“Kate’s got our full support,” my dad put in eagerly. “Sounds like things are really picking up for her.” He gave me a sideways hug, still seated. “I’m proud of you, kiddo. This couldn’t be greater news.”
I felt a burst of warmth in my heart for my whole family, who were looking at me now as if I had swept the Olympics. God, this was all I ever wanted. This approval and pride, just a moment of it, just for me.
I smiled at Asher, and I tried to let that smile show how grateful I was. In this moment, I didn’t care if he was an unfaithful dick with an entourage of ditzy blondes so vast they could have formed a volleyball team. He’d given me this moment even though I’d blown him off the other day, even though I’d been sitting here lying through my teeth to impress my parents, even though he didn’t have to. For some reason, he was on my team. I could have hugged him.
He smiled back, that dimple in his cheek winking. His electrifying eyes seemed to simmer with unspoken words. He took my hand, and there was just the slightest bit of extra pressure as he squeezed it in a firm, businesslike shake that practically set my brother swooning with jealousy. “I do have to get back to my previous appointment, but I’m glad we ran into each other. I’d hate to pass up this business opportunity. I look forward to our meeting.”
I stammered some kind of goodbye as he released my hand, trying hard not to blush red enough to match my hair. I also tried—though maybe not as hard as I could have—not to blatantly ogle that ass as he walked away, or think about how I’d like to grip it tightly to me as he thrust into my—
Family time! Family time! Keep those thoughts G-rated, Katie!
Thankfully, said family was too busy sitting around the table stunned and gobsmacked to notice my odd demeanor.
“What a nice man,” my mother eventually said in a slightly dazed voice. “Kate, do you know if that’s his natural eye color…”
A whole sentence without her expressing any disappointment in me. Damn, but this man had just played my entire family like a three string quartet, and I loved it.
And now I had to go apologize for it being necessary in the first place.
“Asher. Hi, Brody. Sorry, can I interrupt for a second?”
Asher stood quickly, taking my arm and guiding me out to the balcony. “Of course. Is there a problem? Do you need me to go take the piss out of your brother again?”
“Ha, no. Actually, I just—” I pulled my arm away with an apologetic grimace; I didn’t want to seem rude, but it was suddenly hard to concentrate on what he was saying when he was touching me. I could feel the heat of his hands through my sleeve. “I just wanted to say thank you, and sorry. I don’t usually go around lie-bragging about how great I am, but my brother was being King of the Dickwads and I guess he pushed one button too many.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” Asher said with a laugh, lounging back against one of the balcony’s columns. “I have five older siblings. I know what it’s like to always be in competition. My oldest brother—he was the golden child for as long as I can remember.”
“Bet you don’t have that problem anymore, though,” I said, matching his posture and trying not to let my breath catch at the way the top two pearl buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing smooth, deeply tanned skin. “A few billionaire dollars has got to shut him up, right?”
Asher’s expression darkened, and I felt my heart quicken.
“You’d be surprised,” he said, and didn’t expand further.
It was just starting to get dark out, and the balcony’s torches and the colored lights of the street still left us half in shadows. We were only on the balcony of a steakhouse, less than twenty feet away from a dozen other customers, and yet the gloomy half-light made it feel…exciting. Illicit.
I wondered idly if he’d broken up with the latest blonde yet. I did need a pick-me-up, and Asher apparently wasn’t as big of a jerk as I’d thought. What would it hurt if I just took one step forward and kissed him? Gripped those firm shoulders and let him press against me, slid my hand down those tight trousers to stroke his firm cock, let him pull me into the shadows and fuck me quick and hard and dirty up against the wall, biting his shoulders to muffle my screams as I came—
“I wasn’t lying,” he said abruptly. “When I was talking to your family. I think you have real talent, and I’d like to have that meeting tomorrow to discuss investing. If you would.”
My heart soared, and then trembled, hesitating. Did he really mean it? He seemed sincere, but what if this was a ploy to get in my pants? And worse, what if I was okay with that? I had to make sure this meeting was all business, but how could I manage it when he was so distracting? Even now, I couldn’t stop my eyes from traveling down his crisp shirt, past his belt, skimming over his—focus, Katie.