Kiss the Kitty: (Her Dad’s Best Friend) Page 2

There might be some truth to that, but in her defense, past experience showed, if her mom tried to get involved, things usually got worse.

  Would have been nice if she called though, but right now, she was too busy with her own scandal.

  Katherine had been lost in her own thoughts for a while as the two men talked amongst themselves. She only tuned in again when her dad started rattling off instructions, as if she were a disobedient child…or pet.

  “…she is not to go out on her own, she is not to have any friends over, she should not be allowed on campus, and under no circumstances is she to set foot in that sorority house. Good God, that house. No order, no self-discipline. They’re screwing up their lives. And honestly, no wonder. They can’t even get the basics right, living of empty calories and staying up at all hours of the night…I’m telling you, be firm on structure and you’ll spare yourself a lot of headache…and for God sakes, man, lock your liquor cabinet.”

  Katherine had been standing there gawking at her dad as he ranted on, but finally, couldn’t help herself and blurted out, “Are you seriously telling him what to feed me and when to put me to bed? Jesus Christ, dad, why don’t’ you tell him to regularly bathe me too? And maybe…” She trailed off. Shit, she should have kept her mouth shut. From the look on the two men’s faces her input wasn’t appreciated. Her dad was just about ready to explode, and James? Well, he looked like he was in pain.

  “Do you not understand the gravity of the situation?” Her dad bit out through clenched teeth.

  I do, and I do appreciate James’ hospitality, but I am an adult. I can structure my own sleep schedule, thank you very much.” Why had she even opened her mouth? She really wasn’t in any position to argue.

  “If you did, maybe you wouldn’t be in this mess,” her dad retorted.

  Katherine noticed they were getting an audience. People at the surrounding tables were beginning to send them glances, and conversation had stopped in favor of eavesdropping.

  Oh, how she would have loved this, back in the day. Would have played it up as much as she could and reveled in it.

  Her dad still thought that was her. She could see it in the way he narrowed his eyes on her, challenging her to cause a scene and prove him right, that she hadn’t changed one bit over the last couple of years. To be fair, she almost had with that little outburst. Bottle it up, she told herself, bottle it up.

  “Honestly Katherine…” her father said sharply, “do you ever think of the consequences of your actions?” It was a rhetorical question. “And after the streaking incident last month…” a loud gasp came from behind her at the word ‘streaking’, and she had to suppress an eyeroll. Her father was shaking his head. “You really managed to screw things up this time.”

  She kept her mouth shut.

  “And what did Paul have to say about this huh?” her dad stared at her.

  Dear Lord, how was that even a little bit relevant?

  “Paul?” James asked.

  Her father wasn’t done. “Can’t imagine he would approve of such juvenile antics”

  Katherine sucked in a deep breath. No, she wasn’t going there, but decided to address the other issue. “We weren’t streaking, it was a protest,” she said as calmly as possible.

  “pfff…and what is your excuse this time? The vandalism, trespassing, being found passed out, drunk as a skunk, barely dress, right under the nose of campus security?”

  Katherine sighed. The thing was, she couldn’t remember.

  Not a great defense, obviously.

  Looking at James, her dad said, “I swear to God, man, it’s like she wanted to get caught.”

  James shrugged, almost imperceptibly, but she could practically hear his thought; Well, isn’t that the typical MO for an attention-seeker?

  Her dad huffed in exasperation as he turned to Katherine. “I’ve had enough of your shenanigans.”

  Yes, she had fucked up, and she was already paying for it. Because of this, she had no chance of getting that internship she’d been working so hard for.

  It was at a reputable PR firm, and she had been close, really close. She had one final presentation left, and if she did a decent job, it was as good as hers. She had been thoroughly prepared, and was sure she would have nailed it…if she’d shown up that day.

  Yeah, she had definitely fucked up, but it had been a mistake. She’d hoped her dad would see that, but of course he didn’t. In his book, there were no mistakes, at least not when it came to her. And he didn’t even want to hear her out, not that she expected him to. After all, he was a lawyer, the truth didn’t matter to him.

  James tried again. “And this Paul person, how–”

  This time, Katherine cut him off. “Well, since it is my mess as you said, maybe you should stay out of it and let me take care of it by myself.”

  “Oh, that I’d like to see…and are you going pay your own way too, huh? Maybe try working as a stripper again?”

  “Sheesh, you will not let that go,” Katherine snapped at her dad.

  He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath through his nose before he turned to James, effectively dismissing her.

  “James, I’m sorry to abandon you with her. I honestly thought she would behave after the stunt she just pulled, but clearly my expectations were too high.” He shook his head. “Man, I don’t want to put you out. Really, I don’t want you to bend over backwards for her. Frankly, if you manage to make her keep her clothes on, I’ll consider it a success,” he said, completely missing how flushed James’ cheeks suddenly looked.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  James

  Make her keep her clothes on?

  All he had wanted was to rip them off...and fuck him, he still did.

  It had to be the shock.

  Yes, that was it, the shock. Obviously, he was still reeling from it. And it had been one hell of a blow. Seeing John walk up to her, all he could think was:

  No

  No

  No, no, no…this wasn’t happening.

  Except it was…his angel was no angel at all.

  Still fucking gorgeous, though. Stop thinking like that.

  How had he not recognized her?

  It was baffling, considering how much she looked like her mother. Wasn’t as if he could claim never to have seen her. She was a former model whose affair with a famous actor had recently been exposed and documented on the cover of most tabloids. She was currently caught up in a mudslinging contest with his reality-star wife.

  The woman was drama through and through, so what would you expect from her daughter?

  Anyhow, while Katherine looked a lot like her, she wasn’t as tall as her mother, and her mother most definitely didn’t have that sweet innocence about her that had drawn him to Katherine. It was also what threw him, why he hadn’t even considered it was her. Also, from everything he’d heard about her, he had expected someone entirely different.

  It had been years since he last saw her, so of course he shouldn’t have assumed she would still have blue hair, but in his mind’s eye, he had only added to that look. He had expected a number of facial piercings, a neck tattoo and other expressive body art.

  She could still have some hidden underneath her dress. Maybe something like–

  No! Do not go there, he told himself and forced himself to listen to what his friend was saying.

  “…we’ll see what they got, but mark me, the police will stay out of it,” he said in full lawyer mode.

  James nodded solemnly. “And um…this business trip? When do you expect to be back?” He needed an end date. This was going to be pure torture, but if he could only focus on that light at the end of the tunnel, he might just make it.

  “Oh, I should be back before the Reed Industries party,” he said in a ‘don’t you worry’ kind of tone.

  The company party? That was next Saturday. More than a week from now. He wouldn’t survive that long.

  He hated letting people down, but they had to find a different solution. He
would help him figure something out, but she couldn’t stay under the same roof as him, how was he going to control himself for that long?

  John must have read the worry on his face. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but you’re the only one I really trust. I mean, I could ask Logan or Grant, if it’s too much. I’m just worried she’ll have them wrapped around her little finger in no time.”

  Good God, Logan or Grant? No fucking way, he couldn’t let those playboys anywhere near her. He was sure John wasn’t thinking along the same lines as him. Probably thought they’d let her stay up too late and give her too much sugar. The man was blissfully unaware of the effect his daughter had on the rest of the male population. And those scoundrels, though they were his friends too, wouldn’t think twice—

  No! don’t even think it. He didn’t need to add to his mental turmoil. He was her best and safest option.

  “We’ll be fine,” he told his friend with a lot more confidence in his voice that he felt.

  John blew out a breath of relief. “I’ll owe you big time for this.” He looked at his watch. “Shit, I need to get going. Thank you so much.”

  “Don’t mention it,” James told him. What else could he say, really?

  John turned towards his daughter. She’d taken a seat, and was looking out the window. “Katherine,” he said, getting her attention, “I’m leaving. You better behave.” He pointed a finger at her.

  She looked like she had something to add, but changed her mind. “Okay,” was all she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  She looked down at the table in defeat. He felt a pang of empathy for her and had to suppress the urge to hold her.

  John had been hard on her, in his opinion, but he had to remember that the guy had put up with her antics for a long time. This time was different though, he wasn’t just angry, he was disappointed.

  But how he was immune to that look on her face, he couldn’t understand.

  “Alright man, I’ll call you,” John said.

  James nodded, and watched the man walk away.

  “Are you ready to go?” he asked Katherine.

  “Yes, I’ll just get my bag.”

  “All right. I’ll have Thomas bring the car around,” he said getting out his phone. He made the quick call and they headed out.

  She walked in front of him, the curls on the end of her long blond hair bouncing with each step. He fisted his hands to keep from reaching out and running his fingers through her locks.

  She headed for the coat-check counter. There was a line, and he decided to wait by the open doors, needing to put a little distance between them.

  How was he going to get through this?

  “James?” A woman’s voice called out.

  He blinked a few times as she approached. “Ms. Townsend,” he said. he’d been so distracted, he almost didn’t recognize her.

  “Oh James,” she laughed, “isn’t it about time you called me Barbara?”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Katherine

  Katherine, tried to wipe of the scowl of her face…Barbara!

  Damn, it had been a while since she’d felt such an overwhelming urge to do something bratty.

  Don’t, she told herself, you’re too old for that shit.

  Besides, it only ever got her negative attention. Though back then, she considered any attention good attention.

  Right now, James’ impression of her probably couldn’t get much worse, but from the moment he realized who she was, and she saw that look of disapproval and scorn on his face, she felt a strange longing for him to see her differently. So far, she hadn’t made any progress. Getting shamed in public by her dad certainly hadn’t helped. And now she was being outshined by this Barbara person. Not that it was so difficult.

  Trying not to be too obvious, Katherine kept sneaking glances at the woman. It was the same one she’d seen when she sat mindlessly staring out the window inside the bistro. The woman had been lingering outside front entrance of Reed Industries on the other side of the street, seemingly waiting for someone. Which turned out to be right.

  She’d figured she’d noticed the woman because she stuck out as the only person there who didn’t look busy. Now, she realized it must have been because of how elegant and accomplished she looked. Like someone who had it all figured out and never looked like an ass getting up on a barstool.

  Katherine guessed this was one of those planed chance meetings. ‘Oh, I just happen to be in the area’. A suspicion the woman confirmed by pointing down the street, as if she just came from that direction.

  Oh, she was a sneaky this one.

  But of course, James was single, wealthy and handsome. He was probably accosted by women like this all the time.

  This one was good though, she was really good. The woman knew exactly what she was doing. The most impressive thing was how she managed to constantly touch him without seeming gropy.

  James didn’t seem uncomfortable with her advances. Except for the angry glares he kept sending in Katherine’s direction, he looked perfectly happy talking to the woman. Nodding and smiling at her like she was absolutely fascinating. And she probably was.

  If he met women like her all the time, why was he single?

  She didn’t know him well at all, but she knew he didn’t just look good on paper, he was actually a really good guy—albeit somewhat judgmental.

  Her dad had often talked about how he always kept his word, and how you could always rely on him in a jam. Now, she was experiencing it firsthand.

  She didn’t think it was a typical billionaire pastime to babysit a friend’s misbehaving daughter. And really, only her dad would be so rude to ask. Seriously, the whole thing was a testament to his arrogance.

  But James came through, and in person too. She hadn’t expected that, she’d figured he’d send someone.

  Katherine snuck another glance at the pair just as the woman reached up and smoothed James’ hair down. Okay that was a little much. Sheesh…Personal space, lady.

  Also, because she was the reason for his hair being messy, Katherine felt strangely like she was being wiped away.

  Katherine groaned inwardly. This was so stupid. How could she be this jealous over someone she barely knew?

  The whole situation made her feel kind of helpless. There was no way she could outperform this woman. Despite all the mischief and shenanigans she was guilty of, there was one area where she’d remained completely innocent. She had no idea how to be sexy like this woman. In theory, sure, but she didn’t have any actual experience.

  But the way he looked at her before? Holy shit!

  Sure didn’t seem like he found her lacking in appeal.

  She was no stranger to men checking her out with that glint in their eyes, but that had been on a whole new level.

  Of course, then he found out who she was and walls came up. But she’d still caught glimpses of it. She was sure there was something there, something more.

  Or it could be that she was just a starved for attention little virgin, reading too much into it.

  Yeah, could be, but damn…she wanted him to look at her that way again.

  “Can I help you?” a male voice said and she looked up to find the guy behind the coat-check counter smiling at her.

  Right, it was her turn.

  CHAPTER SIX

  James

  Another one?

  Did she have to put everyone she met under her spell?

  James ground his teeth and forced himself to stay where he was. He was in the middle of a conversation after all. Granted, he wasn’t a very active participant, his focus not really there as he kept glancing at Katherine at the coat-check counter…and the guy supposedly helping her.

  James clenched his fists. There was no good reason why he should be leaning that far up in customer’s face. Some people had absolutely no manners.

  In front of him Barbara was talking and didn’t appear to be bothered by his distraction. “We could discuss it over drinks?”


  She probably didn’t notice because, although he had a hard time following what she was saying, he did a decent job of pretending he was involved by intermittently nodding and adding non-committing responses when he sensed it was his turn. Which, incidentally, appeared to be about that time. “Uh-huh, uh-huh.”

  “Or we could make it dinner?”

  Did the guy just wink at her?

  Willing himself not to react, he sucked in a deep breath and smiled the best he could at Barbara, who was looking at him expectantly. Oh right, his turn again. “Yes, yes, that’s fine.” Whatever it took to wrap this up, he had was some urgent meddling to do.

  “Good. It’s a date.”

  The guy turned around, finally doing his job and getting her bag. James felt a sigh of relief escape him.

  Wait, what? Had he just agreed to a date?

  He looked at Barbara, a huge smile on her face.

  “See you then.” She got up on her toes, leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

  Stunned, James just stood there for a moment starring at the woman as she walked away.

  Good God, He had a date.

  He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he looked up again it was to find Katherine, bag in hand, watching him with a puzzling look on her face.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  James

  “Is that all you’re bringing?” he asked gesturing to her bag. He hadn’t guessed she was the type to pack light.

  “I’ll sent for the rest,”

  He nodded and then gestured towards his driver, who had pulled the car around and was walking towards them. “This is Thomas,” he told her.

  As the two got acquainted, James took care of her bag, and by the time he joined them in the car, Katherine had managed to thoroughly charm Thomas as she appeared to do with every male she encountered. The old man was smiling at her like proud grandfather.

  Grinding his teeth, James put up the partition, effectively stopping their lively conversation so he wouldn’t have to listen to all that yapping the whole ride home.

  Finally, they were on their way.