“Why is that, Westwood?” she asked.
“Because it would mean you lost.”
Her smile dropped like a guillotine. “Go to hell.”
“I’m already there.”
Her eyes flashed, the molten whiskey catching in the overhead lights. For half a second, something electric snapped between us, anger, attraction, and mutual recognition of the other as a worthy adversary probably, but then she turned sharply away from me, already pulling her phone to her ear as she stormed off, her hair swinging angrily behind her.
I watched her go for longer than was professionally necessary, staring until Colin appeared beside me and finally drew my attention away from the shape of her ass. He shot me a knowing grin. “That looked productive.”
“I despise her.”
“Mm.”
I rolled my eyes at him and adjusted my tie, forcing myself to focus on the convention floor. Unfortunately, citrus and vanilla lingered in my nostrils, reminding me of her with every breath I took.
Damn it.
A few minutes later, my phone vibrated in my pocket and I wondered if Alex had somehow sensed there was a hiccup with the Hinds acquisition. I pulled it out automatically, irritation from my run-in with Vanderhaul still simmering beneath my skin, but the second I saw Emma’s name on the screen, everything else dimmed.
I opened the message, my stomach dropping like a weight as I read it.
Emma: I’m so sorry. Something came up at work. I’m not going to be able to make it tonight.
Disappointment settled low and heavy in my chest as I re-read the text, half-waiting for a follow-up message that didn’t come. Irrationally, I immediately blamed Kate fucking Vanderhaul.
She had the distinct energy of a woman who could cause a market downturn by making eye contact with it. It was only natural that she had somehow ruined this too.
“What’s wrong?” Colin asked. “Don’t tell me Alex already knows.”
“Nope.” I locked my phone and shoved it back into my pocket. “My date just got canceled.”
“That’s rough.”
I nodded my agreement as I drew in a breath I knew wouldn’t steady me right now. “I hope I never see Kate Vanderhaul again. This is her fault. I don’t know how, but it’s true.”
Colin frowned, but he didn’t argue. Logically, I knew Kate couldn’t have called Emma and told her to cancel on me, but that didn’t matter right now. Emma was the love of my life and I’d planned on telling her that tonight.
Now, I couldn’t do it. Someone had to pay for that, and right now, Kate was the only target in sight.
CHAPTER 2
KATE
Aweek after the convention, the only thing stopping me from flipping my father’s antique desk was the fact that it cost more than my apartment. Also, it was really heavy.
“You’re insane,” I said, pacing the length of his office for what had to be the fifteenth time. My heels clicked sharply against the polished wood floors, each step punctuating my fury. “Completely, clinically,should-be-studiedinsane.”
Dad leaned back in his chair like I’d just commented on the weather instead of his apparent desire to set our company on fire. He held out both hands, patient in that infuriating, veteran-businessman way that suggested he’d already won this argument on paper and was now simply letting me in on how he was going to do it.
“Kate,” he said calmly. “Do you happen to have a few billion dollars lying around that I don’t know about?”
I stopped mid-stride. “That’s not the point.”
“It’s exactly the point, because we’re going to need it if we don’t go into business with the Westwoods.”
Just that name made nausea swirl through my stomach. Fucking Nate had spent all of last week glaring at me likeIwasthe reason he hadn’t had a pony as a kid. Or something equally as ridiculous.
