Free Bound to You by Shawntelle Madison Page B

and I was sitting in his lap. The assistant who let her boss kiss her hand like a lover.
    I tried to stand and he let me do so.
    “Did you enjoy the piece?” I held in a sigh. What else could I say?
Let’s go out for drinks.
Or even,
What plans do you really have for me other than seduction?
But I knew my place and after hearing him say he didn’t want a relationship, at the rate I was going I’d still end up in his bed. When it was time for him to leave, I’d be alone again.
    “The performers are very talented. Your company made the piece all the more pleasurable. Of course.”
    “Of course.” What else could I say? I clasped my hands together to keep myself in check. His darkened gaze never wavered.
    “We should join the others for refreshments.”
    He slowly stood and I couldn’t keep myself from taking in his long, lean legs. The need to look between his legs to see what had pressed against me flicked at my mind, but I kept my gaze where it needed to be.
    The loud crowd was welcome once we descended the stairs from the theater, but I couldn’t go far without following him. His scent was all over me and I couldn’t stop thinking about his lips. Every time he spoke to someone my gaze drifted to them. Every time he shook someone’s hand I imagined his hand touching me.
    By the time we reached the lobby, I had managed to bring Sophie back into play. This was where I thrived. Meeting new people and making new connections. I was talking with the vice president of a major bank in the northeast when Xavier leaned toward my ear.
    “I see an associate of mine. I’ll be back in a bit.” I quickly nodded, welcoming a bit of space between us. It would be far too easy for me to want to follow him, to continue to feel his hand on my back, but this was for the best.
    After chatting with the vice president about how I could help his wife plan a golfing trip for her and her friends, I continued to stroll around and introduce myself to new people.
    But then I stopped cold to see a familiar feminine back. She was short and shapely with the most beautiful black hair. I’d seen her a few times two years ago and she always wore the same designer perfume.
    My heart skittered.
    Don’t look, Sophie. Maybe if you don’t look, she won’t really be there.
    I prayed Komiko Haruto wouldn’t turn around.
    But it was too late. The two women accompanying her saw me and whispered in my direction.
    Komiko turned around and a kind smile touched her lips. For a woman who had to be no less than fifty, she had a girlish grace and a mischievous glint to her dark brown eyes that made her look no older than thirty-five.
    “Sophie
-san,
is that you, dear?” she called to me in Japanese.
    My insides turned to ice. What was she doing here? Was the rest of Sato’s immediate family in town? He couldn’t be here. In the two years since he’d left me behind, he had yet to set foot on American soil.
    Back when I dated Sato, I only met his relatives twice during family gatherings. The Harutos had lavish affairs, but I always felt like an outsider—which was one of the many reasons why I learned Japanese. It was all too often I felt there was a barrier between Sato and me. He spoke English fluently, but his family didn’t. Learning his mother tongue seemed like the best way to scale the divide between his world and mine.
    Oh, what a fool I was back then.
    Once I’d learned Japanese, I was invited to spend time with Komiko, and she took me under her wing, so to speak. I had appreciated having someone to practice with, but once Sato left me, my association with Komiko vanished, too.
    Resolve left me and circled the room before I moved. With a curt bow, I greeted her and the other ladies. “It’s a pleasure to see you, Komiko
-san
,” I began. If there was hesitation in my voice, she didn’t react.
    Komiko introduced me to her friends and immediately went into small talk. “One of my nieces—I’m sure you remember Aoki—is getting married