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It struck Colin that he was sitting beside an actual human being with a sense of humor, empathy and dedication to her work. He couldn’t fit her into the spoiled-villainess role he’d created in his mind. Of course, he still didn’t trust her, but it had been the idea of her that he’d despised, not the real woman. He wouldn’t go so far as to say that he liked her, but he would be lying to himself if he said that she still made his skin crawl. The problem was she made his skin feel tight and sensitive with awareness. He couldn’t have those feelings toward her.
His smiles and charm weren’t exactly feigned, but he had the partnership in his mind. He had to make that happen in order to earn her trust, and have her drop her guard around him. He cringed inwardly at using her that way, but this was the path he’d chosen. Hopefully, she would let something useful slip.
Colin wasn’t going to seduce her—he would never do something that abhorrent—but he would befriend her if necessary. She’d only moved to the United States several months ago and couldn’t have made many friends with her famous workaholic tendencies. Besides, he wouldn’t be acting based purely on his ulterior motive. If all went well and they ended up working together, they needed to get along to be the most efficient and productive team they could be.
That was why he watched her more than he watched the movie. He’d already seen it and knew Charity Banning was the one, but he wanted to learn about Jihae Park. For research purposes.
Unlike the professional mask she’d worn during their meeting yesterday, her face was an open book. Her smiles brightened up the darkened room, and the tears falling down her cheeks made his chest squeeze tightly.
At the end of the film, Colin knew he had her. She’d watched the movie with undivided attention and reacted exactly as intended in every scene. Rotelle Entertainment wasn’t what it was now because of her lack of good taste. Jihae knew Charity Banning was golden. He gave her some time to wipe her tears and gather her armor around her—because his gut told him that was what her ice-queen demeanor demanded—then spoke quietly to her.
“Ready?”
She nodded and he gave her his hand to help her up. He didn’t know why he did that, since she obviously didn’t need help to stand from her seat, but she was too polite to refuse and put her hand in his again. Maybe he was getting addicted to the sensations that flooded through him whenever their hands touched. Her long, delicate fingers wrapped around his palm—her hand was as soft as silk and just cool enough for him to warm up in his bigger, rougher hand. As usual, her eyelashes fluttered in response to his touch, and he felt his blood rush south.
Colin quickly dropped her hand and berated himself for the impulsive move. But he felt less panicked once they were out in the brightly lit lobby.
“So how did you like the movie?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“It was just how a perfect rom-com should be. The jokes didn’t take away from the tender poignancy of the movie, and the dark moment didn’t shrivel up my soul, but made me empathize strongly with both main characters. It’s a very well-written, acted and directed movie. Thank you for introducing me to it.”
“Don’t forget,” he said with a teasing smirk. “I have ulterior motives.”
Her eyes widened for a second, then she awarded him with a small but genuine smile. “I have to admit you’re very convincing. I’m going to consider your proposal very carefully.”
“Why not say yes now?”
“That would be very impulsive of me, wouldn’t it? If we work together, you’ll learn that impulsivity isn’t one of my flaws.”
“Is impulsivity always a flaw?”
“Yes,” she said with a frown, as though she couldn’t believe he had to even ask.
“Hmm. I disagree. Sometimes impulsivity can make life more fun.” Colin wondered what Jihae would be like if she let down her guard and let spontaneity rule. He definitely wanted to see that. No, you don’t, idiot. Why did he keep forgetting his objective when he was with her?
“I never considered that a possibility.” She cocked her head and studied him with a bemused purse of her lips.
“Of course, being impulsive wouldn’t be a good business move, but I think trusting your gut instinct is something else entirely.”
“Do you think my gut instinct is telling me to say yes?” she asked in a contemplative voice.
He must’ve been crazy, because he could swear there was a double entendre in her question. One that turned him as hard as iron. “Hell, yes.”
She raised an eyebrow and a Mona Lisa smile appeared and disappeared from her face. “I like your confidence, Mr. Song.”
“Thank you. And please call me Colin.”
“Colin,” she said slowly as though tasting his name on her tongue. Said in that low, sexy voice of hers, it was a miracle he didn’t groan out loud. “I’ll take that into consideration, Mr. Song.”
“Oh, yes. You don’t want to be impulsive. Right, Ms. Park?”
“No. No, I don’t.”
Colin woke up the next morning, bleary-eyed and agitated. He’d dreamed of Jihae Park all night and was now painfully hard. She was one of the most beautiful and intriguing women he’d ever met. But he couldn’t let his inconvenient attraction to Jihae Park cloud his judgment when it came to the partnership and his duties to his family.
He scrubbed his hands over his face and threw back his covers. He took a cold shower to get his head on straight. Once he was ready, Colin visited two of his clubs and met with his staff. His clubs were well-oiled machines, but becoming comfortable with the status quo wasn’t an option. He worked continuously with his managers to move the clubs to the next level.
By the time he checked his watch, it was close to noon. He wasn’t someone who flustered easily, but his stomach churned as he waited for Jihae’s call. After how she’d reacted to the movie last night, she had to say yes. But she had a shrewd business mind and he couldn’t take her acquiescence for granted. The more he thought about it, the more unsure he became about the outcome.
