by Donna Alward
The man was in stellar shape.
Charlotte was much too embarrassed to attempt to do any weights with him around, considering how puny her muscles were, so she went to a treadmill instead and started to walk. It was easier, she supposed, if not a bit monotonous. If he were going to make her go to the gym, fine. What she did when she got here was none of his business. If she wanted to walk, dammit, she’d walk.
But as she watched him move to adjust his weights, she hit a button and added an incline. Just because.
He kept her there for a whole hour. When he finished, he put his sweat-streaked T-shirt back over his head and came over to the treadmill.
“You set?”
She scowled. To be honest, she felt pretty good, now that she’d gotten moving, but she wouldn’t say as much to him. “I’m ready.”
They went back up in the elevator without saying a word. Once they got back to the apartment, he opened the door and let her in first, then followed and locked it again. “I’m going to shower. What time do we need to leave?”
She looked at her phone. It wasn’t even six thirty yet. Normally she would sleep for another hour. “Nine. Different venue today. But I’m sure you know that. It must be on your itinerary.”
“Of course. Make sure you eat something before we go. I don’t want you fainting away today.”
“Yes, master,” she said darkly. He was really enjoying bossing her around, wasn’t he?
But when she got under the hot spray of the shower all she could think about was him, and his crazy-hard body, and how he’d lost his speech when she’d opened the door to her bedroom this morning. She had the reckless and insane thought that she’d love to walk into his room right now, and step into his shower, with all the steam and soap and skin.
Oh, for Pete’s sake. She was fantasizing about her bodyguard now, and how dumb was that? It was Sunday; on Saturday they’d be packing up and heading back to Heathrow. She would never see him again. Last night they’d got a little too personal, but it didn’t have to happen again.
She dried off and went to search her spreadsheet for today’s wardrobe choice. As she was finding the app she used, she realized how very boring and predictable that sounded. She’d planned her wardrobe two weeks ago. Whatever happened to wearing what you felt like?
The app popped up with today’s choices: matching bra and panty set, dress, shoes, accessories. The dress was white with a vertical black stripe straight down the middle, ending just above the knee, blending class and sex appeal with the fitted shape. Black stilettos rounded out the ensemble, but as she looked at the items laid out on her bed, she thought back to last night and Jacob’s comment that the black and white was somehow boring.
It was on brand. It said Aurora... But it didn’t say Charlotte.
She dressed, but the whole time her mind was working. She’d spent years trying to never cause ripples. She’d fallen in love with the wrong kind of person and had broken it off to save the family—and herself—the embarrassment. She never, ever created waves. But in all that... The woman she’d become was buried underneath the company image. Until recently, it hadn’t felt constricting. But it did now.
By the time she’d finished her hair and makeup, she was ready for some breakfast and she’d come up with a plan to shake things up a little.
And if it knocked Jacob’s eyeballs out of his head, so much the better. That would teach him for dragging her to the gym before 6:00 a.m.!
* * *
Jacob was still in awe of Charlotte’s work ethic. She put on her “work” face the moment she entered the public and it never faltered. Even when she was seated and watching, he could tell her mind was turning. She stared so intently and never moved, almost as if cataloging things in her head. Every time they got in the car she wilted a little, had a bottle of water and, if time, a snack. He didn’t try to make conversation. He simply let her recharge in the silence.
He wondered if she knew how intimidating she was. And not in a scary, bad way, but in a “she’s so capable and put together” way. It was as if she was determined no one ever see a weakness or chink in her armor. Even last night, with Mark, she’d been remarkably composed.
He’d been surprised that she’d shared something so personal with him. And it made her seem less of a client and more of...
Nope. He couldn’t let his mind go there. It was bad enough he kept seeing her in that tiny nightie, her eyes flashing. Thank God she’d slammed the door in his face. And then watching her trim figure on the elliptical... He’d punished himself with the weights to keep himself distracted.
She had a conference call later in the afternoon, so he was surprised when they got into the car after yet another show that had bored him to tears, and she asked the driver to take her to the Aurora store on Fifth Avenue.
“This isn’t on your itinerary.”
“No, it’s not. I want to pick up a few things. Besides, it makes sense for me to stop into the New York store. The general manager is a new hire, just last year.”
“Fine... But I’m going in with you.”
In fact, it was bothering him that things had been so quiet. Other than the incident at the party last night, there hadn’t been a peep from whoever had been sending the threatening emails. He wondered if that meant the perpetrator was based in Paris or London, which was highly likely. But a pattern of emails every few weeks and then nothing didn’t sit well with him. It was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The Aurora store was unbelievably elegant. Everything was white, black, or chrome, and the employees dressed all in black. Charlotte looked around and Jacob looked at her. She couldn’t have had more than five hours of sleep last night and she was fresh and energetic, or at least doing a reasonable impression of it. She gave an associate a genuine smile as she approached, and said, “Hello, I’m Charlotte Pemberton.”
“Of course. Good afternoon, Ms. Pemberton. What a pleasure to have you in the store today.”
He’d give the associate credit; she maintained impeccable composure when faced with one of the Pemberton family.
“I’m actually here to do some shopping and say hello to Ms. Walker-Barnes.”
“Let me call up to let her assistant know you’re here, and then I can assist you, if you like.”
“That would be lovely, thank you...” She looked at the silver-plated name tag. “Donatella.” She laughed. “What a great name for working in fashion.”
They shared a smile, and then Donatella excused herself briefly.
“You’re shopping?” Jacob asked, surprised.
“I am. You would undoubtedly find it boring, but I’m sure we can find you a spot to sit and wait with a good vantage point for picking out any danger.”
She was being a bit of a brat, and he kind of liked it. He liked when she was sassy.
It didn’t take long for word to spread that one of the Pemberton family was in house. Jacob watched the buzz around him as Charlotte and Donatella disappeared into the racks of clothing. From his vantage point, he could see the door and anyone who entered, as well as keep a good eye on the traffic within the store, patron and employee alike. Charlotte disappeared into the changing area and Donatella zipped back and forth with clothing items for Charlotte to try on.
He tried not to picture it, but it was hard. Since she’d opened the door this morning in a barely there nightie, he’d had trouble erasing the picture from his mind. Her clothing style looked wonderful, but it hid the lovely length of her legs and the fullness of her breasts.
It was over an hour later when Charlotte emerged, her face triumphant, carrying two large bags in her hands.
“Ready?” He wasn’t sure what put the pleased flush on her cheeks, but she looked gorgeous. More animated than he could remember.
“I’m going upstairs to meet with the GM briefly. You can follow along if you like. Or stay down here
. Your choice.”
He’d had a chance to look over much of the offerings on the main floor, which consisted of the fashion department. The whole thing was impressive and intimidating. Despite his expensive suit, he felt remarkably out of place. But he was curious. What did the upper floor hold?
“I’ll come with you. I don’t think I need to follow you into the office, though.” He smiled at her. “Do you want me to carry your bags?”
She shook her head. “That’s not your job, Jacob. Besides, they’re not heavy.”
He appreciated that. A princess would have wanted someone to carry her bags and be, well, subservient, he thought. Hardly ever did she pull any diva behavior.
The second floor was full of gorgeous lighting and glass cases, all showcasing Aurora’s cosmetics, scent, and jewelry offerings. The makeup didn’t interest him at all, but as Charlotte disappeared down a hallway to the offices, Jacob perused the jewelry cases.
“May I help you find something, sir?”
He looked up to find a lovely woman smiling at him expectantly. He wanted to say yes. He could afford it, after all, a fact not many people realized. Wolfe Security had proved to be very lucrative in the three years he’d been running it, and his needs were simple. No, the thing preventing him from buying any jewelry at all was that he didn’t have anyone to buy it for.
He thought of Charlotte and realized how ridiculous it would be for him to buy her anything. And yet... He couldn’t deny he had the urge to. He found himself saying, “Maybe something, I don’t know, unusual. Distinct.”
“Are you looking for a ring? Necklace, maybe a bracelet?”
He floundered. “I don’t know.”
“Well, what’s she like? What does she normally wear for jewelry?”
He thought for a moment about the last three days. He’d seen her with pearls, maybe, but truly he hadn’t noticed anything major, so his guess was that she went for an understated look.
“She doesn’t wear anything big, I don’t think,” he answered tentatively. “It’s like she tries not to stand out. But she stands out anyway. I wish she knew how beautiful she is.”
Oh, no. Had that just come out of his mouth? It was true, after all, but what surprised him was that he’d noticed.
“She sounds absolutely lovely.”
He didn’t know what else to say, so he followed as she led the way past the case in front of them to another section. “We’ve got some lovely pieces here, a little less traditional, a little more colorful. Things that stand out, but maybe not too much? How about this?”
She reached into the display and removed one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry he’d ever seen. It wasn’t just a necklace, it was art. A butterfly, suspended by a platinum chain, with a rainbow of colors sparkling in the gems within. “That’s stunning,” he admitted.
“The setting and chain are both platinum, and the gemstones include aquamarine, peridot, pink sapphire and, of course, diamonds.” She turned it over in her hand. “It’s bold without being brash, beautiful and yet not flashy or ostentatious.”
He took it into his palm, feeling the weight of it. Nothing flimsy or fragile; the piece had weight to it, a stability that he liked. And the butterfly... It would suit her. She was far more gorgeous than she let on, but like the butterfly, she wasn’t brash or flashy.
He shouldn’t buy it. He could never give it to her. A part of him was terrified that he wanted to. Another part was amazed, because he never thought he’d want to feel this way ever again.
Alive.
“Wrap it up,” he said, before he could think twice.
“Yes, sir.” She smiled at him and he waited while she went through the process of boxing it, putting it in the distinctive Aurora bag and running his credit card.
He tucked the little bag into his coat pocket, where the weight of it reminded him of how foolish he was being. Why buy something that would simply sit in his house, tucked away in a drawer somewhere? He didn’t want to think about it too much. It had been an impulse and that was the end of it.
And then Charlotte came out of the office and down the hall, talking and laughing with another woman, and his body reacted before he had a chance to tamp down any response. Her lips were curved in a wide smile and her hair swung across her face a little. She had her coat on and her shopping bags were clutched in her hands.
When she saw him, her smile stayed in place and she made introductions. “Janet, this is Jacob Wolfe. Jacob, the New York general manager, Janet Walker-Barnes.”
“It’s a pleasure,” Janet said, holding out her hand, which he shook.
“Likewise,” he replied, and glanced over at Charlotte. Any other time she’d introduced him only as Jacob. Today she’d used his surname. Which meant all Janet Walker-Barnes had to do was go to Google and she’d know who he was.
Charlotte must trust her, then. And that intrigued him.
“It was so good to see you, Janet.” Charlotte leaned forward and bussed Janet’s cheek. “And I’ll see you in a few months at the GM summit, yes?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss Paris for the world.”
Charlotte beamed up at him. “I’m ready now. Thank you for waiting for me.”
“Of course.” He looked down at her and felt that confusion bubble in his chest again. “It was nice to meet you,” he said to Janet.
“You, as well.” She smiled widely, and then turned a knowing glance to Charlotte. “I’ll see you on Wednesday?”
“Of course. And what we discussed... That won’t be an issue?”
“I’ll handle everything, and check in with the team.”
“You’re a gem.”
They said their goodbyes and made their way to the escalator. “What was that about?” Jacob asked.
“Oh, work stuff,” she said lightly, and he got the sense there was more to the answer she wasn’t sharing.
“And you used my full name. You like this woman a lot, don’t you?”
“I do. I met her just before she took on the position. We flew her to Paris for her final interview and she and I really hit it off. She’s young enough to be so full of energy and fun but old enough to have significant experience. She was an assistant manager at one of our biggest competitors, and a real find.”
He guessed Janet to be late thirties, maybe forty. For some reason, Charlotte’s description niggled. Janet was more...his age. Did she assess him in the same way? With “significant experience”?
They headed back to the apartment, and Jacob said no more about it. And then, once inside, he went to his room, took the small bag out of his pocket and tucked it in the dresser, under his socks.
CHAPTER SIX
WHEN CHARLOTTE STEPPED out of her bedroom the next morning, she pressed a hand to her belly and let out a slow breath. It was just Jacob, after all, but he was the one who had brought up the black and white and her appearance. Yesterday’s trip to the Aurora store had been a success, and today she was trying out the first of her purchases—a turquoise dress in her usual style but the color so vivid that she felt utterly conspicuous.
She was a confident woman who was dedicated to the family company. But after Jacob’s comments the other night, she wondered if she’d sacrificed her own identity for it more than she realized. Aurora was the family business and where she worked... But it wasn’t who she was. Or maybe it was, and that unsettled her. Surely she was more than the company.
Maybe if she really wanted to stand on her own at Aurora, she first needed to stand out.
Jacob was in the kitchen, and she could smell eggs cooking and the yeasty scent of bread in the toaster. He’d made her go to the gym again this morning but she hadn’t minded as much. Last night they’d gotten in around ten. She’d gone to the dinner party and then another event where she put in a brief appearance and left. Charlotte had never been one to party into the wee ho
urs and run on three hours sleep and an energy drink.
“Good morning,” she said, stepping to the threshold.
He turned around and his eyes widened, then a grin blossomed on his face. “Well. Not a bit of black in sight. You look great.”
She let out the breath she was holding and smiled back. “My shopping trip yesterday. What you said the other night got me thinking. I like bright colors. And the Aurora color theme is black and white, but that’s not our entire brand. A brand is so much more than a color scheme. So why not change my wardrobe up a little?”
He scooped eggs onto two plates, plopped a piece of toast on each, and gestured to the barstools and counter. “Breakfast is ready.”
“You didn’t have to do that for me.”
“I was making it for me anyway. What’s another egg and slice of bread?”
It was almost a little too domestic, but truthfully when the family was in residence they had a housekeeper come in only a few times a week. They mostly cooked and tidied for themselves. It gave them more privacy. This week, she was barely at the apartment anyway. There was no need for them to have a cook and in-house staff.
“Well, I appreciate it anyway since I know it’s not in your job description.”
He spread an obscene amount of jelly on his toast. “So seriously, you always wear black and white?”
She met his gaze as she speared a piece of egg with her fork. “Not always, but when I’m on Aurora business, yes.”
“But why?”
She thought about it as she ate, and then got up and went to the fridge to get the orange juice. “To be honest,” she answered, turning the cap on the juice, “I think it has been a need to do everything right. To...” She hesitated as a lightbulb seemed to flick on in her mind. “Well, without giving you the fine details, Stephen is the earl and the heir. Bella did something foolish when she was younger that caused my parents a great deal of worry. William, my twin, was a real wild child for a while, and my parents also practically raised my cousin, Christophe, who came with a bit of family drama. So me? I tried to stay under the radar, no extra trouble.” Even if that came at a personal cost.
