Page 3 of Playboy Boss

“Bring a date.”

“Good God, mate! Just because you’re coupling up doesn’t mean everyone else is. You know my opinion on that.” He sat back in his chair. How many times could he tell Fabian he was not interested in a relationship? Since Fabian “fell in love,” he’d been impossible to talk to.

“Oh right. You believe in love, for everyone else.”

Konrad sighed. “That’s right. I’m a bachelor for life. I’m saving some poor girl from a lifetime of loneliness and depression.” The word depression settled in his stomach, making him nauseous for a second.

“So you say.”

The line was silent, and Konrad would not say another word about it.

Fabian continued when he seemed to get the hint. “Everyone else is bringing a date. Tylund and Dallas said they have dates.”

Konrad snorted. Those guys always had dates. They weren’t too different from Konrad, though he knew they’d end up like Fabian eventually.

Worst-case scenario, Pilar would meet his friends after he’d briefed her on the situation. He suspected she’d get the picture without much explanation. She was the daughter of a Mexican diplomat and knew how to behave appropriately. Thank God for noncommittal women like Pilar.

“Fine. I’ll be there.” Konrad disconnected the line because he knew Fabian absolutely hated to be hung up on. After springing that couples’ dinner on Konrad, Fabian deserved worse.

Hell. He rubbed his eyes, feeling tired. He’d been working overtime. Keeping up with his three companies, Korr Corporation, Korr Properties, and Korr Solutions, had proved to be a challenge. Nothing he couldn’t handle though. His bastard father was a workaholic. He’d learned from the best.

With slow hands, he pulled out his cell phone from his desk drawer and dialed Pilar’s number. She answered on the fourth ring, just when he was about to end the call.

“Hey, guapo. I missed your accent.”

Konrad smiled. She had her own sexy Spanish accent. And yeah, he was handsome. Paired with his German-British accent, he wasn’t sure why Scottie’s knees hadn’t buckled upon meeting him. Okay, that was too much. Even for him. “Did I catch you at a bad time, love?”

“No. I’m just walking to class.” Pilar was an international student at the University of Houston. She’d decided to complete another semester before transferring to UCLA in the spring, which Konrad was glad about. He wanted to enjoy her a little bit longer before they said goodbye. “What’s up?”

“There is a change of plans for tonight.”

She paused. “Okay…”

He waited, and he tried to come up with another plan that didn’t include his friends. Why did he feel so much anxiety about the dinner? The issue wasn’t Pilar. He knew she’d go with the flow. But his friends … could they forget her as quickly as he’d ask her to forget them?

“Kon? Are you okay?”

He looked at his computer screen, catching his reflection when the screen went black into sleep mode. Fuck it. “My friends, Fabian and Antonia, are having a sort of dinner party thing tonight. It’s all very last-minute, but he’s expecting me to go. So … I thought you’d come along with me, since we already have a date planned for tonight.”

The ensuing silence made him think she’d hung up, but her choppy breathing let him know she’d been walking. “Sure.”

No enthusiasm in her response made him confident that all would be well. She didn’t seem to have an expectation that would worry him. “Fantastic. I’ll send you a text when I’m on the way to the campus. It starts at eight.”

“See you. Ciao, ciao.” She hung up with her signature farewell sentiment, leaving him sucking in a deep breath.

That went well. He hoped the dinner would go seamlessly as well.

Before Konrad could decide what to focus on next, the door opened. Scottie walked in. She’d not knocked and waited for his approval to proceed. He frowned at her boldness but felt the same exhilaration from earlier. Their eyes met, hers blazing like amber fire with green flames. She had the most incredible eyes he’d ever seen.

“Konrad, are you ready for me?” She walked reluctantly to the chair across his desk, a notepad in hand.

“Sit,” he said, leaning back in his chair. The sturdy back stabilized him as he watched her. She sat, her knees together and both smooth, tan hands on her lap. He noticed she didn’t wear any jewelry. “We told A-Plus Temporaries that we wanted the best they had to offer. So, I expect you to be the best.”

Her eyes widened. She didn’t look so bold then. “Well, sir, I will try my best.”

Her seemingly sudden desire to please him didn’t satisfy him as he thought it would. Konrad wanted her to be cockier. He wanted her to tell him to piss off.

“Well, that’s all any of us can do, right?” He continued at her nod. “I have the typical office requirements, such as answering my public line for Korr Properties. I also have a Korr Solutions line, which is my other company two floors down, but you won’t have to do anything for that. Side note, if you aren’t aware, Korr Corporation is comprised of Korr Properties and Korr Solutions. So, I have three companies total. But, you need only worry about Properties.”

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