You don’t shit where you eat, the old adage reared its head and planted itself firmly in her brain because she’d done exactly that, took a huge steaming dump right in the middle of her supposed life. She enjoyed every single second of his touch on her skin and in her body. Craved more of his touch like lungs craved air and fish craved water. Needed it. From him. Only him. Julius Morgan.
Shit!
She dressed, a different black suit, matched with a button-down white shirt and low heels completed her attire. Her rat’s nest of hair was hopeless after the pool and shower. A deep condition would fix it, which she had no time to indulge. Some gel and a stiff brush and her hair went back into its usual bun.
Luggage in hand, she paused at the bedroom door, her hand on the knob. Butterflies raced around her fluttering stomach. Throwing up was a definite possibility, all because she had to see him. A deep breath steadied her queasiness. This wasn’t her. She didn’t get queasy. But he did something to her, throwing her off balance was the least of it. Yeah, she wanted him. Lying to herself was pointless, but she’d been attracted to many men over the years. None she’d worked for, and she’d worked for more than a few attractive men.
It wasn’t that Julius was so gorgeous she couldn’t help herself. He was just…more in a way she couldn’t describe. More in a way investigating deeper was dangerous to her well-being. She needed this job. Her mother needed Calista to keep this job. But what happened last night couldn’t happen again. It wouldn’t.
There was only one thing she could do.
She found him in the dining room enjoying breakfast, along with everyone else. Thank God, she thought as good mornings were thrown her way.
“Morning,” she murmured, removing the “good.” Her gaze skidded around Julius, intentionally avoiding eye contact. He had no problem staring at her. Obvious much!
“Ms. Coleman, would you like some breakfast?” Charles had a plate in hand and a breakfast buffet arranged with anything she could possibly want.
“Thank you, Charles, but no. I’m fine.” She turned to the men at the table. “The pilot sent me a message. We have a departure window in two hours. Unless you have other plans in England, we should head to the airport.”
Attention swung back to Julius. “We were waiting for you to wake.” He stood, his commanding presence sucking all the oxygen out of the room. The men filed out, leading the way to the garage. Silently, she walked next to Julius, aware of his every movement, as he was aware of hers. She’d have to be blind to miss his shifting gaze touching her every few seconds.
At least he didn’t blurt out their personal business in front of the others. The last thing she needed was the attention and to be a distraction. The primary reason not to get involved with a client, besides the fact nothing good ever came out of such a liaison. Her existence proved it.
He held the car door open for her to slide inside, the second time he’d done something similar. The gesture made her uncomfortable. Her job was to make sure her client got into the building, room, or vehicle safely. Not the other way around, even if it made her heart flutter and her insides warm.
“Something wrong?” he asked, waiting.
“Um.” Julius wasn’t the only one waiting for her to enter the car. The others waited too, looking at her expectantly. “No,” she muttered, and folded herself into the seat.
There’s a first time for everything, she thought as Julius walked around the back of the car and entered. She didn’t know what to expect but silence wasn’t it. She should be grateful, instead, legs crossed, hands folded in her lap, she struggled not to fidget while he tapped away on a tablet, ignoring her.
That’s what she wanted, right?
Ignoring her was good. It meant their relationship was the way it should be. Strictly professional.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, focusing on his tablet.
She glanced at Sunny and Rhodes in the front of the car. There was only so much she could say, though his question was benign. “I slept well,” she murmured. After that orgasm, she’d slept like the dead. A ripple went through her core.
Don’t squirm. Don’t squirm.
“And you? Did you sleep well?” Doubtful with how hard his cock had been. So close she’d been to unzipping his pants and spreading her legs. Jesus! This time she did squirm, subtly shifting to look out the window while between her legs she slickened.
“No. The mattress wasn’t as comfortable as I’d hoped. It was hard, and uncomfortable.”
She knew exactly what was hard and uncomfortable. Her gaze cut to Rhodes and Sunny. They didn’t have a clue, did they? Not much embarrassed her, but this did. Innuendo and rumors usually didn’t bother her. Thirty years had made her skin thick enough to withstand the deepest barbs. Losing the respect of her fellow bodyguards over a moment of madness, a poor choice in a one-night stand, was not what she wanted. She’d earned their respect and losing it would hurt.
What happened last night could not happen again. She had too much to lose.
Calista waited until they were airborne and at cruising altitude. The men were up front watching a movie and playing cards. Julius was mid-plane at his desk. She had no idea what he worked on. Great personal assistant, she was.
The attendant came by with the coffee she had requested and offered to make her breakfast. Her stomach growled but maybe later. Right now, she couldn’t hold anything but coffee down. With the men occupied, there wouldn’t be a better time to have this conversation, regardless of her nerves.
He didn’t look up when she took the seat opposite him, but he knew she was there, waiting. “What are you working on?” She started. “Is there anything I need to know in my duties as your pretend personal assistant? Anything I can help you with?”
Finally, he gave her his attention. She stilled as his heated gaze took her in. If her skin were paler, he’d see her blushing under his scrutiny. As it was, she couldn’t help shifting in the chair. He made her antsy, nervous, off balance when he stared at her all possessive.
His gaze shifted over her shoulder to the men. Scotts had beaten Sunny at cards and he wasn’t happy. Rhodes and Edwards were lost in the latest Fast and Furious movie. At least they were occupied and not paying any attention to them.
“We’re going home. New York.”
Good. She didn’t mind traveling, visiting new places, especially with Laverne helping out with her mother, but she would always be a New Yorker. “It’ll be nice to get back to the city.”
“We’re not going to the city. We’re going to Montauk.”
Playground of the wealthy and famous.
“I have business and pleasure there.”
Her brain locked on one particular word. “Pleasure?” A smirk twisted his lips, lips she’d kissed and wanted to do so again.
“Yes. Pleasure. Nasir, one of the few friends I have, is having a birthday gala. Because of the shooting, he’s not expecting me.”
“It’ll be a nice surprise.”
“Hmm,” he murmured, and went back to his laptop.
“Where are we staying?”
“My home.”
She was about to ask how many homes he had when she checked herself. She’d come over here for one thing and it wasn’t to find out how many damn homes he had.
“Is there a problem?” Julius studied her instead of what was on his laptop.
How could he think there wasn’t a problem? “Yes.” She kept her voice low. “It’s definitely a problem, especially if we—” What the hell was I about to say? We? There is no we.
Elbows on the desk, Julius leaned in, his voice deep. “Finish what you were about to say. If we what? Continue where we left off last night? If I hadn’t tucked you in bed and walked away? Go on. Finish it,” he demanded.
That’s precisely what she planned on doing. “I think I should resign.”
“No,” he said vehemently.
“I have a rule—”
“To hell with your rules!” he said a bit too loud f
or her liking.
She glanced over her shoulder, afraid she’d find all eyes on them.
He scoffed. “They’re not paying us any attention. Now finish it. We, what?”
“We nothing. There is no we and what happened last night won’t happen again.” Desperate to believe it, she put as much conviction into her voice as she could.
“You’re sure about that?” He closed the laptop and rested his elbows on the table again.
Did he think that would intimidate her? Well it didn’t. “I wouldn’t have said it if I weren’t.” She refused to back down. Resigning was the right thing to do. “When we land—”
“You’re not resigning. You can’t afford to.” Cold and calculating was his expression.
“Excuse me?”
“Your mother’s in Lakehurst, an assisted living facility on Long Island. Social Security pays a small fraction, but the bulk is on you.” He sat back in his comfortable leather chair. “The place isn’t cheap, mid-range is a good description. There are better places upstate and in Jersey that you can now afford with your new salary. There’s an even better one in Rockland County.”
She knew which one he referenced. Even with her new salary, it was still outside her price range, especially with her mother needing twenty-four-hour care.
“I can pull some strings, reach out to get your mother in there, if you’d like.”
The offer was tempting, but she refused to be indebted to anyone. Also, How did he know about my mother and what I can afford? Then she remembered the dossier he had during her job interview. Vetting employees was an excellent practice, yet she felt violated. She didn’t need him pointing out what she couldn’t afford, even if he meant well.
“Knowing about my parental obligations and how broke I am is none of your damn business.” She wasn’t a screamer, but right now she wanted to lean over his desk, fist his shirt, and ventilate the plane with his head.
“It is my business. I need to know if one of my employees is susceptible to blackmail or thievery or kidnapping. Do they have any untoward vices, unsavory family members? Anything adverse that could affect me or my business, I need to know.”
Understandable. She agreed with everything he’d said. She couldn’t fault his judgement, not one bit. Except, he was talking about her and not some random person. A background check was one thing. Knowing how desperate she needed this job was humiliating. “So now you know I’m broke.”
“With what I’m paying you, you’re not broke.”
“That’s not the point and you know it!” She clutched the chair to remain seated.
The volume on the TV reduced and, “Everything alright over there?” Rhodes asked.
Julius cocked his head to the side and raised a single eyebrow. He watched and waited for her to answer.
Bastard.
She turned and faced the men, giving her full attention to Rhodes. “Everything’s fine.” None of them needed to know more. She sat back in the chair, weary. It had been a long time since she argued with someone, someone she…
Calista stood. She looked down at Julius from her temporary vantage point. It was his turn to glare at her with that neutral expression she’d perfected over the years. Not much fun being on the receiving end of it.
“Mr. Morgan.”
He sighed, sadness flickering in his brown eyes, and opened his laptop. “Ms. Coleman.”
Back to her seat in the middle of the plane she went. The trip home was long, and she had a decision to make.
Chapter 19
One week spent on the beach in sunny Montauk, what more could anyone ask for, even if they were on call twenty-four hours. Especially when the accommodations were absolutely gorgeous. Julius’ mansion was all white stone and black marble. Seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, sauna, infinity pool outside of the master bedroom, theatre room, servant and guest quarters. Fifty feet of stairs lead to the beach and deep blue ocean. It was a nice distraction after visiting her mother and seeing her rapid decline. Laverne swore nothing had changed, but distance brought perspective. Laverne spent more time with Mavis than her daughter. Visiting weeks apart, the changes in her mother were startling, frightening, and there was nothing Calista could do about it.
“Is your room adequate?” Julius asked when they had arrived. He’d emerged from his master bedroom, which was next to hers.
“The room is lovely.” Done in different shades of taupe, the bed an elaborate piece to resembling bleached driftwood draped with gauzy curtains, it was too beautiful for a staff member and too close to his room. “I think one of the other bedrooms, one for the staff would be more suitable.”
“I disagree.” Was all he had said on the matter.
She thought they’d come to the tip of Long Island to work. It didn’t take her long to realize it was more of a working vacation. Julius took calls, met with Meckler and Newsome, but mainly he recuperated.
Every morning at 6:00 a.m., they went for a walk on the beach, which progressed into a run. Two bodyguards and Calista with Julius. It hadn’t been easy. Julius fought his body for every inch of sand, but he did it and she couldn’t be prouder. Presently, they were up to five miles. The breathing difficulties seemed to be behind him. Yet, she believed Julius was pushing himself unnecessarily. What was he trying to prove? And to whom?
The weight room came after their run. All the men hitting the machines. She chose yoga. The meditative state helped her focus on Julius because he was all she could think about. Every opportunity, she studied the man, from the quirk of his eyebrows to how his brow furrowed when he concentrated. His frowns which ranged from hunger to pissed off, the different stages of his beard. After a week in Montauk it shaded his lean cheeks, sharp jawline, and aggressive chin. She couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel on her skin, brushing across her nipples, on her inner thighs. The way his body moved. His predatory gait had returned, the same gait that caught her eye at Harden’s club. The shooting had left Julius hunched over, in so much pain it hurt for him to straighten. Though he tried to hide it, it was plain to see.
She was surprised when he’d joined their combat drills. Bodyguards needed their skills sharp and what better way to achieve that goal than trying to kill each other through hand to hand combat. She had no qualms sparing with any of them, even Sunny who dwarfed her by eight inches. After having his big body pin her to the mat five times in a row, she climbed to her feet, and said, “I refuse to waste my time trying to take down anyone as big as you when a bullet to both knees will work just fine.”
Julius joined the sessions, learning a few take down moves even though he was no slouch. He held his own and pushed himself to do more. But like a mother hen protecting her chick, Calista had nixed that idea, much to everyone’s chagrin, particularly Rhodes who glared at her.
“Come on, Mom!” Scotts whined like an adolescent girl, earning chuckles from the men and a frosty glare from Calista.
“The man was shot. Lost a kidney and a chunk of his lung. I’m not being unreasonable.” Or overprotective. That conversation had led to a discussion about guns and a trip to a gun range in New Jersey.
Again, he was no slouch. He knew how to handle a gun. “With the friends I have, I better know how to fire a weapon,” Julius said.
She had no right to question his meaning, it was none of her business who populated his inner circle. It was enough to know Harden was a member and he had already cost Julius body parts.
The Glock 17 favored by Scotts. Edwards preferred the Heckler & Koch USP Elite. Sunny rocked a Desert Eagle 1911 for his large hands. Calista’s go-to weapon was a Sig P210, the best 9mm on the market for accuracy. Her back up pistol was the Rohrbaugh R9 Stealth Elite.
Julius fired all of them. The first few shots were sloppy misses. Once he settled his breathing and relaxed his muscles, he proved he knew what he was doing. Sixty percent of his shots were center mass, thirty percent head shots, the rest were misses and nonlethal. In the end, he’d filled out the forms for the background c
heck with the intent to purchase the H&K USP Elite. The wait could be months… for those not worth billions.
Today, metal slamming against metal mingled and echoed with soft grunts. The sounds drew her attention to the man on the chest press in the rear corner of the room.
It gave her a chance to absorb the full impact of the man. This was not the man who’d been shot and was bleeding out on a New York sidewalk. This was the man she glimpsed in the club striding past her, looking impossibly masculine enough to make her entire body clench with an intense flash of desire before she forcibly dismissed the sensation.
He was deliciously ripped. Corded muscles strained under three hundred pounds of weight. Pecs, abs, deltoids, biceps, triceps, he was the entire package, including the biker shorts that left nothing, absolutely nothing, to the imagination. Her gaze landed between his legs, ogling the bulge, and darted away, flustered. Damn!
She focused on his neck, straining as he continued pushing the weight off his chest into the air. A thick vein traveled up his arm from his elbow, branching at several places, then vanishing near his armpit. His powerful shoulders flexed with each rep. Silently, she rooted him on, counting in her head. She made it to ten when his elbows locked, the weight hovered over his head for a second, then rested in the cradle. Chest heaving from the exertion, his abs curled as he sat up. He lifted the edge of the shirt clinging to his torso to swipe his brow, affording her a glimpse of the scar healing on his flank and the sweat coasting between the grooves of his abs. She’d never been jealous of sweat, never found it fascinating…until now.
He’d regained muscle mass the shooting had stolen from him. The determination impressed her, which it probably shouldn’t. He didn’t become a billionaire by sleeping in.
She couldn’t help but stare longer than was decent until he broke the spell when he grabbed a towel off the floor and mopped up while moving past her toward the water cooler.
Heat radiated off him, along with a hint of musk she found mouthwatering. Her libido liked him before. Now, it found him irresistible. Her nipples drew taut, her pussy slick. Exhaling slowly, she shoved the burst of lust away.
Plain Jane and the Billionaire (Plain Jane Series) Page 13
