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He finally looked up to find her staring right at him. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected to find—maybe embarrassment and regret—but it certainly wasn’t cold fury.
“That’s it?” she asked. “Are you going to avoid me for months now? Are you going to pretend this never happened, too?”
“Jihae, that’s not—”
“I am not a fragile porcelain doll that you need to protect. Even if I were fragile—and I certainly am not—it isn’t your job to protect me. I can take care of myself. If you offer me your bullshit about protecting my reputation again, I will kick your skittish ass.”
“It’s not that simple—”
She cut him off again. “This is the last time I offer myself to you. You want me, but you’re too afraid to take a chance. Well, listen very carefully. I will have you on your knees before I ever let you lay a finger on me again. On. Your. Knees.”
That was the sexiest angry speech he had ever heard. He definitely felt like he’d been put in his place, but it was so incredibly hot. Since thinking of pleasurable ways to get on his knees for her wasn’t conducive to getting his body under control, and Jihae needed to leave his office before he lost all willpower, he decided to just keep his mouth shut. He couldn’t think of what to say at any rate. Other than wow.
She arched a perfect eyebrow when he didn’t offer any more excuses, then tsked impatiently. “I’ll see you next week for the director interviews. Good night.”
With that, she opened the door and walked out of his office with her head held high. Colin was relieved that their last two kissing sessions weren’t going to affect their business relationship. He wasn’t surprised, though. Jihae was a true professional and she wouldn’t let her personal life interfere with her work. If he’d liked and respected her before tonight, he was in awe of her now. She was spectacular in every way.
He’d been doubting his initial belief that Jihae had been involved in Rotelle’s espionage scheme. After tonight, he couldn’t believe that she’d been a part of it. Despite her impenetrable ice-queen image, Jihae was frank, honest and fair, and was an incredible partner to work with. She had such innate integrity that she gave praise and credit where it was due, and wasn’t afraid to admit when she was wrong.
Could such a person have participated in such subterfuge? Colin’s gut instinct told him no. And he would never hold her accountable for the depravities of her family. Rotelle was still the prime suspect for the espionage attack against Hansol, but he wouldn’t wrap Jihae into it anymore. Maybe he could even trust her enough to ask her outright if she knew anything about the espionage. No, that would be crazy. He couldn’t do that without revealing his connection to the Song family. While she didn’t allow her personal life to interfere with her work, working with her ex-fiancé’s cousin would probably be too much, even for her. And, more importantly, Jihae wouldn’t betray her family.
Despite the guilt nagging insistently at him, he had to keep his identity a secret for the sake of the production. He didn’t want to be a constant reminder of her broken engagement and her injured pride. Jihae was as invested as he was in the project. He couldn’t ruin things for her by putting her in such an impossible position.
Colin swiped his hands down his face. Preparations for the production were going into overdrive soon, and he would have to spend a lot of time with Jihae. Hopefully, she didn’t hate his guts after tonight, and they could go back to being good colleagues.
The thought of being “good colleagues” with the most alluring woman he had the pleasure of meeting plunged him into a black mood. A platonic relationship with Jihae was as appealing as climbing a rocky mountain with bare feet. The lust blazing inside him was likely to burn him to cinders, but he had no other choice.
He had to protect Jihae from himself, find justice for his family and make a damn good movie.
Eight
Jihae was a strong-willed woman. She didn’t regret throwing herself at him, but she was most definitely not going to give in again. She’d meant every word she said. He would need to beg to have her after that spectacular rejection. She’d spent a lifetime playing the role of Princess Jihae. While it took monumental willpower not to touch him, she was able to exude cool professionalism on the outside.
With the director and screenwriter selected, they were moving on to casting. The director, Cora Huang, already had the lead actors in mind and reached out to them. She would be working with a casting director for the remaining roles. Jihae and Colin had brief phone calls and exchanged emails, but hadn’t seen each other since they interviewed the directors together. Both of them acted as though they were business partners and nothing more.
But wasn’t that the truth? They weren’t anything more than that. Sure, they’d shared two passionate kisses, and Colin looked at her like he wanted to tear off her clothes whenever he thought she wasn’t watching him—she smiled smugly at the thought—but that didn’t mean there was anything between them.
Jihae gnawed at her lip. She wasn’t a woman who opened up easily, and physical acts weren’t meaningless to her. Those kisses had meant something to her and it irked her that Colin was able to ignore them so casually.
When she heard a knock at the door, she shook her head to clear it.
“Come in.”
June stuck in her head. “Hey, boss. I’m taking the team out to dinner—on you, of course—to show them how much you care.”
“That’s great, and I do care. Too bad it wouldn’t fit my image to join you guys. Besides, if I come along, the staff will be so tense, they’ll probably get indigestion,” Jihae said, only half joking.
“Hey. You could come if you want,” her friend said with gentle sympathy. She understood Jihae’s isolation and loneliness.
“No, I’ve got work to do. You guys go and have fun,” she replied with a forced a smile.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Now go away. I really have to work.”
“Fine. Do you want me to lock up for you?”
“No, I’ll lock up on my way out.”
