She didn’t appreciate his tone. “Stewart said it was no use talking to your family about it because you’d close ranks anyway.” She studied his hostility. “I see what he means.” Stewart had been a total mess that day at her place, and she wouldn’t have him worrying over her involvement in this now. She’d get it sorted first.
He fixed her with an intense stare. “There’s a legal system in place to protect him. Has he started proceedings?”
“How can he do that? He doesn’t have the money. And besides, he had to find a way to stop his wife and children from being thrown out on the street now. Once he gets that sorted, you can bet he’ll be back to take you to court.” Her lips twisted. “Not that it would do him much good. No doubt your legal team will find a way to evade paying up in the end.”
A muscle ticked in his cheekbone. “I don’t take kindly to insults to my family.”
“That’s a shame,” she mocked, then felt a twinge of conscience. Usually she didn’t have a nasty bone in her body, but after what this man’s late brother had done to Stewart, she knew she couldn’t back down.
“What do you want me to do about it?”
She steeled herself. “Give him his money so he can come back and be with his family.”
“I’m expected to hand over three hundred thousand dollars on the word of you and your brother?” He gave a terse laugh.
“It would save a lot of trouble…and embarrassment for your family.”
He shot her a chilled look. “Don’t try and blackmail me, Ms. Branson.”
He could be as formal as he liked, but it didn’t change anything. “It’s not blackmail. It’s a promise.”
She’d never suspected she would have the heart, but if she had to, she would find a way to take this to his parents or to his older brother, Dominic, who’d recently married Liam’s widow, Cassandra. She prayed she didn’t have to. Yet thinking about it, she knew Adam was definitely the one most approachable over such a matter, regardless of the ice-cold look he was giving her at this precise moment.
“If you do anything to upset my parents,” he warned, sending a shiver under her skin that had nothing to do with the coolness of the room, “I’ll make you pay and pay dearly.”
She held her ground. “Then why not pay my brother back his money and save everyone the hassle?”
“I don’t do business that way.”
“Obviously.”
He watched her in silence, then his look turned as sleek as silk. “I see Roberto and Carmen think highly of you.” His tone was idle, but she knew better.
“Yes.” All at once she could feel her control of the situation slipping away, but had no idea how to get out of it.
“And Marco wants you.”
“That’s not my problem.”
“I see.” He offered her a sudden, satisfied smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I wonder if Roberto would be interested in knowing one of his employees is taking advantage of his hospitality today for her own purposes?”
She glared at him. “Now who’s blackmailing whom?”
His shoulders rose and fell. “I’m just saying that if I let it be known I’m not happy, then you’ll lose your job. I doubt you’ll get another one with such a prestigious company.”
A lump wedged in her throat. “I get your point, but it doesn’t change a thing. If you don’t do right by my brother, I won’t do right by you and your family.”
A hint of admiration entered his eyes. “I like your style. You don’t back down much.”
She angled her chin at him. “I’d like to think I don’t back down at all.”
His lips twitched, then he sobered. “I need time to investigate this claim of yours to see if it’s bogus or not.”
“It’s not bogus.”
“Then humor me and let me go through the motions.” He considered her with slow deliberation, and something stirred inside her. “In the meantime you could do me a favor.”
She stiffened. “Me do you a favor? I don’t see how I could do that, and I don’t see why I should anyway.”
“Let me finish,” he chided, a warning light in his eyes. “I need a…female companion.”
She looked at him in utter disbelief. “You want me to become your mistress?” She’d heard of things like this happening, but—
“No, I want you to be my companion for a few weeks.”
The thought still staggered her. “No, absolutely not.”
“No?”
“I won’t do it. I’d rather go to the media and let them sort you out.”
“Don’t forget there are always two sides to every story, Jenna. I have family I love and so do you, apparently. We don’t want to see them hurt any more than they have been.” He assessed her with narrowing eyes. “Do we?”
She released a shaky breath. “No, we don’t.”
“Then let’s make a truce,” he said, looking pleased by her answer. “I’ll look into the situation about the money, but you’ve got to promise me a few weeks of your time.”
She blinked. “Why me?”
“That’s a fair question….” They heard voices outside in the corridor as people walked past. “But not one I want to talk about right now. Are you free for dinner this evening?”
“I suppose so,” she said, but her stomach was dipping as if she was on a roller coaster.
“What a refreshing attitude.”
“Get used to it.”
He ignored that as he handed her a business card. “Call that number on the back and give them your address. A driver will pick you up at eight and bring you to my apartment.”
“I have my own car. And I’d prefer to go to a restaurant if you don’t mind.”
“And I’d prefer to talk in the privacy of my own home.” He reached for the door handle. “My driver’s available. Use him.” Then, giving her one last look, he left the storeroom, closing the door behind him again.
She stood there for a few minutes, catching her breath and thinking over what had just occurred. Somehow he’d turned the tables on her and now she had to consider his ludicrous proposition. His companion for a couple of weeks? He said it wasn’t as his mistress, but was she being naive? Surely he knew other women who would be better suited to such a task. Some would probably even see sex as a free perk.
Why her?
Truth be told, she was intrigued and a little flattered, but she still didn’t intend to take him up on such an outrageous offer. She’d go to dinner if that’s what he wanted. She’d even listen to what he had to say, if it was the only way she would see any of Stewart’s money, but that was all she’d do.
Looking down at the card in her hand, she realized too late she’d have to use his car service tonight after all. He hadn’t given her his address and she wouldn’t be able to get there otherwise. It galled her that he’d think she would easily do his bidding, but needs must.
Her resolve firmly in place, she left the storeroom and took a few steps to go back to the corporate box, but decided she couldn’t face any of them a moment more this afternoon. She already had her purse, so she left a message at the hospitality desk thanking her hosts but telling them she had a headache and it was best she go home. Her boss and his wife should understand, and she doubted Marco would even realize she’d gone.
Something told her that Adam Roth wouldn’t be so forgiving in his place.
Two
Adam finished dressing, then glanced at his gold watch as he slipped it back on his wrist. Seven-thirty. Jenna Branson would be here soon.
She hadn’t come back to the corporate box after their discussion in the storeroom, yet he knew she had gumption, that one. Beautiful and a sexy challenge, he would enjoy spending the next month with her, but it had been her unrelenting attitude this afternoon that had him conceiving an idea to sort out a major hassle in his life. With his best friend’s wife showing clear signs of having “the hots” for him, he was becoming increasingly concerned. How long before Chelsea gave herself away in front of Todd? H
e couldn’t let that happen, not for his friend’s sake, nor his own.
Right now he needed someone like Jenna. Someone who could stand up for herself, but not get emotionally involved. Someone who at the end of the month would leave without having to be asked. Oh, yeah, she would definitely be happy to walk away from him. She was so unlike some of the women he knew, who preferred to simper and do his bidding at the click of his fingers and were more a pain in the butt than not.
Of course, not all the women he knew were like that. There were some he admired, like his sister-in-law Cassandra, who reminded him very much of his mother. Both women had the same sense of compassion and integrity, yet fought for what they believed in. Both women put their family first. He liked that in a person whether they were male or female.
Family was family.
And keep your enemies close, he reminded himself, as he left his bedroom and went into the open-plan living room. Jenna Branson was the enemy, when all was said and done. She could cause immense anguish for his parents if she pursued the avenue that Liam had conned her brother out of a large sum of money.
The problem was that he wasn’t sure Liam hadn’t done such a thing. He missed his younger brother terribly, and heaven knew Liam hadn’t deserved to die so young, but if anyone had gone through life taking what he wanted, it had been Liam.
That wasn’t to say his brother would have conned this Stewart Branson out of his money. Liam hadn’t been a con man. But he had tried to get others to invest money in the theme park, unable to see it hadn’t been a good investment. Along with Dominic, Adam had tried to convince their brother not to go ahead with it. It had been just before the diagnosis of his illness, but as far as he knew, Liam had still invested in the theme park, though thankfully it had only been a quarter of a million dollars, not the half a million he’d originally planned on.
And all that left a question unanswered, settling a hard knot in his stomach. Who was to say Liam hadn’t convinced Jenna’s brother to invest money, as well? And the fool may well have gone and done it. Until he discovered the truth he wouldn’t rest.
Jenna Branson needn’t know that.
Just then the concierge phoned to say Jenna was on her way up to the penthouse, and Adam felt a kick of excitement as he went to meet her at the private elevator. Curbing his desire while keeping her close was certainly going to be a challenge. One he would enjoy.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft ping and inside stood a stunningly lovely woman in a black dress, her long legs tapering down to high-heeled shoes. With her hair back in a chignon and her exquisitely smooth features, she was even lovelier than he remembered. He made a decision then. He didn’t need to pressure any woman into being his mistress, but if this willowy brunette wanted more, he wouldn’t say no.
“You obviously had enough time to make yourself beautiful,” he murmured, as she stepped onto the plush carpet inside his apartment.
The hint of a blush enchanted him as she came closer.
She gave a thin smile. “You should save the compliments for the real women in your life, Adam.”
“You’re not real?” He liked the sound of his name on her lips.
She stopped a few feet away. “I’m your worst nightmare.”
Laughter escaped from him. “No woman’s ever told me that before.”
“Just goes to show there’s always a first time.”
He let his amusement slide, then paused deliberately. “I’ve got to agree there. The first time is always special.”
Something wavered in her eyes before she stepped past him. He caught the captivating scent of her perfume as she moved. Midnight Poison, if he wasn’t mistaken. Its seductiveness…its name…suited her.
“Nice place you have here,” she said a few moments later, glancing around the luxurious surroundings, giving him glimpses of her back view that were equally as eye-catching as her front. “Very tasteful.” She turned and shot him a wry look. “I’m surprised though. I thought you’d at least have an Arabian Nights theme. For your harem, that is.”
He chuckled. “This is my nonharem apartment.” He saw her lips curve up at the corners. “Good. You can smile.”
Her smile instantly disappeared. “Don’t get used to it. I usually only smile for the people I like.”
“Then you must like me,” he mocked, enjoying verbally fencing with this woman. Really enjoying it. She was a breath of fresh air.
Her mouth quirked some more but she turned away and placed her purse on the coffee table. When she looked back, she was serious again. “Shall we get down to business?”
“Let’s have a drink before dinner.” He headed for the bar. “White wine okay?” he said over his shoulder.
There was a tiny silence. “Um…yes, thank you.”
He could feel her eyes on him. He knew the effect he had on women, but this woman’s mixture of coolness and reluctant responsiveness wasn’t something he’d previously encountered. He was intrigued.
Carrying two flutes of wine toward her, he handed her one. “Come outside and look at the view.”
“I’ve seen it before.”
He cupped her elbow with his free hand, her skin soft beneath his palm. “Not from my balcony you haven’t.”
On the balcony he pointed out places of interest. “There’s the Royal Botanic Gardens over there,” he said, moving closer, feeling her inch away, oddly pleased by her reaction. “And the Dandenong Ranges way over there.” He moved closer again.
“Stop testing me, Adam.”
She was astute, this one. “Is that what I was doing?”
“You know very well you are. And I don’t appreciate it,” she said, a pulse hammering at the base of her throat. Yet she didn’t move away. Jenna stood her ground and he realized she meant it. He sensed there was a part of her that wanted him, but she wasn’t going to take it further. It was a new experience for him. Not even Maddie had—
The old pain kicked in. Maddie was long gone. Nearly five years in fact. Their child would have been four, if their unborn baby hadn’t died along with its mother.
He shoved aside his thoughts. His world had moved on. “Let’s eat,” he rasped, twisting on his heels and going back inside the apartment, putting one foot in front of the other like he always did when the grief got to him. He heard her follow him, but he concentrated on going into the kitchen, getting the first course that his housekeeper had left in the refrigerator.
By the time he carried two plates of chicken and mango salad into the dining area, he was back in total control. Soon he was sitting opposite her at the table while they enjoyed their meal. Well, he was enjoying it. She was picking.
“You don’t like the food?”
“It’s fine.” She cast him a candid look. “I just don’t like being here, that’s all.”
Adam felt a flash of irritation. Her reluctance was beginning to wear a little thin. Women usually clambered over each other to get an invitation to his apartment.
And into his bed.
He took a sip of wine. “Tell me about your family.”
Her eyes flashed at him as she put down her fork. “I’d prefer you tell me why you want me to be your…companion for a month. That is why you asked me here tonight.”
“It might help me get a clearer picture of your brother,” he pointed out, used to setting the pace.
She pressed her lips together, but relented. “My parents are alive and well and have just retired. Then there’s Stewart and me. Stewart’s older by five years. He and his wife, Vicki, have two little girls.”
As always, he had to ignore a squeezing of inner pain at the mention of someone else’s children. “How old are they?”
“Five and three.” She gave him a cutting stare. “Old enough to miss their father.”
“I don’t doubt it.” He wondered if Stewart missed his kids as much as they missed him. Did the man know how lucky he was to even have them? He sure as hell wouldn’t be leaving his own kids for months on end.
&n
bsp; Not that he planned on having any.
Not now.
The only child in his life was his year-old niece, Nicole, whom they’d recently learned was Dominic’s child through artificial insemination, and not Liam’s. She was a cute little thing who adored her father, and the feeling was reciprocated. It would cut out Dominic’s heart to leave her for any length of time.
And that was the reason Dominic and Cassandra had taken Nicole with them on an extended honeymoon to the family vacation home in the tropics in Far North Queensland. It was the reason he was now officially staying here in Melbourne to help his father run Roths, instead of traveling around the country checking on their department stores and sorting out any problems, like he usually did. He had to admit it actually felt good to stay in one place this time. Before he’d felt restless and needed to move around, but lately it hadn’t seemed to be enough.
The telephone rang from across the room, jerking him from his thoughts. He didn’t move. Whoever it was could call back, and if it was who he thought it would be, then she’d definitely call back.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?”
“No.”
It gave another ring.
Jenna looked at the phone, then at him. “Don’t let me stop you.”
“I won’t.” He couldn’t help but be abrupt. He was sick to death of these phone calls. He shouldn’t have to put up with it. If it wasn’t for—
Just then the answering machine clicked on and a husky female voice came over the line. “Adam, this is Chelsea.” There was a pause. “I’m looking for Todd and I thought he might be with you. If you could phone me back when you get in, that would be great.” Another pause. “I’ll be waiting,” she said, almost breathlessly, then hung up.
Silence settled over the room, then Jenna arched a brow. “You didn’t want to talk to her?”
“She’s the reason I need a companion.”
She tilted her head at him. “I don’t understand.”
Right. It was time to tell her why he needed her help. He didn’t like giving a stranger information that could ruin his friendship with his best friend, but on the other hand, Chelsea was trying to ruin it anyway. He had nothing to lose. Besides, if Jenna tried to use this against him, he’d destroy her and her family. No question.
High-Society Seduction Page 2
