Lord of Rain (The Dragon Demigods #5) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,31

liyanaise and apple purée, or turbot and morels with peas and a vin jaune sauce. I would be happy to put together a salad, if you would prefer. I can make you a charred citrus salad or a Cajun chicken option with a basil vinaigrette.”

“That all sounds amazing.” She’s still frowning. “So, the first option is pork belly, is that right? I must say I’m not familiar with all of those terms. Pastry and desserts are my forte.”

The cabin attendant sighs. It’s soft and almost indiscernible, but I hear it. She’s judging and has no right.

“It’s essentially pork belly with potatoes and apple sauce,” I step in, “or fish with mushrooms and a frothy white sauce. Both are good.”

Miss Shaw breaks out in a smile. I can see she’s relieved I spoke up.

I make a face. “I’m not sure I can recommend the charred citrus salad. Sounds fucking awful, if you ask me.”

She laughs. “I won’t have either of the salad options. I think I’ll try the pork belly.”

“I must warn you,” the cabin attendant says, sounding slightly disapproving, “the pork is quite heavy for this time of day.” So fucking condescending. It bugs me.

“Um…I’m fine with that. I’ll have the pork.” Miss Shaw holds the cabin attendant’s gaze until she nods in acceptance. Then she looks back down at her laptop. Her notepad is open, and she has her two fingers on the ready.

Miss Strawberry Locks stands there for a moment or two. I think she must realize she’s being dismissed by both of us because she finally leaves. Miss Shaw can sometimes lack confidence, but when it really counts, she knows how to stand up for herself without being nasty. I admire that. I also think it’s great she’s having an actual meal instead of salad leaves. It’s refreshing. Normally women I ‘date’ live on a diet of salad and champagne. I need to remind myself that Miss Shaw and I won’t be dating…that’s not how this arrangement is going to work.

I push out a breath and get back to my emails. I need to get this done so that I can prepare for my meeting with the B&H board members tomorrow morning. Tonight, we’re having dinner to show my appreciation for work carried out thus far, but also as a means to get to know my newest exec team in a casual setting. It would be wrong to assume that the leaders of B&H are all the right people for the job. I’ll never pull the business out of the toilet if there is rot from the top down. Some of the biggest problems I’ve encountered are with the upper management.

I look over at Miss Shaw every so often. She’s entirely focused on what she’s doing. Her two fingers flying over the keys… Okay, maybe flying is a little bit of an exaggeration. Still, she’s doing fine. Every so often, she grabs that plump lower lip between her teeth. A few minutes later, she unbuttons the jacket, shrugging out of the garment.

Her blouse is gaudy. Lilac with the overly shiny look of fake silk. It’s probably a size too big. It does nothing to hide the plump swell of her breasts. Fuck me! I’m salivating. My heart is beating faster…going pitter-fucking-pat. That my cock is taking note is one thing, but my heart doesn’t do shit like this. I fucking hate that harpy as much as I yearn for her. Right now, I want Miss Shaw on all fours. I want to tear that godawful outfit right off her body and pound into her until she screams my name. I’ll bet cold hard cash that no one has made her scream before. I pull my gaze away and shift in my seat, my hard-on uncomfortable against my zipper. I gulp down a big sip of whiskey and will my body to calm the fuck down.

Then I fire off an email to my lawyer to see where he’s at with changes to that NDA contract we discussed before take-off. I know I haven’t given him much time, but I want it signed and sealed yesterday. My plan will work. It’ll serve several purposes. We’ll both walk away happy. My lawyer sends back an almost immediate reply.

Are you sure about this?

I answer him, saying that I am and tell him to get it done. I slap my laptop shut when the cabin attendant returns five minutes later.

“Here you go.” She gives me my turbot first and then places a