Page 84 of Forty, Flirty & Framed

Our childhood ended abruptly when our father left—mine more than Viktoria's, who was already in college, but neither of us emerged unscathed.

"I'll talk to her," I offer finally."Aunt Kari to the rescue."

"Thank you."Viktoria hesitates, then adds, "And I'll keep monitoring the Sterling situation.If anything changes, you'll be the first to know."

"So we're both playing defense."

"We're Petrosian women," Viktoria says with a rare smile."Defense is what we do best."

As we exit the café into Seattle's surprisingly warm afternoon, I'm struck by an odd sense of déjà vu.

Once again, I'm hiding parts of myself, constructing elaborate protections against potential discovery.

The difference is, this time, the stakes feel even higher.

Because the man at the center of it is much more formidable than the Abernathy before him.And keeping this secret from him will be a task I’m not sure I’m prepared to take.

19

THE CONFERENCE CALL

KARINA

Seattle's summer has hit its mid-July stride—that brief, glorious window where the city shrugs off its rainy reputation and basks in sunny, seventy-five-degree perfection.

The kind of weather that makes office workers stare longingly out windows, dreaming of afternoon escapes to Lake Washington.

I am not one of those dreamers today.

It's been exactly forty-eight hours since Viktoria dropped the Luke Sterling bombshell over avocado toast, and I've spent every minute since then in a state of controlled panic.

I've barely slept, triple-checking my LinkedIn profile, scrubbing questionable social media posts, and practicing my "I'm a completely legitimate marketing professional" face in the mirror.

At 9:47 AM on this picture-perfect Thursday, I'm pacing Callum's office, rehearsing my presentation for the board's video conference while simultaneously contemplating the feasibility of faking my own death and starting over in Tasmania.

"You're going to wear a path in my carpet," Callum comments, not looking up from his desk.

I pause mid-stride."I'm visualizing success."

"Is success located specifically between my bookcase and the window?Because that's the only section you've been visualizing for the past fifteen minutes."

He looks infuriatingly calm and put-together in a charcoal suit that outlines every muscle on his immaculate frame.

Meanwhile, I'm on my third outfit change of the morning, having discarded the first two for looking "too desperate" and "not serious enough" respectively.

"I'm fine," I insist, smoothing my blazer."Just reviewing talking points."

"Karina."Callum's voice softens."You've prepared for this.The numbers are excellent.And you know this material better than anyone."

The unexpected vote of confidence catches me off guard, especially given the careful distance we've maintained since The Yacht Incident (as I've mentally labeled it).

We've been models of professionalism ever since.

No lingering glances.No accidental touches.

And certainly no mentions of what his talented fingers did to my clit.

"Thanks," I clear my throat, also trying to clear the memory."I just need this to go well."