Ruthless Love

by Demi Damson

  “Oh, thank God.” She gave him a nervous smile. “I mean, I’m glad you like it.”

  He got up and circled around her like a judge at a fashion show. The tattoo was intriguing. He would have to ask her about that. But now was not the time. “Your outfit is perfect. And you look absolutely stunning.”

  “Well, that’s a relief.” Her voice was full of sarcasm. She acted like she didn’t care but her cheeks had flushed a fetching color of pink. He was pretty sure she wanted him to like what he saw. And he did. He also liked the fact that at the end of the weekend, she was going to simply disappear out of his life. He would never admit it to Buddy, but it was just what he needed.

  “I realized I didn’t have your number,” he said. “Or really anything except your name.” He had her though, which was all he really needed. Thank Christ, he managed to avoid saying such a stupid thought out loud.

  She furrowed her brow and rummaged through her hand bag, pulling out a cheap-looking black phone. “I just have to look up my number.”

  He watched her poke at it. What kind of working woman didn’t know her own phone number? That couldn’t be good for business. Or maybe she changed it often. She eventually found it and added his to her phone at the same time.

  He was surprised at his impatience considering how long he’d been avoiding going home. Now he just wanted the weekend to start. “Right, come on, let’s get out of here.” The truth was, he was actually looking forward to this trip. He reached out to take her hand. She looked at it and then at him. She picked up her suitcase pointedly ignoring his hand. Oh, it was like that, was it?

  “Sorry,” he mumbled. He’d never have guessed an escort could be so prickly! He grabbed his briefcase with a sigh and let her out the door. Getting her to loosen up would be a challenge but it was one he was happy to take on.

  Chapter Seven

  Haven Or Bust

  Charlotte followed behind Jordan, dragging her wheelie suitcase behind her, filled with six (!) outfits for one short weekend, along with some comfy clothes and something to work out in, in case there was a gym. Usually she would make do with a pair of jeans and three t-shirts for the weekend but apparently, that’s not the way things were done in Haven. She smoothed her dress, which cost more than she’d spent on groceries in a month. She had been stunned to see how much money he’d given her and committed to spending it all on clothes, like he’d asked. She needed to look the part. It was silly, really, but she didn’t want to let him down.

  She was already wondering if she was going to regret this. He was being very charming at the moment but she knew it was only an act. She needed to watch herself around him and be careful not to relax. Which was difficult when he was flirting with her like that. He was such a super focused person. When he looked at her, he really looked at her. It was like being caught in the spotlights. Or like a lighthouse suddenly flaring and then moving on. Yes, that was a better analogy entirely. She just had to stop freezing up every time he paid her attention.

  He stopped in front of a tiny red sports car. She blinked. “This? This is your car?”

  “McLaren 675LT Coupe,” he said proudly.

  She looked at her suitcase dubiously and then back at him.

  “It has more space than it looks like,” he said. He opened the hood where, to her surprise, instead of an engine was storage space, some sort of front trunk.

  They sped down the freeway at much higher than the speed limit. She held onto the edge of the seat, literally, trying not to let her fear show.

  He noticed. “Don’t worry. This car has great airbags.”

  “Great.” Charlotte closed her eyes and tried not to think about the speed of the curves. “Who all is going to be there this weekend?”

  “George of course, and Lauren.”

  “You call your father by his first name?”

  He nodded and she saw something hard at the back of his eyes. “Always have.” His jaw tensed and then relaxed again. “There’s the Millers, they live next door. Mrs. Liebowitz. Maybe Mrs. Butrey, if she invites herself. I don’t really know. No one very exciting.”

  Well, except his father. But she couldn’t very well tell him that. She had never met George Lovett—thank goodness, or else she couldn’t have done this. She’d seen photographs though. Jordan had the same firm jaw and intense stare. He was more handsome and smiley, or at least he seemed to be. Charming. She couldn’t imagine George Lovett ever even trying to be charming. Still Jordan had always had it easy. He never had to want for anything. He was probably spoiled rotten as a child. And now here he was, CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company. He was a man who had everything.

  “Take a photograph, it lasts longer.” He grinned at her. “I don’t mind you looking.”

  He was a jerk, that’s what he was. She twisted in the seat and looked resolutely out of the passenger window.

  “Sorry,” he said. “But when you look at me like that. Well, it was either that or kiss you.”

  Her mouth fell open. “I’m sorry, I think I misunderstood what you just said.”

  “When you get that look on your face, all probing and pensive. When you concentrate, your mouth opens a little bit. It’s just too tempting...” His words trailed off.

  She forgot how to breath for a moment and then bit her bottom lip viciously to force herself to recover. “Was I pensive?” No way was she going to give him the pleasure of seeing how flustered he could make her with just a few words. “I was just wondering about what it must be like, to be so privileged and rich, you never have to worry about a thing.” She cut her eyes in his direction. “I imagine it makes for a very shallow person.”

  His jaw tightened. Good, she got him. His ego was huge, she couldn’t feel bad about putting him into his place.

  He glared at her. “Do you think you can manage to go through the weekend without direct insults? As it is, no one would ever believe you were choosing to share my company.”

  She did feel a little bit bad. “I promise, I’ll be all sweetness and light in front of your family.” The idea of hanging on his arm did something funny to her heartbeat. She hadn’t really thought through how this was going to work.

  “Sweetness and light? I’ll believe it when I see it.” But he was laughing. “As long as you aren’t outright cutting and snide, I’ll settle for that.” Then he gave her a sideways glance. “Although maybe one small kiss wouldn’t go amiss?”

  “I’ll thank you to keep your eyes on the road,” she snapped. Her heart was positively racing now. She needed to change the subject. “I read an article this morning that your company is in court for a negligence case.”

  “You read the news?”

  What the hell was with this asshole? Did he seriously think women didn’t read newspapers? Charlotte had thought it would be easy to make it through the weekend but the urge to tell him off was growing by the minute.

  “Yes,” she said, keeping her voice calm. “I read the news. And in the news, I read an article about Lovett Industries.” She spoke with the singsong voice of a Kindergarten teacher. “The article said there was a court case against the company.”

  “Ok, I’m sorry, that’s totally a stereotype and it was a stupid thing to say.”

  “Yes, it was.”

  “I apologize. The case, well.” He shrugged. “It’s not that big a deal. Some guy screwed up, wasn’t following procedure. Now he’s trying to blame us. The tech director is dealing with the lawyers on that one but it’s a standard thing, sue-happy lawyers leading some poor guy to believe corporates are a quick and easy way to make money fast. The more press they can get, the better, because we’ve got the IPO coming up. The company is going public, with shares on the—”

  “I know what an IPO is. You figure there’s no chance the company might have messed up?” She struggled to keep the sarcasm out of her voice but he didn’t seem to notice.

  “Yeah, it’s fine. Buddy’s got it under control.”

  Buddy? She remembered at the last mi
nute that she was supposed to know him already. “Have you known him long?” That seemed like a safe enough question.

  “Oh yes, all my life. He’s been with Lovett since the company started. He was George’s right-hand man.”

  No mention of her father, she noticed. “How did the company start?” She managed to keep her voice light.

  “George started it up in the mid-1990s. He started off in transport vehicle maintenance, dabbled in a bunch of things, bought up some smaller companies. One of those companies had a bunch of land. He got lucky with property investment initially. He picked up a piece of land which turned out to be worth millions. It’s his favorite rags to riches story, I’m sure he’ll tell you about it this weekend.”

  “Got lucky, huh?” She clamped her teeth down to keep from saying anything more. Stole the land from the company, then used the proceeds to kick out his partner, Owen Nichols. Rags to riches all right, by stomping over everyone in his way.

  Charlotte opened her window until the loud wind blowing through the tiny car removed the temptation to try to speak to him again.

  She’d run out of safe subjects to draw him out on. Clearly, it wasn’t possible to have a conversation with Jordan without getting enraged. She would just have to try to make it through the weekend without talking to him.

  Chapter Eight

  Meeting the Family

  The “family home” was a large cream-colored mansion fronted by a green garden with white columns and bushes trimmed into perfect little globes. The path to the front door was made of white gravel—was it quartz?—so pristine she barely dared walk on it. The wooden door, twice the size of the entrance to her apartment complex, swung open as they walked towards it.

  “Jordan!” A curly-hair woman in an apron beamed at him, a tea cloth clenched in her hands. Was this the wicked step-mother to be? She certainly didn’t look like it. Jordan stepped past Charlotte and hugged her. “Maria! How are you? How is your granddaughter?”

  “She’s beautiful and a terror,” she said. “I made you some pastries. They are in the front room; your father will be down in a minute.”

  “You are the best!” He turned. “This is my, um, friend, Charlotte. She’s staying for the weekend. Charlotte, this is Maria.”

  Maria looked Charlotte up and down critically but clearly withheld judgement. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Hot Chocolate?”

  Charlotte shook her head no and then dashed to catch up with Jordan who was already walking away. Was this their house-keeper? Jordan seemed pretty casual with her. Not how Charlotte imagined he would be at all. The woman clearly adored him.

  “Jordan!” A woman called his name in a loud long squeak but all Charlotte could see was a blur of blonde hair and bright pink lip gloss as the woman launched herself at him. “You are here! We’ve been waiting for you!” She kissed both of Jordan’s cheeks three times with an extravagant mwah and then held his face as she looked at him. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”

  Jordan stood ramrod straight, not returning her exuberance at all. The young woman didn’t seem to mind, though. She chattered happily at him for another minute or two, it felt like forever, before looking over his shoulder and acknowledging Charlotte’s presence. “Oh, and who is this then? Is this that new friend you told me about?” She pronounced the word as if it were an insect she’d found clinging to her long hair. “Darling! I don’t think Jordan mentioned your name.”

  Charlotte forced a smile. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Charlotte.”

  “Oh yes, Charlie, that’s right!” There was no way she could have misunderstood. “Step up, darling, let’s take a look at you.”

  Charlotte stepped forward and stretched out her hand to shake but the woman ignored it and stepped forward to give Charlotte two air-kisses somewhere in the region of her cheeks, the loud mwah sounding in her ears. “Well! Aren’t you a sweet little thing? Well, I guess not that little. What’s the word? Rubinesque. Come in, come in.” She whirled around and took Jordan’s arm, leading him into the next room.

  Charlotte stood there for a moment, bug-eyed, before eventually stepping forward to join them.

  The room was lit by candles in every corner with a wood-burning fire lit in the far corner. One dim center lamp balanced out the shadows. There was a long white and silver sofa and two matching chairs. To the side was one large leather arm chair with a man in an old-fashioned suit. He could only be Mr. George Lovett himself. He stood as Charlotte entered and crossed the room towards them.

  “Well, Jordan, I’m glad you could make it to visit your old man, eventually.” George Lovett was a tall and broad-shouldered man whose posture belied his cloudy eyes and white tufts of hair. “And you must be Charlotte. Jordan hasn’t told me about you yet, young lady.” This was not a man who would surrender to old age gracefully. He walked slowly and carefully but with his head held high.

  Charlotte couldn’t help but resent him for it as she thought about her own father, who walked like the world had beaten him down. At the same time, she couldn’t imagine her father being partners with Mr. Lovett. The man exuded power and a lack of patience, exactly the opposite of Owen Nichols.

  She rubbed her tattoo self-consciously, aware she was out of her league with this man. He was watching her carefully, probably considering whether she was good enough for his son. She was grateful to Jordan for the new outfit, even though her hair was probably a mess after the open window in the sports car. She wiped her hands on her skirt and stuck one out. “I’m happy to meet you, Mr. Lovett.” She felt pretty sure he wasn’t going to do the air-kiss thing.

  He nodded without taking her hand and turned to Jordan. She put her hand down again. It could have gone better but presumably she wasn’t going to be thrown out on the spot. “Jordan, I hear troubling things from the office. I have been wanting to speak to you.”

  “Give me a chance, George.” Jordan’s voice sounded tight and when she turned to look at him, she saw his jaw was clenched. Not looking forward to catching up with his dearest father, apparently? “I’ve just walked in the door. Come on, Charlotte, let’s get the bags.”

  She responded in a bright and chipper voice. “Ok, honey!” She meant to make him laugh but instead he just threw her a dirty look and stormed into the hallway.

  She half ran to keep up with him, petrified she was going to stumble in her high heels. Why had she thought this was a good idea? It was going to be a very long weekend.

  Chapter Nine

  Sleeping Single In A Double Bed

  Charlotte followed Jordan up the stairs and then froze in the bedroom door. She was an imbecile. How could she have been so stupid as to not even consider sleeping arrangements. But now here she was, staring at the biggest double bed she’d ever seen. It was at least six feet across. Truth was, she probably could share that bed with another person and not even know they were there. But she didn’t think she could sleep knowing Jordan was lying next to her, even if he stayed on the edge of the bed.

  Jordan dropped the bags in the center of the room and grinned at her. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite. Also, there’s a sofa for me to sleep on.”

  Some stupid part of her brain made her open her mouth to argue. “Oh no! It’s your house, I can’t kick you out of your bed.”

  “Is that an invitation?” His eyes glinted and her breath caught.

  Ruthless, you silly woman. Just take the bed. But the words kept coming out of her mouth wrong. “No, I mean I don’t mind sleeping on the sofa.”

  Jordan just laughed. “Don’t worry, it pulls out. I won’t be the least bit uncomfortable.”

  They had a spare bed in their spare bedroom? It was bad enough the room was almost as big as her apartment. “But won’t the housekeeper notice?”

  “Maria won’t say anything. And as for the others, well, we’ll just have to give them something to talk about.” He took her hand and pulled her towards the bed.

  “What are you...” Charlotte opened and closed her mouth, unab
le to even finish the sentence.

  “C’mon, kick your heels off. Want me to undo the buckles?” He knelt in front of her.

  She stepped back and kept stepping back until her back was against the wall. “What are you doing?”

  “I would never have guessed you would be so slow to take your clothes off! Just your shoes, Charlotte, I promise.”

  She shot him a look as the pink flushed over her face. Clearly, he knew exactly what she was thinking. Still scowling, she pulled off the high heels but couldn’t hold back a little sigh of relief as her stockinged feet hit the soft carpet. Her feet were exhausted.

  Jordan pulled her towards the bed. Before she got a chance to object, he stepped up onto it and tugged at her hand. “Come on up. What, you’ve never jumped on the bed before?”

  “You can’t do that!”

  “I can! And they’ll hear the squeaking mattress all through the house.” He grinned and then bounced up and down carefully. “I admit, it’s been a while. Since I jumped, I mean. I used to sneak in here when I was small.” He reached his hand down again and this time she took it, stepping up onto the bed.

  “Is this really a good idea?” He cut her off by jumping right next to her. Instinctively she reached out for him to steady herself.

  “C’mon, jump!” She tried an unsteady bounce. He took both her hands and began jumping up and down again. “Come on, Charlotte. Live a little! What, are you too grown up for this?”

  Charlotte couldn’t help it, she started laughing and then she started jumping too. They held hands, jumping up and down in tandem and laughing until she lost her balance and tumbled onto the bed. He tried to jump back to avoid her and lost his balance and the next thing Charlotte knew, they were both lying on the bed laughing their heads off. Then she became aware of their tangled legs and the fact that she was lying with him on the big bed. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest; she felt sure he could hear it.