How to Seduce a Billionaire by Kate Carlisle Read Free Book Online Page A

tonight to fire me.”
    The words stopped him. “I would never fire you for what happened today. I only came by to talk to you and assure you everything was fine. I knew you’d be too hard on yourself.”
    “Well, the fact is, I behaved inappropriately and I’m sorry for that.”
    “Yeah, I got it.” It was exactly what he’d hoped to hear her say, but something was still bugging him. “There’s one thing I’m concerned about, Kelly.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Why the hell do you want to get this Roger clown back?”
    “It’s something I have to do. And I will,” she added with quiet intent. “But honestly, Brandon, please don’t give it another thought. I shouldn’t have dragged you into my personal issues in the first place.”
    “Kelly, stop apologizing. I’m the one who insisted that you tell me what was bothering you. If you want to know the truth, I’m glad I’m the one you confided in.”
    “You are? Why?”
    “Because it tells me you trust me, and I appreciate that. You’re very important to me.”
    Her eyes grew soft. “Thank you, Brandon. It means a lot to hear you say that.”
    “I guess I don’t say it often enough.” He frowned again. “But that’s why it bugs me that you’d want to get this guy back. He hurt you.”
    “He won’t ever hurt me again.”
    “Good to hear,” Brandon said. But he didn’t believe it. Kelly was too naïve to know how guys like this Roger creep operated. And Brandon was very much afraid the man knew exactly how to hurt her again. He sipped his wine and considered his next move. “So when does Roger arrive?”
    “Not until Monday.”
    “But he’ll still be here for many of the opening week events.”
    “Yes.”
    Brandon scowled. Somehow, the thought of watching Kelly coming on to the guy for a whole damn week, pissed him off all over again. To distract himself, he swirled his glass and studied the rich color of the pinot. “Would you like me to talk to him?”
    “No!” She bolted straight up. “Thank you for offering, but no. You wouldn’t, would you?”
    “Yeah,” he said matter-of-factly. “If I thought it would help, I would. But it’s pretty obvious you’d rather I didn’t, so I’ll honor your wishes. But I’m warning you, if he makes one wrong move…”
    She held up her hand to stop him. “He won’t. I won’t let him.”
    “I’m glad.” He went back to staring at his wine. “But you’re still planning on kissing him?”
    Kelly froze. “Um…”
    Brandon leaned forward and casually rested his elbows on his knees. “I don’t mean to pry, Kelly, but we’ve got a full agenda for opening week and I’m going to need your undivided attention. So if you’re planning on kissing the guy or, you know, getting involved, that could present a problem.”
    “Brandon, whatever I do with Roger will have no effect whatsoever on my attention to my job.”
    “I’m not sure I want to take that chance.”
    She shifted uneasily. “We’re just talking about a kiss or two. No big deal.”
    “It’s a big deal if it’s done right.”
    “Oh.” She bit her lower lip, considering. “Of course. But Roger won’t…well.”
    He studied her. “Roger won’t do it right. Is that what you were going to say?”
    “Yes, but what I meant was…” Jittery now, she jumped up from the couch and folded her arms across her chest. “Everything will turn out fine.”
    “You think?”
    She smiled through clenched teeth. “Yes. Absolutely. I know what I’m doing now.”
    “Oh, I see,” he drawled. “Now that I’ve kissed you, you think you’ll be able to show Roger how it’s done.”
    Her jaw tensed up even more as she met his gaze defiantly. “Maybe.”
    “He won’t be here for almost a week,” Brandon said. “You sure you’ll remember how to do it?”
    “Of course,” she said, then licked her lips nervously, almost bringing Brandon to his knees. Good thing he was sitting down. And now that he thought about it, why the hell was