After stopping by my house to change—and get some new panties—I called Carley, who told me she’d cover my shifts on Sunday and Monday since she wanted the extra money. I hadn’t been scheduled for Tuesday, so I was a free bird. When she asked where I was going, I told her I was off to see my second cousin Delroy in New York.
I hated to lie, but non-disclosure, right? For the first time, I was glad I was related to Delroy. He was proving useful.
But no more lying after this. I had to do it now because of the NDA, and it wouldn’t be a habit. No way, no how.
After work that night, I texted Carley and Diana that they were welcome to the French meals that were still in my fridge, then packed up a few outfits that seemed ideal for autumn in New York—especially the cashmere sweater and houndstooth merino-wool skirt Noah had sent over. Most important, I took special care to see that the chiffon gown Noah had given me was in its clothes bag, accompanied by the matching strappy shoes, diamond necklace, and bracelet.
Fit for a princess, I thought. And day by day, I was feeling more like one, even though I still wasn’t sure what I was to Noah.
Could we have something that would last?
Before dawn the next morning, Simmons and Noah picked me up in the SUV, and we drove to the county airport, where a jet was waiting.
“Charter,” Simmons muttered before we boarded, and Noah had laughed, back to his normal, charming self.
“Jamie,” he said, clapping him on the back, “once we don’t have to cover up where we’re traveling, we’ll have that personal jet back.”
Number one: Simmons had a first name. Number two: A jet. Noah had a jet.
But number three gave me the biggest pause: all the way here, Simmons had been sending me cryptic glances. Not that this was a new thing, but now his looks had the same questioning, hesitant melancholy quality I’d noticed about him yesterday, when he’d taken me to see Noah in the gym. What was with him?
After we boarded, though, travel excitement took me over, and I set Simmons aside. Rain was pattering on the jet’s windows, but when we took off, the sky cleared.
Yes, here I was—flying high on a dream, waited on by our own personal flight attendant who served pastries that were so fine that the crusts melted in my mouth, delicious bacon and leek quiche, eggs with caviar, and Bellini cocktails. Also, we had the jet all to ourselves. No coach class for this girl.
All the while, Noah sat next to me, not eating, holding my hand, kissing it every so often until I fell asleep.
Once, when I woke up, he and Simmons were near the rear of the jet, heads together, no doubt going over their strategy for Diamont. Just one glimpse at Noah got my pulse racing again, and I wasn’t sure it was in a good way—he had some of that cloudiness that I’d seen yesterday—and when he remained in the back while Simmons left him, I thought it might be wise to leave him alone.
He seemed broody, untouchable, his fair hair ruffled from running his fingers through it, and by the time we arrived at The Royal Bellerose, a hotel near Central Park that even a bumpkin like me knew was five-star, Noah was quieter than ever. It was almost as if he was a clone who’d substituted himself for the Noah I knew. But who could blame him when he was about to begin his plan of attack? I’d probably be a little withdrawn, too.
Obviously, he was in town on the sly, because we were spirited through a back entrance then right up to the top floor.
To the penthouse.
I gaped at my surroundings, taking in the view. On one side was the orange, red, and yellows of the trees in the park, complete with the bustle of cabs and cars in the streets below. On the other side, tall buildings glittered in the afternoon sun, guarding us like sculpted giants. The suite itself had a foyer, a living room, two bedrooms, a dining room, and a kitchen. With its cool blue patterned rugs and baroque mahogany furniture, I felt like I was in a French palace.
“Is it up to your standards?” Noah asked after the bellhop had shut the door. Simmons had his own suite, and he’d already gone to it.
“Slightly.” I especially liked that I would have my own bedroom. It wasn’t that I was still regretting yesterday’s slip and slide into playtime—okay, maybe I was—but I’d promised I would behave myself around Noah from now on. I had a heart to protect, and the fact that he’d reserved a place with two bedrooms took the pressure off me. He’d told me beforehand he’d be doing that, as if he didn’t want me to worry about my having to put out for him.
Still, I was prepared to have him talk me into anything.
I continued scanning the room. “You know what my basic living standards are? Functional plumbing, a fridge that works, and a mattress that doesn’t dip in the center.”
He snuck his arms around me from the back, and I shivered, resting my arms on his. Under my wool sweater, goose bumps rolled up my skin. That’s not even including what was going on under my long skirt.
He rested his mouth against my ear. “I want you to wear that dress tonight.”
The pink chiffon. “Why?”
“Haven’t you learned not to ask?”
He kissed my neck, soft, sweet touches of his lips, and I was his yet again.
But weren’t there some things we should be talking about here?
“Noah?” I croaked.
“Mmm.”
“I don’t want to kill the mood, but what’s the plan in general?”
“In general, if I haven’t accomplished anything by tomorrow night, I’ll be staying here. You’ll be flown back to Aidan Falls.”
Without him? “I meant to ask what the plan is for you. And if you don’t want to tell me, I understand.”
His arms stiffened around me. “I’m going to pay a visit to my brother later tonight. Thomas isn’t expecting me, but I think that’s the best way to approach him so we can get the ball rolling. And when it starts to roll, it’s going to go fast.”
Wow, he’d let me in on some details. I could hardly believe it. “Are you just going to pop up in your brother’s sitting room?” I asked, knowing how Noah operated.
When he didn’t say anything, I thought I might’ve nailed it. “And how about your uncle?”
“If things go well with Thomas, I’ll bring him with me to a meeting with Silas. We’ll go from there.”
He sounded like a general, secretly flanking himself with allies before he made any big moves. Smart. Once again, I marveled that I was even near this kind of intrigue, these high-stakes games.
“So,” Noah said, obviously wanting to get off the subject, “since we’ve got a few hours to kill this evening before I start business, I’m going to wine you and dine you . . . all very under the radar, of course.”
“No one knows you’re even in this hotel?”
“I paid a lot of money for their discretion, and I know I can depend on it.” He brushed his hands down my arms and stepped away. “Tomorrow, you can take the city by storm. Simmons is going to be with me, but I’ve hired a driver for you. And . . .”
As I turned to face him, he slipped an envelope into my hand. I looked at it blankly. Money?
“Noah . . .”
“Jade.”
Seemed I’d already lost that argument. Not that I’d put a lot of heart into it, anyway. I would just tell myself that all I wanted was to see Noah with that smile on his face because he was pleasing me, but I was starting to get spoiled.
Enjoy it while it lasts, said the wary part of me. He’ll get tired of his new toy soon enough, especially after he gets back to business. Didn’t he tell you that he’s never had deep feelings for anyone before?
Yes, I knew what I was—his sugarbaby. Shouldn’t I be more ashamed than turned on?
Noah walked toward a desk near the windows with a view of the park. A small office had been set up, and he rolled up his button-down sleeves.
Right before my eyes, he’d become the tycoon.
> “You’ve got a reservation in the spa in twenty minutes,” he said. “A massage and facial.”
“You want to get rid of me for a while?” I asked.
He laughed, but I had the feeling there was some truth to what I’d said.
As Noah turned on his computer and sat in the plush office chair, I suddenly felt like I was standing more than just ten feet away from him.
I felt an entire world away.
14
That evening, I stood in front of the mirrors in the master bedroom, which Noah had insisted I take, and I couldn’t believe what I saw in the reflection.
The deep pink chiffon gown, as well as the tasteful diamond necklace and bracelet, gave my skin a luminous glow—some people would’ve called my tone café au lait—but the sheen could’ve been from the scrubbing I’d gotten at the spa, too. Yet all in all, with my curls pinned up and away from my neck, I looked like a modern Jane Austen character who would’ve been cut from society for wearing spaghetti straps with my empire waistline. My skirt belled out and shimmered over my delicate, strappy shoes and, somehow, the gown even highlighted the curves I still had after stress had dulled my appetite last summer.
Maybe that’s why Noah kept wanting to feed me.
I tugged up my neckline, hoping for a little more modesty. There. But I was still staring at a stranger, a girl who’d tripped in to this situation and become fully immersed in it. Where was the Jadyn who’d worn sweats around the house while taking care of Uncle Joseph? Where was the slobby student who sometimes forgot to brush the Doritos crumbs from her face while studying?
She’d be back soon enough, I thought, pursing my lips to make sure my pink lipstick was just right. After Noah left for good, I’d meet her again.
But as I looked at the false eyelashes and the flash of jewelry, I wondered if I’d strayed so far from that Jadyn that I could never get her back. Once upon a time, I’d been a good girl, but Micah Wyatt had changed that. Yesterday, Noah had, too. The impulsive side of me had come out full force.
Was it for the best or worst? And how far was I going to let this go before there was no turning back?
I thought I heard a door shut in the main room, so I blew out one last breath, adjusted my neckline a final time, and went for my bedroom door.
Opening it, I walked into the common room, expecting to see Noah, but Simmons was the only person there, wearing one of his sports jackets and trendy tight pants. He was peering toward the dining area, where staff had been setting up the linen-covered table earlier.
He sensed me and turned around. After an awkward moment of him giving me the once-over, he stuck his hands into his pockets. “You look very nice, Jadyn.”
Why was he giving me that I’m-hiding-something-but-I’ll-never-tell expression again?
“Thank you, Simmons.” I was dying to call him Jamie. “Is everything up to snuff with the arrangements?”
“The hotel staff has it handled. I actually came in here to check on Noah. Is he in his room?”
“I think so.” I glanced at the closed door. Since I’d been getting massaged and pampered these past few hours, I hadn’t seen Noah around, and when I’d arrived back in the suite, he’d been shut away, probably taking care of personal business.
“All right,” Simmons said, looking at his friend’s door, but not making a move toward it.
“I doubt Noah’s going to bite off your head if you knock.” I cocked my head. “Then again, he almost bit you yesterday, when you brought me to the gym. Were you two having a tiff or something?”
“I wouldn’t call it a ‘tiff.’” More hesitation, then, “Noah has moods, and that’s why . . .”
He dropped the comment.
I, of course, took it back up. “That’s why he got on your case for bringing me to his inner sanctum?”
Simmons nodded, his hands still in his pockets, as if he felt more comfortable slightly huddled up like that.
I laughed, trying to lighten him up. “Everyone has moods, don’t they? And I suppose Noah’s entitled to a few, based on what he’s going through.”
“It’s more than just a few bad moods, Jadyn.”
My smile faded as he went on.
“I said before that you shouldn’t get attached. I’d hate for you to do that when there’s no future in this. Just take it for what it is.”
I appreciated his straight talk, even if it stung. “I already know the deal, Simmons.”
But it seemed as if he wanted to say more. He never had a chance, though, because Noah’s door opened, and the man himself stepped out.
There are times in life when it feels as if you’ve been hit by lightning, knocked senseless, frozen by white electricity. This was that time.
Noah stood in the doorway in a black tuxedo, his blond hair parted on the side and slicked with a panache that had me sizzling. It looked as if he wore a tux every day, because he was so damned comfortable in it, as if it were a second skin. Best of all, there was no trace of the darkness on him, just a swept-away smile as he perused me.
“Damn,” he said under his breath. “Damn.”
I heated up uncontrollably. But how could his admiration embarrass me when he’d seen more than a decent amount of me yesterday? I had to be hot-flashing because of the softness that’d taken over his gaze, as if all he wanted in this world was me. Forget the business, forget peace and comfort.
Just me.
Simmons hunched his shoulders even more, as if he wished he could poof out of here. Noah cleared his throat, finally addressing him.
“Everything ready?” he asked.
“Yes, everything.” I had the feeling Simmons wasn’t just talking about the dinner arrangements. Tonight, after eating, Noah was going to start his plan to take back the kingdom, and Simmons was handling the details.
He turned and headed for the exit, nodding at me in farewell. “Jadyn.”
“Have a good night,” I said.
He lifted a hand, disappearing into the foyer, clearly having decided to talk business with Noah later.
That left Noah and me, and he smiled, shaking his head as he kept lavishing me with his gaze. “I usually have no problem articulating things, but . . . God, not now. You take my breath away.”
More hot flashes, brushes of fire over my skin. “I feel like I’m making up for not going to prom. I didn’t care about my junior one, and I didn’t go to senior prom because that’s when my uncle’s health started to decline. I suspect, though, that this is going to be much better than dancing in the gym to top-forty music.”
“I never went to my prep school proms, either. Too uncool.”
More smiles. As I pressed down the skirt of my gown, I strangled the urge to sprint right over to him and melt against him until I felt his heart beating against mine. But I was in full control of my willpower as well as the promises I’d made about taking things with Noah slower.
Good for me?
Noah rested a hand on his stomach, smoothing down his jacket, but I wondered if he’d had any flutters in him like I was experiencing.
Thank goodness there was a knock at the door, and he raised his chin, gesturing toward it. “I’ll get that.”
An entire parade of staff wheeled in linen-covered carts filled with chafing dishes and covered trays, plus wine. There was a waiter as well as a man carrying a violin.
As they moved into the dining area, I felt like Cinderella all over again—one who was covered with sugar instead of all that ash.
***
It didn’t matter that we were having a private dinner in the suite—Noah was still trying to stay out of the public, so I understood. Besides, with the candlelight and violinist, this was far more romantic than being in the middle of a crowded restaurant.
If Noah was nervous about his meeting with his brother Thomas later tonight, he hid it well. The onl
y thing reminding me that he had something big ahead of him was the fact that he wasn’t drinking any of the wine that had been paired with each course of our gourmet meal, which consisted of everything from a red snapper crudo, a seared scallops dish, bass with oysters, and pumpkin crème brûlée. I knew he wanted a clear head.
Come to think of it, he didn’t eat hardly anything, either, and a red flag went up in me for some reason. But we were in New York, and I was getting the royal treatment, so I didn’t think too hard. I could barely think as it was.
It was only after dinner, when Noah asked me to take a walk outside, that I realized he’d been bottling all his energy for the past couple of hours and needed to let it out before getting onto his business.
He’d gone to his room to change, but I laughed when he emerged a totally different man: no more tux jacket or tie. In their place was a long, dark coat that came to his knees, making him look daunting, and he’d put on that Stetson, drawing it low over his face.
I snuggled into my own Chanel evening coat that had been delivered to the room earlier from Barneys New York. As Noah held open our door and ushered me into the hallway to our own private elevator, I said, “I nearly died when the violinist started playing Brad Paisley. I had no idea you liked country.”
“I told you that I wanted to get a feel for a different kind of life in Aidan Falls. I even listened to your local country station when you weren’t around.”
“Impressive. I’d pegged you as a modern guy based on what I heard at your Hellfire Club.”
“I keep many secrets close to my chest.”
The words didn’t go anywhere. In fact, as the elevator doors slid open, it was as if conversation stayed outside in the hallway, the doors cutting it off from entering.
Noah’s jaw had tightened. I’d known he had secrets that I had no business hearing, but I wanted to shout, I’m a person! I’m not just something you stick in an Yves Saint Laurent dress and rely on for entertainment.
But, deep inside, I’d known what I’d signed up for. I was here to make Noah feel good and, luckily, I got just as much out of it as he did. There was no shame in it.
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