Page 21 of The German's Guilty Pleasure
“I’m never using it, so it doesn’t matter,” she ground out, crossing her arms over her chest.
A smile tipped my lips, and I bounced up on my toes. “That is what you think.”
I spun back around and headed to the counter. She could follow me or not, but it mattered not at all. I did not care if she used this, but she was going to use the Kontakt aid. If I had done my job right, she would then understand what sets us apart from places like this.
Nine
Serenity
The food was terrific, but I was stuffed. I set my fork down on my plate and leaned back on the couch, the pillows cushy against my tired back. It took some doing, but I convinced Lars I wasn’t in the mood to eat out. We had plenty of time to grab takeout and eat at home before his mother arrived.
“Tell me about your mother. I know next to nothing other than her name and that she birthed you.”
He finished chewing his last bite of Tom Yum Goong and tossed his napkin next to his plate. He picked up his wine glass and leaned back to relax, too. “She is probably unlike anyone you have ever met.”
“Oh, boy,” I sighed.
He waved his hand at me until he lowered his wine glass. “That is not a bad thing, Serenity. I simply meant it is not often that a single woman in Germany amasses the empire she has, in sensual aids especially. The majority of companies are run by men.”
I pointed at him. “Which is ironic because you’re talking about products made for women. Men don’t know what women like.”
“Not true. Basic aids have stayed the same, and sold consistently, for a lot of years.”
I lowered my brow at him. “Honestly, Lars. How hard is it to design something that looks like the appendage already hanging off of you? It’s not exactly rocket science for Pete’s sake.”
He laughed then, the sound full, dark, and sexy as hell. Suddenly, and inexplicably, I wanted to see his appendage. Truth be told, I wanted to do more than see it. “I will give you that point, Miss Matthews. Mymutterwas the creator of many of the new products on the market. She would design and create, and other companies copied her.”
“Don’t they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?”
He tipped his glass at me. “They do, and as you saw tonight, not all copies are Kontakt quality.”
“What possessed her to start a company like this? I’m assuming she didn’t take it over from someone.”
“She did not. Kontakt is hers and hers alone.”
“It’s yours now, too.”
“Not true.” He lowered the glass to the table. “I am not an equal owner in Kontakt. I own stock, but I have no voting rights at the table. The company is owned solely byMutter. I am the CEO of the U.S. division, but I am paid the same as the other CEO, which is her. I have no doubt if she does not like what I am doing, I am easily replaced. I may understand the business and what she wants out of us here, but I had better perform and move the company forward, or she will find someone who will.”
“Wow,” I breathed out, “she’s hardcore. Tough as nails. Doesn’t take any flak. I’m definitely afraid to meet her now. As much as I pretend I don’t, I actually need this job.”
He turned to me and rested his hand on my bent knee. “Mutteris none of those things in real life, Serenity. She cares about her business and the people who work for her. She expects a lot out of us, but she also gives us the tools we need to be successful. If we are not successful, then it is because of our own laziness. She is no tougher on me than she is on anyone else in the company. Personally, I am glad she runs the company the way she does. She is trying to survive in a man’s world, and she refuses to be at the bottom of the pack. Once you meet her, you will understand that her soft, caring side overpowers her tough as nails side, though. She will do anything for anyone at any time if it is within her means.”
I relaxed again, even with his hand on my knee in an oddly intimate way. “You never talk about your father, just your grandfather.”
His eyes hooded and his hand started massaging my knee. I would like to say it was absently, but I had no doubt it wasn’t. “Mutterused a sperm donor and raised me alone. She had no interest in being a wife. She wanted to be a CEO andmutter, nothing more, nothing less.”
I’m sure my face showed surprise at his admittance. “Wow, I guess I don’t know what to say about that.”
“Nothing to say, Serenity. She gave me everything I needed. I was lucky to have my grandfather all the way through my impressionable years. He was my father figure, and I never once questioned why I did not have a father present at home. You will understand when you meet Gretchen. How do you say it here?” He motioned his hands around. “She handles her own business?”
I laughed then, the wine filling my head and his little cultural differences amusing. “She handles her own shit,” I clarified, and he grinned, pointing at me once. “She definitely sounds like she can handle herself. I’m excited to meet her, even if I don’t sound like I am. I want her to like what we’ve done so far, and it’s stressful to know how much the success of the company falls on me. I don’t want her to think I’m a slacker.”
He chuckled and brushed a piece of hair off my forehead. “Mutteralready knows you are not a slacker. She has commented several times over the last month how insightful you are. Not only with marketing the product but with playing off sensationalism in an understated way. That might not make sense to you right now, but it will once you sit down with her. I cannot wait for you to tell her about the changes you have planned for the café. It will be obvious to her that you have your finger on the pulse of America.”
I laughed and rested my cheek on the couch. “Well, that is my job, so I guess I better be good at it. I also better let you get to the airport to pick her up. She doesn’t strike me as the type of woman who wants to be kept waiting.”
He smiled a smile that told me I had hit the nail on the head. “You are right, but before I head out, I have something for you.”
