Page 44 of Tempting Kat
My little brat. My grip tightens around my glass so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t shatter.
“And then—” Katarina slams her hand on the bar, leaning closer to Santiago, “—the fucking elevator broke AGAIN. Like, it's been out for basically a year at this point, and we just got it back working this week. The landlord's a complete slumlord asshole.”
“That's rough,” Santiago says, wiping down the counter. “Didn't you live on the fourth floor?”
“Yeah,” she groans, running her hands through her hair. “Four flights of stairs every fucking day. But that's not even the worst part.”
I lean forward slightly, not wanting to miss a word.
“The pipe in my bathroom wall burst this morning,” she continues, gesturing wildly. “Flooded half my apartment before the super could shut it off. And now there's no water in the whole building.”
Santiago winces. “Shit, that's bad.”
“Tell me about it,” Kat says, grabbing bottles to stock the shelves. “I had to go to that nasty-ass gym on twenty-third just to shower before coming here. Pretty sure I caught something just standing in those showers.” She shudders dramatically. “I swear I saw something growing in the corner.”
My jaw clenches so hard my teeth might actually crack. I need to do something, anything.
Before I can even think about what I’m doing, I’m texting my lawyer, David.
I need you to find out who owns the apartment building on Sycamore. Buy it. Immediately. Whatever it costs. Fire the current management, I’ll put someone else in there.
Unusual request but consider it done. Will start the process and have news for you sometime next week.
Not good enough. I want the paperwork by tomorrow.
That’s ambitious. I’ll see what I can do.
Don’t see. Do.
Kat is still chattering away to Santiago, completely oblivious to what I've just set in motion. “So anyway, the super says it'll be at least three days before the water's back on. Three fucking days! What am I supposed to do, not shower? Not flush my toilet? It's barbaric.”
“You know,” Santiago says, wiping his hands on a bar towel, “you could always crash at our place. Mariana wouldn't mind. We've got that pullout sofa in the office.”
“Santiago,” I interrupt, my voice cutting through their conversation. Both of them turn to look at me, Santiago with a knowing smirk, Katarina just rolling her fucking eyes.
“Boss,” Santiago nods, that smirk still playing on his lips. Fucker knows exactly what he's doing.
Katarina crosses her arms over her chest, pushing her tits up in a way that makes my mouth water. “Can I help you with something? Or are you just interrupting for the fun of it?”
I step closer to the bar, placing my palms flat on the surface. “You can stay at the Lovelace.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Excuse me?”
“I keep a suite there,” I continue, holding her gaze. “You can use it for however long you need.”
She snorts, actually fucking snorts at me. “Yeah, no thanks. I'd rather sleep in my flooded apartment.”
“Don't be stupid, Katarina. It's a luxury hotel with room service, a spa, and working fucking plumbing.”
Her eyes narrow suspiciously. “What's the catch?”
“No catch.” I straighten up, adjusting my cuffs. “Consider it a…company benefit.”
“A company benefit,” she repeats flatly. “For your favorite bartender?”
I smirk. “Are you my favorite?”
She rolls her eyes, but I can see the slight upturn at the corner of her mouth. “I'm everyone's favorite.”
