“It sure is,” Xander says. “Congratulations, Marina.”
“Thank you. Group hug.” She stands up and opens her arms, and we all give each other a huge hug.
“Congrats, Marina. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without any of you. I’m going to be a lady with eggs. This is amazing.” She gasps. “I need to call my mom. I need to call my dad. I need to call my cousin Sally, who said I did not have an ounce of talent in the world. Ha ha. Sally, you were wrong.” She looks at me. “Can I make a call? Is that okay?”
“Of course, you can make a call. Go. I’ll be back,” I say as I hurry out of the office. I head to the elevator and make my way towards Jack’s office. I step inside, and he’s standing there waiting for me. He walks over to me and then closes the door.
“Hey,” I say as my heart thuds. I look into his blue eyes that are full of an emotion I’m not sure of, and he grabs my hand and pulls me into him.
“Congrats on your promotion.”
“Congrats on saving millions of dollars.”
“You look pretty,” he says as he stares at my legs.
“You look handsome.”
“And you look ravishing,” he says, throwing his head back and laughing.
“I do?”
“You do look ravishing, stunning, and beautiful.”
“And you look handsome and hot and sexy.”
“I love it when you compliment me.”
“You look hard. And cut.”
“I love it even more when you talk dirty to me.”
“I’m not even talking dirty.” I stare at him and touch the side of his face. I then whisper in his ear. “If I was talking dirty I’d say I wanted to feel your hard cock in my wet pussy.” He gasps at my words and runs his fingers across my ass.
“Katherine, what are you doing to me?”
“Nothing. Yet.”
“The very first time I saw you, I was attracted to you, and I just felt something. And here I am with you years later, feeling that same something, and I don’t know what it means. I don’t know if I’m crazy, or what and I know we’re in the office and you don’t want feelings to be exchanged here, but I love you, Katherine,” he says, and my eyes widen.
“What?”
“I love you. I know you’re going to think I’m going too fast. I know this is out of nowhere, but I couldn’t keep it in. I love you, and I think I’ve always loved you, maybe since the first moment I laid eyes on you. I still remember that night at the club, and how disappointed I was by your age, but I didn’t want to overstep anyboundaries. The age gap was too large then. You were too young. You were too naive, too sweet. And there was an imbalance of power. I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if I had moved forward with you at that moment.”
“But you introduced me to your brother. I dated your brother.”
“I know. And I hate that,” he says, “but you don’t date him now. And that’s in the past. And, well, I just thought you should know—whatever we have, whatever this is moving forward—I love you.”
“So you mean you’re not going to hire some girl to pretend to be your girlfriend to get me to back away from you?”
“Never. You’re the only girl I want to be my girlfriend. You’re the only girl I want by my side.”
“I’m not a girl. I’m a woman.”
He gives me a look, and I just start laughing.
“I think I love you too.”
