Perfume Girl

by Vanessa Fewings

  Raquel’s long brunette locks were being ruffled by the wind, and the freckles sprinkled across her nose made her look like an all American girl; though remnants of her English heritage lingered in her porcelain complexion, her cheeks made rosy by the brisk breeze. The unassuming way she assessed the guests was endearing, but she knew she was beautiful.

  I strolled toward her. “Good timing. We’re about to launch.”

  “I’m not staying.”

  “Well, that’s disappointing.” I smiled anyway.

  The yacht suddenly rocked beneath us and she slammed into me, clinging to my chest as she regained her balance. She fit too well against me, and I let her rest there for a moment.

  Wrapping my hands around her waist, I eased her back. “Steady, Mrs. Wren.”

  She blushed wildly as she stepped back. “Sorry.”

  “You’re forgiven.” I fought the temptation to steal a kiss and draw the truth from her.

  “It’s Miss, now. Wren’s my maiden name.”

  I raised my sunglasses, wanting her to see the steeliness in my gaze and heed the warning. I wasn’t about to fall for her ruse.

  “Tell them not to leave yet.” She sounded breathless.

  “I’m the one taking us out.”

  “Oh, okay.” She looked around, her expression uncomfortable.

  I detected that maddening scent of hers, the same one that’d had me thinking about her since she’d left my property. Something else lingered too; I tried to place the flowers.

  She glanced up at me. “Do you have a few minutes?”

  “Sure.” I glanced toward the marina. “That was your ex?”

  “Unfortunately.” Regret flashed across Raquel’s face.

  The same man in the happy photos she’d once posted on Facebook, but something—or someone—had caused their relationship to come to an abrupt end. I had to assume that “someone” was the woman with him on the dock. Embry’s face was familiar and I tried to recall where I’d seen her before.

  “It was nice of you to invite me.”

  I took her arm and led her toward the balustrade. “Are you here to say yes?”

  “To what?”

  “The job offer.”

  “You haven’t even seen my résumé,” she said. “Sure you don’t want to take a look at it first?”

  “When we met you assured me that you are the best.”

  She was doing that thing with her mouth again, that pout, and it had been what had weakened my resolve last time and prevented me from seeing through her game.

  “Let’s be honest,” she said, as she leaned against the railing, “you don’t know much about me.”

  I shoved my hands in my pockets. “I know you own Perfume Girl.”

  She blinked in surprise and looked as though she was searching for something to say.

  “I had to wonder why you would be at my place for an interview, if that’s the case,” I added.

  “I’m thinking… of closing it.”

  “You’re having financial issues?” And then I realized her predicament. “Your husband owns half the store?”

  She broke my gaze, realizing I knew more about her than I’d initially let on. These are the consequences of you coming to my home uninvited, Raquel.

  And there would be more…though I wasn’t in the habit of seducing corporate spies. I let myself imagine the way her body would react to mine, the way she’d resist her desires at first, fight against my control, but then she’d have no choice but to surrender.

  I wondered how much Raquel had been offered by Dazzle and Bazaar to infiltrate my lab. They had no doubt offered her the kind of money that would save her store. Right there was her motivation. My contact at D&B had informed me that Ms. Wren had attended a meeting with Anna Rosenthal. That phone call had ruined my day.

  “How come you’re here?” she asked. “In this harbor?”

  “Champagne run.”

  She stared at me, and I held her gaze.

  With a nod, she looked away. “This is a nice yacht. Why do you need another boat? I mean the one inside it?”

  “For speed, of course.” I leaned toward her. “Thirsty?”

  “Excuse me?”

  I smiled. “Champagne?”

  “Well, as you went to all this trouble.”

  “No trouble.” I fought this irrational desire to pin her against the wall and press my body against hers. “Wait here, please.”

  “Yes, sir, Captain,” she replied, smirking.

  I rounded the boat until I was out of sight and rested my back against the dome, trying to get a handle on my feelings and fight off the effects of her sultriness. No one had gotten under my skin like this before. I desired nothing more than to turn back and demand the truth from her…

  Raquel was flirting into my consciousness and my cock was quick to alert me to the danger of her seductive prowess. I was usually immune to this kind of attack. I shifted myself in my pants so the pull wasn’t obvious. I knew how to curb this ache—all I had to do was lead her off to one of my private cabins, bury myself deep inside her and bang her into blinding pleasure until she confessed.

  My counterattack would leave her spent and moaning. Within an hour I’d have cracked her secret wide open. I was willing to go that far if necessary.

  Ignoring all of my other guests, I headed off to fetch our drinks with that idea burning up my brain with its ingenuity—and with my dick in full agreement.

  As I was carrying two flutes of champagne back to Raquel, I heard Penelope’s voice coming from around the corner, and I paused for a second. When I joined them they looked like they were having a strained conversation.

  “I see you’ve met my sister?” I handed Raquel a glass of Veuve Clicquot.

  She immediately took a long sip as though needing more courage.

  Penelope’s voice rose. “Did you invite her?”

  I smiled. “Why, yes, as a matter of fact. Allow me to introduce Raquel Wren.”

  Penelope’s eyes widened as she realized this was the woman I’d told her about—the same one who had lied about having an appointment with her.

  I took a sip of ice-cold champagne. “This is the chemist I was telling you about,” I threw in for my own amusement.

  I wondered how well Raquel would cope with being trapped in the same space as my sibling. Leaving them alone to talk would be cruel, but I craved the entertainment of throwing this pretty woman at Penelope.

  I walked away.

  “Mr. Beauregard,” Raquel blurted out. “I’ll take the job.”

  When I turned around, I saw a fissure of doubt shudder through her.

  Penelope had gone pale. “What?”

  My sister ought to know I could handle this; she needn’t worry.

  “When would you like me to start?” asked Raquel, with a stone-faced expression.

  Penelope’s eyes blazed with anger.

  Raquel was going for the in and I wasn’t sure whether to praise or punish her for such an obvious play. It wasn’t so much as a trap as it was an invitation from me to step into a place where I could get to know more about her and keep tabs on her. Then I would find the source of this betrayal.

  “Leave us,” I snapped the order at Penelope.

  “Why?”

  My patience had run out ten minutes ago. I moved swiftly and grabbed Raquel’s wrist, pulling her away from my sister until we reached a private cabin door. I opened it and gestured her inside before following.

  “You looked like you needed saving,” I said.

  “I can hold my own.”

  “Still.” I set my drink on a side table.

  “Maybe Penelope’s right to be concerned, Mr. Beauregard.”

  My interest piqued and my cock responded in kind. “Why is that?”

  “Maybe she sees me as competition.” She drew in a steady breath. “There’s only one reason I came aboard and you know what it is.”

  “Actually, I find you somewhat of an enigma.”

  She s
tudied me for what seemed like an eternity and then said, “I will shine at your house.”

  “I believe you will.”

  “I can deliver anything your heart desires,” she said, smiling. “Just say what it is you want and I will create a scent that will astound you. I will bring you nectar from the gods.”

  “Is that all, then?” I teased. Then my expression became serious. “Why are you accepting my offer now?”

  “How do you mean?”

  “You still own your business.”

  She set her drink next to mine. “I have to close by the end of the month.”

  “Perhaps a generous salary would keep it afloat?”

  “That wouldn’t cover it.”

  “I see. I’m sorry it didn’t work out. Many businesses don’t. And perfumery is a tough one.”

  She ran her hands through her tousled hair, as though reflecting on what she could have done differently.

  “Raquel, I need to know this is something you really want.”

  “Everything fell apart—” Her gaze locked on mine. “But now it seems to have come together.”

  “Are you certain?”

  Her gaze lowered and then found mine again. “Your colognes are profound, Mr. Beauregard. I’ve always thought that.” She stepped back and turned toward the oval window, her form becoming an erotic silhouette as sunlight flittered over her.

  Her flattery wasn’t needed here. We were a leader in this field and everyone knew it. And that was why people like her had to be stopped before they did any damage.

  Rays caught the highlights in her windswept hair and she looked as bewitching as Guinevere—the woman from that Arthurian legend. She was beautiful, but she undermined a king’s efforts to thrive…to rule.

  But the way she owned her personal wreckage without bitterness, the way she seemed unscathed by life…something told me Damien would realize the mistake he’d made. The moment he’d gotten the other woman out of his system, he’d beg Raquel to take him back.

  She flashed me a warm smile. “I’m open to learning new skills.”

  This was what made dealing with her so perilous; she knew her worth.

  I had run a background check on her and it had turned up some interesting facts on the woman who had gate-crashed my Bridgestone estate. Raquel Wren had studied chemistry at Cambridge. Later, she’d been headhunted by the team over at Parfums De Royale to head up their lab on the East Coast, which was where she’d met Damien, I assumed. She’d thrived there for five years before breaking out on her own.

  What Raquel may not suspect was that I had visited her social media pages. On a few sites she had posted selfies while at this harbor—every single Sunday.

  She may hate spontaneity but that didn’t dampen her bravery. She had built her business from the ground up. Under any other circumstances, I would have been elated by this potential new employee and her verve.

  Raquel stared out the window, appearing distracted. Perhaps she needed a few more seconds to think this through. She was diving into the deep end and something told me she was assessing the risks.

  “It’s a great view,” she finally said, turning around to face me again.

  “Even better out on the ocean.”

  “It was nice of you to invite me. It’s just that…”

  “I understand,” I said softly. “You need some alone time.”

  She looked surprised and then broke into a grateful smile. Raquel’s complexity made me want to pry further. She was a lost island waiting to be explored and God how I wanted to explore her—which was all the more reason to keep her where I could control her.

  “You would have the run of a state-of-the-art lab,” I said, hoping to seal the deal. “The freedom to create.”

  “Sounds ideal.”

  I wasn’t usually the one dealing with potential spies, but I was involved now and that made her my problem. “I have no doubt you’ll be an asset.”

  Her breath caught. “Thank you.”

  “You will have two weeks to live up to my expectations. After that, I will reevaluate.”

  “Only two weeks?”

  Then I’m out of this contract, Wren.

  And so are you.

  I straightened. “Problem?”

  “No, that’s fine. I appreciate the opportunity.”

  Her pleased expression caused a flurry of sensations to run through me. It reminded me of when we’d spent time alone in the stables, the way she’d looked at me then with the same curiosity, her interest piqued as she seemed to peer beyond my physical appearance.

  I had to put those thoughts out of my mind.

  “I look forward to joining The House of Beauregard, Astor.” She went coy. “May I call you that?”

  “In private, yes.”

  Destroying this woman and her threat to my business was going to be a delicious pleasure.

  “Welcome aboard, Ms. Wren. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.” Right before I crush you. “How does this Thursday sound? That gives you enough time to find a place closer to work.”

  “That’s great. Thank you.”

  “One more thing.” I stepped forward and peered down at her. “I’ll even go so far as to personally mentor you.”

  “I’d better go now,” she whispered.

  “I’ll escort you.”

  “No need.” She hurried out the door without looking back.

  I stood there riveted by the exotic scent of daturas. It had taken me a while to figure out what she was wearing, but that poisonous, beautiful flower was unmistakable. Raquel had thought that it alone could lower my defenses. If I knew the cause of this sudden arousal, then I could fight it. It was my strength.

  She’d met her match.

  Yet Raquel was a dichotomy. Her presence had filled the room with light, and now there was a void where she’d been standing—so much so that I re-imagined her there. A shudder of pleasure ran up my spine.

  She could use that voluptuous body of hers with devastating effect, her sensual curves enthralling a man to forget all reason. Her personal scent offered a promise of so much more, and I had to lean against the wall to prevent myself from going after her.

  I needed to cleanse myself of her and there was one quick way to do just that. Moving swiftly through the cabin, I stripped naked when I hit the bathroom and then stepped inside the small cubicle, standing beneath the showerhead.

  I squeezed my eyes shut as a gush of freezing cold water drenched me. I desperately tried to wash off her aura.

  But my mind soon betrayed me with its wild imagining of Raquel’s mouth opening to take mine, willingly accepting my tongue as it ravished hers, me conquering her entirely, me entering her and burying myself deep inside her…Raquel arching her back and screaming my name.

  I rested my forehead against the glass door, my jaw tight with frustration and my breathing ragged. I dared Raquel to risk it all by challenging me. Me.

  My senses were still being ravaged by her exotic datura scent. It had found me again, even in here.

  She was bewitching.

  I had to quell my addiction to this stranger.

  And fast.

  I HAD QUICKLY FOUND A local hotel suitable for a temporary stay in South Beach. And I was learning how to navigate around this grandiose structure where I was now employed.

  The lab was my safe place, and even with its sterility and high-tech equipment it was cozy enough to help me forget that it wasn’t really mine, it was his.

  Soon I would rescue my formula and get back to the life I loved.

  I tried not to think about Astor Beauregard, whose office was above me on the top floor. And I tried not to think about how easily he could seduce a female with that arrogant smirk of his and those deep hazel eyes.

  There were probably a slew of women hanging off his arm when he partied late into the night at those high-end clubs this town was famed for. I wondered what type of companion he preferred. Not that I cared…his private business had nothing to do with me
.

  I just wished Astor wouldn’t look at me with that all-seeing gaze. His glare went right through me—inside me—as though he were searching my soul for answers to an unspoken question.

  He was the kind of man no woman in her right mind would go near. Yet my body rebelled at this logic whenever I was in the same room with him, and it was obviously because he smelled so damn good. His brand of sin was a terrible distraction.

  My focus returned to the marble mortar before me. The Sonata lily petals I’d ground to liquid in the bottom had released the softest hint of lemon; this was innocence captured on the ray of the morning sun.

  Lifting the mortar to my nose, I became lost in the essence of the flower that ancient Greeks had placed upon the heads of innocent brides as a symbol of their hope for a fruitful life. Its allure was purity.

  This lily was free from pollen and kind on those with sensitive skin. It offered a light feminine touch, and with this watery droplet of bluebell oil I added with a squeeze of a pipette, I’d brought a hint of coolness to this sweet distraction.

  I’d create concoctions only in my imagination if I had to…spend my days dreaming up twists on nature that were just as compelling. Stored inside my mind was a haven of gathered memories of the scents I’d collected over the years.

  My happiness faded as I looked around the lab. Here, the pressure to deliver was on everyone’s mind, it seemed. The other ten chemists made little conversation. Although they always sneaked off at ten for their coffee break.

  I’d not yet gotten invited into this clique. Even my supervisor, Arabella, with her turned up nose and pristine attitude, seemed to want to get to know me better before inviting me to join them.

  Like clockwork, everyone headed to the break room except for Arabella, who was finishing up on a call in her corner office. In this sterile environment the people were colder. I couldn’t wait to get back to Perfume Girl where I belonged. For now, my beloved shop had a CLOSED sign on its doors and just the thought of it broke my heart. Still, I was doing all of this for a good reason and in the end it would be worth it.

  Everything screamed superiority in this place, from the vast open-plan foyer that invited in light to chase away the shadows to the monitored entry points. My initial guided tour had included a brief visit to the upper level, but there’d been no sign of him.