Conquering the urge, finally, he got out of the car and handed the keys to his friend. After reminding Alex to call him if Leah needed anything, he made his way out to where Leonard was waiting for him with the limousine.
When he entered the suite, Alex looked around for Leah. Not seeing her he checked the bedrooms, and found her, curled up on the bed in one of the two spare bedrooms the suite had; she looked so young, and beautiful, he thought as he smiled down on her. Shaking his head at the thoughts that had suddenly decided to wander through his mind, he realized that it wasn’t right for him to be in there.
Putting the case down in front of the closet, where she would see it when she woke, he put the keys to her car and her purse on the nightstand and then left, quietly closing the door behind him.
His return to Chicago had definitely proved to be exciting, he thought as he made his way into the master bedroom. Peeling off his suit he draped it over a chair in the corner of the room and then entered the bathroom.
When the water was the right temperature he stepped into the shower, allowing the steaming hot water to cascade over him. He washed quickly, scrubbing himself clean, and then relaxed, letting his mind drift as the water beat down.
Foremost in his thoughts was the young woman in the other room. He needed to work out how best to deal with her, he realized. It was a tricky situation he had found himself in, one he would have preferred to have avoided, but which his sense of decency hadn’t allowed him to.
That she had been forced to accept his hospitality and stay with him in his hotel suite indicated just how much of a mess she was in. If he had been in her situation he knew he would have hated relying on anyone, especially a virtual stranger, for support. He believed, strongly, that a woman, anyone in fact, needed to be independent, or at least capable of independence, before they could submit fully to the control of another person.
When he left the shower, almost a quarter of an hour later, he still had no idea what to do about his guest. The only solutions he could think of, and he was perfectly prepared to admit that he couldn’t think of many, were unlikely to go down well with Leah since none of them solved the essential problem of her relying on other people.
Finally he decided to postpone trying to come up with a solution until he could discuss the situation with Leah, that was the most sensible thing he could do he realized.
Drying off quickly he dressed and left the suite. He would have stayed there, got some work done, and ordered a meal from room service but he didn’t want to disturb Leah. Instead he made his way downstairs to the restaurant, where he enjoyed a good steak and a sinfully delicious slice of chocolate gateau with cream.
After that he moved to the bar, where he settled himself in a quiet corner with his laptop and did some work while sipping the best single malt whiskey the bar had to offer. Despite doing his best to focus he found his mind wandering away from the work he was trying to do; again and again his thoughts drifted to the girl asleep in his suite high above him.
Rhett tossed and turned in bed as the thought of losing Leah permanently ran through his dreams. His mother found her way into the scenes filling his head as well, bringing back to him the horrible year he wished he could forever remove from his subconscious. The young boy of five that desperately craved the love of a mother forever gone from his life became him, desperate for the love of the only woman since his mother to have touched his heart.
Prior to his mother being diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, he had been the luckiest boy on earth. His mother had given up her job to raise him, never leaving his side for more than a few hours. As an only child he was pampered and spoiled but all he remembered was being loved.
He vividly recalled being cradled in his mother’s arms, and the memory of her jasmine perfume brought a smile to lips as he slept. She’d refused to allow him to attend pre-school, not wanting to be parted from him for even that long; instead she had taught him herself. He’d learned two languages, becoming proficient in both by the age of four, and had developed a deep love for the violin, his mother’s favorite instrument.
His father had loved his mother so deeply that he could never deny her anything; they were the perfect family, at least in the mind of the young Rhett.
Leaving his mother to go to kindergarten seemed like the worst thing that had ever happened to him in his young life, he had never spent so much time away from his mother before. Things became worse just two days after starting at the private kindergarten class he had been enrolled in; his world had been ripped apart by news he was too young to really understand.
The look on his parents’ faces when they checked him out of class early would haunt him forever, as would their efforts to explain that mommy was sick, even though she didn’t look it then, and would be going to heaven soon.
Though he didn’t really understand what his parents had tried to tell him, the one thing that did stick out in his young mind was that God was taking his mommy away. He didn’t like that, and didn’t understand why God would do so. He’d hated God ever since. His father seemed to have formed the same opinion as him because they never returned to church after the funeral, and when the priest came to the house he was turned away.
For six months he and his father had stayed by his mother’s side, throughout the endless hospital visits, and then during the last weeks at home with the nurse hired to take care of her. Before those days and weeks Rhett had never seen his father cry; his father had been invincible and all powerful, he could do anything; he’d told Rhett that on numerous occasions during his young life. The one thing his father hadn’t been able to do though, the one thing Rhett wanted him to do more than any other, was fix his mother.
When the funeral was over Rhett was dragged, screaming, from the graveyard, and once they got home his father sent him to his room while he drank until he passed out. For weeks he had been left under the care of the servants while his father ignored his business and spent all his time drinking. After almost a month his father finally summoned him.
Eagerly Rhett had gone to see his father, only to be told that he was being sent away to school. At the time he’d seen it as a rejection, his mother was gone and his father didn’t want him around. Now though, with the benefit of hindsight and experience, he knew that if he hadn’t been sent away he would almost certainly have been taken away; a young child couldn’t understand that though.
To begin with Rhett had gone home every holiday to see his father, but with each visit his father had been more distant, until finally he had stopped going. Instead he had spent his holidays with Alex, the friend he had made.
As an adult he knew and understood that his father, once he had recovered from the urge to drink himself into oblivion, had thrown himself into his work in an effort to deal with the horrible loss they had both suffered. As a child, he hadn’t understood, all he had seen was that his father no longer loved him, didn’t even want to be around him; even after so long he hadn’t fully overcome that sense of rejection, and the bridge between them remained unhealed.
Over the years his meetings with his father become impersonal encounters; neither of them felt comfortable around the other. That lesson had taught him that personal emotions were best avoided, and shouldn’t be allowed to interfere with either business or pleasure, whatever form that pleasure may take.
Until Leah came along, he had had no problem avoiding emotions; they hadn’t troubled him at all, in any aspect of his life. How she had managed to crack the wall he had built around his heart, he had no idea, but he loved her more than any person he had ever known, outside of his mother.
In a cold sweat he woke, disturbed by what his dreams had revealed to him. “You're a dumbass, Rhett Hammond,” he told himself, speaking aloud as he sat up in bed. Would she ever be able to forgive him, he wondered? He didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure he would be able to blame her if she couldn’t.
Sitting there, his mind racing with his dreams’ revelations, he realized that couns
eling might just be the best thing for him, despite his long held belief that only the weak needed such help. Until he could come to grips with his inability to control his emotions and his temper around her, it was best for him to stay away; if he didn’t he was likely to find himself doing something she would never be able to forgive, and that thought terrified him.
It took every ounce of self-control he possessed to resist the urge to pick up the phone and call her. As much as he wanted to, he knew there was nothing he could say that would do any good. He was unworthy of her in his current state; it was a revelation that didn't sit well with the confident man that had earned everything in his life by commanding situations.
5
DESOLATION
When she woke the next morning Leah felt completely alone. Sitting up in bed she looked around the strange room in confusion. It took her a short while to remember where she was, and why she was there; when she did she had to fight back the ache that filled her heart and made her feel as though it was going to break.
Seeing her purse on the bedside table she rummaged in it for her phone. She was surprised to see that there were no messages from Rhett, she’d expected to find at least a few. She told herself it was a good thing that he hadn’t tried to contact her, but her heart wasn’t on board with that line of thinking and her stomach clenched nervously.
When she got out of bed, and saw she was still wearing the outfit she had worn the previous day, she was reminded that she didn’t have anything else to wear. Nervously, she texted Janie to ask what time she could pick up her things. She realized that until she found a place of her own, she couldn’t get all her belongings, but she could at least get enough clothes to avoid wearing the same thing all the time, not to mention her toiletries.
Heading for the door she noticed the case in front of the closet. She didn’t remember the case being there the night before and was curious to know where it had come from, as well as what was in it.
Carrying it over to the bed she undid the catches and lifted the lid. She was surprised to see that it contained the clothes Delilah had sent over to Rhett’s mansion the day before. It was a relief to know that she had some clothes, in case she didn’t hear from Janie.
Finding the en-suite bathroom, which wasn’t difficult, she had a hurried shower and brushed her teeth, thankful that the hotel provided complimentary toiletries. Mundane tasks were all that were keeping her sane right then, so she dressed in the most casual outfit of those she had been sent, and made her way awkwardly into the living area of the suite.
Alex smiled and put down the newspaper he was reading when Leah walked in. “Good morning, did you sleep well?” he asked.
Leah stared at her feet, feeling more than a little uncomfortable in his company, and spoke quietly. “Yes, thank you; I appreciate you letting me stay, and you getting my things from Rhett’s.” She couldn’t believe how awkward she felt around him, she guessed it was because he was almost a total stranger and yet had already done so much for her, but she just didn’t have a clue what to say or how to act.
“You’re welcome; Rhett thought you would need the clothes. If there is anything missing, or if you need anything, he asked me to relay that you only had to let him know and he would take care of it." He wasn't sure how she was feeling about her circumstances this morning, but felt he was obligated to give Rhett's message. With that in mind her position needed to be ironed out. "I think we need to discuss your situation.”
Was he going to kick her out? She thought in panic. Where would she go? She still had the money Rhett had deposited in her bank account, she suddenly remembered; it was enough, she hoped, to keep her going until she got her first paycheck from her new job. Accepting the cup of coffee he held out to her she settled into the armchair, doing her best not to let her emotions and her concerns show.
“I have a proposition for you, and I think with a little management, we can both work together smoothly to make this easier.” Take a sip of his coffee he set it down on the coffee table in front of him before continuing. “Given your state of affairs, both with Rhett, and with your friend Janie, I believe the best thing you can do is to stay with me, for the time being. At least until you are able to sort things out."
“If you haven’t managed to arrange things by the time I get myself a house or apartment then you can move in there with me. Once you have finished your probationary period at work, and we have determined whether it is a good fit for you, I will assist you in getting an apartment of your own. Assuming, that is, you haven’t managed to find something for yourself before then.” He could see that she was about to argue against his generosity and quickly held up a hand to forestall her.
“Rest assured, you will pay your way while you are staying with me.” The look that crossed her face almost made him laugh but he resisted the urge and hurried on. “You will pay your share of the bills, and until I am able to hire someone to take care of whatever place I get, I will expect you to do your fair share of the cooking and cleaning; more than your fair share most likely, since I’ve never been much of a cook and I’m usually too busy for cleaning. In addition to that, once you are financially comfortable, you will repay me for any expenses that are incurred during this period. Is that agreeable to you?”
She had been ready to refuse his offer for help, both with somewhere to stay while she sorted herself out, and in getting an apartment. The last thing she wanted was to be indebted to this man more than she already was. It would have been bad enough if he had been a friend, but to have someone who barely knew her so willing to help out just made it clear to her how much of a bad situation she was in.
The conditions he attached to the end of his offer at least made the situation tolerable, even if it was still one she would have preferred to avoid. After thinking about the situation for several long minutes, while he waited patiently for her to respond, Leah nodded. “I’ll pay you back for all the help though, with interest,” she told him, feeling the need to attach her own condition. “Hopefully I won’t need to stay with you for long, I have some money, so I could stay at another hotel, but I admit being worried my funds would run out before I am financially stable.”
“If that is what you wish.” Interest was not something he would have ever considered suggesting in this situation, and it certainly wasn’t something that mattered to him, he doubted any expenses incurred would be enough to trouble his wallet, let alone his bank balance. Despite that, he realized it was probably a good idea; it would help to keep things on a professional level between them. “I’ll get a contract drawn up with all the details, that way we both know where we stand.”
“As long as you’re sure I won’t be in the way.” It hit home again how vulnerable a place she'd allowed herself to get in by not being able to support herself. If she learned nothing else from this experience, she thought, the one thing she would take out of it was the need to take care of her own needs in the future.
“Believe me; I plan on using your talents to my advantage while I have you with me, Leah.” He smiled, thinking that with her living with him, even for a short time, he would have a personal assistant at his beck and call, in some respects that was likely to make things a lot easier for him.
“Um, could you explain what you mean?” She didn’t want to sound ungrateful but just when he had her convinced that everything was on the up and up, he left her worried that he was talking about something other than business.
Sensing the cause of her sudden tone of concern, Alex fought back a grin. “Not what you’re thinking, I assure you,” he said, not quite able to keep his lips from twitching with the ghost of an amused smile. “I simply mean that as long as you are here, I can get you to do paperwork and such as needed. It will be an excellent learning experience for you, and will save me a great deal of time and hassle. Trust me; I would never even consider getting involved in a personal relationship with an employee, unless she made the first move that is.”
Leah flushed bright red. “I
’m so sorry; I didn’t mean to suggest that you intended anything like that.” She was mortified that she had thought that was his intention. He hadn’t done anything to suggest that he found her sexually attractive.
“Please, don’t apologize. You’re a lovely young woman, and I would be honored to know that you found me interesting enough to consider such a thing, but you are engaged to a friend of mine, and have just taken a job working for me. Given the circumstances it would be completely inappropriate for me to even think about getting involved with you, let alone suggest such a thing.” He hoped she understood what he was trying to say; even to his mind his words sounded confusing.
She was very lovely, beautiful in fact, and under other circumstances he might well have been tempted to try and make something happen between them. He had a strict policy of not taking advantage of women however, and with her current situation, that put Leah very much off-limits to him.
“My hope is that we can become friends. I’ve discovered that people who get on well socially, tend to work together better, and I would very much like that for us.”
“Of course, I would very much like us to become friends, and I’m sure there is much I could learn from you.” Her phone buzzed then, her old phone, not the iPhone Rhett had bought her, and seeing the message was from Janie she opened it, her heart in her mouth as she wondered what her friend was going to say. The message was brief, and simply said that she was sorry and Leah should come by any time so they could talk.
Alex could see by the expression on her face that something had upset her. “If you need to talk, Leah, I’m here for you.” He wasn’t sure why he was so concerned by her apparent pain, he barely knew the woman, but for some reason he was.
“Thank you, you’ve already done so much for me though.” Determined to keep her emotions under control, at least until she was alone, she got to her feet. “I’ve got something I need to take care of today, so unless you need anything I’m afraid I need to go out for a while.” It felt strange to be asking him for permission to leave, but that’s what it felt like to her.
Beyond 10 Nights (Forbidden Desires Series) Page 8
