Princess & The Stud Ch. 04

Katie Sebastian broodingly contemplated the yellow pages. She pinched the side of a few sheets between the thumb and forefingers of each hand and ripped it to the base. The tearing sound gave her a small bit of satisfaction. She'd gone through two books this morning and made it all the way to the plumbing section on this one. She was a grown up now, she couldn't throw the temper tantrums of her youth but she could take a small bit of rage off on these useless books. She didn't know where Connie continued to get them for her but somehow she managed to find one or two each month. This month would put Connie's resourcefulness to the test.

Lila had finally come home this morning, doing the walk of shame. Katie had been up awake all night worrying about her. They hadn't been at the restaurant Hirsch's harried (courtesy of Katie) secretary had provided and Katie hadn't had the foresight to get a home address out of his useless peon. And while Lila had a beautiful iphone Katie had bought her last Christmas, she never ever used it or carried it. Katie wasn't even sure Lila knew how to use it.

Had Lila appreciated her sisterly concern? No would be an understatement. Even red faced with embarrassment, Lila had straightened her spine, met Katie's eyes and told her to mind her own business; she knew what she was doing and that she was no longer a child. Katie had been gobsmacked. Lila had never ever in all these years spoken to her that way. Heck, Lila had never spoken to anyone that way ever. It was all because of that unholy bastard Michael Hirsch.

The bastard was not only going to get the company, he was making a Stepford wife out of her little sister. And on top of everything else, she'd received a fresh memo this morning that the bastards little sidekick was going to be dropping by for a look see. The bastard in chief wasn't even going to bother coming himself, oh no, he was sending his yes man. SSE could eat their little company twice over, and he was getting it dropped into his lap but he didn't even have the courtesy to come himself. He was sending Mr. Wholesome in his place. Was it just to be insulting? Or was there another angle to this?

She looked at the clock. It was 10:47, and the board meeting with Mr. Nate Robison was in 13 minutes. Katie tossed the yellow book into the floor and picked up the local paper sitting at the corner of her desk. Grandmother certainly hadn't wasted any time. Lila's engagement to Michael Hirsch was written in beautiful bold print. Just as neatly as with the phone books, Katie tore it into half, and then less neatly into little itty bits of confetti. The memo was next to meet the same fate.

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Nate arrived at the impressive SSE headquarters at precisely 10:55. He wondered what the other board members and Dame's delectable granddaughter thought about meeting with him rather than Michael today. Unfortunately, Dame's recent stunts required Michael put in extra time to put thing's right at Hiron. And Dame herself had suggested sending Nate instead as a buffer between Michael and Katie.

With the exception of one empty seat next to Dame Ballbuster at the other end of the table the seats at the table were filled by various department heads. Nate was seated at the other end facing the Dame. At exactly 11 o'clock Katie San Sebastian made her grand entrance. Nate released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. She was just as exquisite as he remembered. 'Exquisite'? Huh, he didn't think he'd had the word in his vocabulary.

Even without the bright red lipstick she had sported the night of the party she looked exotic with her pale skin, shiny ebony hair and dramatic brows. Without the artificial color her lips were a natural pink. But this didn't make her look any softer in the light of day, she still had the same regal bearing that had put him in mind of the Egyptian queen, well before they'd walked in on the scene with her sister and Michael that is. Suddenly as if she felt his regard she turned and looked straight at him. Oh boy, Ghost Rider didn't have anything on this lady. Her eyes were pure blue fire and burned with rage. He smiled, she bared her teeth, he wondered what she was wearing under her dark grey suit and gave her a wink. Then Dame Ballbuster began the meeting and Nate tore his eyes away to focus on business.

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Lackey! Yes man! Toothy jerk! Katie's mental tirade continued as she marched down the hall. If that smiley idiot thought she was being taken in by his friendly demeanor, he had another thing coming. She'd been down that road before, and she knew where it led, to the land of pain and degradation. Well not all men, her grandfather had been an exception and most of their employees were decent men. But one could never tell and Kate wasn't willing to risk her self-respect to find out, plus she was only 25, what did she need a boyfriend for? There were more important things in life at the moment, like the company. And Nate Robison was a friend and partner with the bastard, birds of a feather stick together and all that.

After a quick check up with Connie, Katie walked back into her office and had barely settled in with the phone book when she heard the door open. Expecting Connie, Katie looked up with a smile and found herself looking at Nate Robison. He'd removed his jacket and had draped it over the arm holding his briefcase. His ever present smile was firmly in place but without the added wattage of his teeth. Kate's smile quickly vanished into a frown.

"What the hell do you want?"

He walked in, placed his briefcase on her desk and settled into the seat across from her. Her uncivil words or demeanor didn't seem to faze him. His warm brown eyes looked into hers, searching for something. Kate swallowed. She wasn't used to having men look at her so intently. Well they looked at parts of her but as soon as they got to her death glare, they tended to look away. She couldn't even remember David ever holding her gaze.

"Why are you so angry?"

For a second Katie was at a loss for words. There was so much that was royally pissing her off. Where to start? What could she safely share? Why did he care? How was it any of his business?

"What makes you think I'm angry?"

"Oh I don't know Cleo. The cursing, penance stare and over all general rudeness?"

Katie smiled. It was not a friendly smile.

"You're wrong. This is how I normally am. You haven't seen angry, Prince Charming. Since you're so fond of nicknames, that's yours. " The smile vanished. "But if you can't handle it, perhaps you should run back to your little company and send the bastard, that nickname is his, to deal with me himself."

Nate's friendly smile grew intimate.

"Oh I think I'm up to the task of handling anything you dish out Cleo. In fact I think it sounds like my kind of fun."

"If you think you're getting under my skirt, you better think again. I'm not my sister. I know your sex well enough and I know you can't provide me with anything two double AA batteries and a toy can't. Actually the toy can probably do more."

Nate laughed, "Sweetheart, I wasn't even thinking of that. Interesting how your mind went there. But was that a challenge so I'd offer to do a side by side comparison? Kinky."

"Shut up and get out. This meeting is over."

"Actually no, it isn't. Your grandmother has assigned me to shadow you so I could learn the company more... intimately. Don't worry I won't take all of your day. Just half day for the next two weeks should do it."

Katie looked shocked. "I don't think so."

"Take it up with your grandmother. Jeez Cleo, is that a phone book? Why don't you look it up on the net or better yet plant it at your secretary's desk. She can do the drudgery of looking up things for you."

Katie wanted to scream in frustration. She was NOT going to help that bastard take over what belonged to her. She got to her feet as angry tears began to fill her eyes and her body became flush with rage. She wasn't aware of shoving his belongings off her desk, of what she was yelling or rounding the desk towards him. When she raised her hand and slapped him across the face the sound brought her back to her senses.

"Oh." Came a soft voice from the doorway, Connie looked at them from the doorway. From her face it was certain she'd seen the slap. "Is everything alright in here?"

Katie stood immobile but Nate turned and smiled at the secretary as if nothing untoward had happened. "We're fine, go back to your desk."

As soon as the door clicked shut, Katie put her hand to Nate's face but he stepped away. "Don't. Just don't. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry. So sorry, I don't know what came over me. Please." Katie felt shaken by her loss of control. "Everything is such a mess. I've never hit anyone in my life. Please forgive me."

"It's okay. No, it's not okay but just don't do it again and it'll be alright."

Kate began to cry. Oh boy for such a beautiful girl she sure didn't cry pretty. Nate grimaced inwardly.

"No, no, no don't cry. It's actually totally okay. Just stop crying please. I was just surprised, you didn't hurt me at all."

"I cut your lip. You're bleeding."

Nate gingerly touched his mouth and then blanched when he saw the blood on his fingers. He abruptly sat down.

He took a few deep breaths and then asked, "Hey Katie, it's okay sweetheart. Really. Hey do you think you could clean me up? I kinda don't like looking at blood."

"Oh yes, of course." Katie wiped tears from her face with the back of her hand and went to the door to ask Connie for a kit. Within the few moments of fetching the kit she had gathered herself. She carefully cleaned the small cut and disinfected it.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly.

Nate continued to enjoy the view down her blouse. "Oh yeah."

Finally noticing where Nate had been staring, she straightened immediately and gave him a small frown.

"Look, I'm not usually a crazy person but you were right in what you said earlier. I'm angry. I don't want to help your friend take over my company. That rat bastard was horrible to my little sister and she's turning into this... this... doormat over him! I am angry at the situation and I took a lot of it out on you and you didn't deserve it."

"Michael isn't taking over Katie. You still have your half of-"

"But he's taking over grandmother's position. That should be mine!"

"Don't you think you're mad at the wrong person? Maybe you should talk to your grandmother." Katie bitterly laughed. "Don't you think I have? I'm too green, too impulsive and after my behavior today I'm pretty sure I've given you enough reason to agree with her."

"I also see that you're passionate and care deeply about this company."

Katie looked up into his warm brown eyes, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." There were flecks of gold in the brown of his eyes. He was a pretty boy type. Even though she would never admit it, he intimidated her. He just seemed so confident and wholesome, he made her feel inferior. Well not completely a pretty boy, his jacketless torso revealed his broad shoulders and muscled body. He wasn't a polo playing, ivy league type. Realizing they were staring at each other and that Nate had that "sex me" smile back on his face had her abruptly turning towards packing up the kit.

"Hey aren't you forgetting something?"

Katie turned at his words, "What?"

"Aren't you supposed to kiss it and make it better?"

Katie rolled her eyes, "In your dreams."

She grabbed her purse from the desk, "Meet you here at 12 o'clock."

Ah, so she was going to let him shadow. "Where we goin'?"

She gave him a frown, but it wasn't anywhere near the death glare she'd been giving him earlier. This one was one of the cute ones that made him smile.

"We aren't going anywhere, I'm going to lunch."

Nate grabbed up his belongings from the floor, "Not to lay a guilt trip on you Cleo but I think the least you owe me is soup, since I don't feel up to chewing. So where are we going?" He followed her sashaying butt all the way to lunch.