Shattered (Book Two of the Beautifully Broken Series)

by Angela Stephens

  Frank perused his computer. “Yes, and I have to say I’m pretty impressed at some of the venues, especially National Geographic. Good work, Kathryn. I knew you were a catch when I hired you, but you’ve proven yourself above and beyond my expectations.”

  “That’s very kind of you Mr. ... Frank,” Kathryn said. “With the help of Sandra and my team, I think Manticorp Media’s going to become a global name.”

  “Well, I can think of no one better suited to handle our global expansion,” he said, scanning through a list of documents on his computer. “I want to get your opinion on something.”

  Kathryn’s gaze flitted across Frank’s immaculate desk. The beautiful mahogany antique was an antithesis to the lean and contemporary look of the building and its design. An inscribed silver letter opener, a miniature old world globe and a magnificent Remington bronze spoke volumes about his personality.

  Her eyes froze on a silver-framed family photo of a much younger Frank, a lovely young woman and two children posing on a beach. It was unmistakably James kneeling in the sand with a sister that could have been his twin. Kathryn stared at his wistful face, his expression one that seemed to indicate a sense of troubled times ahead.

  Only now did she realize that James had never once mentioned family beyond his father. Was there still a Mrs. Manticorp? And what had happened to the sister?

  She turned her attention back to Frank when he looked at her. “I’ve emailed this to you as well but for now I want your thoughts on you and James becoming more involved in Global Green.”

  Kathryn struggled to focus her thoughts on Global Green, an organization dedicated to international sustainability efforts overseas. “I thought Manticorp Media was already a member?”

  “As a company, but with the two of you personally involved, you can more directly spearhead projects and programs.”

  “That’s a wonderful suggestion, Frank. I can only imagine how much we could accomplish.”

  Frank gazed at Kathryn with a disturbingly direct look. His dark eyes bore the same probing depth as James’s and the more she looked at him, the more she recognized the similarities between them. She had always heard that looking at your parents provided a glimpse into your own future, but she could only ponder the wide gulf between herself and her mother.

  “I already know how much you’ve accomplished, Kathryn.”

  Kathryn felt a moment of confusion. “I appreciate the opportunity you gave me, especially considering how many other equally qualified candidates there must have been for this job.”

  “Nonsense,” Frank said. “Paper means nothing. It’s the person I’m interested in, not the pedigree.”

  Kathryn battled a sudden compulsion to ask about Heather. That Frank would be so ignorant of the threat she posed seemed to contradict the perception he displayed elsewhere.

  “Well, I’ve always heard that you should do what you love,” Kathryn said.

  “And it’s that passion that I noticed immediately in you.”

  “Your son certainly has the same passion, Frank. He’s capable of accomplishing so much. We need more people like him in the world.”

  “And more people like you, Kathryn. You two make an excellent team. In fact, I’ve been thinking about possibly stealing you to polish my own image,” he said with a wink.

  Kathryn grinned. She was liking Frank more and more. “I’m happy to take on the challenge. Just let me know when.”

  Frank smiled. “Let’s take care of James first,” he said, returning his attention to his list of documents. “I’ve got something else I’d like to show you that’s going to be the showpiece of this company.”

  Kathryn tried to pay attention to the screen, but her mind was buzzing with thoughts about James, her future and the photo on the desk.

  ***

  Sifting through material and proposals from Global Green piled on her desk, Kathryn paused to rub her throbbing temples. Since her meeting with Frank two days ago, work had been nonstop and the feedback from the photo shoot had propelled James, the company, and even her, into the outer stratosphere. It was exciting and the publicity promised great opportunities, but she still felt isolated spending most of her time in her office alone.

  Kathryn reached for the phone and dialed Sandra’s extension. She had already tried to reach her twice within the last half hour but Sandra hadn’t picked up.

  “Hey, Kat,” Sandra responded somewhat breathlessly after the third ring.

  “She lives,” Kathryn quipped. “I was beginning to get worried!”

  “No need to worry,” Sandra said. “Just been running around so much this morning that I had to change into my gym shoes, style be damned!”

  Kathryn laughed. “You have time to deliver some proofs? Don’t want to use couriers. Last time some of the corners were bent.”

  “I can head out now if you like,” Sandra said, “Honestly, I need to get out of this building.”

  “I really appreciate it” Kathryn said. “Check in with me when you get back. I’ve got a couple of press releases to finish and my brain appears to have left the building.”

  “Well, let me deliver those proofs before my brain follows yours out the door,” Sandra said. “Talk later.”

  Kathryn hung up and stared out the window. The seasonality of the city never failed to intrigue her and so many times the peaceful distant view of the mountains soothed her. She realized that recently she had come to spend more and more time in the office and actually spent little time at home. It had been her thought at one time to consider adopting a pet to keep her company, but with her hectic schedule such a thing would no longer be possible.

  She sighed. In truth she had been feeling more than a little lonely. Most everyone else had families, significant others or roommates to go home to. As much as she loved her cozy little apartment, Kathryn found herself longing for companionship. Unwanted images of James slithered into her mind. Though he called often to check in and update her on his activities, he came into the office even less often than before. Heather could have been camping outside her door with no further worry of any interaction between herself and James. Still ...

  The knock at her door was so unexpected that she jumped.

  “Come in.”

  Kathryn’s heart skipped a beat when James stepped into her office carrying a gym bag. Windswept, smelling of the outdoors, he sauntered toward her with a smile beaming like a ray of sun. He was dressed simply in jogging pants and a hoodie, an almost refreshing break from his recent cutting-edge style.

  She stared at his tousled hair and battled a sudden urge to run her fingers through it.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “I’d hoped for a little more enthusiasm than that,” he said, reaching into his gym bag and tossing a colorful bouquet of mixed flowers onto her desk.

  Kathryn fingered the rose petals, delighted by his gesture but irritated that he was so persistent. “Thank you.”

  “You look like you needed them,” James said, perching on her desk. His expression grew serious as he studied her. “I saw your face when I walked in.”

  Disturbed by James’s uncanny perception, Kathryn brought the flowers to her face. James reached over and trailed his fingers down her cheek. Kathryn flinched away from him, knowing his touch would only intensify the longing that was pulsing faintly within her.

  “I didn’t expect to see you today,” she said, trying to remain neutral although his arrival was a pleasant surprise.

  “What’s new?” he said. “But we can’t be slaves to schedules all the time, Kat.”

  “You cancelled your appointments?”

  James removed his phone from his pocket with a mischievous grin and waggled it at her. “I’ve been a very naughty boy today, Miss. I think I’m going to have to stay after school for some well-deserved detention. What do you think?”

  Kathryn blushed at his suggestive tone and the molten heat surge it caused in her pussy. Her flesh tingled so badly that it was
all she could do to keep from squirming. She reached for a water bottle on her desk and took a deep swig to try to cool herself down.

  “I’ve got a lot of work to do, you know that,” Kathryn said, staving of James’ advances and her own desire.

  James moved around the desk, positioning himself in front of her. She felt the heat emanate from his body and noticed for the first time the touch of a tan on his skin. Her eyes fell to his partially unzipped hoodie and the glimpse of his tattoo it revealed. She stared at the pulse at his throat. It looked so tantalizing that had she been a vampire she would have sunk her teeth into his succulent flesh.

  “I think a break is in order,” he said. “You and I need to catch up and I’ll be damned if I’m going to email or call you when my office is right next door.”

  Kathryn realized that if she didn’t agree the last of her self-control would evaporate. Sandra was gone and there was no one else to chaperone. Besides, she was being foolish. Sooner or later she would have to face him.

  “Did you want to grab a bite to eat or something first?” she asked.

  James regarded her with an amused smile. “All the above,” he said, grabbing her hips and pressing her against him. The pressure of his body set off a rapid throbbing between her legs, and she could feel herself becoming wet for him. The heat of his breath against her mouth as he leaned toward her weakened her resolve. She’d spent weeks denying her urge to give into him out of respect for herself and for his relationship. But after she’d seen Heather—her stoned gaze, her body writhing desperately against another man—it was clear to Kathryn that the engagement was nothing more than a label, a fraud. Heather didn’t respect James or his father, she was so lost in her own high that she didn’t care if she shamed her own name not to mention the Manticorp name. For the first time Kathryn felt that her connection to James was stronger than any political arrangement, and, finally, she collapsed into his kiss.

  Their lips locked so violently that Kathryn’s mouth stung from the pressure. James’s tongue probed and penetrated, then found it’s way onto the tender flesh of her neck and trailed hungrily down the front of her blouse. Buttons flew as he ripped it off and yanked her bra down to expose her breasts. Kathryn clung onto him, moaning as his mouth devoured her bullet-hard nipples.

  Kathryn, desperate for the release she’d been putting off for so long, started at the pressure of his rigid cock grinding against her pussy. Clinging to each other like survivors climbing onto a lifeboat, James swept her desk clean. From the corner of her eye Kathryn saw her nameplate skitter onto the floor. James lifted her onto the desk and mounted her, his searing body molding against every inch of her body. Fumbling to strip off their clothes above their panting breath, James wrapped Kathryn’s legs around his waist. There was no preamble, no foreplay, not even any kissing, just raw hunger as James roughly spread Kathryn’s juice-slicked pussy lips apart and rammed his truncheon-hard cock into her.

  Bucking like a wild animal, her hair a curly, chaotic veil framing her face, Kathryn cried out and clawed wildly at his back. Pinning her wrists to the desk, James grunted with each animalistic thrust into her. That anyone could walk in on them at any moment was nothing more than a fleeting thought as Kathryn’s body moved in perfect unison with his. Not even the specter of Heather could cool the passion that surged between them. The genie was uncorked and there was no way it was returning to the bottle.

  She reached for James’s hair and ran her fingers through it. His teeth nipped her neck and teased her nipples. Already she could feel the explosive pressure building in her pelvis which erupted moments later into the spasms of a violent orgasm. She cried out and arched her back against James, who jerked and moaned from his own release. Their sweating, entwined bodies clung to each other until the throes of their orgasms faded into the last tendrils of shuddering release.

  Hearing only the thundering tide of her heart hammering in her ears, Kathryn opened her eyes to look at James, who was already looking at her. He released her wrists and smiled. With his damp-curled hair plastered endearingly around his face, he looked more like a little boy. Kathryn trailed her finger along his cheek.

  “You don’t know what it’s been like without you,” he said. “You think I didn’t realize why my calendar was so full? You can’t hide your feelings from me, Kat, and all the appointments and events in the world won’t change that.”

  Kathryn tried unsuccessfully to stem the tears brimming in her eyes. Thoughts of Heather brought her fears crashing down on her. It was only sheer luck that she didn’t happen to drop by unexpectedly, and if she had, the results would have been catastrophic. If Kathryn and James got caught together in the office she wasn’t sure she’d ever live down the scandal.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, stroking her hair.

  “You know what’s wrong,” she said, gently freeing herself from James and rising from the desk. She quickly gathered her clothes and got dressed while a naked James quietly watched her. “We could get in serious trouble for this.”

  James said nothing as he proceeded to dress. Kathryn tried to refocus her thoughts by picking up the items from her desk that had scattered to the floor but all she managed to do was to randomly dump them by her computer.

  Emotion choked Kathryn’s throat when she saw her nameplate. She began to cry, hating herself for every tear she shed. She wanted James and needed him as much as he seemed to need her, but her chaotic and conflicting feelings were starting to cloud her judgment.

  “Dammit!” she cried in frustration. “This isn’t fair!"

  James approached her and attempted to gather her in his arms but she rebuffed him and stalked toward the window. She tried to find solace in the early evening sky but not even a grinning new moon could lighten her mood. There was also the issue of Sandra returning at some point, and the last thing she really wanted was to have to deal with another confession.

  “I want to believe you, Kat, but I know there’s something more,” James said. “Talk to me. This farce is getting ridiculous. Next you’ll be drawing a line on the floor and telling me I can’t cross it. I’m not the same person you met back at the parking lot and neither are you. Maybe it’s time we admitted that and start over.”

  Kathryn gazed at him. It was so tempting just to let it out and be done with it all, but the memory of the incident with Heather still haunted her. Though she sensed she was being watched, Heather’s scarcity had transformed from relief to growing concern. Kathryn had allowed a lapse in willpower to jeopardize everything. It had to stop. Now.

  Though she sensed James approaching, she remained motionless. She wanted to lash out and strike him while at the same time she wanted nothing more than to surrender to the sanctuary of his arms.

  “Look at me, Kat.”

  Too afraid to lose control again, Kathryn stared fixedly out the window. James touched her shoulder. She flinched. His fingers lingered, then withdrew.

  “There are things I need to say to you,” he said. “All I ask is the chance to say the words. You don’t have to do anything besides listen. You don’t even have to look at me if you don’t want to. Just put aside everything crowding your mind for a few moments and hear me.”

  Kathryn swallowed the sob rising in her chest. Tears blurred her vision so badly she could only see a watery image of the view. She mentally cursed herself for still not buying that waterproof mascara she intended to so many times.

  James sighed. Her heart contracted when she heard his retreating footsteps and the sound of the door opening.

  “I love you, Kat,” he said softly, then closed the door behind him.

  Chapter Five

  Racing past the cafe, Kathryn was tempted to stop and grab a coffee, but she was already over an hour late and thought it best to go straight to her office. She had tossed and turned most of the night and fatigue fogged her mind. What was worse, Sandra managed to call during the short time Kathryn had fallen asleep to see if she was okay. Though Kathryn called Sandra to explain
that she wasn’t feeling well and had overslept, Sandra’s skeptical tone forewarned her that she would have a lot of explaining to do when she got to work.

  Kathryn rushed toward the elevators, her mind buzzing with a constant replay of the night before. James’s admission still stunned her and even now she wondered if she might have simply imagined his words but there was no doubt. She had heard them, and they were words spoken from the heart.

  As if I didn’t have enough to deal with, she thought, stepping from the elevator to find Sandra emerging from her office.

  “Good afternoon,” she said. “Did we have a rough night?”

  She followed Kathryn into the office. Seeing an array of breakfast treats set out on her desk, Kathryn descended on a steaming mug of coffee and devoured a cranberry quinoa muffin as Sandra continued to grin. Only then did realization dawn in Kathryn’s fuzzy brain.

  “Erase whatever you’re thinking from your mind,” she said in mid-chew.

  “You’ve never been late before. Something keep you up all night? Or should I say, someone?”

  “Sandra, you can’t be serious.” Kathryn shook her head. “With everything that happened? He’s never even been to my place.”

  The reception desk phone rang. Sandra turned to leave but paused to cast a dubious look over her shoulder. “Something’s up. I can tell.”

  “Shouldn’t you get that?” Kathryn gestured to the reception area hoping to cut the conversation short.

  “They can leave me a message, tell me what’s going on,” Sandra said as she closed the office door.

  Kathryn sighed, knowing Sandra wasn’t going to let up. “Part of me would love to say that James spent the night, I’d be lying if I said otherwise. But the reality is that it can’t happen.”

  Sandra approached Kathryn, a sympathetic smile on her face. “You know,” she said. “Sometimes when we think there’s no way a situation can change, a way presents itself when you least expect it. Be patient.”

  Kathryn looked into Sandra’s loving eyes. “You always know the right thing to say.”