The Seduction Game

“I’m Kate Kelly. What do you want, Mr. Thornton?”

Her voice, laced with anger, snapped him out of his unexpected daze and Will smiled. Did it have a bit of the seductive in it? Probably. But that was not a bad thing. Already Will’s mind was going down routes he hadn’t considered five minutes ago. In fact, it would be fair to say that his mind was practically dashing along those routes. Anticipation stirred in his gut, his muscles tightened, and he had to inhale sharply to get his focus back. “It’s nice to meet you, Kate,” he said after a pause. “A meeting that is long overdue.”

Manners would suggest she reply in the same vein. Clearly though, Kate’s manners were still behind the monitor row. “I wish I could say the same, Mr. Thornton.”

“Kate—”

“It’s Miss Kelly, and you are not welcome here.”

Interesting that she insisted on last names, though Will understood immediately why she was doing so. It was a barrier. A way to keep him at arm’s length.

“I’d like the opportunity to change that, Kate Kelly,” he said, and watched as her scowl deepened. “Will you talk with me?”

“No.”

He also hadn’t expected her to be this forthright. Another surprise and not at all in keeping with her appearance. She was so tiny, so delicate-looking, that it didn’t compute.

“I think it’s important that we do,” he said slowly.

She glared, fidgeted a little, and then glared some more. Will found himself oddly captivated by those fidgety movements, by the way her hair seemed to flick about, and how her hands clenched and unclenched.

“I don’t think so,” she finally said. “You’ve explained yourself perfectly in your letters and through Chris. I’ve given you my reply in exactly the same way. My answer remains the same as ever.”

As ever? Will was struck by her choice of words because in the early days she had been willing to sell. What was she up to? “I’d like to talk to you about this in person, properly I mean,” he said. “Once I explain—”

“I’m not interested in your explanations. My answer is final.”

“I—”

The Star Trek tune sounded, cutting off his next words—though he wasn’t even sure what he was going to say—and Will twisted around to see a trio of teenagers stomp through the door, their eyes fixed on Meg’s cleavage. She came from behind the counter to greet them, giving Will a flash of Wonder Woman panties, and the teens a flirtatious smile.

Grateful though he was for the distraction, space was at a premium now with three extra bodies, and Will had no choice but to move even closer to Kate. She took a hasty step back, and he watched in almost amazement as a blush traveled all the way from her nose down to her neck.

A blush… Will’s mind went into overdrive, and ignoring the conversation that was now going on between Meg and the teen trio, he stared down—quite a fair bit down—at Kate. Her arms were crossed, a classic defensive pose. The only words he could see now were, Do It Better. Never had a slogan been so apt.

“We really do need to talk, Kate,” he said, stepping a tiny bit closer, crowding her. On purpose, the impulse would not be denied. “At least give me the chance to explain my position.”

She stepped back again in a weird sort of anti-mirroring. The flush deepened. “I’ve told Chris-the-skeeze my answer a million times,” she hissed. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“You know why,” he said, ignoring her reference to his brother-in-law.

“I know that you’re harassing me.”

“That is simply not true,” Will said, shaking his head, leaning forward, and resting a hand on the desk. It was mere inches from her hip. She looked down, bit her lip, glanced up at him, and reddened some more.

That did it. A lightbulb popped on in his head and Will’s grin spread across his face. Seemed Kate’s thoughts were running along exactly the same route as his, and with that realization Will’s initial plan—to talk to Kate and convince her of the merits of the development—began to twist and turn into something else entirely.

He leaned just a little closer not only because he wanted to, but to test his theory, and watched her cheeks practically flame. His own body responded in exactly the right way, leaving Will no choice but to shift his position. Images of running a finger along the pink of her cheeks, testing just to see how hot her skin was, filled him, and Will had to take a deep breath.

“Now is not the best time. I can see that,” he said slowly, his brain working overtime. “So, dinner tonight. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

Her eyes grew huge behind her thick-rimmed glasses. “I don’t think so,” she spluttered. “You’re the last man on earth I want to have dinner with!”

Will shook his head again and gave an exaggerated sigh, because he knew now that the ridiculously pretty geek was lying through her teeth. She wanted him. The attraction was there, thrumming between them. Only a fool wouldn’t notice it, and Will was fairly fucking certain that Kate Kelly was no fool.

“Kate,” he said softly. “That wounds me. It really does. We’ve only just met. Give a guy a chance.”

Did her eyes actually widen even more? Will grinned. Yep, they did.

“You’re trying to buy my building.”

“Yes.”

“To throw me out on the street.”

“Hardly.”

“And now, you just waltz in here demanding I accompany you to dinner? You’ve got some goddamn nerve, Thornton.”

Her hiss carried and the conversation between the teen trio and Meg faltered. Will repositioned himself so that his back was to them, effectively hiding Kate, and enclosing them in their own little bubble. The tension between them moved up another notch. Will welcomed the feeling even though he was a little shocked by it. He couldn’t remember the last time that his desire had exploded in such a way.

“It was an invitation,” he said softly, clenching his fist to keep from reaching out and touching her reddened skin. “Not a demand.”

“Another attempt to bully me into selling.”

Her eyes were spitting fire, her chest quivering, and out of nowhere Will couldn’t help the thought that buzzed through his brain. She needs a damn good fuck. It was written in every line of her body. The stiff stance, the blush—everything screamed it at him, and Will knew, had known from the moment she’d stepped out from behind her monitors, that he wanted to be the one to give it to her.

Talk about surprises.

“No bullying, Kate,” he said, his voice deeper than it should have been. “Just dinner. A chance to talk. I promise, if at the end of it your answer remains the same, I’ll leave you alone. What can it hurt?” he added when she opened her mouth to speak. “At the very least we’ll get to know one another a little better.”

“I don’t want to know you any better.”

He flipped her earlier words right back at her. “I wish I could say the same.”

Her gaze left his, resting on a spot about two inches to his left and she swallowed several times. Will watched her delicate throat working with a mixture of surprise and awe. Never had he seen a woman so flustered.

“Mr. Thornton,” she finally said, and there was a clear hitch to her voice. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but dinner is not going to get you anywhere.”