Page 10 of Once Bitten

Chapter Five

Present Day

“Kara?”

I just stood there and glared at him.

“Kara Sinclair?”

The glare grew more acidic.

“Well, well, well. Didn’t you grow up nice?”

I had to press my hand against my throat to stop from dry retching. My body violently rejecting him just on sight.

“Someone had to.” I spat back, with more hatred than I knew was possible in me.

He grinned and leaned forward, as if to kiss me on the cheek or give me a hug. I scrunched up my face and leant away from him.

“To what do I owe this surprising and wonderful honor?”

Was he kidding?

“I’m KA-RA.” Spelling it out for him.

“Oh! You mean you’re the Kara who just buzzed to bring me the work files?”

“Yesss.” I may have drawn out the hiss a little longer than usual.

“No way!”

“Ugh, look, how long is it going to take for you to process this, because I’m late for work.”

He threw up his hands as if in surrender and pressed himself against the door as if making way for me.

“Huh? What? I’m not coming in.” I shook my head emphatically, still trying to make sense of what was happening, and what kind of sick joke or nightmare I was experiencing. “I’m just dropping off some files.”

He stepped toward me again, away from the door, and I felt my body tense more with every inch that he got closer.

“Well, where are they then?” He held his hand out, his face still looking like he was in on some joke that I couldn’t understand.

“Here.” I thrust the folders into his hands, being careful to avoid any contact with him at all.

He looked at the pile of papers in his hands and then up at me, “and…what am I supposed to do with these?”

“You have got to be kidding me. Finn! We are going on a VERY important series of meetings in Paris about the upcoming merger, and you’re telling me you know nothing about it?”

He grinned. “I don’t remember you being this cute when you’re pissed off.”

My eyes narrowed to slits so thin I could barely see him. “Apparently not paying attention to important details isn’t new to you.”

“Oh, wait, you’re right. I do recall you being VERY cute once. You were very angry.” He suddenly looked pensive.

“Goodbye, Finn.” I turned and headed down the stairs. I heard the front door close behind me and I was glad that he was gone. I gestured to the cab driver that I was ready to go and reached for the cab door.

“We’re not done.” His voice suddenly spoke up behind me.

“Yes. Yes, we are.” I didn’t turn around, I didn’t want to see him. We were done 15 years ago, I couldn’t help thinking. Trying to suppress the memory.

He reached for my shoulder and I shook him off, almost violently and spun around to face him.

“Don’t you EVER touch me again, do you hear me? If we’re going to have to take this trip together, I don’t want to talk about anything but work. I don’t want to know ANYTHING about you. I don’t care. And once this is done, I hope that you will try to arrange it so that we never have to spend another second in each other’s company ever again.”

I was making a scene and I didn’t care. I just wanted never to ever feel this way again.

I didn’t ever want to feel like this man, this man in front of me grinning his cocky grin, this man I hadn’t seen for 15 years, this man who I hated with every fiber of my being, who in the space of just two minutes was making me realize, that he was the only man in the world who could make me feel this alive.

“I’ll see you at the airport, don’t fucking be late” I said as I climbed into the cab, needing to put as much distance between us as possible and slammed the door. He cocked his finger at me in a small wave and the bottom of my stomach dropped. He was still the most handsome man I‘d ever seen. How was I ever going to survive this next week?