"I-I thank you all."
She dropped the microphone and ran out of the meeting room, feeling Jared's dark, golden eyes on her back the entire time.
Kat didn't stop running until she got to KISS.
* * * *
KISS’ dark interior greeted Kat as she unlocked the door and stepped inside, her feet gliding across the pink and white tiles on the floor. She didn't bother to put on any lights, preferring the security the dark interior provided. Her haven. Her refuge from a world that kept changing ... and which she no longer understood.
She didn't understand herself, either. How could she still have feelings for a man who only sought to ruin her? Oh, he played a good, corporate game. Jared Martin knew how to appear innocent while letting his underlings do all the dirty work for him.
Bastard!
Kat balled her hands in fists at her sides. In the dim light that shown through the windows, Kat could make out the lingerie form that held her beautiful turquoise-colored, ruffle-lined chemise and thong. It had been one of Jared's favorites—he had stroked and caressed the sheer fabric, fingering the ruffles at the hemline and neck.
It was the day he had come to KISS and made her see the truth about Nancy ... about herself. It was the day he had made sweet, wild love to her near the back counter. His hands and lips had worked their magic, bringing her back to that great sensual abyss.
Kat walked over to the form. In one swift movement, she knocked it to the floor. Anger swirled insider her, rising into a great mushroom cloud of animal hate. Her face contorted, her upper lip curling, her teeth grinding together as she dropped to her knees and ripped the chemise from the form. Her hands worked furiously as she tore the see-through material in two. Tears of anger and frustration streamed from her eyes as she continued to tear the material into tiny, ragged pieces. Kat flung them through the air, rising on her knees to hurl the material in a dozen different directions.
Soon, her ragged emotions matched the shredded outfit. Kat lost steam, her energy lagging, the day's stress taking its toll. Her movements stopped, her breathing came in short, shallow pants, her body dripping with perspiration. She shoved some strands of damp hair from her face and tried to stand, but her legs gave out.
A mournful animal cry borne of despair and betrayal escaped her. It's sad sound echoed through KISS as Kat dropped to her knees again, burying her face in her hands. She slid her feet out from beneath her thighs and slumped back against a counter. A calm, eerie quiet settled over KISS. Kat heard her own breathing as she peered out into the darkened interior of her shop. All around her were pieces of the shredded chemise, the lingerie form sprawled across the floor. A piece of the form had cracked off. When Kat could get her eyes to focus, she could see the form's right breast had been damaged, the jagged crack ran across it diagonally, a piece of the plastic lay nearby. Only half of the breast remained. She cried out again and raised shaking hands to her nose and mouth, slumping back against the counter once more.
Kat didn't know how long she stayed like that. It could have been hours for all she knew. The clock on the wall above her head continued to tick. She could hear the sound of a lone car as it made it's way down Main Street. Kat thought she heard voices outside on the sidewalk, but she couldn't be sure.
Everything changes.
It always did, she thought. It always did...
She just wanted to know why.
* * * *
Jared took the steps leading up to KISS’ pink and white Victorian façade two at a time. He peered through the window, but all he could see was the darkened interior. There was no sign of Kat.
She always came back to KISS, he thought. Always. He had called her cell phone several times, but all he got was her voice mail. Worry filled him. She hadn't been right for days and her performance tonight at the Civic Association meeting only cemented in his mind that he had to find the underlying cause of what made Kat so upset ... and so distant from him.
"Open the door, Kat!” he shouted as he pounded on the frame. He rattled the knob and looked inside again.
Nothing.
His worry increased tenfold. Jared took the cell phone from his pocket and dialed Lilith. She answered on the second ring.
"Is she home?” he barked.
"No, Jared. She's not."
Sweat beaded on his forehead. He swiped it away with the back of one hand.
"She's got to be there at KISS, Jared. Did you try the back?"
The back! The back...
Jared flew to the back of KISS and pounded on the deliveries only entrance. He pulled on the latch and pounded the metal door until his hand was numb.
Damn her!
He didn't know what he'd do first when he found her ... kiss her until she didn't know her own name or paddle her ass until it was raw.
"Well?” he heard Lilith's voice.
He put the cell phone back to his ear. “I tried the back. It's locked up tighter than a drum."
"She's there. I know she's there, Jared."
He strode to the front of KISS one more time, cold, hard determination stamped his features. Again, he peered through the window, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness as he gazed inside. He scanned the walls laden with racks of outfits. He scanned the counters and forms...
Ah! One was missing. The turquoise-colored chemise. He had liked that one, had wanted to see his she-cat dressed in that...
Maybe she had changed it. Put a different outfit on the form.
No ... Kat hadn't done that. She had left it up there purposely to taunt and tease him each time he came into the store.
He surveyed the counters, his eyes darting from one to the other.
Then he saw her.
His eyes widened when he saw Kat slumped against the counter at the far end.
Jared beat the door with his fist and shouted her name until he was hoarse.
* * * *
Kat heard Jared's ragged voice.
"Goddamn it, Kat, open this door!"
It rattled in its frame. When she could focus, she saw the door move on the hinges, bulging against the jamb as Jared pushed on it.
She pushed away from the counter and rose to her knees, crying out when she attempted to stand. Her legs were numb. Gripping the top of the counter with one hand, Kat managed to stand upright.
"Kat! Kat!"
His voice sounded hoarse, tired. She felt tired. So tired...
Kat walked over to the door, stepping over the form. At one point, she almost slipped on one of the tiny shreds of material that littered the floor.
"Go away,” she shouted. “Leave me alone. If you don't, I-I'll call the police."
She gazed out the window at his face, the streetlight providing the only light on the darkened road outside. His face appeared strained, the skin stretched taut across his cheekbones.
"Go ahead,” he replied. “Call them. Your chief of police and his two deputies are enjoying a nice meal at the Sunshine Café courtesy of MegaMart."
His flippant answer had her blood pressure skyrocketing.
Kat unlocked the deadbolt and wrenched open the door, making sure to keep the chain in place. She looked through the small space between the door and the jamb and pinned Jared with cold eyes.
"Let me in, Kat. I'm not budging until you do."
"Go away. I don't want to see you."
He folded his arms across his chest. “I'm not leaving. If I have to, I'll camp out here on the steps and tell everyone that KISS is closed indefinitely until you agree to see me."
"Screw you,” she said through clenched teeth.
He straightened to his full height and dropped his hands to his sides. “All right. Fine. Have it your way."
She watched him walk away from the door and plunk his tall frame down on the steps, settling himself against the wrought-iron banister.
"You're trespassing,” she told him.
"So sue me."
"Fuck you."
He leaned back further into the banister, st
retching his long legs out in front of him. “You know, you just signed a contract with MegaMart, sweetheart. You must not have read the clause that said ‘all employees will conduct themselves in a manner of courtesy and respect to all.’”
Damn him! Kat growled low in her throat. He had the gall, the unmitigated nerve to throw that contract in her face.
"I'll do as I please."
"Apparently, you do. Just like tonight. Your stupid, childish actions at tonight's meeting only make it clear to me that you need a good beating on a daily basis."
Her eyes widened. She heard something that sounded like a snarl and realized it came from her. Slipping the chain from its holder she flung the door open. Kat took her first step outside when she realized her fatal error.
Jared sprung to his feet with cat-like swiftness. He bounded up the steps, heading straight for her. Kat shut the door and tried to set the deadbolt but her fingers shook. In the next instant, the door pushed against her, throwing her backwards. She landed against a counter, her back digging painfully into the edge.
Jared strode in. He kicked the door closed with the back of his heel and locked it. He flipped on the lights, flooding the interior of KISS with the soft, warm glow of Kat's power-track lighting. His eyes strayed to the fallen lingerie form, and the shreds of turquoise-colored material scattered across the floor.
"Kat,” his eyes flew to hers. She blinked as hers adjusted to the light. “What happened here?” his voice grew steely.
Jared walked over to the lingerie form and turned it upright, gazing at the jagged crack across the bust line. He picked up one of the torn pieces of material and held it out in front of him.
Kat couldn't look at it ... or him. From the corner of her eye, she saw the broken lingerie form and mentally winced.
"Did you do this?” his voice floated toward her. When she looked at him, his face had paled.
She didn't answer. Couldn't answer. Kat stood there, motionless, as a great tide of despair washed over her. Tears clogged her throat, but she pushed them back.
"Why,” he asked on a sigh, as the piece of material left his hand. It floated to the floor. “Why?” He pinned her with dark, golden eyes.
"I hate you,” she replied. “I hate you and your money."
He walked toward her, stopping just inches away. Kat's eyes took in his tall, erect form. Power—money and power personified. The great corporate beast. He'd eat her alive.
"For your information,” he said, his voice even. Kat caught the note of barely concealed anger. “You signed a contract with me. With MegaMart."
"Fuck the contract,” she spat at him.
He smiled. Barely. “That's the second time you've used that word tonight, my lovely opponent. It makes me think you're cornered."
God, he knew her so well! She was cornered. By him. By MegaMart...
By those pictures.
"You think your money can buy me?” she asked, her voice dripped acid. “I ripped up that check."
He shrugged. “I can write another. It doesn't matter."
She released a small, shrill laugh. “Of course it doesn't. Money never mattered to you."
He cocked his head. “Gee,” he said snidely. “That's odd. Your eyes certainly lit up when you accepted that one hundred thousand dollar check."
They had, she thought. They had ... that money would have helped so many women.
"Get out.” Cornered. He kept pushing her into that corner. God, if anyone saw them ... told that blonde bitch who worked for him...
"I'm not leaving here until you tell me why, tell me the real reason you won't work for me ... tell me the reason you won't see me, won't answer my calls."
A sob tore through her, she stifled it, but not before it escaped her throat. She covered her mouth with her hand and swallowed convulsively. Her body shook.
"Kat,” he implored. “Kat ... tell me what's wrong, please."
She shook her head, no. She couldn't stop.
"Kat, for God sake, please.” Jared moved forward and grabbed her upper arms. “Tell me, sweetheart, tell me. Tell me and I'll make it better. I swear I will."
She managed to shrug out of his hold and stepped back, bumping into the counter as she did.
Cornered.
No where to go.
Kat then said the one thing she knew would make him leave ... forever.
She squared her shoulders and aimed her chin at him in defiance of the male animal, her breathing short and labored. In a voice laced with revulsion she said, “I don't want a man whose father is a nutcase."
Kat thought if she had slapped him, it would have been the same effect. His face grew taut and white beneath the tan of his skin. She continued, her nails digging into her palms. It mirrored the pain she felt inside ... it mirrored the pain on his face.
"I don't want to be involved with the likes of you. Your father's crazier than a loon and I just keep thinking ... that'll be you someday."
Jared's tall, muscular body sagged for just an instant. He backed away from her.
"Get out of here, Jared. Don't come back. You're a fool if you think I ever wanted you. You were a nice lay ... a great fuck, but no way in hell do I want someone who's father's as nutty as yours."
His face contorted. He lunged for her then. Kat feared for her life in that instant. He grabbed her by the shoulders, lifting her from her feet. His hot breath blew across her skin, his voice a low snarl. “If you were a man, I'd..."
She didn't know where her bravado came from. It rose up from the very depths of her innermost core in time for her to say, “You'd what? Beat me? For telling you the truth? You told me the truth once, I'm just returning the favor. Get out of KISS. Get out now. If you don't I'll tell the whole world what a Looney-tune your father really is."
He dropped her. Kat's feet met the floor in a painful rush, jarring her body. “I don't want you here. I don't want MegaMart here. I never did. I told you it would get dirty and ... it has."
Jared's shoulders slumped. He walked toward the door. He had his hand on the knob when he turned and said, “I don't understand you. I just don't. You told everyone there tonight that you believed in MegaMart, that it would be good for Summerville."
Kat looked him right in the eyes. “Everything changes, Jared."
He shook his head, his face full of disbelief and anger. “Bitch,” he growled low. His voice shook.
She had to look away for a few seconds. The sight of his shiny, dark magnificent, golden-flecked eyes made her heart thud painfully against her rib cage. His eyes held that same look the evening of the concert, when he had watched Allie walk away. She had seen that same look in his eyes then and ... now. She steeled herself for what she had to say next.
"Bastard,” she returned, her voice shaking.
She watched him walk out of KISS and knew in that moment, he had just taken her heart with him.
The last thing she did before she slumped to the floor was rip the necklace from her throat and toss the jeweled cat against the door. She saw it bounce, leaving a jagged crack in the pane of glass. The cat lay on its side, the diamonds and pink sapphires winking in the pale light coming in through the entrance.
Kat stared at it, but all she saw was one of the eyes, the other had fallen out, leaving a huge hole in its face.
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Chapter Twenty
The following morning Lilith walked into the coffee shop. She placed her order for her favorite breakfast—a chocolate chip muffin and a vanilla-hazelnut coffee. Gazing at the young woman behind the counter, Lilith blurted out, “Make that two muffins and two coffees."
Kat. She would go and see Kat this morning and find out what had happened. Jared was holed up in his room at the Pink Lily. Evelyn had told Annabelle, who told Betty what Jared had told Lilith about what had happened at KISS the previous evening, but Jared hadn't said much except for what she already knew...
Kat had refused the MegaMart job—and him.
As she wa
ited for her order, Lilith surveyed the interior of Summerville's one and only coffee shop. Familiar faces greeted her. She glanced toward the back to see the top of a blonde head in one of the booths. Upon further inspection, it appeared to be a familiar blonde head, highlighted with a dozen different shades of blonde. The person's hand reached up to flick several strands of that blonde hair over a pointy, narrow shoulder. Long red nails adorned that hand.
Georgia O'Reilly.
Lilith blew out a breath, mustering every ounce of nerve she had. Grabbing the two brown bags the girl passed her over the counter, Lilith paid for the order and marched to the back of the coffee shop, sliding into the seat across from Georgia.
"Good morning,” Lilith said brightly.
Georgia looked up. She pinned Lilith with her pale blue eyes. On reflex, Lilith leaned back in her seat. A small trickle of fear snaked down her spine.
"What do you want?” Georgia snapped.
Lilith continued to smile, despite her fear. “I saw you when I came in ... I just thought I'd drop by and say ‘hello.’ I didn't get a chance to speak with you at all yesterday evening at the meeting."
George shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. Lilith gazed at the woman's full, pouty lips. Did anyone have natural lips that puffed out like that? Lilith wondered what she used ... oh! Stupid. Stop staring, she told herself, and get some information.
"It was Jared's night, not mine,” Georgia replied, her tone clipped. “I was there to support Jared."
"Yes, and I think he did a fine job, don't you?"
"He always does.” She eyed Lilith from over the rim of her mug. She batted her eyes, her long lashes touching her cheek.
Lilith caught the look of desire in Georgia's pale blue eyes and wondered just how good a job Jared Martin really did ... with Georgia. In bed.
Yikes! No wonder Kat was so angry.
"Where is Jared this morning?” Lilith asked, keeping a light tone in her voice.
"Mr. Martin, as I think you should call him, is at the Pink Lily. He's got a lot of paperwork to do. He also has to find a replacement for that Kat Sullivan. She's caused him no end of grief over this. She signed that contract, she said she'd work for him and now, now look what she's done. Ms. Upstart has caused nothing but trouble for MegaMart since the beginning of this project."
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