Page 40 of Tangled Control

“Guys, what are you doing chatting? We have a flight to catch!” Jennifer calls out.

I clear my throat. “I’m sorry, Jennie, but I can’t join you. I have work to do this weekend.” I don’t sound as determined as a minute ago, and this time I avoid looking at Catriona.

“Of course you’re coming, Ri.”

Alexandra rounds the desk and places her small delicate hand on my shoulder. She has never been a woman of many words. She doesn’t need to be. Half her conversation is normally done with body language. The way she tilts her head to the side or slowly blinks.

“Dad has freedAnastasiafor the weekend for a little Mediterranean cruise for us.” Alexandra’s mouth forms a small kissable pout, and her tone is low and husky. “We couldn’t go without you.”

“Your brother, Padraig and his fiancée, and Dylan – they’re all meeting us at Dublin airport. This is the only weekend Dylan doesn’t have a game for a while,” Leo explains.

I adjust my watch, the thick leader strap seems too tight around my wrist. “When did you cook up this trip?”

“Yesterday, when we went toVoguefor cocktails. We missed you.” Worry flickers in Alexandra’s green eyes, but it’s gone as soon as it appears. She doesn’t ask me why I didn’t show after calling her at the beginning of the week. I hadn’t felt like going. My head had been a horny mess of Catriona fantasies.

“So, we came up with this plan of kidnapping you for the weekend.” Jennifer snickers.

“You just can’t say no, Rian.”

God, what am I doing? The woman I’m to marry is holding my gaze, wanting me to go with her, and what do I do? Try to avoid it so I can fuck my assistant? As much as I want Catriona, I need to get my act together. This is Alexandra, my destiny, my future wife, with whom I’m supposed to build a Kearney-Harrington empire.

If there ever was divine intervention, then this is probably it.

“Well, if you put it that way…”

“Excellent!” Jennifer squeals. “We have to gonow. I amdyingfor my afternoon cocktail!” We all laugh, accustomed to Jennifer’s dramatics.

Alexandra steps away, leaving me room to breathe.

“Um, uh, yes… Miss Taylor, can you make sure my three o’clock meeting gets re-scheduled?” I find it difficult to meet Catriona’s eyes.

“Certainly, sir.” Her voice is devoid of emotion, all business-like.

“And his weekend meetings as well,” Leo adds.

“Consider itdone.” There’s a hint of sarcasm, and she walks out of my office not looking at me, her back ramrod straight. I swallow. A knot has formed in my stomach, but I try to ignore it while shutting down my laptop and locking documents in the drawers.

“I thought even lesbians needed some personality to get laid, but maybe I’m wrong?”

“Huh?” I glance up at Leo.

“Your secretary,” he explains. “She has the personality of a brick.”

“She’s myassistant, not secretary. And just because your charm doesn’t work on her doesn’t mean she’s a lesbian, which, by the way, she is not.” I’m not sure why I’m defending Catriona, but it really annoys me that Leo is criticising her.

“Oh, she’s a lesbian all right,” Leo counters. “If you’re judging her sexual orientation on the fact that she’s trying to sleep with you, then I want you to know she’s only faking it to climb the corporate ladder.”

Catriona’s ragged breath, parted lips, her wetness…She is so not faking it!My shoulders widen on a deep, calming inhale.

“Sexual orientation or not, she’s so not my type. And either way, I don’t sleep with my colleagues.” The last comment is for Alexandra’s benefit. Dad’s remark hasn’t been sitting easy with me. She knows I’ve not been celibate all these years, but this is me trying to reassure her that I don’t have an office full of ex affairs.

Well, I had every intention of sleeping with a colleague this weekend!

“Hope you don’t mindmesleeping with your colleagues,” Leo comments.

I freeze. “What?”

“Think Anika would join us this weekend?”