‘That’s a huge level of trust.’ It blew her away. ‘You mentioned both your friends are married. Did Max end up marrying the heiress?’
‘He did. They’re very happily married with one child and another on the way, although they took a while to find their way back to each other after some family interference.’
‘And Luca’s married too?’ She was fairly certain he’d said he was the only single one—the only one who’d been able to bid for dinner with her.
‘Also happily married and a father of two.’
That Nick was single kind of hung in the air.
As much as she wanted to ask what had happened to his marriage, she couldn’t bring herself to probe into what was a personal and possibly painful topic. ‘You said you have other business interests outside construction?’
‘A variety of them. Most recently we’ve purchased a distillery and brewery. Although we’re still partners in what is now a global construction firm, after several years we were each looking for new challenges and ways to diversify. It was after I’d already made my mark in the world that Dad had his first heart attack. He begged me to come to work at the bank and by that point I didn’t have anything I felt I needed to prove. I needed a new business challenge so I accepted a directorship.’
‘And your wife?’ Oh no. She’d worked so hard to keep the question locked away and now she’d just gone and blurted it out.
Before she could apologise he answered. ‘Mandy died.’
Two words.
Only two words but they conveyed so much—so much pain and so much loss. It wasn’t only in his tone, it was in the blankness of his expression.
‘You loved her very much,’ she acknowledged quietly.
His eyes appeared to focus on the flame of the candle that burnt in its holder as the centrepiece of their table. ‘I did.’ There was a hint of a sad smile. ‘She’ll be part of me forever.’
Sarah’s heart cramped at the loss he must feel. Without thinking, she reached out to him and placed her hand on his arm. ‘I’m really sorry about Mandy.’
‘Thanks.’ He looked up at her and his gaze never left hers. ‘We have a beautiful daughter who’s like a mini version of Mandy in appearance, although nothing like her in personality.’
‘Oh.’ She took her hand off his arm, drawing back instantly in shocked reaction. Touching him had felt natural but now, for some reason she couldn’t quite define, it seemed like an intrusion.
Aware that her eyes had widened, she tried to rearrange her features so she didn’t look so gobsmacked.
He cleared his throat. ‘Katie’s thirteen now—the same age Ryan was when your grandmother died and you both had to go into care.’
‘Oh.’ She wasn’t quite sure what else to say but was impressed he’d drawn the parallel.
‘When you mentioned what had happened I thought about how it would be for my daughter if she lost both parents at once, or how she’d cope having to look after a younger sibling with a disability. It was hard enough on her losing one parent.’ He sent her a look that communicated his respect. ‘That was a hell of a thing for you to have to go through.’
‘We had each other.’ She didn’t think about how it’d been back then. For some reason it was too hard to move past the fact that he had a teenage daughter. ‘Crystal had mentioned you’d married her sister but I didn’t know Mandy had died or that you had a daughter.’
‘I try to keep Katie out of the public spotlight.’
‘I see.’ On so many levels they were connecting. How strange it was to think she’d hated him with such passion this morning.
‘Katie’s in boarding school with Jocelyn’s daughter, Jasmin. She loves being with her cousin through the week and I generally see her on the weekends. She’d actually love to meet you. For the last two years Katie’s been declaring she wants to be a model.’ He shifted in his chair and leaned forward with his arms resting on the table.
‘Oh. What do you think about that?’
‘I can’t say I’m thrilled with the idea.’
‘Why not?’
He hesitated. ‘I don’t mean any disrespect and I realise I’m an outsider looking in but it seems to be a fairly artificial world to me.’
‘You don’t need to apologise. You’re right.’
He sent her a look of enquiry. ‘You think I’m right to hope she ends up doing something different?’
‘It’s not something I’d recommend to my daughter if I had one.’
He shrugged. ‘She’s young. I suspect it’s a phase that will pass.’
‘And if it doesn’t?’
‘I have concerns about the industry and the pressure young women are placed under.’
‘Is that why you encouraged Crystal to work at Jocelyn’s?’
He nodded. ‘Katie’s very good with animals and before she went to a fashion show with Jocelyn, she’d wanted to be a vet. I’m hoping she might revisit that idea. At this stage it certainly looks like she’s bright enough to gain the entry required for that university course, but I won’t be my father. I’ll support her decision.’
Sarah smiled at the waiter who approached the table with their main courses.
The plates were set down in front of them with great flourish. ‘Enjoy your meals!’
They both thanked him then Nick resumed their conversation. ‘You don’t sound as though you enjoy modelling, Sarah.’
‘I …’ The short answer was no, but although Rose knew, she’d never told anyone else, not even Ryan. The screens she usually held firmly in place had completely slipped in Nick’s company. ‘Not that I’d admit this to anyone other than Rose, but I have a bit of a love-hate with my work.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘What do you love about it?’
She picked up her cutlery and started cutting up her meal. ‘At the risk of sounding money hungry, I love the income because of what it has enabled me to do for others.’
‘Obviously it allowed you to do a lot for Ryan and enabled you to set up Extend. By the way, I admire what you’ve created with the Extend Foundation.’
It wasn’t the first time his praise had warmed her.
‘What do you hate about modelling?’
She chose her words carefully. ‘I don’t like being in an industry that perpetuates an ideal of society’s perfect female form. I dislike that what I do sends a strong message to society about the importance of what’s considered to be the perfect body shape—the ideal look.’
For a moment she thought he’d paled. His large frame seemed to have tensed.
But even as she started to wonder whether he was okay, the moment of tension passed and she thought maybe she’d imagined it.
‘You’re full of surprises.’ Nick stabbed some of his peppered beef with his fork. ‘If you’re concerned about it, why not speak out about it?’
‘To do so would sign my professional death warrant.’ She shifted a little uncomfortably on her chair because she knew she was being hypocritical. ‘There’s nothing else I can do to earn as much. So, I console myself by knowing I’m able to do good for people in other spheres of the community.’
They ate for a while in silence.
‘How many models place their health at risk by starving themselves?’
‘Honestly? The ones at the top are all pretty much there thanks to genetic makeup. I don’t know anyone who counts calories too strictly and all you have to do is think about what I ordered for dinner tonight to realise I don’t. But having said that, the models who are trying to crack the top contracts often feel they have to eat very little.’
He leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. His voice was compellingly intense as he suggested, ‘Have you ever thought about getting a group of the elite models to all sit down and speak out about the way the fashion houses perpetuate the so-called perfect female form?’
She loved his line of thinking but it wasn’t as simple as that. ‘Even if I was at a point where I didn’t have to model, I think I’d come
across as very hypocritical lambasting an industry I’ve kept alive. And, what credibility would I have to sit in an interview and tell any women whose shapes and weight don’t meet the fashion industry’s artificial standard that they should be happy with their bodies?’
He was silent for a short while as he digested her words. ‘You’re at the top of your game. If you retired, you’d still be able to use your profile to raise funds for the charities you want to support—you don’t need to finance those charities all by yourself.’
In the midst of her angst she smiled at him. ‘Well, you do have a point, I guess. After all, one wealthy guy paid two hundred thousand pounds to a charity just to have dinner with me! I could just auction myself off a few nights a week for charity and that’d probably cover it.’
Although he sent her a small smile, he was on a roll. ‘You could retire to make a statement that you’re no longer willing to promote the dictates of the fashion world.’
‘As I said, the money I earn helps a lot of people and I’m not certain my profile would be as high once I retire.’ Besides, she had a feeling she was going to need to work even more now to keep herself occupied and away from London. Steering him away from this discussion she asked, ‘What made you decide to found NOCO?’
‘We all have children. We all want to look after our planet for the generations to come.’ He shook his head. ‘There’s so much need for conservation—saving certain species from extinction, reduction of carbon emissions …’ He waved his hand in indication that the list went on and on. ‘We couldn’t do it all. We’re probably being ambitious trying to make any dent in what needs to be done but we wanted to try and we decided to focus on ocean conservation.’
Her heart swelled a little as she listened to the passionate intensity in his voice as he spoke about the causes he believed in. She had no control over her thoughts as she made the leap to wonder how that passion would translate in him if he was making love to a woman he was so committed to.
‘Ocean conservation is a huge enough issue in itself,’ she acknowledged as she tore her mind away from thoughts that were in danger of making her chest break out again in a blotchy red rash. ‘Not only a huge area but so many things are impacting on the health of the oceans and the life in them.’
‘Did you know scientists have established that at least thirty percent of the world’s oceans needs protection but only about two percent is set aside as fully protected areas?’ His eyes looked an even deeper blue as he spoke so passionately.
It would be so easy for a lover to lose herself in those eyes.
They spoke on the topic all throughout dinner.
Sarah was impressed by Nick’s knowledge and by his level of commitment.
She was impressed by Nick full stop.
Give Nick a chance.
If he showed any interest in her at all, it would be all too easy to fall into his arms. When she’d seen him at the fashion parade she’d unwillingly acknowledged how attractive he was. Today, the ease with which he’d accepted her apology had earned him her gratitude and respect. Tonight she found herself full of admiration for this man and hanging on his every word.
It was unfortunate Nick hadn’t shown anything more than friendly interest in her. Sarah was confident they’d work well together, but needed to banish hopes that there’d ever be anything more than that between them.
This amazing man was evidently still deeply devoted to his wife and how on earth could she ever expect to compete with a ghost?
Chapter 11
Nick stood on the balcony of his hotel suite in Palm Cove, just north of Cairns in Australia, and looked out upon the moon as it started to rise over the Pacific Ocean. The tropical weather in this part of the world was much different to what he was used to. The humidity hit his jetlagged body hard, but his anticipation of having dinner again with Sarah provided the invigoration he needed to stay awake.
It’d been a month since their dinner at Raphael’s restaurant.
A month since he’d seen her.
Even though Nick had been as busy as ever, the time had dragged.
Unfortunately, Sarah had been fully booked with events for the rest of her week in London.
After London, she’d flown to Milan for another fashion show, then she’d been in Japan and Kenya for photo shoots. She’d arrived in Cairns a week ahead of the rest of them so she could acclimatise, do an open water diving course, and begin working with photographers on an assignment for Jocelyn. Tomorrow she’d go out to the Great Barrier Reef and begin the recording for the documentary and he’d be at a meeting. It was too bad they weren’t dining alone but hopefully he’d be able to arrange things so they had some time alone together before the night was over.
‘Dad! Come on! We’re going to be late to meet Sarah!’
Nick turned away from the coastline view. ‘I thought you were still asleep, Katie.’
‘Hardly. I’m so excited to be having dinner with Sarah, there was no way I was going to sleep through it.’
Nick smiled. He knew the feeling. ‘Let’s go then, minx.’
This trip coincided with Katie’s school holidays and she’d been thrilled to know she’d be joining him along with the Borghetti and Bennett families. But when he mentioned Sarah would be with them to film the documentary, Katie had jumped around the room unable to contain her enthusiasm.
‘Do I look okay, Dad?’
‘You look beautiful, minx.’ She did, although she was a lot paler than usual. With her long, straight red hair and blue eyes, she reminded him so much of Mandy at that age that his heart clenched in his chest.
‘You don’t think I’m too casual?’
‘Absolutely not.’
‘Too overdressed?’
Teenage girls! ‘Katie, you look perfect.’
‘Do you think Sarah might be able to give me a few modelling pointers?’
It was only the fourth time she’d mentioned it. ‘Why don’t you get to know her a little before you make your request? We’ll be here for ten days. There’ll be plenty of time to talk about modelling.’ As much as he didn’t want to encourage Katie down the catwalk, he wasn’t going to stand in her way if modelling truly turned out to be her dream career. She was a very grounded and confident girl—far more confident than Mandy had been.
Katie gave a little squeal of excitement. ‘Ten whole days! Yes!’ She grabbed Nick’s hand. ‘I am totally the luckiest girl alive.’
As they made their way out of the suite and down to the small private function room that Max had booked for dinner, Nick found it difficult to concentrate on Katie’s incessant chatter.
The closer he got to the function room, the stronger his heart beat in his chest.
Katie wasn’t the only one who’d been looking forward to seeing Sarah.
He’d been instantly attracted to her when he’d seen her take to the catwalk in that leopard print creation and had to caution himself to damp down those feelings because of the business connection he’d been hoping to forge. Her rudeness shortly afterwards had overridden his physical attraction. But, once he’d known the reason for her hostility, and he’d seen her genuine remorse and embarrassment over her behaviour, he’d had to wrestle with his desire.
Under the terms of the bidding contract, their dinner had only needed to last until midnight. It’d been half-past midnight before they’d left the restaurant. Then, because they still had so much to talk about with the film documentary, they’d gone to a private bar. Sarah had ended up dismissing her driver for the night when Nick had said he could take her home, and he’d finally dropped her off at three am.
God, but he’d wanted to kiss her as he’d left her in the foyer of her apartment building. For a few heartbeats he’d looked into her eyes and he’d thought she wanted to kiss him too. Then, as he told himself all the reasons it’d be a bad idea, the moment had passed, she was thanking him for a lovely evening and bidding him goodnight.
He’d stood outside her building for a while afte
rwards, marvelling at how well they’d connected—how they’d communicated so easily on a broad range of subjects including some he made it a habit to avoid.
‘Dad, are you listening to me?’ Katie had dropped his hand and now stood with her hands on her hips.
‘Sorry, Katie. I expect the jetlag is catching up with me.’
‘Maybe you should go back to bed,’ she suggested with all the wisdom of a thirteen-year-old.
‘And then who’d introduce you to Sarah?’
She scooted in front of him and walked backward as she sent him a cheeky grin. ‘Uncle Luca or Uncle Max.’
‘Except that they haven’t actually met her yet either,’ Nick said with a chuckle. ‘Now, what did you ask me when my head was back on London time?’
Katie didn’t get a chance to answer. Instead she looked at a point behind him and clapped her hands over her mouth as she started to squeal in excitement. Nick didn’t need to follow the direction of her gaze to realise Sarah was also making her way to the dining room.
When he turned and saw Sarah he almost staggered, nearly knocked sideways by her stunning, natural beauty.
‘Hi, Sarah.’ His ability to inject the casual note into his tone surprised him.
‘Hi, Nick. Let me guess—’ she addressed Katie with a broad smile, ‘—you must be Katie.’
‘I’m so pleased to meet you, Miss Bryant.’ Katie held out her hand and Nick was proud of his daughter’s manners.
‘Please, call me Sarah.’ Sarah took Katie’s hand. ‘How fantastic that you were able to come to Australia with your dad.’
‘Dad, can you take a photo of Sarah and me, please?’ When Nick arched an eyebrow at her she amended, ‘That is, would you mind if I had a photo taken with you please, Sarah?’
Sarah laughed. ‘Of course that’s fine.’
Nick rolled his eyes. ‘Now you’ve started something. I’ll lose track of how many photos I’ll be asked to take over the course of the next ten days.’
‘I’m a huge fan,’ Katie said by way of explanation.
After the photo was taken Sarah said, ‘Your dad tells me you’re thinking of being a model.’
Seduced by the Billionaire Page 12