"Let's meet in the private meeting room. I want to go over the paperwork with you. For Mr. Anonymous?" Lukas said.
Kat wanted to laugh. So that was the reason for the fancy lunch. Not Kat, but the money. She struggled to put the smile back on her face. "Of course. Better to get it done as soon as possible."
Lukas sat and grabbed his cellphone. He was already dialing as she left the office, rattling off a string of Italian dishes that sounded delicious. She supposed she should be grateful that the whole pity lunch would be held in private.
Stop it, Kat.
She had to think positive. Sure, he wanted to get the paperwork sorted, but he didn't need to wine and dine her for it. Even if he could schmooze the donor, he'd have no reason to butter Kat up.
Besides, she had to keep her head in the game. She'd have to remain on guard. Now Lukas expected a male donor, so Kat would have to watch herself when answering questions.
If he wanted to know who the donor was, he wouldn't give up easily.
12. LUKAS
LUKAS WAS WONDERING WHY HE'D suggested lunch in the first place. He'd seen the shock in her face when he'd barked at her. He couldn't believe he'd been so fucking callous as to yell at her that way. She certainly hadn't deserved to be spoken to like that, even if it was due to a misunderstanding.
The fear he'd seen in Kat's eyes was real enough to make him feel like a fucking heel. And he'd searched his stupid brain for a way to make it up to her. But what the hell was he thinking by suggesting the private boardroom? He should have just taken her out to dinner.
Out in public was safer.
But out in public would have meant they couldn't be alone.
And alone was how he wanted Kat.
Alone is a bad idea, Lukas.
Alone meant he'd be on edge, waiting for another opportunity to almost kiss her. Waiting for an opportunity to actually finish the damned job. Thoughts of Kat were driving him crazy, and he'd need to do something about it soon.
Lukas sighed and flipped though the papers on his desk. His mind wasn't in the right space, but there was more going on at the moment than him and his stupid spur of the moment decisions.
He picked up the phone and scanned his messages.
One from Marek to call him back and the other from Dominik regarding the dive. A ripple of excitement ran through him as he considered the possibility that they would find the Relic. That discovery would mean the world to the entire Sarkozy line. Their unassuming researcher, who'd managed to decipher its location, had no idea what they were dealing with.
With each generation, the Sarkozy line was dwindling. The death of their bloodline was attributed to a centuries-old gypsy's curse. The curse of a scorned lover, no less.
Historically speaking, Sarkozy men had always experienced difficulty in love.
Lukas shook his head and sympathized with Marek as he dialed his cousin's number. Since their childhood, they'd all been close--Lukas and the twins Marek and Aleks. As close as siblings, considering Sarkozy men rarely produced more than one offspring in their lifetimes.
Each generation, the number of children had dwindled, and the birth rate per couple was now zero point five. Lukas laughed. Fifty percent chance of conceiving a child. It was a good thing that as a bear shifter, he'd known his choices were limited to begin with. Female bear shifters were scarce enough to make a partnership on an equal footing extremely rare.
Of course, there was Alana. But she wasn't the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He'd rather be alone than saddled with Alana for the rest of his life.
But at least he was around to have to make that decision. Unlike Aleks. He'd been gone for a year now, with no sign of him no matter how hard Delta Corps worked. Marek missed him the most. The rare twin bond had made him almost mindless with grief when Aleks had been taken.
The Legion had abducted him, and nobody had heard a word from him since. They'd searched, but the Legion's operatives hadn't left a trace of anything for them to follow. But the Sarkozys would never give up. Although, as bad as Lukas felt, he knew Marek felt worse.
Marek and Aleks had been a miracle. Twins had been a common enough occurrence for the family over the centuries, but the last pair had been born forty years ago. Marek and Aleks's birth had shocked the family and had been the last.
Nobody expected another set of twins again. Heck, nobody expected to even have a single child, let alone two at the same time.
And the fucking Legion had managed to get their hands on a rare Sarkozy twin.
The Legion and the Sarkozys played a dreadful game.
"Marek." His cousin's deep voice vibrated into his ear.
"It's Luc. How you doing, brother?" Lukas asked, more to get the preliminaries out of the way. Marek's grunt was a sufficient answer. "Sara's been complaining that you're giving the staff a hard time."
Marek snorted. "The staff? She means Sara. The woman thinks it's a good idea to creep into my bedroom while I'm asleep... naked."
Lukas laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day when you complain about a woman creeping into your bedroom."
"She and Alana should hook up. They seem like each other's type." Marek sounded serious, which was a testament to the man's frustrations.
"You can say that again." Lukas sighed.
"So, any news on the dive?"
"Maryse texted." Maryse Carlisle was their brilliant researcher, a woman who'd managed to decode fragments of ancient documents where centuries of men had failed. "They've commissioned a vessel, and barring bad weather, they should be diving in two weeks."
"This is it, brother." Marek's voice mirrored his anticipation. The dive meant a lot to all the Sarkozy men. "Let's hope she's right."
"She sure sounds like she knows what she's doing. She's the best cryptographer this side of the universe."
"You hold her in high regard."
"She came highly recommended." Lukas spoke softly. Maryse had been recommended to them by Aleks a few months before he'd disappeared.
Marek had fallen silent, his thoughts probably also touching on his brother. Lukas cleared his throat. "You take care of yourself, Marek. I'll keep you posted."
"Thanks, brother."
"And Marek."
"Yeah?"
"Are you going to fix things with Carson?"
Marek fell silent. And when he didn't answer, Lukas said, "If she is the one for you, then you should fight for her. You need to ask yourself if she is worth fighting for."
When Marek didn't respond, Lukas smiled to himself and cut the call. Let the big lummox stew on that.
13. KAT
KAT WAS PACING.
THE PRIVATE boardroom was a larger room at the back of the office. Lukas and Alana only ever used it when donors came by, or if any high profile clients needed privacy.
The room was large enough to hold the eight seater oak table, chairs, and a glass-fronted sideboard that ran the length of the room. A large plush sofa was pushed up against the only wall with a window, making the room seem comfortable, yet classy.
And Kat was pacing across the plush caramel carpet. The food had been delivered, and the room was filled with delectable aromas. And Lukas hadn't arrived yet.
Maybe this is a big mistake, she thought. Maybe it's a sign.
A sign that Lukas was bad news. But it wasn't as if she was really interested in him. She didn't even like him.
The door opened, and Lukas breezed through, a small stack of files in his arms. His dark suit hugged his form, the jacket and pants tailored to his physique, outlining the muscles of his shoulders and arms in a way that made Kat want to see more.
Okay, you didn't have to like someone in order to like the way they looked, did you?
"Hey. Sorry. I just got back from speaking to the judge about Maria's case."
"Oh?" responded Kat, her forehead scrunching into a frown. "Was there a problem?"
Lukas shrugged out of his coat and dropped it over the nearest chair. Now that was more
like it, she thought, as she got a satisfying eyeful of white fabric that gave a hint of the muscled chest beneath.
"Not really. King had his lawyer appeal to the judge to get the case thrown out of court because of Maria's failure to appear."
"We expected that."
Kat reached for his jacket with a frown. She needed to do something with her hands as Lukas spoke, something that would stop her from walking over to him and running her hands over his arms and chest. So instead, she dusted out the jacket and headed to the sideboard. At the end was a closet, and she opened it and reached for a hanger.
Get a grip, Kat.
Sure the man was eye candy, but she had to focus. She slipped the jacket onto the hanger and shoved it onto the rail, forcing herself to ignore the scent of him that emanated from the fabric.
Lukas was speaking, and she turned to him, noting the amused smile on his face. "Yep. And my appeal to the judge was not to dismiss but rather to postpone because we are concerned about Maria's mental state. So for the record, we're suggesting Maria see a counselor to help with handling everything. That should give us a few weeks."
Kat nodded, impressed. "Good plan. Buy for time, keep them guessing. He'll think his letter is working because of the counseling suggestions. That should give us enough time for the trail to go cold." She went over to the table and began to unwrap the food.
"That's the plan." Lukas helped her, then opened a bottle of sparkling water before filling two goblets. Joshua's had delivered the food with cutlery, crockery, and glassware. First class service all around. Kat found it hard not to be impressed.
They focused on the food, sampling the eclectic combination of dishes: seafood linguine, chicken and mushroom risotto, lobster bisque.
Kat tried not look at him. It was safer that way. She was beginning to think that the boardroom had been a bad choice.
At last, Lukas pushed his plate aside and reached for his files. "This is the contract we've drawn up. It's standard. We can nut out the specifics. Then we redraw the contact and prep it for signing."
Kat nodded and reached for the file.
"The first question, of course, is the amount Mr. Anonymous wants to donate."
Kat tried to keep the feeling of exhilaration from showing on her face as she named a low seven-figure sum. Lukas's eyes widened. "That's generous."
Kat nodded. "He's impressed by the little I mentioned. If I were allowed to divulge more, I'm sure he'd give more."
Lukas hesitated. And Kat wondered why the hell she was playing this game. She knew how much she wanted to donate, and she should just name the damned figure and be done with it.
But she realized that it might look too easy. How the hell did one donate large sums of money, anyway? She'd never been party to such a thing before, and she'd sure as hell never heard her grandfather mention donations either.
She grinned, thinking about what he would say if he were alive to witness it.
Lukas laughed softly. "He must be impressed, judging by that smile." But then he leaned back. "I'm still not sure. Seeing as he is anonymous, I have no way to judge how discreet he is or how trustworthy. Just because he's throwing money at us doesn't mean we can trust him."
Kat frowned. This man seemed to have trust issues. Or was she just naive?
She sighed. "Okay. Let me speak to him. I won't tell him any details. I'll... expand on the whole helping-with-living-expenses thing."
Lukas nodded. "Thanks for understanding." He got to his feet and leaned over her to point at the contract. "We have to decide on the timing of the payments."
His breath trailed across her neck, and she wanted to run. But she forced herself to stay put and nod. "I'm pretty certain he'd do whatever you found most convenient."
Lukas nodded, then grabbed a pen and hovered it over the paper. "So split into four and paid once every quarter?" Kat shook her head and watched as he made a note on the contract, having missed her denial.
She cleared her throat. "Not split into four. That's the payment per quarter."
Lukas's hand stilled over the paper, the veins across the top of his wrist growing prominent as he tensed. Kat had to force herself to draw her gaze away from his hand, with its tanned skin, and the sprinkling of hair at the top of his wrists.
She cleared her throat and turned to look at him as he asked, "Are you sure?"
He was inches from her now, and Kat was beginning to wonder how she managed to get herself into these situations where Lukas was concerned.
14. LUKAS
AGAIN LUKAS FOUND HIMSELF INCHES from her delectable lips, and he wasn't about to stop himself.
Kat sucked in a breath, and her lips quivered as he closed in.
Lukas's fingers curled around her neck as he claimed her lips. The kiss was full and passionate, his tongue delving deep. She trembled, breathing hard, shivering against him, kissing him back as if starved.
Somehow she had risen to her feet, somehow their arms were around each other, the kiss taking control of them. His hand went to her waist, rising higher, closing over her breast. Even through the fabric of her silk blouse, he could feel her swell beneath his fingers, strain against his hand as if she wanted more.
Her hands went to his chest, running over his shoulders as she pulled him close.
When had it ever been this good with a woman? Lukas thought.
This was insane and unlike anything he'd ever experienced.
He pressed against her, his desire clear from the hard-on that ground against the vee between her legs. She was pressing back just as eagerly, the silky fabric of her suit pants hiding nothing from him. He took two steps back, taking her with him as he sank to the sofa. Kat came with him, landing on his lap, straddling him.
She was perfect.
He unbuttoned her blouse, his hand nudging the lacy bra aside as his fingers closed over her bare breast. With his other hand, he grabbed her hip and pulled her hard against him. His erection was pressed up against her heat, as close as he could possibly get without taking off all their clothes.
She let out a soft moan, and as he bent to claim her bared nipple, his cellphone rang.
Kat flew off his lap, her fingers fumbling for her buttons as he cancelled the call from Marek. He'd phone him back after he was done with Kat.
He followed her as she stepped back, kissing her lips as he breathed hard against her soft mouth. She leaned in, kissing him back even as she continued to button herself up.
"I can't do this," she said as he pressed his lips to her neck, biting down on her skin as he nipped a line back to her mouth.
"Why not? You like it," he said as he claimed her mouth again.
She gasped, then let out a groan as he bit softly on her tongue. "I don't even like you." He slid his hand around her waist, cupping her ass and squeezing hard, bringing her to crash against him, to feel his arousal.
"You don't like me?" he whispered against her ear, shifting his hand between her legs. He squeezed, the pressure making her cry out and arch against his palm. "I like the way you don't like me."
Someone passed outside the boardroom door, and Kat stiffened, moving out of Lukas's reach. Her lips were swollen, her buttons done up all wrong.
"This shouldn't have happened," she whispered.
She looked so lost that Lukas strode toward her. With the table behind her, she had nowhere to go. "Whatever happened was because we both liked it. Nothing to be regretful about." He dropped his hands to her blouse and began to unbutton her. "You're done up all wrong."
She brushed his hand off. "I can manage."
"I'm sure you can, but since I was the one who got them undone in the first place, I think I owe it to you to make it right."
As he redid the buttons, his knuckles brushed against her nipples, making her gasp. But she didn't step away. She was breathing hard as he did the top button, and when he looked into her eyes, he knew he could get lost in them.
But the boardroom wasn't the place.
She stepped out
of his grasp.
"I think... this shouldn't happen again," she said softly as she grabbed the files and put them together. "I don't trust you."
Lukas frowned. "What did I do to deserve that?"
Kat glared at him. "Not what you did. What your damned brother did."
"I don't have a brother."
Kat shook her head sharply. "Fine, your cousin then. Marek Sarkozy is a pig, and I'm not sure that trait doesn't run in your veins too."
"Marek?" Lukas asked. "Did Marek do something to you?" He wasn't sure how he'd handle it if she said yes.
Kat laughed. "Not to me. To Carson. He broke her goddamned heart, and she won't tell me why."
"You know Carson?" Lukas asked, taking a step away from Kat, his skin going a little grey.
Kat nodded. "Yes, she's my roommate and my best friend. The past few weeks have been awful. The woman is broken, and Marek did that."
Lukas shook his head. "I'm really sorry about Carson. I had no idea you knew her." There was an odd tone in his voice that brought Kat's head up sharply.
"Why? Would you have stayed away had you known?" His eyes widened, but she didn't care if she'd misunderstood. "Maybe you should just stay away from me. It's safer that way, because right now, I don't trust anyone with the name Sarkozy."
Lukas just stood there, feeling a little shell-shocked. And Kat looked supremely grateful. He didn't say anything as she grabbed her purse and headed for the door.
"I'll have a look at the papers and make the necessary changes. You'll have them tomorrow."
Lukas nodded. "I'm heading out to see..." He'd almost mentioned Marek's name then thought it best not to. "I'll be out of the office tomorrow. I'll only be back late. Remember the documents are for our eyes only. Don't leave them on my desk. I'll come to you if I get back too late."
Kat nodded and flung the door open before disappearing into the corridor.
Lukas shook his head. His brain must be failing him. Had he really just said that to a woman who'd told him she wanted nothing to do with him? But what scared him the most was that he'd meant it in more ways than one.
An Heiress For The Bear (Sarkozy Brothers 2) Page 4