"Point taken," he said with humor filling his eyes. "Considering your parting words, you can't blame me for wondering, though. A woman of your immense needs wouldn't be single for any length of time. I've heard rumors that you aren't currently taken. I guess luck is with me."
Katherine wanted to smack him - he deserved it. He was trying to make her lose her temper, and he was succeeding. There was no way she'd give him that victory, though. She wouldn't allow him to know how much he affected her. The best thing she could do to win their little sparring match would be to act indifferent. She'd played in the corporate world long enough to know how to bluff – she'd just never enjoyed doing it. She was too honest a person to be a true shark.
Also, she had to remind herself, if he was back, it was because of the shift in power in the Anderson family. His father, who she loved, must have called him. She could bite her tongue for the sake of Milton, who needed the extra support his son would provide.
Under no circumstances did she want to see the corporation put into Neilson's hands, even if she had to deal with Joseph.
Because she was part of the board making the decision on who took over the reins of the corporation, she couldn't let old wounds influence her in a negative way. If Joseph's name was added to the list of possible candidates, then she needed to look at his qualifications, not the fact that he'd shattered her heart. How he treated women didn't affect how he was in business.
He was known as a shark – a CEO any company would be proud to have at their helm. She knew if that was best for the corporation, she'd vote that way. She also knew she'd resign afterward.
A woman could only take so much, and there was no way she could handle seeing him on a daily basis, yearning, but never having. It would destroy what was left of her barely healed heart.
"It's none of your business whether I'm single or not. I don't track your hundreds of girlfriends," she snapped. Before she could feel guilt over losing her battle of wills with herself and snapping, he smirked. Katherine continued, "I'm sorry, I must've underestimated you. Hundreds is too low a number."
He laughed aloud at her words. His shoulders shook as he gripped her door, still preventing her from shutting it. The open merriment on his face caught her unaware, and she felt a deep heat burning inside her. She'd taken years to try to get over him, and still she wasn't there. Seeing him carefree and filled with humor, even when she was trying to insult him, would cause many more years of yearning.
How was she supposed to find a man who even came close to affecting her the way Joseph Anderson did? Why did he have to be such a charming snake?
"I do have a reputation to protect, Katherine, but even I have my limits. You, on the other hand, have developed quite the mystique, yourself. It's said you rarely date the same man twice, that you're cold as a serpent, and can destroy a man's ego with one piercing gaze from those beautiful eyes of yours. I can't imagine the rumors to be true, but … "
"You know what they say about assuming, Joseph."
He roared with laughter again, drawing her eyes to the fullness of his lips. She wanted to sink to the floor, remembering the feel of him gently trailing kisses up the side of her neck. He'd been so tender, so passionate. He'd shown her a world she'd never even imagined existed. To have it so brutally ripped away was unfair. She couldn't have it happen to her twice.
"Ah, it's good to be home, darling. I've missed our talks." The endearment that came so casually from his lips sent a pang straight to her chest. He'd rarely called her by her name when they'd dated. It had always been an endearment, and she'd loved it. She'd felt so cherished.
She hardened her resolve and pushed on the door a little, not even causing his six-foot-five-inch frame to budge a bit. She kicked out with her foot, hitting his expensive loafers, trying to show him he was unwelcome. She needed to stop their exchange.
"Why are you here, Joseph? We could go on all night insulting each other, but I've had an extraordinarily long day and I just want to eat some dinner and go to bed. Tell me what you want, then we can quit torturing each other, and go back to our lives."
"I want you, Katherine."
Wow, she thought. That was straight to the point. He wasn't trying to secretly seduce her. At least he was up front, letting the truth of his intentions linger like a haunting shadow. He'd been the same way five years previously, but she'd been wrong about him then, and she knew nothing was different now.
Katherine was convinced it was all a game to him. He must've felt she'd slighted him in some way, so he wanted his pound of flesh. He wasn't going to get it. She'd given him enough already.