Seduced by the CEO

Beneath the streetlight, she pushed the key into the deadbolt lock, turning it full circle before twisting the knob and pushing the door open. As she worked up the strength to turn around, he gunned the engine, peeling away from the curb, accelerating down the empty block.

That was it. He was gone.

“Kalissa?” Megan called from the top of the stairs.

“On my way,” Kalissa managed in return, swallowing her disappointment and confusion as she secured the door behind her.

Megan came down a couple of steps. “How did it go?”

“Good,” said Kalissa, starting up the staircase. “Fine.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did he try something? Was he a jerk?”

“No, nothing like that.” It was nothing even remotely like that.

Megan turned, and they filed into the one room apartment.

Kalissa tossed her purse on the table and plunked down on the worn sofa.

“We had a great time,” she said, walking through it in her mind.

“And?”

“He kissed me. He kissed me on the Ferris wheel, then again while we walked on the pier, then he kissed me goodnight.”

Megan took the other end of the sofa. “So, why do you look so bleak?”

Kalissa was starting to question herself. “Okay, it’s not like I wanted to fight him off with a stick. But he didn’t make a move.”

“You just said he kissed you.”

“He didn’t try to get me back to his place.”

Megan grinned. “Let me get this straight. You’re upset because he was too much of a gentleman?”

Now, Kalissa was starting to feel embarrassed. “It’s always nice to be asked.”

“But you would have said no.”

“Yes.” Kalissa paused. “Maybe. Probably. Yes. I would have said no. But he seemed really into me, and then pfft, this little kiss goodnight.”

Megan peered at her. “Your lips are red and swollen.”

Kalissa’s fingertips went to her mouth. They were hot to the touch, and they did still tingle.

“He might just be a nice guy,” said Megan.

“Even nice guys want sex.”

“You’re funny. And you’re making too much of it. Did he say he’d call you?”

“He said he’d see me at his place.”

“Which, he will.”

“Not until Monday. Well, maybe Sunday afternoon.”

Megan pulled her legs beneath her. “Ah yes, the sleepover.”

“Do you think that’s weird?” Kalissa asked.

“Darci wanting you to spend the night at her mansion?”

“It’s less than two hours away.”

“You’re not going to want to drive home Saturday night. But the answer is yes. There’s nothing about you going to stay at your secret, billionaire, twin sister’s mansion that’s not a little weird. You don’t have to work at all on Sunday, you know.”

“We’re so busy,” said Kalissa. She wasn’t about to stick Megan with extra work. And she wanted to see Riley. She needed to talk to him again, to look him in the eyes and figure out exactly what had happened between them.

Four

Sunday afternoon, Riley was planted on his front steps while a dump truck noisily deposited a load of topsoil at the front of his yard. Megan appeared, caught a glimpse of him and altered her course. She trotted up the concrete staircase and sat down beside him at the top.

“How’s it going?” she opened.

“It’s fine.” It was quite a bit below fine, but he wasn’t about to share his worry with Megan.

Earlier, she’d mentioned that Kalissa had spent last night at the Colborn mansion, and Riley had been stewing ever since. He kept playing an imaginary conversation in his head, one where Kalissa told Darci she’d been on a date with Riley Ellis, and Shane reacted like a madman, warning her off, demanding she never see him again.

Maybe he shouldn’t have been so quick to walk away Friday night. He sure hadn’t wanted to walk away, and Kalissa had sent some pretty unmistakable signals. He should have acted on them. He should have taken her to his place to see where things would lead.

He’d worried that getting closer was a mistake. The closer he got, the more likely it was she’d mention him to Darci. But maybe that was a backward strategy. Maybe he’d blown the only chance he’d ever have to get closer to her. It might have been better if they’d spend the night together before Shane had a chance to turn her against him.

“You waiting for her?” asked Megan.

Riley fidgeted, getting the uneasy feeling Megan was reading his mind.

She glanced at her watch. “She said she’d be here around four.”

A denial seemed pointless. “You’ve talked to her?”

“A couple of hours ago.”

He swallowed, fighting his curiosity but immediately losing. “How did it go for her last night?”

“I think it went okay.”

“She’s in a good mood?” If Shane had told her the truth about Riley, surely she’d be angry.

Megan stood up and waved her arms to attract the attention of one of the gardeners. “The maples go in the back!” she called.

The guy nodded and strode toward a pickup truck where the workers appeared to be unloading the trees at the front of the driveway.

Megan sat back down. “You’d think they could take a minute to read the plans.”

Riley couldn’t care less about the yard layout. The maples could go on the roof for all he cared. He wanted to know about Kalissa.

He clenched his jaw to keep from repeating the question. He didn’t want to draw attention to his curiosity.

“A good mood?” Megan asked, re-opening the topic.

“Happy?” he elaborated, feeling like he was back in high school.

“With visiting her sister?”

He gave her a sidelong glance to see if she was messing with him. What was with the third degree? “Yes, happy with visiting her sister.”

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