but that was as much politeness as I was going to expend for the evening.

"I'm expecting someone," I said and tried to work up a smile. "Goodnight." I tried to close the door, but his hand shot out to stop it.

"Who are you expecting?" he asked, coming even closer, and it was then I smelled the slight hint of alcohol on his breath.

"You've been drinking?" I asked, even though he seemed immensely coherent, and his gaze was clear.

"It was a party," he replied and somehow found his way in. I had no choice but to shut the door and turned around to try and get him out.

"You shouldn't be here," I said, and he turned around to face me.

"Why?" he asked, and annoyingly, it took me quite a while to come up with a response.

"Because it's my personal space, and I need to rest."

He stared at me, and I stared back.

"Good enough reason for you?" I asked, and he sent a devilish smirk before beginning to approach me.

I fully noticed then just how attractive he looked tonight. He always looked so polished and put together, and the same was the case tonight, but with a twist. The loose collar and dangling tie and the suede of his tuxedo presented him in such a devastatingly and sexually suggestive manner that I understood then that I was in trouble. The night could easily go a very different way from what I had planned, and unless there was some sort of interruption or the other to smack me in the head enough to refuse, I knew that my robe was going to come undone, most probably by my own doing.

I stared at him.

"You need to leave."

"Why?" he asked. "You don't want me here?"

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