“Sure.” Katherine got up, walked into the kitchen, and grabbed the receiver from the wall mount. “Hello?”
For a few seconds, the caller was silent.
“Hello?” she called again.
“H-hello. Is Joseph there?” The caller was a woman.
Katherine ignored the sting of jealousy and covered the receiver. She waved the phone toward Joseph. “It’s a woman.”
Joseph shrugged. “What woman?”
Katherine frowned, but she was staying there rent-free. The least she could do was play secretary. “May I please ask who’s calling?”
“Who is this?” the caller asked with a boatload of attitude.
“May I please ask who’s calling?” Katherine repeated.
“This is Cynthia Nichols, and I’d like to speak with Joe Storm.”
Katherine rolled her eyes. She knew Cynthia. They weren’t friends. In fact, Cynthia didn’t have many friends. She was very pretty but not the nicest woman at their school.
“Please, hold,” Katherine said in a dry tone.
She placed the receiver on the counter and walked over to the couch and sat down. “It’s Cynthia Nichols.”
Joseph seemed surprised. He placed his beer on the cocktail table and stood. Katherine stared at his muscular back as he walked over to the phone.
He picked up the receiver. “Hello?” After a few seconds, he asked, “How did you get my number?”
Cynthia must’ve asked him who the woman was that answered the phone because his next words were, “Oh, yeah. That was my girlfriend... Yes, Cynthia. I have a girlfriend.”
Joseph returned the receiver and walked back over to the couch. It hadn’t escaped Katherine that he had claimed her for the second time in a few days. Even though it was just smoke and mirrors, it felt good to hear.
Joseph grabbed his beer from the table, finished it off, then took the bottle in the kitchen and tossed it in the trash. After grabbing another from the fridge, he said, “I’m gonna grab a shower,” before disappearing down the hall.
Katherine got up and went into the kitchen. She grabbed the day’s paper and tossed it onto the kitchen table, then she grabbed a glass from the cabinet and helped herself to Joseph’s wine. After filling her glass, she sat at the table and poured through the want ads. She couldn’t live off Joseph forever. She needed a job as soon as possible.
For twenty minutes, she perused the want ads, circling jobs she wasn’t qualified for. She had never had a job in her life, never needed one. Even though her dad pretended to be a businessman, no one in their family actually worked. Because of generational wealth, they’d never had to.
Katherine finished her wine and washed the glass out in the sink. She was heading to bed with no prospect of employment.
It was quiet when she passed the bathroom. Joseph must’ve been done with his shower.
With the intention of getting ready for bed, Katherine opened the door and got a delicious eyeful of Joseph’s wet, naked body wrapped in only a towel. His dark hair was still damp, and water drizzled down his chiseled chest and abs.
Katherine inhaled a sharp breath and froze. Her eyes must’ve been bulging out of her head. In her entire life, she’d never seen anything more beautiful.
“I-I’m sorry,” she apologized with a gasp.
Joseph looked over at her with knitted brows. He seemed concerned but completely comfortable, which was a bit backward since he was the one naked.
“No, Katherine.I’msorry. I just came in here to grab some pajamas. I thought I could get in and out before you came in.”
Katherine tore her eyes from his exquisite form and forced herself to look directly into his eyes. “It’s okay. I’m invading your space. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable in your own home.”
In two strides, Joseph was close enough for her to smell the mint on his breath and the scent from his shampoo in his hair. Katherine’s skin tingled and butterflies danced in her stomach.
Joseph cupped her face. “Don’t say that, Katherine. You’re not invading my space, and I feel very comfortable. Do you believe me?”
