One Night with the CEO Read Online Free Page B

wedding, just a few friends and family. And I’d like our grandmother to be there, so the important thing is to make it happen while we can.”
    Karen furrowed her brows. “Abuela Marta?”
    Gracie nodded. “Yes.”
    “But she’s never going to leave the island.”
    Gracie nodded again. “I know. So we plan to take the wedding to her.”
    Mimi waved her hands in the air like she was partying on the dance floor. “Puerto Rico? I am so there. I could use a few days in the sun.”
    A wedding in three weeks. On the island of Puerto Rico. Mark gave the couple credit for focusing on what they wanted as opposed to what others might expect of them. “Well, congratulations to you both. I’m really happy for you. It sounds like fun. And Ethan, take all the time you need. The KisNet launch will be here when you get back.”
    Ethan laid a hand on his shoulder. “Not so fast, buddy. I need a best man, and you can’t say no. You’re coming with us.”
    Mark’s stomach flipped. “To Puerto Rico?”
    Ethan smiled. “Yeah. Mimi, too. And Karen, of course.”
    Mark darted a glance at Karen’s expressive face, which this minute had a delightful flush to it.
    Right. And Karen, of course. Because that’s just what his overactive imagination and underserved libido needed. Miles and miles of beautiful beach, sun-kissed skies, sweltering, sticky nights, and Karen.
    He couldn’t think with everyone staring at him, waiting for his answer, so he said enough to pacify Ethan. “If I can adjust my schedule to make it work, I will. But I can’t make any promises.”
    Ethan nodded. “Sure, sure. Just let me know soon.”
    Whatever lie he could tell to get out of this jaunt, he needed to come up with it fast.

CHAPTER THREE
    T he man lied as well as she drank.
    Karen knew he hadn’t been drinking when they met. After all, he’d been the one to claim he couldn’t pursue her precisely because she’d been tipsy. She knew that. He knew that. Hell, she knew he knew she knew that.
    As she watched Mark hand the valet a tip and slide into his Aston Martin, a sleek, silver number that attracted the envious attention of passersby, Karen considered their initial meeting. When Mimi’s car arrived, he revved his engine. Before he pulled away, he tipped his head in her direction and tapped on the red fur dice dangling from the rearview mirror. That about summed up her take on Mark: He was a walking curveball. And that was the reason she hadn’t stopped thinking about his lie. She hadn’t known what to make of it.
    But now that the effects of the whiskey had faded, she came to the embarrassing conclusion that she’d made such an ass of herself he’d had no other choice but to make the episode disappear in a puff of smoke. Abracadabra. Gone. Never to be spoken of again.
    That was fine with her. Actually kind of sweet on his part. And for the best, too. She’d always rejected the idea of a committed relationship, precisely because she had neither the inclination nor the time to date anyone. Her past foibles in the bedroom had rid her of the desire for a lover. Why put herself through the awkwardness of another unsuccessful attempt at sex? Plus, when she started medical school in the fall, she’d be on permanent lockdown anyway. No dating. No social life. No nothing.
    So thinking about Mark in that way was pointless. Yes, pointless.
    Except the memory of his reaction when she’d told him about her inability to relax during sex called to her like nothing ever had before. In that moment, her embarrassment over her past failures in the bedroom had receded, replaced by the promise of becoming the lover she’d always wanted to be. Confident. Sensual. Attentive. Her instincts told her Mark would help her become that person or die trying.
    Mimi waved a hand in front of Karen’s face. “Hello? You okay?”
    She shook her head, more so to give herself time to respond than to clear her brain. She didn’t want her expression to reveal her thoughts