“It’s wonderful that you’re doing what you love,” Ingrid said. “My grandson was the one who suggested we hire the Lexus LX SUV for our road trip. What do you think of the car?”
“It’s a great car. Today’s the first time I’ve driven it, and I’m impressed.”
“Good.”
Elle came back to the room, holding a document folder. “Here you go, Mrs. Lawrence. I’ve printed everything that Geri has in the file that she’s given me online access to.”
“Thank you! Poor Geri has to cope with me changing my mind all the time about where I want to go. I find it easier to make comparisons looking at paper rather than computer screens or those tablets. But maybe we should discuss this with you, Simon, since you’re our self-appointed tour guide.”
“Sure. I’ll be more than happy to help create an itinerary,” Simon answered.
“We’re back,” Geri called out from the other door.
Simon glanced at Geri. She really was pretty. Beautiful, in fact.
“Shall we go, then?” Ingrid asked. “I’d like to get to the house Geri booked for us so I can nap for a couple of hours before I meet my grandson for dinner.”
Elle put a hand up. “I just need to speak with Simon for a quick minute, if that’s okay, Mrs. Lawrence?”
“Of course.”
Simon followed Elle to the meeting room he’d waited in before.
“Simon,” Elle said in a low voice. “Geri is not the kind of woman who’d want the mile-high experience with you.”
“Oh, really? Did she tell you that?” he asked lightly.
“Of course not. But you know what I mean.”
“I agree she’s not the mile-high-experience type. But she definitely seems like a nice girl. Remember that I’m looking for a potential long-term girlfriend now?”
Elle rolled her eyes. “As if you’re serious about that.”
“Hey, I am!”
“Sure, sure,” Elle said in a tone that said she wasn’t buying it. “But please behave yourself with Geri. I don’t want Mrs. Lawrence complaining about you, boss. And I want to have an unblemished customer satisfaction record on all my accounts so you can give me a generous bonus at the end of the year.”
“I’ve never put the company in trouble before because of my dating life, have I?” Even though he’d slept with a few of his female clients, those were all instigated by them, not him.
“No. But you’ve never spent a whole month with a pretty client while pretending you’re not you,” Elle said pointedly. “It’s different when the girls know who they’re fooling around with. But you don’t have any intention of telling Geri who you are.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to hit on Geri.” Unless she hits on me first.
“Good,” Elle said. “Anyway, I have to say I can’t wait to see if you do find yourself a real, honest-to-goodness girlfriend somewhere in your travels.”
He laughed. “By the way, you haven’t spoken to Geri or Ingrid Lawrence about Simon Alexander, have you?”
Elle shook her head. “There’s usually no reason to talk to our clients about our CEO, unless they’re the women wanting to book flights with us just to spend some time with you. But, honestly, I still think this incognito thing is hare-brained.”
He ignored Elle’s disapproval. “Good. Anything else?”
“Well, I want to say have fun, but you might take me too seriously and forget your promise not to hit on Geri,” Elle quipped before exiting the meeting room.
He was still chuckling to himself when they went back to the executive lounge. He had no idea what he’d gotten himself into, but he was truly looking forward to it. If nothing else, he was going to have a change of pace and scenery for a short period. Everyone needed a break from work every once in a while, and this was like a holiday for him.
He stopped in his tracks upon seeing Geri laughing at Rolf thumping his tail excitedly at the sight of a dog food commercial on TV. Funny how he felt so drawn to her.
He shook his head at himself. Pretty ladies surrounded him all the time, so he didn’t usually have a swift and strong reaction to total strangers no matter how good-looking they were. But his reaction to Geri surprised him. He already knew he’d like to date her.
Unfortunately, he’d have to wait for her to make the first move. Working for Ingrid was her livelihood. He had to respect it if she wanted to remain purely professional.
“I’ll load your luggage in the car, then I’ll come and get you,” he announced to the women.
“Oh, I’ll go with you,” Geri said, standing up to follow him. “Rolf’s car seat is in one of the bags and I have to set it up.”
“I can do it if you like,” he said hurriedly. The SUV was in the parking area where his staff came and went. He’d minimise the risk of blowing his cover if he loaded the luggage alone.
But Geri waved a hand dismissively. “It’s no problem.”
“Geri’s very particular when it comes to Rolf,” Ingrid said. “She wants to make sure his seat is adjusted to the exact right height that will make Rolf calm and happy. Let her do it now or she’ll just fuss around your work later.”
“Okay,” he acquiesced, not really having any other option. He took the trolley sitting in a corner and pushed it out of the room. Good thing Ingrid had selected a big car. The women’s three large suitcases and six smaller bags—plus his own luggage—wouldn’t have fit in a regular sedan.
“So you’re like a mother hen when it comes to Rolf, huh?” he teased Geri as they made their way towards the parking bays.
Geri laughed with embarrassment. “I know I shouldn’t feel like that because Rolf’s not mine, but yeah, I do feel like I’m his mama even though Mrs. Lawrence is his owner.”
“He’s so well behaved.”
“Thank you. We got him from a friend of mine who’s an expert in training dogs for shows and competitions. He helped me train Rolf every single day for several weeks before we started travelling—that’s why Rolf is so easy to handle.”
“Did you have—” His question died on his lips when Tony, one of the maintenance engineers, came out of a staff room they were passing.
“Oh, hello, Simon, ma’am,” Tony greeted them with a look of surprise as he eyed the luggage.
Ah, damn. Simon bet that Tony was thinking someone was slacking on the job for Simon to be pushing the trolley for a client.
“Going to the car? Let me push that for you, Simon,” Tony offered, already positioning to take over.
“It’s okay, Tony. Thank you, but no need,” he said with a smile.
“Okay,” Tony said. “Is there anything you want done?”
“No, thank you. We’re fine.”
“Okay. Have a good day.” Tony smiled at the both of them and walked the other way.
“Wow,” Geri said in a low voice as they continued their journey. “They’re very friendly and helpful around here, aren’t they?”
“Yeah,” Simon answered, letting out a sigh of relief. Lucky his staff called him by his first name. Imagine if Tony had called him Mr. Alexander. Fortunately, they made it to their vehicle without bumping into anyone else.
“Now, Rolf’s car seat is in here,” Geri murmured, grabbing one of the bags.
Simon opened the tailgate and started to load the first of the big suitcases.
“Hey, let me help with those. They’re quite heavy,” Geri said.
“No, thanks. I got them,” he said with a grin. Aw, she was so sweet to offer. And her smile in response was as equally sweet.
His heart thudded harder. Hm.
“Simon! I’ll do that!”
Oh shit. It was Peter, one of the regular drivers who took their clients to their hotels. Tony must have said something to him.
Simon glanced at Geri, whose mouth was hanging open at the way Peter was hurrying towards them.
Damn it, he didn’t want to be busted. Especially when he was so looking forward to spending one whole month with Geri Blaine as Cha
uffeur Simon James.
Chapter 3
Geri stared at the man who’d called out to Simon. He was almost running to get to them, in a hurry to help out. What was it with the staff here and helping with luggage?
“No need, Peter, I got it,” Simon said.
Peter greeted Geri with a “hello, ma’am” before hastily grabbing a suitcase from Simon’s grip and putting it on the back of the car himself. “I’m sorry that you’re doing this,” he said to Simon.
Geri frowned quizzically. Why shouldn’t Simon be loading the bags?
“Could you do me a favour, Peter?” Simon said when they’d finished stacking the luggage in the vehicle. “Could you talk to Elle now, please?”
“Yes, okay. I’ll do that. You both have a great day.” Peter practically trotted back to the building.
“What was that about?” Geri asked, mystified.
Simon shrugged. “I think it’s a misunderstanding. Peter probably thinks I’m not on duty since I’m not in uniform. I’m not a regular chauffeur here, and Peter’s one of the full-time employees who drives clients to their homes or hotels. Anyway, I’ll let Elle handle it.”
“He didn’t even want you to lift a finger,” she said with a laugh.
Simon chuckled. “They have some sort of customer service satisfaction bonus scheme happening. Maybe he was hoping you’d remember his name and nominate him for a job well done.”
“Oh, yes. I did get an email about that. I most certainly will give Elle and the flight crew a perfect score and mention Peter’s helpfulness. I can’t fault anything. The service has been impeccable.”
“That’s good,” Simon said, looking pleased.
“Do I make a comment about you too?” she said teasingly. “But I suppose I’ll have to wait until the month is over to see if I can give you a ten out of ten.”
“I better be on my best behaviour, then. I love bonuses.”
“So are you part of their employee bonus scheme?” she asked, frowning. She thought Simon was a free agent.
“No. But a good word would mean they’ll be happy to recommend me again to clients. Working with you is a bonus,” he said with a gorgeous smile.
She giggled. A flirty, girly giggle. Ugh. He’d thrown her a line and she had to freaking giggle like a schoolgirl.
She zipped open the bag containing Rolf’s collapsible car seat to hide her embarrassment. Well, it wasn’t her fault that she was rattled by Simon. Not only did he sound like Chris Hemsworth, but he was also as good-looking.
Nope. Wrong. Simon James wasn’t as good-looking as Chris Hemsworth. He was more, with his slicked-back ash-brown hair, grey eyes and athletic build. And she’d been battling to hide her strong attraction to him since they’d met outside the executive room. Clearly, she was failing. And she better get her act together, because she’d be working with this man for a month.
One whole month.
Oh, boy, was she in trouble.
“Need help with Rolf’s seat?” Simon asked.
“No, it’s easy,” she said breezily to cover up her ridiculous blush.
“I’ll go get Mrs. Lawrence and Rolf, then.”
“Okay.”
Geri started setting up Rolf’s booster on the second row behind the driver’s seat. Ingrid liked Rolf sitting with her at the back, so Geri usually sat at the front with the driver.
But Simon walking back towards the building distracted her from her task. His steps were confident—authoritative, even. And, gosh, she found the man really sexy. None of their previous chauffeur-bodyguards came close to being as attractive as Simon.
Unexpectedly, Simon looked back before he went inside. Catching her staring at him, he gave her a little wave, his lips tugging up.
She waved back, smiling resignedly. So she’d developed an instant crush on their new chauffeur. No harm admitting that, right? But a harmless and very mild flirtation was as far as she’d go—just because it would be fun. And definitely only when Ingrid wasn’t looking. She so needed to keep her job, and no way she’d jeopardise it.
So as much as it disappointed her, it was best not to entertain anything romantic with Simon James.
Geri stood by a window in the living room of the luxury five-bedroom house in Vaucluse that was their home for four days and watched the Lexus drive out of the garage. She’d be alone for at least three hours, with Simon taking Ingrid and Rolf to meet Justin in the city.
Thankfully, Justin hadn’t cancelled tonight’s dinner with his grandmother again, after already having disappointed Ingrid last Friday, when Justin couldn’t meet her due to an unexpected meeting with a company director. Tomorrow, Justin would be leaving Sydney, and Ingrid had fretted that she wouldn’t see her grandson at all. Lucky they had this time together.
Simon had been great in the last couple of days, though. Seeing Ingrid’s dismay at the cancelled reunion with her grandson, Simon had ensured they had a full schedule for the weekend, taking them to places that Ingrid had thoroughly enjoyed. He’d been such a wonderful tour guide that Ingrid had forgotten her disappointment.
Admittedly, Geri’s crush on Simon had grown stronger. Not only was he a total hunk, but he was also fun, knowledgeable, charming and so easy to get along with. She hadn’t expected Simon to be such great company, considering that their previous chauffeurs hadn’t had much of a personality. Simon had even anticipated their wants and needs before they’d told him—like knowing exactly when and where to stop for Rolf’s toilet needs in the middle of the city. Even Ingrid had been impressed, taking her aside to tell her what a great job she’d done in hiring Simon.
Pity she hadn’t taken Ingrid’s suggestion for her to join Simon for dinner in the city while they waited for her to finish dinner with Justin. That would have been better than making a phone call to her younger sister. But this was one of those rare times that she’d be able to talk to Tricia without worrying that someone might be within hearing distance.
She went to the kitchen and grabbed some banana bread that was left over from their afternoon tea. Eating would give her time to steel herself for the upcoming battle. Not that it was Tricia she wanted to talk to. She only wanted to speak with her nine-year-old niece, Maddie, whom she loved wholeheartedly and missed so much. But Tricia always hogged the phone, complaining and whining.
Eventually, she finished the food and reluctantly dialled her sister’s number. “Hey, Trish. It’s Geri,” she said in a conversational tone.
“Geri!” Tricia exclaimed. “I’ve been waiting for your call. What the fuck took you so long?”
Geri’s nose flared, but she intended to keep her cool during this conversation, so she took a deep, steadying breath. “I’ve been busy.”
“I don’t know why you can’t give me your phone number,” Tricia said in a snarky tone. “I’ve never heard of anyone else hiding their phone number from their own sibling.”
“You know why, Trish. Anyway, I can’t talk long. How’s Maddie?”
“She’s doing well in school. But now she wants to go on a school excursion. It means a few more dollars that I don’t have.”
Geri’s resolve quickly snapped. “For heaven’s sake, Trish, it can’t be that much. This is for your daughter’s education. Surely you can stop spending on things you don’t need and divert that money towards your own child?” Argh, so much for not wanting to fight with her sister.
“Don’t need? What are you talking about, Geri? Everything I buy, I need! Anyway, you don’t have children and you have no idea what I’m going through. Besides, you have plenty of money,” Tricia said sarcastically.
Geri rubbed her face wearily. It was the same old story every bloody time. “I have to go soon, Trish, but I just want to talk to Maddie. Can you put her on, please?”
“Hang on,” Tricia said reluctantly.
Geri tried to calm herself. Seriously, if it weren’t for her niece, she wouldn’t have called at all.
“Hi, Auntie,” Maddie said excitedly.
“He
y, sweetie. How are you?”
“I’m good, thanks. And I’ve been selected for an art competition at school!”
“Really? So proud of you, sweetie,” Geri answered brightly, then heard Tricia talking to someone in the background. “Who else is there with you?”
“A friend of Mum’s,” Maddie whispered. “I think he’s a new boyfriend. Anyway, he’s leaving now.”
Geri suppressed the curse she wanted to let out. “Is he nice?”
“Yes. At least he’s different to Damon. He sometimes brings dinner. I kinda like him.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Geri said cautiously.
“But Mum still spends a lot on her sales parties,” Maddie said secretively. “She buys so much food and wears new clothes to impress the people she wants to sell her products to. But they hardly buy anything, Auntie Geri. And Mum gets angry at them when they’re gone, but then she holds another party and invites the same people again.”
Geri shook her head. At first she had been glad that Tricia was finally trying harder to supplement her income from her job working in an ice cream shop, but she was doing it all wrong. Tricia wanted to make people believe she was already successful in her multilevel marketing business so she could entice them to either sign up as sellers under her, or at least buy a few items. But she was obviously not getting many bites and was spending more than she was earning.
“Listen, Maddie. For this coming excursion, I’ll pay the school direct because I want you to go.”
“Oh, thanks, Auntie Geri!”
“Do you need anything else?”
“No. Don’t worry about us. You’re giving us more than enough already. You have to look after yourself too.”
Geri’s eyes watered, her heart aching for her niece. How could a child be more mature than her mother?
The Unmasked CEO (Captured by Love Book 7) Page 3
