Contract Marriage with My CEO Boss (Kylan and Katrina)

Chapter 29

Two shots and a beer into her night with Aaron, and to her delight. Maine, and she was finally feeling relaxed.

so let me get this straight. He won't kiss anyone, but he'll Pck girls like Casually! Like it's no big deal?" Maine clarified for the fifth time She nodded mad-drink of her second beer "Exactly We've so

seat of kissed twice, but the first time didn't really rount. The second time, though! I definitely counted. And then we almost kissed again a couple of nights ago, and then he kissed my forehead last night. But he won't talk to me about any of it. So it's all just. There She gestured to the empty space in front of her carelessly and Aaron and Maine shared a meaningful look

"Maybe he has feelings for you! I mean, you've survived three years under his direction at Ross Corp. It isn't that unbrand of that it could be because he's harboring feelings for you. Aaron pointed on, breaking open a peanut shell that he pulled from a half-filled bowl in the center of the table

She nearly spits out the drink of beer she had just taken. "Are you even listening to yourself. Aaron' Give me a break. Kylan Ross has a heart mude of stone," she said seriously, shaking her head and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand

"Are you sure you're still not in over her head. Kate! I'm honestly worried about what this is going to do to your heart and your mind. You're a sensitive person who cares deeply about others. You can't tell me this isn't going to bother you in the long run. Aaron's voice was filled with so much concern that she couldn't quite drown it out, not even in her half-drunken state.

She groaned and rolled her eyes. "You sound like my father, Aaron, Can we please stop talking about my boss and just have fun!" she pleaded with

Aaron and Maine alike.

They both sighed at the same time, but to their credit, they shifted the conversation away from Kylan for the remainder of the night. --0-0-0-

She spent the weekend resting and eating whatever the hell she wanted. She ordered groceries for delivery, adding a bag of sour cherries and equally sour gummy worms for Kylan in her order. Even if he acted like he didn't truly like either candy, she knew he really did. She also fully believed the sourness did combat some anxiety, just as Oscar said

she slept in and watched several movies, not caring at all about changing out of her pajama

She needed this, this self-care, this self-indulgence. The last two weeks had been a lot, and she was tired. Tired of overthinking and analyzing. Done pretending she was in a relationship that wasn't real. It was exhausting to remember that she was only at the very beginning of her contract with Kylan

She was done with all of it for the time being, and she only wanted to relax for a weekend. So, she did.

By the ume Monday rolled around, she was well-rested and ready for another week. Being able to relax and unwind, had granted her the ability to see the situation more clearly. She was going to steel herself from reading into anything anymore and she was determined to be only professional

Whatever weirdness had started because of this contract, was over. She was going to handle it like any other business transaction. It's what it was. It's

She got ready for work, opting to wear a long black sleeve, silk shirt, and a grey pencil skirt. She added a pair of black sweater tights and her fleece jacket. It was nearing the end of October and almost constantly either rainy or muggy outside, at this point in the year. She felt more relaxed than she had in the last two weeks, during the ride to work. She was holding onto the peace she had found over the weekend. Even when kylan called her to complain about the rain, she was calm. She was collected,

She bid Oscar farewell and headed up to her office, depositing her jacket and briefcase quickly, before she made Kylan his tea. She was still calm, even as she carefully steeped his black tea.

Carrying it once it was prepared, she brought it to Kylan and sat it on his desk. She took her usual seat and waned for him to finish his phone call near the window, where he was pacing, also as usual.

She unplugged her tablet and began to overlook the schedule for the day

All was normal.

All was okay.

She was okay.

Until she glanced at the mousepad near his computer, and her eyes caught on something red and black. She blinked a few times. The bracelet. The prize from the Cracker Jack box. It was sitting on his desk. His neat, never cluttered, always overly organized, desk. Why did he have it sull? And at work, of all places!

Her calm exterior was cracking a little bit as she fixated on the cheap bracelet

"Katrina, did she hear me?" she distantly heard Kylan ask her

0

Chapter 29

She jumped a Inde but, her face flushing instantly, and then she stared at her boss. He was looking at her with a weird expression and she cleared her throat

"Sorry, Sir. Monday morning and d all that. Shall we go over your schedule?" she asked him, doing her best to keep her voice casual.

Kylan sat in his chair and took a sip of hastea. He didn't make a face, and she was glad she wouldn't have to remake the drink for him this morning. She went over the day's schedule with him. He had a few conference calls sprinkled throughout, followed by a board meeting after lunch. Her eyes periodically drifted to the bracelet on the desk, but she resisted the urge to ask him about it.

Her day went by in a flurry, her assistant duties in full force. Kylary was meticulous, any time there was a board meeting. He was edge and anxious, and it came back to bate her in the ass every single time.

was always more on

1

After her brief reprieve at lunchtime, where she managed to avoid him by going down to the cafeteria for once, he was back to being insufferable "Where the f*ck are the reports for the mouth of October!" Kylan asked her, deftly loosening his tie and then running his fingers through his hair a

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose for a brief moment. She begged whatever higher power there might be in the fucking sky, for more patience. Any more patience

Temailed them to her an hour ago, she responded relatively calmly.

"Did you find out from Isabel if that asshole is going to sue? Kylan asked, pacing in front of the window. The backdrop outside was still stormy, and it was firing

"I haven't heard anything, which I'm assuming is a good thing. Sir, she responded tiredly, trailing Kylan's walking with her eyes.

Kylan nodded and showed his hands in his suit pockets. "How are the stocks!"

"They've gone u

up a few points, Sir," she informed him quietly. His pacing was putting her on edge

Without thinking about it, she set the tablet down on the desk in front of her and walked over to him slowly. She reached out and placed a hesitant hand on his forearm, and he stopped walking at once. Now, he looked down at her, specifically at the hand she had on his arm.

She didn't move it and instead put her other hand on his opposite arm. "Relax, Sir. This is just another board meeting, like all the rest. You're the CEO, you control the floor and the direction you want it to go, she reminded him softly.

She didn't know what he was thinking or feeling, not as he stared down at her with an expression she wasn't at all sure "You're touching me at work" Kylan murmured

She shrugged her shoulders, reaching forward and readjusting his tie into its proper place.

how to place.

"We re in the privacy of your office," she reminded him, patting his chest once after fixing his tie. She turned around to walk to her tablet, but his hand grabbed hers at the last moment.

It was her turn to look down at the unexpected physical contact, She then looked into Kylan's eyes. He was staring at her, still unreadable as ever But he didn't look unkind. He looked like he wanted to say something, so she patiently waited for him. He opened his mouth a few times, and then he cleared his throat and dropped her hand.

She lowered her gaze to the ground and grabbed her tablet from the desk. She knew how Rylan operated. She knew if he didn't want to talk, he wouldn't. So again, she didn't say anything about the exchange.

She sat in her chair and Kylan comenced his pacing once more, while he fired more questions at her she answered every single one with the Kame calm assurance he needed.

-0-0-0-

She hated board meetings, perhaps more than even Kylan did. All of Bows Corp's higher-ups were there, each one of them pretentious and old-fashioned, except perhaps Kylan and Ryan themselves. Max from Hit was also okay, she knew. Apart from them, the rest of the accountants, the PR team, the managers from the factory side of things. They were all the same. All of them only cared about the bottom line, which was money. Always money

She sat next to Kylan and across from Ryan, her tallet in hand and her attention solely on her boss. She ignored the way several of the men looked at her. She knew they were all aware of her relationship with Kylan by now and she could imagine how upset it made them. How wrong it seemed to them, that Max had approved of the union in the first place.

It was nothing new. She had dealt with different, subile prejudice's periodically over the course of her being Kylan's assistant. Several men still believed women didn't belong in a powerful position, and next to a billionaire, no less.

The majority of the meeting went alright, she had to admit. For all of Kylan's nervousness earlier in his office, he always know how to act the proper part when the time came.

242 PM

Chapter 29

was happy the stocks were slowly on the uptake, especially Ryan, who had a smile on his face as Kylan shared the promising numbers. Everyone was h

It wasn't until Kylan opened up the discussion for his employees to join, that things took a turn.

"Mr. Ross, while we can appreciate the rise in stocks, a few of us feel it's inappropriate for you to be courting dating, or even engaged with your assistant. We feel you're emotionally compromised, at this point. Surely if you insist on being in a relationship with her, you could find an acceptable replacement for her as your assistant? Perhaps a young man, this time? A woman in her position should not have the sway over a person like you." It was one of the older accountants who spoke up.

She fixed her gaze on the conference table in front of her, gripping her tablet tightly in her hands.

The room was silent for a moment, and she could feel all eyes on her. She willed herself to remain neutral, even though she was angry. His implcations about a man taking over her position were not lost on her.

on has been an exceptional assistant

Ryan cleared his throat from across the table. "Elias, I hardly feel that's an appropriate suggestion. Miss Morgan has for a few years now. The personal relationship itself was cleared by Human Resources, I don't see the relevance in bringing this up at all." He was calm as he spoke, but there was a definite edge to his tone.

"Perhaps you've forgotten your place within this company, Elias Kylan spoke up next, his own tone immediately cool "If anyone has a problem with Miss Morgan's actual performance, you can take it up with me or Max in Human Resources. However, if your only issue is that she's in an engagement with me, who will be my future wife and benefactor of this company, then I won't even entertain that notion. Furthermore, if your issue is that she's a woman, I recommend you promptly make an appointment with your doctor to make sure your balls are still fully intact."

He closed his laptop and scanned the room at large. "Katrina is a fantastic asset to this company. She has a brighter mind and more class than most of you in this room. If I hear any more questioning about her position as my assistant or wife, both of which have nothing to do with her work ethic, you'll be finding yourselves in need of a job." Kylan picked up his computer and walked to the door of the conference room "Katrina, with me," he added briskly before he opened the glass door.

Without meeting anyone's gaze, she stood up from her chair and began to follow Kylan out in stunned silence. The room erupted into chaos behind her, with several angry voices speaking up at once, and Ryan's own commanding voice trying to regain control She was shaking. She could feel it. She could feel her legs as they wobbled with every step she took, and she could feel her heart racing in her chest.

Never had she been talked about quite like that. She didn't know how to process any of it. She shouldn't have expected anything less and yes, she was disappointed. She was discouraged.

She was most surprised though, that Kylan stood up for her in the way he did, and that he left the room without listening to any of his other employees. Was she really worth that Was she worth him blowing up relationships with his workers? While they had been completely out of line. she still felt uneasy.

She followed Kylan to his office, where he immediately closed the door behind her. She stood there frozen, her eyes wide and sad. He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders with a frown on his own face.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, his eyes scanning her features with uncharacteristically open concern.

I'm Yeah. Of course, I am Sir. I'm... Okay, she fumbled over her words, but she was completely off balance

Kylan's frown deepened. "I meant what I said in there. You're. You're an important part of this company, Kate. I want you to know that." He stepped a litle closer to her, and her eyes widened even more. "I want you to be comfortable here. I want you to... feel appreciated." He reached forward and cupped the side of her face with a gentle, cool hand.

"I feel comfortable with you, Sur" she responded easily. It was true, really. At that moment, she felt comfortable and all too safe. Kylan had stood up for her in front of the entire board, and it did something to her heart.

Kylan stared down at her, his eyes searching her face. She didn't know if he found what he was looking for, but he eventually let go of her and took a step back. He cleared his throat and readjusted his suit jacket.

"Let's go get you changed for our date, shall we?" he suggested, cleaning the top of his desk for the evening. She saw him take the prize bracelet and put it in the top drawer.

She nodded at him and licked her lips. "That sounds good, Sir," she said a little unsteadily

Kylan walked over to her and surprised the hell out of her by taking her hand and leading her to the elevator. He didn't let go of her, not as she walked through the halls of Ross Corp, and not until she was safely tucked in the back of Oscar's SUV