I hear a deep voice clear his throat from behind me. I don’t have to look up to know the man I’m supposed to marry is standing in the doorway. I just hope he wasn’t standing there long enough to hear that embarrassing speech.
“Come on in, son,” Granddad says, standing from the desk with a huge smile on his face.
I’m screwed. He just called this man son. He’s probably more in love with this guy than he is with me. And after that epic speech I just gave, I have no doubt that I’ll be marrying this man behind me.
“I would like to introduce you to my granddaughter, Kinsley,” he says, as he walks toward the man behind me.
I take one last sip of water before I plaster on the biggest fake smile I can manage while I turn to meet my future husband. I wonder if he knows. Has he already been told that, in order to get complete control of the company, he is going to have to marry me? Or is he blissfully ignorant to that fact?
I bring my eyes up to face my future husband. The man standing in front of me isn’t my future husband. It isn’t a complete stranger. It’s Killian.
I choke. That’s what stupid thing I do in response to seeing the man who had his tongue down my throat only hours earlier. I cough and choke on the remnants of the water that still clings to my throat. That’s what I do while I watch my grandfather place his hand on the shoulder of the man who just brought me my first orgasm that wasn’t given by a vibrator.
“Are you okay?” Killian asks.
I nod as I choke again. I grab my throat, trying to get it to stop. It doesn’t, not until I get three more coughs in, causing my cheeks to turn an even brighter shade of pink.
When I finally lift my eyes back up, I see two pairs of eyes intently staring at me. One pair looks at me with concern. The other looks at me with shame.
I try to recompose myself by bringing back the smile I wore moments earlier.
“Let’s try that again,” Granddad says. “I would like to introduce you to my beautiful granddaughter, Kinsley Felton.”
“Kinsley, this is Killian Browne.”
Killian steps forward and extends his hand to me. I slowly place mine in his, already anticipating how his strong handshake is going to start off tiny fireworks inside me. It does the second his hand touches mine.
“Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Felton.”
I narrow my eyes but nod anyway. He’s not going to let on that we have already met. I’m grateful.
I notice Granddad smiling brightly behind him at our encounter.
“Please take a seat. We have lots to talk about,” Granddad says as he takes a seat behind the desk again.
I walk back to my seat, aware of Killian’s eyes taking in all of me from my high heels to my knee-length high-waist pencil skirt to my magenta top.
I sit down and glance at him sitting in the chair next to me.
Killian looks much the same as he did last night. He’s in a nicely fitted suit with a blue tie. His hair is gelled slightly to keep it spiked to the side. The only difference is his five o’clock shadow is gone.
I look back to myself. I look completely different from the last time he saw me. I’m no longer wearing casual attire. Makeup covers every flaw I showed him before. Even my long, curly hair is perfectly styled, compared to the mess I must have looked like earlier.
Does Killian know why he’s here—to marry me? Is that what he was referencing this morning when he talked of family obligations? Is he being forced to marry by his family? Did he know when he saw me at that table last night that I was whom he was going to marry?
No, there’s no way. He would have said something. He wouldn’t have led me on like that.
“You both know why you’re here, so let’s get started on some of the details.”
I nod and see Killian nodding stoically next to me. So, he does know he’s here to marry me?
“My son and I thought you two would make a perfect match. Kinsley is about to graduate from Yale. She’s an experienced model. She’s beautiful.”
Killian nods, but he doesn’t say anything as Granddad tries to sell me to him.
Granddad turns to face me now. “Killian has been working for the company for five years. He graduated from Harvard. He is our current VP of Casino Operations. He’s intelligent, ambitious, confident, focused, decisive, and professional.”
I nod at my grandfather, disappointed that he’s listed several positive personality traits of Killian’s, while I got beautiful. That’s all I am to these men.