Off Limits Attraction (The Heirs of Hansol #3) - Jayci Lee Page 0,30
lovers. Well, there were only two of them, but she had chosen men who hadn’t come from money, men her father wouldn’t have approved of. Men she respected. If her father had known, he wouldn’t have looked the other way. There was no reason she couldn’t keep her personal interactions with Colin a secret. But what if you want something lasting with him? Something real?
The thought came unbidden, and she had no answers. As far as she knew, he didn’t come from a well-known, wealthy family. Her father would frown on such “lack of pedigree.” Was she willing to oppose her father to be with a man her family wouldn’t accept? Would she be willing to give up Rotelle Entertainment for Colin? Never mind all that. She would cross that road if she ever got to it.
“I wasn’t allowed to be juvenile even when I was a child. I’m not going to start acting like a child as a grown woman,” Jihae announced to a startled June, who thought she’d had the last word.
“Okay, then. Are you going to call him?”
“Nope.”
“For God’s sake—”
Jihae cut her off before she could resume her nagging. “I’m going to see him in person.”
“Right on,” June said, raising her palm in the air.
She high-fived her friend and stood up. “Right now.”
Her decision made, Jihae felt bold and determined. She rushed to the parking structure and pulled out onto the street before voice-dialing Colin.
“Hello, Jihae.” He picked up the phone just as she was about to hang up, and his tone was oh-so-casual.
“Hi.” Had he been busy or was he contemplating not answering her call? “Are you working late tonight?”
“Yes, but not for CS Productions. I’m catching up on business at Pendulum.”
Bingo. “Were you able to make things official with Charity Banning?”
“I was planning to email you about that tomorrow. We reached an oral agreement, and Ethan will be communicating with June to draw up a formal contract.”
“Excellent news. I’m glad I got to hear it tonight.”
There was slight hesitation on his end. “Is that why you called?”
“That was part of it.”
“And the other part?” he asked in a low, coaxing voice.
Was he flirting with her? If he was going to be like this, why hadn’t he just called? He was the one who had rudely cut short their kissing session. Her indignation suddenly rose again. She wasn’t going to make this easy for him.
“I actually can’t recall the other part. It must not have been very important,” she said archly. “Good night, Colin. Congratulations on Charity Banning.”
“But—”
She hung up, cutting off his protest. That felt good. Hanging up on him gave her some immature satisfaction. Now she was going to invade his home turf and show him exactly what the other part was about.
Traffic was moderate and she made good time to Pendulum. She checked her reflection in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were bright and her color heightened. Adrenaline. Pure, natural makeup. She was wearing a white sleeveless mock neck and a pair of wide-legged white slacks. She wasn’t exactly dressed for a nightclub, but she wore her hair down and a swipe of clear lip gloss made her adequately presentable.
Jihae got past the bouncers without a hitch and approached the host. “Hi, I’m here to see Mr. Song.”
“Is he expecting you, miss?” the gentleman asked, giving her a perfunctory once-over. She seemed to meet his approval.
“We spoke on the phone only a few minutes ago.”
“Then let me escort you to his office.”
“I don’t want to disrupt your duties. Pointing me in the right direction is all I need.”
“Very well. Go down that hallway and turn left. You’ll see one door marked Employees Only and an unmarked door across from it. That’s his office.”
“Thank you so much, Mr....”
“Tucker. Just Tucker is fine,” he said with a smile.
“Thank you, Tucker. I’m Jihae.”
“Nice to meet you, Jihae.”
With a wave, she strode toward Colin’s office. But once she got there, her nerves faltered for a moment. Then, with an impatient shake of her head, she knocked smartly on the door.
“Come in.”
His voice was clear but he sounded a bit distracted. He was probably immersed in his work. But when she stepped inside, he was staring down at his phone, his thumbs at rest.
“I remembered the other reason I called,” she said softly.
Colin’s head shot up and the intensity of his gaze stole her breath. He pushed back from his desk, making his chair spin wildly, and took three long strides to come stand in front of her.