Harlequin Desire June 2021--Box Set 1 of 2

by Katherine Garbera

  The guard at the gated community had to check before he let her in but then he cleared her and she drove to the house. She realized that maybe she should have called first but honestly, she knew she needed to start putting all of Zach’s efforts to good use. And she also needed a checklist. Some sort of routine so she did all the things she was supposed to.

  She rang the doorbell and an older lady she hadn’t met the day before answered the door.

  “Hello, you must be Lila. I’m Mrs. Smith, Zach’s housekeeper. I wasn’t sure when to expect you,” she said.

  “I hope I’m not too early. But I ate those delicious croissants and then worried that maybe I was supposed to photograph them...”

  Mrs. Smith started laughing. “Welcome to my world. Glad you liked the pastries. I miss Paris. Normally we go there in the spring. So I made the dough yesterday and whipped up a batch this morning.”

  “You made them? Wow, can you show me how? Is it hard? My mom would literally die if I made homemade croissants,” Lila said.

  “I can. But not today. I think you are scheduled for hair and makeup and—”

  “Everything, Mrs. S,” Zach said, coming down the stairs. She couldn’t help but remember how it had felt to be in his arms last night. This morning, he looked perfectly put together in his designer suit, body-fitting shirt and no tie. He smiled when he saw her, but she noticed that he hesitated when he reached the bottom of the steps.

  She smiled back. She wondered if he felt as unsure of how they moved forward as she did. But then reminded herself this was Zach Benning...ZB...the bad boy who always knew what he was doing. Even when he was doing her? She didn’t want to cheapen herself or what they’d shared, but was it just fun or did he have some other motivation?

  Ugh.

  Why was she having all these doubts this morning?

  “Good morning, Lila,” he said, kissing her on the cheek and whispering in her ear, “You look gorgeous.”

  “Morning, Zach,” she murmured back, looking into his eyes and realizing that she felt way too vulnerable. Even in these new clothes.

  “Come on. Vito wants to show you some hairstyles and then get to work. I’m afraid Shantal is like me and doesn’t usually stir before noon, so she’ll be down later.”

  Mrs. Smith disappeared, Lila assumed to the kitchen to make more fabulous food, and she followed Zach down the hall to a side room where Vito and Dawn were drinking coffee and chatting. They both looked up when she walked in and she wondered if they knew that Zach had spent the night at her place.

  Someone would have had to drive back over with her car... She took a deep breath. She had to be like Zach. Like these new clothes projected. A woman who didn’t worry about who knew what and just lived her life.

  Yeah, she’d do that.

  “So glad you are here,” Vito said. “I have a couple of options for you. Ready to get started?”

  “As I’ll ever be,” she answered, removing her bag from her shoulder. Zach took the Birkin he’d given her and winked at her as he put it on the settee.

  “Love this bag.”

  “Thanks. It’s a bit showy but so is the man who gave it to me.”

  He threw back his head and laughed and for the first time that morning, Lila felt like she was where she needed to be. She was herself again.

  “Let’s do this.”

  * * *

  Zach sat on the settee with Dawn discussing upcoming ad campaigns that he’d agreed to do, sipping a mimosa and trying to ignore Lila and Vito. He hadn’t slept a wink last night but that was his normal so no biggie, right? Except as he’d held her he’d felt a new kind of longing awaken in him. Which was definitely not his normal, so it had weirded him out. So there he was with too much time on his hands and too many thoughts in his mind. He’d gotten out of her bed and her house and driven around Royal, which wasn’t that busy at three in the morning.

  Nothing was clearer as he’d driven so he’d taken care of getting her car back to her place and dropping off breakfast. Still, all of that busy work hadn’t changed the fact that he still couldn’t get Lila off his mind. And that was disturbing because usually he was thinking about himself.

  He made no bones about being a truly self-absorbed man. It was one of his key strengths and had brought him his entire career. So he wasn’t going to be apologetic about it. Everyone around him knew he was always thinking about himself. Except this morning he kept getting distracted by her.

  “I went ahead and created some branding for Lila’s page and took a stab at updating the Soiree graphics as well,” Dawn said. “They used a pretty decent font on the webpage, so I just tweaked the kerning to make the letters look the same but unique. I think it should work. I’ll use it for your account when you post about the event.”

  “Great,” he replied, taking another sip of the mimosa and admitting to himself that he wished it were later in the day so he could have a real drink. That might clear Lila from his head and allow him to get back to worrying about himself for a change.

  “ZB? You okay?” Dawn asked.

  He turned to face her. “What? Of course I am. When have you ever known me not to be?”

  “Um...well, you know that Candi’s husband is tweeting about you...”

  “I blocked him,” Zach said. He wasn’t going to have a flame war on social media about an extramarital affair. “He sounds like a lunatic.”

  “Agreed. Want me to try to...” She trailed off.

  “Exactly. What can you do? I already told him when he punched me outside the club, I didn’t know she was married. There’s nothing else to do. Let’s ignore it. If he tweets about me again, I’ll just say talk to your wife.”

  “ZB...”

  “Yes?”

  “Nothing. If you want me to help out let me know.”

  Dawn wouldn’t post a cutting message like that and he didn’t want her involved in something this seedy. What was wrong with him lately? First, he slept with Candi and got punched by her husband. Then Lila. Maybe that was why he was obsessed with her. She wasn’t Candi; she was different.

  But so far making her over hadn’t stopped him from falling for her, and sex had just made him more aware of her.

  “I need to make a call,” he said, getting up and leaving Dawn and Vito with Lila.

  He walked down the hall to the office area in the house, where he’d asked for his favorite desk and chairs to be flown in and set up. Mrs. Smith had taken care of arranging everything yesterday and the room was almost a mirror of his office in Malibu. But there was no sea view and he knew he was in Texas.

  What had Grandfather seen in this place? He wondered if he got in touch with his roots...then what? He’d suddenly be a better person?

  Because he knew deep down that was what was bothering him about Lila. There was no way he could be good enough for her. And he was changing her to make her more like him. Was that a conscionable thing to do? And did it really matter to him if it was? He had always taken what he wanted. Why was Lila different?

  Did he want to know? Fuck. No. He didn’t want to know unless somehow it helped him get back to himself.

  He picked up the phone and let everyone know he’d be back in Los Angeles in one week’s time. Enough of Royal. He should be done making Lila over by then and once he was back in his world—throwing parties and attending media events—he’d be back to himself.

  It was just this place that had him all out of sorts.

  “Zach?”

  He glanced up and caught his breath. Lila stood in the doorway. Vito had taken a few inches off the length and it now curled around her shoulders. The hairdresser had also gotten rid of the heavy fall of bangs on her forehead and swept them aside. She didn’t have any makeup on but she looked beautiful.

  He stood up and walked around his desk, drawn to her as he’d been drawn to nothing else in this life.
He stopped as that thought entered his head and straightened his suit jacket and started to assess her. The outfit she wore today was Dolce & Gabbana; her hair was perfect. But it was the woman he saw in her eyes that really got to him like a gut punch.

  “Vito did a great job. I like it. Once Shantal shows you some makeup tips, you’ll be Insta-ready.”

  She furrowed her brow as she stared at him. “I like it, too. It’s pretty easy to do. What do you think? Is it more me?”

  It was more her. But the Lila Jones he was turning her into made him suddenly unsure whether he should have started doing this in the first place. He felt like all the worst epithets that had ever been hurled at him.

  But he ignored that.

  Enough with this bleeding-heart nonsense.

  “It is more you. Dawn has been working on some posts for you, and a font. Go and check in with her. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he said. “I have some work to finish.”

  * * *

  Lila caught a glimpse of herself in the ornate mirror in the hallway as she left Zach’s office. She stopped and stared at herself. Wow. She looked so different. It was hard to believe that just taking a few inches off the length of her hair had made it feel so much lighter, allowing it to curl naturally around her shoulders in soft waves. Vito had added some product and shown her how to do it but he assured her it shouldn’t take her too much time or effort.

  This woman...she was someone that Lila had always wanted to see looking back at herself, and yet at the same time, someone different. Not better, just more comfortable about showing the world who she was. Before she’d had confidence, but now she was owning her space and not fading into the background. On the contrary, she was finally enabling everyone to take notice of her. But the one person she truly wanted to see her had done the complete opposite. She thought about how Zach had dismissed her from his office. He was already doing her so many favors that she hated to quibble, but yeah, it had stung.

  She went back and rapped on the open door frame before walking back in. He was staring intently at his laptop but looked up as she entered the room. She cleared her throat.

  “I wanted to make sure you remembered we are meeting the advisory committee tonight at Sheen,” she said. “I know you don’t want to miss that.”

  “I don’t. I’ll pick you up. Wear that vintage Chanel dress we got yesterday.”

  “I was thinking of wearing the Balenciaga pants with the halter top,” she told him. “I like the silhouette it creates.”

  He smiled at her. “I like it, too. But the dress will show off your legs and make everyone in the restaurant take notice. It’s up to you, of course.”

  Of course.

  “Thanks for letting me know I can choose my own clothes,” she said sardonically. It hadn’t escaped her that Zach was different today. She was trying not to let her own doubts cloud her judgment, but a part of her wondered if he was losing interest now that they’d had sex.

  “Every choice is yours,” he replied. “I am just here to help you navigate and build your social presence.”

  She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. “What’s up with you, Zach? Last night you were different. More open. Today it’s like you see yourself as the mastermind directing all my moves.”

  He stood up and walked around the desk. Leaning back on it, bracing one arm on the surface, caused his suit jacket to fall open and revealed the powerfully muscled chest under the dress shirt. Her mouth went dry. Immediately she remembered him naked and what it had been like to kiss him. Caress him. Make hot, passionate love to him...

  “I don’t know. I am not suddenly going to be a different guy. Last night was fun, but today we have to get down to business. You have your event and your job and I have a life waiting for me back in LA.”

  A life back in LA. That had to be important, but she wasn’t sure how. Or why he was mentioning it now. Except maybe he thought she’d read more into sleeping with him than she had. Maybe that was an occupational hazard for good old ZB. “Of course you do. That doesn’t mean you can’t be nice to me. I’m not trying to make you stay. I’m asking for some respect, of course, and good old-fashioned manners.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep last night,” he mumbled.

  She walked over to him and had to ball her hands into fists to keep from reaching out and touching him. “I’m sorry. Thank you for thinking of me and leaving when you did. But you could have stayed.”

  He nodded. “Thanks, babe. But it would have been a complication for both of us.”

  One he didn’t want.

  “Fair enough. Is there anything I can do to help you out? You said you have a lot going on and I’m really good at organizing things.”

  He stood and pulled her into his arms, hugging her close to him. “Don’t let me wreck you.”

  She glanced up at his face, putting her hand on his jaw. “You won’t. You’re not that kind of man.”

  He shook his head. “How can you be sure?”

  “I’m starting to get to know you. Also you have some really nice friends. Good people here with you.”

  He swallowed and just nodded. “The team is the best. Let’s go and see them.”

  He took her hand as he led her out of his office and back to the room where Dawn and Vito were, and she noticed that Shantal had joined them. They all started talking to her and Zach, and she got swept into the makeup chair, realizing that he had never really answered any of the questions she’d asked.

  She tried not to let that seem important, but she knew it was. He didn’t want to wreck her. She knew that there was a side to him she didn’t know. Couldn’t know because this wasn’t his world and truly, did she want to be a part of that?

  He was helping her grow her online presence and this makeover was something that she knew she’d take with her for the rest of her life. Lila had seen how the right clothes and hairstyle and some subtle makeup could change how she felt about herself. She was curious how everyone on the committee and in the Edmond family would react to her now.

  But she was bothered by the way that the more she changed the less Zach interacted with her. He said that he hadn’t slept the night before and she knew from experience that she was out of sorts if she didn’t get a good night’s sleep, but at the same time this felt like something more.

  As if the more she changed into someone from his world, the less open he was with her. He’d suggested this makeover but he might not actually like the woman he had helped create.

  Did that matter? She had to like this for herself, and she did. She wanted to be the woman she saw in the mirror and not the smart, nerdy girl she’d always been.

  NINE

  Lila had suggested Sheen for the advisory board meeting because she knew that the added publicity from having Zach tweet about it wouldn’t hurt. And Charlotte was her friend and she loved the food there. But now she was second-guessing herself.

  Vito and Shantal had come to her place to show her how to get ready with the tools she had. Vito had laughed at the drugstore curling iron she owned and gifted her his Dyson styling tool. Shantal had already given her all the makeup she’d need and now she took her time creating an understated smoky eye.

  The Chanel dress that Zach had suggested she wear was a simple black number and she’d paired it with her grandmother’s strand of pearls and a Gucci watch that her mom had passed down to her. She had on the Louboutins she’d fallen in love with yesterday. Lila thought she looked both bold and sophisticated in them, but she also couldn’t wait to see Zach’s reaction to her. When she looked in the mirror she saw the woman she always was in her head, but now the outer packaging matched that inner woman.

  She knew she owed that to Zach. He might have helped her out so he didn’t have to promote the event on his own, but he’d given her something so much more than she’d anticipated. Who would have thought let
ting down her guard would net this kind of confidence?

  Vito and Shantal had agreed she looked “fabulous” before they left. They’d taken a photo of her putting on her lipstick, and then using the post that Dawn had written for her earlier, she put it on social media. Tagging all the retailers but also #SoireeontheBay.

  Lila heard the roar of the Ferrari and then her doorbell rang. Her pulse raced a little bit and she licked her lips at the thought of seeing him again.

  She smoothed her hands down the sides of her dress, her hair bouncing around her shoulders in a way it never had before. And when she opened the door, she found Zach standing in front of his car in a navy suit with a white patterned shirt on under it.

  He let out a wolf whistle and winked at her.

  Zach had been quiet and almost moody when she’d left his house but was more like his regular self now—vivacious and charming. This was the Zach Benning who’d roared into town with a leggy blonde in a vintage Halston dress. It wasn’t lost on Lila that she was wearing vintage as she walked down her driveway to get in his car. She saw two of her neighbors out for their nightly walk and waved at them as nonchalantly as she could as Zach held the passenger door open for her.

  He waved at them, too.

  “You look gorgeous. Sorry if I was an autocrat about the dress,” he said. “But damn, babe, you are making me want to take you back inside and skip this dinner.”

  She arched her eyebrow at him. She wanted that, too. Seeing his reaction had given her a new kind of sexual confidence. “I’d let you, but this meeting is too important to skip. Play your cards right and maybe I’ll invite you in later.”

  “Oh, I’m very good at playing my cards,” he rasped, stealing a quick kiss before she seated herself in the car. He closed the door and she put on her seat belt.

  “The ladies haven’t stopped staring at us since you waved at them.”

  She blushed. Dammit. When was she going to be able to control that? “It will give them something to talk about at the clubhouse when they take the kids up there to swim.”