Off Limits Attraction (The Heirs of Hansol #3) - Jayci Lee Page 0,11
her. Yet another reason not to get involved with him. He wasn’t available. “I doubt they’d follow him around when he’s not with her.”
“You know there are Korean media plants tracking you in the US, don’t you?”
“Bloody hell. Should I just cancel the stupid thing?”
“No. The paparazzi don’t get to dictate what you do. It’s enough your father has so much power over you. You just have to make sure you look the part of a businesswoman.”
“Do I ever not?” Jihae sighed wearily. “But I know what you’re saying. I’ll make sure and wear one of my pantsuits, not even a dress suit, and low-key shoes. And I’ll shake his hand when we meet and as we part. Those will make good, boring pictures.”
“You’re a pro. But can you try to have a little fun? Just a little bit. Deep inside.”
Jihae burst out laughing. “I adore you.”
“I adore you, too.”
* * *
The next evening, Jihae smoothed down her jacket and made sure she didn’t have a single strand of hair out of place before she stepped out of her cherry-red Corvette. It was a bit showy, but there was no rule that said she had to buy a white car. When she was in Korea, she happened to be driven around in white cars, but it had never been specifically discussed with her PR specialist.
She was lucky enough to find a spot in the tiny parking lot behind the equally quaint theater. Her sensible, white wedge heels clacked against the sidewalk as she strode toward the ticket booth, and it took all her strength not to stop and gawk at Colin Song. He’d ditched his jacket and tie, and he wore a pair of khaki pants and a white button-down shirt with his sleeves rolled past his forearms. Manly, veiny forearms. Gah. That multiplied his sexiness tenfold in her book.
Without breaking stride, Jihae came to a stop in front of Colin and extended her hand to him. She braced herself for impact. Even as a frisson traveled down her spine, she kept a polite smile on her face and maintained direct eye contact. But she forgot to withdraw her hand, and Colin didn’t seem to have any intention of releasing it. Unable to feign calm a second longer, she took a hasty step back and her hand dropped to her side when he let go.
“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting,” she said in a steady voice. She was a freaking rock star. No one would be able to tell she wanted to climb all over the man in front of her.
“Not at all. You’re right on time. I just got here a few minutes early.”
“Did you say you already purchased the tickets?” she asked, not sure about the right protocol for their casual business meeting. It should be fine if he already bought the tickets. He could expense it.
“Yes, I have the tickets,” he said, extending his hand toward the entrance. “Did you want anything from the refreshment stand?”
She nodded a little too eagerly. She would finally get to try all the movie-theater goodies. “Yes, but I’ll get them myself.”
“By all means. I’ll stand in line with you.”
Colin stood beside her, keeping a respectable distance between them. Very businesslike. Soon Jihae was lost in the wonderland of choices. In the end, she ordered a small popcorn, a Coke slushie and some peanut M&M’S. She peeked over to where Colin was ordering, curious about his selection. He only had a bottle of water and some red licorice. She must look like a junk-food glutton.
Oh, screw it. It might seem a bit unprofessional, but this was her first time at a public movie theater. She was going to live a little.
“Are you ready?” Colin asked, coming up to her. He was obviously holding back his amusement at her bounty.
“No, I’m not done ordering. How are the nachos?” she said and snorted at her own joke. Then she gasped in horror. Oh, Lord. She instinctively lifted her hand to cover her mouth, but she was holding her Icee, so she stuck her straw in her mouth and took a long sip. Her public persona had slipped way off at the wrong time in front of the wrong person. She was grateful she didn’t get a brain freeze in front of him on top of everything.
“Horrible, but the pretzels aren’t half-bad,” he answered in a level voice, though he was grinning from ear to ear.