CHAPTER SIXTY – TAKING BACK HER RESIGNATION FOR TRUTH

"Forgive me for the lack of formalities," he rumbled out, extending one hand in a sweeping gesture towards the pair of stately leather wingback chairs arranged before his desk. "But I have a feeling this discussion may require...a degree of discretion not often afforded in the common areas." Karina felt her pulse kick up a notch at the undercurrent of suggestiveness woven through his words and controlled body language. Somehow, John hardy managed to infuse even the most innocuous of interactions with an undeniable aura of seductive masculine energy. She cursed her treacherous psyche for reacting so viscerally to it, even now. Settling herself into one of the wingbacks with as much poise as she could muster, Karina leveled John with her most implacable stare, projecting an aura of composure she barely felt as he rounded his desk to take up position in the opposing chair. For a long stretch, they simply regarded one another in weighted silence - two enemies seeming to size each othe