Tonight’s annual company anniversary dinner was at Sin’s in the Wentworth Hotel, which was close to downtown Nashville, on Hale Street. This was where it’d been for a few years, as it was Angelica’s all-time favorite, and I couldn’t argue that John Sinclair, the executive chef, always prepared fantastic food.

As Holden turned his Mustang into the parking garage, I hoped I could get the food down this year with my stomach such a mess of nerves.

He pulled into a spot and turned off the engine, then grabbed my hand.

“Wait a second,” he said.

I would’ve replied, but my mouth was so dry I could hardly move my tongue.

Still holding my hand, he turned slightly toward me, as much as he could with the steering wheel in the way. I was studying our hands, my heart pounding. His was large, so strong, not smooth like the guys I tended to hook up with on the rare occasion I was moved to do so.

“I’m kissing you for real before we go in there,” he said.

“For real?” Like, he meant it?

“Tongues and all. We’re going to get this over with now, so we’re at ease and as natural as possible in front of the dictator.”

So not actually for real. Get this over with left no question about whether this meant anything to him. Though that’s what I knew and expected, there’d been a little spark of hope for those two seconds before he dashed them.

This man had me so far off my game it wasn’t funny. I needed to snap the hell out of it, or Angelica would see through the ruse in a New York minute. That wouldn’t only be detrimental to my cause but super embarrassing. It was embarrassing enough I’d needed to stoop to this level, this dishonesty, in order to have a chance at my dreams.

Believe me, I’d questioned my own ethics numerous times over the past few days. However, coming clean at this point would be even more humiliating. Also, ultimately, I was confident that I would be better to lead this company than Gloria Herrera.

And there was the not-at-all-small matter that I loved Marks International nearly as much as Angelica did, and regardless of her dysfunctional personality, I still wanted to take her business to the top, continue to build its portfolio and status in the hotel industry. I’d put everything I had into it for more than twelve years, and I’d always envisioned being a part of this company until the day I retired.

I was jolted out of my thoughts when Holden cupped my chin and turned my head toward him in the nearly dark front seat. Without giving me another second to prepare, his lips landed on mine.