"Of course I am" Jensen said. His righteous male tome earned Katherine's pinch. "Ouch, you little devil" He rubbed his side. "What was that for?"
"Equality" Katherine replied.
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Jensen carried the mound of packages across the living room and dumped them on the couch. He turned to Katherine.
"Come here, woman. I want my kiss" he said.
Later he said. "That was worth waiting for. Do you have any idea how hard it was keeping my hands to myself while you tried on those clothes. At one point considered tossing you over my shoulder and running out of Mrs Darcy's. That black lace evening gown did it. The front barely covered the necessities. And the back was low enough to show the two cute dimples at the base of your backbone "
"Your expression made me decide against the dress" Katherine responded with a smile. "It bordered on the lecherous. But you bought too many things" she protested, "And spent too much money"
He lifted her hands to his mouth and looked into her eyes. "I enjoy spending money on you" she said.
Katherine brushed his knuckles with her mouth. "I love you, Jensen," she said.
"Keep telling me that, Kat," he said roughly. Over their joined hands, his lashed veiled another unreadable emotion.
"Jensen" she murmured, "Are you feeling in need of a tranquilizer? The party is at five and it's only three thirty"
Jensen smiled. "I always want your brand of medicine, Kitty Kat," he said.
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The elevator throbbed beneath Katherine's high heels as it rose to the penthouse of the building that housed Jensen's company. She smoothed the green dress once more and glanced at Jensen.
His hands rested lightly on a bare shoulder. "You are lovely, Katherine," he said. "Don't worry about anything"
The people crowding the smoke filled room were expensively groomed. In one corner a bartender splashed drinks into crystal glasses. A uniformed waiter moved about the large room carrying a tray of hors d'oeuvres.
Jensen exchanged pleasantries with some people and then he urged Katherine to the center of the room, one hand on the small of her back. He raised his other hand to demand everyone's attention. The room quieted.
"Friends," he announced. "This is Katherine Kavell. A special friend of mine and business partner. I hope you will extend your courtesy to her during her stay with us"
Immediately, an expensive mist surrounded Katherine. She smiled, but noted with sadness the uniformity of the expressions. The smiles of the guests stopped before they reached their eyes.
Most of the women asked her lots of questions, some even personal questions and made some embarrassing comments, but Jensen was there by her side to give them appropriate replies. And she was glad that he was with her.
Soon Jensen excused himself to talk to one of the men at the party.
"I will be right back, honey" he said to her. Katherine followed his winding path through the clusters of people in the room. He glanced over his shoulder and winked at her. She acknowledged the wink with a nod and a smile before a young man touched her arm.
"Hi, Katherine," he said. "I'm Stephen Miles, executive vice president of the company"
Hello "Katherine answered, feeling uncomfortable as he edged too close to her. His blue eyes exclaimed her low neckline before rising to her face.
" Jensen knows class when he sees it "he said."How long have you known each other?" he asked, his hand slipped intimately to her neck.
Katherine met his hot stare with a cold one. Stephen had all the basic components of a man fascinated with himself, confident that he was irresistible. She moved away from his touch.
" Long enough to know when Jensen is angry" she said. "He is looking over here now"
Jensen's face rose over the others in the room. His swarthy features expressed the smoldering anger she knew prefaced an outburst.
Stephen glanced at him and sighed. "Ah, well," he said. "Jensen easily tires of affairs. Look me up when you are free, Katherine" He shot her one last leer before walking away.
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In the apartment a short time later, Jensen stood over her, his eyes brooding. "The old ghosts were all lined up at the party, Katherine. I wanted you to know what my life was like before I met you"
Katherine patted the cushion next to her as she kicked off her shoes. "Sit by me, my love" she invited.
He stripped off his jacket and loosened his shirt. He sprawled next to her and threw his arm around her. Katherine snuggled against the familiar chest. "This is nice, Jensen. I still get tired easily, I'm afraid —I was ready to come home"
"I saw you field Stephen's advances" Jensen said.
"Were you reminded of yourself, Jensen?" she asked as she remembered that day she danced with Kevin James at Jonathan's wedding.
"I have had my share of affairs, Katherine," Jensen said. "None of them mattered. I was never concerned enough about a woman to care if Stephen made a pass at her. Until tonight, I will speak to him, however, about a hands off policy where you are concerned" he said in a voice Katherine expected he used at board meetings.
His fingers tilted her chin upward. "Kat, when you were away, my life was full of parties like that. My friendships were superficial. People came and went. No one really stayed. I didn't really let them. I was lonely, though I didn't really notice at the time. I ignored the pain of losing you, covering it up by moving so fast it couldn't catch me. You made me care again, Katherine "
His eyes closed. As they lay together on the couch, he drew her to rest full length against him. Pillowed by his shoulder, Katherine opened his shirt and slipped her hand inside to rest over his heartbeat.
" I was so angry when you left "Jensen continued. "and once you came back, I planned a campaign to devastate a certain beautiful dark haired lady and make her beg".
"Oh really" Katherine murmured smiling, "And how did you plan to do that?"
His hand shaped a silk covered breast, then slid to the zipper and drew it down. "Shh, I will show you later. Right now I'm on a roll"
The light tone turned serious as he added, "I need to say this Kathrine. Be patient with me"