Mr. Big Shot: An Enemies To Lovers Romance (Kinda Cocky Book 1), стр. 20

“Like you care,” she murmured.

“What if I do?”

“Excuse me, miss. I’m just coming around to take orders. Do you know what you might like to eat this evening?” The waiter stood behind us.

Karina’s eyes held mine. “I’d like your steak, please. Medium rare. With the brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes.”

I nodded approvingly. “That sounds fantastic. I’ll have the same.”

She rolled her eyes. “You would.”

The waiter smiled. “Wonderful. Anything for dessert? Or to drink?”

Karina scooped up her wine glass. “An entire bottle of wine to myself, please.”

I chuckled. “You can put that on my tab as well. Whatever you have that blends well with our meals. I trust you with the choice.”

She shot me a look. “I can pay for my own drinks.”

I shrugged. “Tough.”

She glared at me, and all I did was eat it up. I reached for my own wine glass and sipped it, my eyes never once falling away from her. I snuck in another cheeky wink, and she huffed, finally turning her gaze away from me.

But, every once in awhile, I saw her peek over at me.

Watching my every move.

People came and went from the party. They stayed long enough to enjoy the drinks Kelly’s father purchased for the table, but they left before ordering food. I knew that crowd all too well. They came for the free fun, not because they felt any real emotional attachment to anyone involved. Still, Kelly seemed to be eating it up. And the times Karina did smile with her friends, it was wonderful to watch.

She had a beautiful smile.

Though, part of me wondered what she might look like with her mouth stuffed full of me.

“So, what's with the cold shoulder?” Brenden’s voice sounded in my ear before he sat in Karina’s seat. I immediately wanted to drag him out of it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.

He picked up Karina’s wine glass. “Oh, come on. That girl’s been glaring at you all night. What did you do to Kelly and Roxy’s friend?”

I snatched the glass from his hand. “Not yours. Hers.”

His eyebrows rose. “Wow. Already getting defensive. Admit it. You like her, don’t you? And you hate that she doesn’t like you back.”

I wasn’t about to tell him what happened. “Whatever it is, it’s her issue.”

Brenden barked with laughter. “Spoken like a man who’s got it bad.”

I shot him a look before I peered over his shoulder. I saw Karina blink a few times as she studied Brenden in her seat. I racked my brain for a way to get him up. A way to get him out of the way so she could come sit back down next to me. But, Karina was quick to move. And soon, I watched her sit beside Kelly at the head of the table.

With multiple chairs’ worth of a distance between us.

Just grand.

The party dragged on, and I ate my food in silence. Brenden kept rattling my ear off about how great Kelly looked in that pathetic excuse for a dress. I didn’t see the appeal, though. Not that Kelly wasn’t a pretty girl. She was easy on the eyes. But, I never enjoyed my women showing off all their bodies had to offer to an entire room of prying eyes. Nevertheless, I finished my food and picked up the tab on the bottle of wine Karina practically chugged down at the end of the table. I left a decent tip, told Brenden I’d see him Monday morning, then I took myself on home.

But, that didn’t mean Karina’s memory left me alone.

I couldn't get her off my mind. And trust me, it had been a very long time since something like that happened to me. I fell asleep with her on my mind. I woke up with her on my mind. Even as I made my way into my home office to get some work done, I had her on my mind.

The second I dropped into my buttery leather chair in my home office, though, my eyes fell to her picture.

Her.

The woman who haunted me.

The one I’d never get back.

I reached for the picture and picked it up. I leaned back in my chair as my robe fell from around my waist. With my chest exposed and my legs stretched out, I leaned my head back, gazing up at the picture as I held it high above my head.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

You’re not ready for this. You never will be.

And with the pain that rushed through the marrow of my bones, I sat back up. I placed the picture back down on top of my desk and pushed away all thoughts of Karina. She was a good lay, and nothing more. I didn’t have the capacity to give her more, not that she wanted it in the first place. I had to stay focused on work. I had to keep my eyes on the prize.

So, I started up my desktop computer and lost myself in a sea of emails.

All the while, wondering if either of the girls might give me Karina’s number if I begged hard enough.