SWNOVELS Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Monday Dew by in a daze, keeping her mostly occupied in her office, or Kylan's. She noticed that the gummy worms on Rylan's desk were all gone by midday, and she promised herself she would get him a few bags to keep in his desk drawer.
She was glad she had been able to keep out of the prying eyes of the public for the entirety of the day. Not every day would be like this, and eventually, rumors and questions would reach the corner of the office, but she would take the unexpected reprieve while she could. She wondered if Kylan had her manufacture his schedule to be this private on purpose, but she didn't feel it was appropriate to ask him. By the end of the day, she only had the meeting with Ryan left, and both Katrina and Kylan walked to his office together.
She sat in a chair in front of his desk, with Kylan choosing to stand near the window, staring down at the still-falling rain, with his hands in his pockets once again.
"People uh... They seemed to be receptive to the kiss especially," she spoke quietly, attempting to fill the silence with idle small talk while she waited for Ryan to join her in his office.
"I thought you said it wasn't a kiss!" Kylan mused, not turning to look at her.
"I stand by that. It was hardly a real kiss," she said with a short laugh as she smoothed down the plains of her skirt
"I don't kiss people. Kylan spoke so softly, she luck to strain to hear him,
"What do you meant She asked, squinting her eyes at him in confusion.
Kylan sighed and turned to face her, his hands still in his pockets. "I mean exactly what I said. I can f'ck someone just fine, that's no problem. But something like kissing has to mean something to me in order for me to actually want to do it," he explained, his tone of voice no different than it typically was
Even still, she was caught off guard by what he was telling her. "I can't imagine you've kissed many people, then," she responded quietly.
Kylan shook his head. "I have not." He looked back out the window. "One, if you don't count the kiss I gave you at the gala," he added sofily, almost reverently, which surprised the hell out of her.
"One person?" she clarified. Kylan was thirty-two, and she knew he was promiscuous. She had a difficult time imagining him sleeping with wome but not kissing them before and during the process. It didn't make any sense to her because the act of kissing someone was somehow more intimate than actually sleeping with the person. "I thought you've never been in love?" she asked in confusion.
"One person," he confirmed. He shifted on the balls of his feet and cleared his throat. "I could have loved them, I think. If life hadn't made other plans." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, clearly uncomfortable. "Anyway, the next kiss will be better, if you insist it wasn't enough. I only wanted to let you know why I was most uncomfortable with the idea. I know it'll be a necessary part of this arrangement, though, and 1 accept that. I just.. needed more time to prepare for a proper kisa." Kylan still looked out the window, but she could have sworn the tips of his ears were pink. He seemed on edge, and it made her on edge as well. "Sir.. If this is too much for her, this level of intimacy with um.. Well, with me... We can reevaluate how we go about this whole thing if she would like. I don't want to make her uncomfortable," she said honestly. Kylan scoffed and walked to sit in the chair next to her. "Don't be ridiculous. If anyone should be uncomfortable, I have no doubt that it should be her," he said with a wave of his hand.
She shrugged her shoulders, "So far, I'm fine. Sir." She did her best to sound confident.
Her mind was, truthfully, running away from her. She wondered who the one singular person was that Kylan had kissed if he felt so intensely about the act itself. It made her feel guilty, in a way, for the way she had criticized how he had kissed her at the gala. It also made her realize how little she actually knew about Kylan's personal life.
She would have never assumed he took something like kissing so seriously. She couldn't help the way that knowledge softened her heart toward him, if only for a fraction of an inch. It was romantic, really. The whole idea of only kissing someone she felt a true connection with.
She couldn't remember a kiss that she herself had ever had in her life that had meant something more than a surface-level attraction to the person. How differently would a kiss be, or feel, if she loved the individual-she was locking lips with?
She was startled out of her daydreaming when Ryan entered his office a moment later. He quickly walked behind his desk and took a seat. "I'm sorry to keep you both waiting, my last meeting ran long," he said with an apologetic smile Katrina returned his smile with one of her own. "It's not a problem, Sir," she responded warmly.
Kylan rolled his eyes. "Get on with it," he said impatiently, seemingly back to his normal self.
Ryan didn't react to Kylan's attitude, he never did. Instead, he clasped his hands atop his desk and stared at both her and her boss in turn *Public reception has been positive so far, but I'm certain you're both following along closely." He waited a moment and she and Kylan both Chapter 14
nodded. "Max and 1 have been preparing the paper for your wedding and the reception to follow. We will hold that as soon as possible i continues. Any suggestions you want to make before we finish the preparations?"
Katrina pursed her lips and glanced at Kylan who rolled his eyes once again. "Just do whatever you want. I want everything to be done, once and for
Ryan nodded as he smiled. "I have a request to make, then, as to where your second date should be held," he said evenly.
"What did you have in mind?" she asked curiously, crossing her legs and sitting up a linle bit straighter in her chair,
ancer
Ryan's mouth twitched into a smirk, and she saw him look at Kylan skeptically. Rylan's eyes were narrowed, and he was looking at Ryan with a sne on his own face.
"If you're going to suggest what I think you are, you can f*ck right off. T
smugness with which
There is absolutely no chance in hell that I'm going there," he said tonelessly. "I'm not sure I follow" She looked between the two men, confused by the sudden houtility radiating off of Kylan, and the Ryan was still looking at her boss.
"Kylan, there will be an audience of thousands, and Ross Corp, is a sponsor for the event. How would it look if the CEO himself were in the audience? On top of that, imagine how it would also appear if she were there with her "one and only", was it?" he asked casually. The dous slowly connected in her mind, and she realized exactly what Ryan had in mind, and why kylan was completely against the idea. "You want us to go to the baseball game tomorrow" she said slowly.
Ryan nodded and smiled at her. "Indeed, I do. From a financial perspective, it's a smart move. On top of that, from a social perspective, there will be a large audience both at the stadium and watching from home alike. It's a televised event, after all. One of the last games of the season, as well."
He opened the top drawer of his desk, reaching inside and withdrawing a small, white envelope.
These are your tickets" He pushed the envelope toward her, and she moved to grab it. Kylan put his hand on her forearm, squeezing a little bit. She looked at him, her eyebrows raised. "Sir" she asked, watching as he studied her face.
"I will not be subjected to sitting in a f*cking stadium, filled with thousands of people who are probably sick or haven't showered. Not to menti How Elthy it will undoubtedly be. All the beer, the peanuts, the hot dogs. It will be a breeding ground for all types of shit I actively avoid. Kylan's facial expression echoed his disdain.
She shared a look with Ryan, and he almost seemed to be silently asking her for help. She nodded her head and took a deep breath, "Sir, if I may, from a PR perspective, this is ingenious Ross Corp is helping to sponsor the game, and you have never been seen in such a public and relaxed setting, Ross Corp, will get more press, and in turn, so will you. It makes sense and I'm going to highly encourage you to listen to Ryan," she spoke calmly, both with purpose and logic. She didn't want there to be room for Kylan to rebuttal, but she knew he would try anyways.
leyan nodded his head and cleared his throat. "Tagree with Katrina entirely. At the end of the day, Kylan, you're the CEO of Ross Corp. You should understand by now, that a responsibility like that, entails things you aren't always comfortable with doing." He tried to hand her the envelope again, and Kylan didn't stop him this time.
Rylan stood and began to pace the expanse of the office. "I wanted to be in the background more than I am, Ryan You F*cking know that. I never wanned the CEO title. I only wanted to help figure out what the f*ck happened to my m" He cut himself off, glancing at her. He sighed loudly, running his hands through his hair in clear exasperation. "Whatever, I'll go to the game. Katrina, you can go home." He turned on his heel and left the room without another glance back.
Katrina watched him leave and then she looked back at Ityan "Is he ever happy, do you think?" she wondered aloud.
kylan had said a lot, but he also hadn't said anything at all. She was now not kissed, but also why he hadn't wanted to be the CEO, to begin with. How had she worked for this man for three years, and this was the first she was karning about him not wanting to be her freaking boss, in the first place!
y curious about who the singular person was that he had really
Kylan has had a difficult life, Ryan explained simply, turning to his computer and clicking the power on
She took that at her cue to leave and stood with the tickets in hand. Tll do my best with him, sir. Hopefully, we can get the stocks up, she said with a smile she didn't really feel
Ryan smiled at her in returns, but it also didn't reach his eyes. "She is great with him, Katrina. You're exactly the person especially right now" He typed in his password on his computer. briefcase.
he needs in his corner,
Tappreciate that. Thank you. Have a wonderful evening, Sir She gave him one last smile, and then she headed back to her office to grab her