No Control | Holding Me Ransom (Book 2)

5 - We're Going In Circles

"Come in," Karen smiled, but I was frozen to the spot, staring over her shoulder at the man who had broken my heart into a thousand pieces, but was still everything to me. He didn't look up.

"This was a set up," I said. "I am so stupid."

"Just come in and have a seat," Karen said, standing aside to invite me into the room.

"No thanks," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'm out of here. I'll get Antos to drop me off at the Daily Mail offices, I'm sure they'll be interested in all of this."

I turned to walk away.

"Harry!" Karen pleaded, but if he responded I didn't hear. "Jess!" she called as I took a step away down the corridor. "He didn't know you were coming."

I turned back to the door and looked at her. "Now why doesn't that surprise me?" I said sarcastically.

"You said you'd hear me out," she said.

"You said this wasn't a set up," I reminded her, but she shook her head.

"I never said that. I needed to get you here, any way that I could."

"Well I'm not staying, sorry. Bye."

I was just about to turn away again when I saw Harry get to his feet. My heart began to pound.

"It's fine, I'll wait outside," he muttered, and he turned sideways and slipped past me through the door without looking at me. I felt the heat emanating from his body as he passed me, and my hands started to shake.

"Stay where you are," Karen snapped at Harry. "You are both adults. You mean to tell me you can't spend five minutes in the same room? Jess, listen to me now and you'll never have to hear from me again."

I barely heard what she was saying. All I could think about was Harry's proximity to me, and the feel of his body heat as his chest had been within a foot of mine. He was standing behind me now so I couldn't see him, but I could sense him. My heart was thudding, and I knew my face was flushed.

"Sit down," Karen snapped, and I obeyed, because I couldn't think for myself anymore. His mere presence had rendered me temporarily speechless. I walked into her office and took the further of the two chairs. Harry took his seat next to me and I snuck a glance at him out of the corner of my eye, but his gaze was fixed on the floor and his hair fell over his face, hiding his expression.

Karen shut the door and came and sat down behind her desk.

"Harry's been getting bad press," she began.

"That's not my problem," I snapped, immediately.

"No, but you can help to change that," she replied. "The press are desperate for more information on all of this. You know his name sells papers. They want something - anything - on him. If you would just let them see you together, it doesn't have to be for long... it would cast doubt over all their reports."

"No," I said.

"Why not?" Karen asked.

"Because you are asking me to make the world think I have taken back someone who has cheated on me," I said. "And I would never do that. It goes against everything I believe in."

"That's not strictly true," Karen argued. "You asked him to try and work things out."

I snapped my head up and stared at Harry, but he didn't move.

"You told her that?" I asked him, incredulously.

"No," he replied. It was the first word he'd addressed directly to me since I'd arrived.