Conflict of Interest - By Allyson Lindt Page 0,37

sucked down the hole of how intoxicating she was. “It’s a yes or no question.”

“Yes. I enjoyed it.” Her reply was almost lost in the hum of the air conditioner it was so quiet. “But it still doesn’t matter.”

Victory. Concession. So why did he still feel like a wounded dog? He leaned in, face inches from hers, struggling to ignore her scent and the warmth she radiated. “Sometimes, that’s the only thing that matters. Maybe you’ve got some serious soul-searching to do if you’re willing to surrender that for something as basic and superficial as what other people think of you.”

She didn’t pull away, but uncertainty flickered in her eyes. Her voice wasn’t as strong as it had been. “What aren’t you getting? This is a bit more serious than whether or not a couple of people like the way I hold myself in public.”

He knew that, so why couldn’t he admit it? Her words cut too deeply to ignore. He hated thinking he’d been the only one having fun. “I understand.” He didn’t move. “Are we done?”

“I suppose so.”

He leaned in, mouth near her ear. He forced his voice to remain steady, despite the almost overwhelming urge to kiss her long, slender neck. “I’m sorry to hear it.”

She inhaled sharply, but didn’t move.

Disappointment mingled with his anger, and he took his seat behind his desk again. “I have work to do.” He turned back to his computer, not able to look at her anymore. “I’ll call you after school tomorrow.”

She hesitated at the edge of her chair.

“Is that all?”

She didn’t answer, and seconds later his office door swung shut as she disappeared through it.

A sharp pain gnawed his chest. Why did her dismissal—her ability to write the entire thing off so easily—hurt so much?

Chapter 11

Kenzie stripped off her suit and draped the jacket, top, and skirt next to the other outfits she needed to drop off at the dry cleaner in the morning. She’d spent the day catching up on paperwork, making sure everything was going okay, getting behind-the-scenes things like press releases in place for Scott and his company. Her eyes ached from scanning so many emails and filing them. She couldn’t believe she’d let her inbox get over ten messages.

She grabbed a fitted T-shirt from her top drawer and yanked it on. She was reaching for a pair of shorts when her phone rang. The professional chime told her it was work-related. She rolled her eyes and slid her earpiece on before answering. “This is Mackenzie.”

“How’s my favorite mistress?” Scott’s snide greeting added a layer to her exhaustion.

At least that would make it easier not to fall into bad habits. She set her phone on the nightstand and flopped back on her bed, making sure the motion didn’t jar her earpiece loose. The conversation from the day before still echoed in her thoughts—he hadn’t even bothered to deny her accusations he wasn’t taking this serious—and she wasn’t sure if she was furious or just frustrated. “Something tells me you’re not a bowing, scraping, boot-kissing kind of guy.”

“You’d be surprised.”

She didn’t have the patience for whatever he was up to. So why did she want to keep him on the phone, letting his voice tickle her ear? “I usually am with you. How was your thing?”

“Fantastic.” His voice went flat. “I wore a shirt and a tie—a nice shirt, like almost no stains—and now not a single member of DECA wants to be a computer programmer when they grow up because I was so dry and professional they were all either passed out or were threatening to stab their eardrums out when I finished lecturing.”

Was he serious? He couldn’t be. Please let him be joking. “How did it really go?”

He snorted. “Great. Like it usually does. I swear on my series bible I didn’t do anything that would piss anyone off.” He paused. “Well, anyone in the industry. I may have broken a few mothers’ hearts when their kids went home and said they wanted to play video games for a living, but those kids weren’t going to be doctors anyway.”

“Sounds like fun.” The corner of her mouth twitched, and she forced a frown back in place. She wasn’t enjoying this beyond a professional level. He’d been an ass, and she was still pissed off at him.

“So.” His voice abruptly dropped in volume. “I’m sorry about the pictures that got out, and I’m sorry about what I said yesterday.”

The apology caught her off guard. She wanted to believe