Page 68 of Adam’s Obsession

Her black dress had a sassy, flippy skirt that hit hermid-thigh. Her legs were bare. She wore the heels he’d given her, and beneathher dress, the thong and demi-bra. She thought of wearing the bracelets andanklets as well but only for one steamy, salacious minute. Her private momentswith Adam were just that—private. She had no desire to advertise to all andsundry. Besides, just seeing those heels should be enough to tip him off as towhat she wore beneath.

She’d put her hair up but only because he’d asked her not tolet Jack see it down, and though it was up, it was woven into a seductive knotof curls and braids that framed her face. She looked her best and she knew it.

She took the stairs into the restaurant at a leisurely pace,partly to enjoy the view of the sparkling valley below and partly to make sureshe didn’t embarrass herself in those heels. As she entered the elegant banquethall, she waved to Sara and Shannon at the welcome table, who were blowing upballoons and chatting genially with the few people who had arrived. Soft musicplayed in the background. The room sparkled in the candlelight.

Along with these observations, she also noticed immediatelyAdam wasn’t there. A frown of disappointment passed over her face. They hadn’tdiscussed their plans for tonight but he was co-owner of Trillo–Maris. Surelyhe had to make some kind of appearance at a company event.

Whether or not Adam was coming became a moot point as soonas Jack found her. She made the mistake of walking to the bar to get a drinkand he spotted her immediately. They were in a knot in the corner, Jack and hisinterns, as they often were in social situations, watching the females,whispering things amongst themselves and giggling.

Katherine walked up to the counter and ordered a white wine.She’d seen their little huddle and had every intention of beating a fastretreat but Jack cornered her before she could make it back out into thebanquet hall.

“Hey, Kat.” He sounded extra smarmy, a nod, perhaps, to thefact that this was a dress-up affair. “You’re super hot tonight.” He waggledhis eyebrows, making Katherine think of the mating caterpillars she’d seen on adocumentary once.

She bit back a smile. “Hey, Jack. Are you having a nicetime?”

Again with the eyebrows. “I’ll be having a better time whenyou and I are on the dance floor.”

“What?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot? You promised me a dance.”

“I did?”

Jack frowned and leaned in closer to hiss, “You remember.When I gave you the VoIP?”

Oh yeah. Holy crap. She’d promised Jack a dance. Shewrinkled her nose. This was shaping up to be a miserable evening. She forced asmile. “When would you like to dance?”

His hungry gaze raked her up and down and she wincedinwardly. Why, oh why had she dressed like this? Certainly not to seduceJack—or his interns—but judging from the drooling and whispering and gigglinggoing on in the corner, this outfit was doing the job. She wanted to go homeand change into sweats or something.

Jack moved his hips and wiggled his arms in a way that madeher wonder if someone had dropped live bees in his pants. “How about a littlehorizontal tango?”

Katherine glared.

He winced. “Just kidding.”

“You really need to learn how to talk to women.”

“Yeah. Right?” He tugged on his beard and ran a finger underhis collar. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to teach me?”

“No.”

“Just the dance then?”

She sighed. “If I must.”

He shot a glance back at his entourage, each man trackingthe encounter with the breathless zeal usually reserved for a new Star Trekepisode.

“Okay. How about the first slow dance?”

Katherine shuddered all over and not in a good way. “Ididn’t promise you a slow dance.”

His face scrunched up. “Come on, Katherine. I gave you thatbeta without hesitation. I think I deserve at least the same courtesy.”

Katherine frowned. Ugh. He was right, in a sense. She didowe him a dance. Better to get it over with now before everyone else arrived towitness her humiliation. Oh. And while her stomach was empty. You know, in caseshe got urpy. The thought of dancing with him was already making her a littlenauseated. She grabbed Jack by the hand and dragged him over to the dancefloor.

“Ack,” he squealed. “What are you doing?”

“We’re dancing.”