“It’s one of his regular clients,” Geri said to Ingrid.
“Oh, answer it, Simon,” Ingrid said. “It might be important.”
Reluctantly, he grabbed the device from Geri and picked up the call. “Hello, Mr. Renner-Bilton,” he answered in a professional tone.
“Oh, they’re right there, aren’t they?” Lucas said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Sorry, dude. I thought our earlier call was cut off for no reason. Did you hang up on me?”
“I did.”
“Did they hear what I said?”
“I don’t think so, sir.”
“Good. Okay I’ll let you go. We’ll catch up later.”
“Thank you, Mr. Renner-Bilton.”
Lucas snickered in response before hanging up.
“I hope he’s not asking you to work for him next month,” Ingrid said as she took a photo of the vista.
“Actually, he is,” he said, anticipating what Ingrid was going to say next.
“Well…” Ingrid took a few seconds to get the shot she wanted before continuing. “I want to extend your contract for another month, Simon, so you can join Geri and me on our Victorian road trip.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Lawrence. But that’s not possible. I’ve already promised my services to a couple of people, including Mr. Renner-Bilton.”
“Can’t they find someone else?” Geri asked, looking at him almost pleadingly.
He opened his mouth to say no. “I doubt it. But I’ll see what I can do,” was what came out.
“Please try hard,” Geri implored. “You’re much better than our previous chauffeur,” she added, glancing furtively at Ingrid.
“I’ve got an idea,” Ingrid said distractedly as she focused her camera in another direction. “Geri, maybe you can help Simon find a suitable replacement that he can recommend to his other employers. That way we get to keep him for another month.”
“Yes! Great idea, Mrs. Lawrence. Is that okay, Simon?”
“Sure,” he said, not having the heart to dash the hope from Geri’s face. And since Geri was beaming at him again, he couldn’t help but grin at her in return—grin at his girlfriend.
He sighed and stood next to Geri, taking advantage of the fact the Mrs. Lawrence was too busy taking pictures to notice what was going on behind her. He placed his arm around Geri and hugged her to him, brushing his lips against her hair.
Geri looked up at him with a sweet, shy smile, then moved a couple of steps away when Ingrid started to face them again as she took a video.
Simon still couldn’t believe it. He’d committed himself to exclusivity with a woman. Well, technically, only Geri had said yes to not going out with anyone else. He hadn’t made the same declaration.
He rolled his eyes at himself. He’d be the biggest dickhead if he went out with others when Geri would be dating only him. That would be cheating. So, yeah, he better get used to the fact that he was now in a committed relationship. Funnily enough, he was totally cool about it. In fact, he was… thrilled.
“Hey,” Geri said. “Maybe we can ask Elle from Alexander Jets to help us find another chauffeur for next month that you can recommend to your other clients.”
“Good idea. I’ll talk to her.”
“I’ll call her too. I’ll tell her that Mrs. Lawrence insists on it. So who else are you supposed to work with next month?”
“Jarryd Westbourne also wants me for two weeks.”
“So just him and Lucas Renner-Bilton?”
“Yes. Two weeks each.”
“Well, I’m glad it’s not that client from the boat,” Geri said with a huff.
“The boat?”
“Yeah. Remember the guy at Woolloomooloo having a party on his boat with all those women?”
“Oh. Tom Clough.”
“Whatever his name is,” Geri said with a flick of her hair.
Ingrid was facing the other way again, so Simon leaned to whisper in Geri’s ear. “Are you jealous?”
Geri huffed. “Jealous is not the word. He’s obviously a big playboy and… well, I don’t like the thought of you working for him after he invited you to his party.”
“Don’t worry,” was all he could say.
Damn it, how would Geri react when the time came for him to confess the truth about his identity? Would she hate him and never want to see him again? Yes, that was a big possibility. He was deceiving and lying to her. And when she found out about his playboy reputation, he wouldn’t be surprised if she kicked him out of her life forever.
He raked his hair. This was more complicated than he’d imagined. Whatever had possessed him to start this incognito thing in the first place? Elle was right. It was hare-brained.
The next time he met a nice girl that took his fancy, he’d first lay himself bare and tell her the truth from the beginning. Then show her that he’d changed.
His heart banged hard in his chest, as if kicking him. He let out a sigh. He didn’t want to find another nice girl. He wanted Geri. So he better figure out how he could tell her the truth without driving her away.
And he better do it soon. The longer he kept up this pretence, the harder it would be to convince Geri he was starting to fall for her.
Chapter 9
Geri jumped, almost dropping the egg whisk she was holding, when she felt muscular arms wrap around her from behind. “Shh,” she said, turning her head towards the living room to see if Ingrid was within view.
“She said she was gonna have a shower,” Simon murmured, nuzzling her face.
She smiled, relaxing in his embrace.
“I missed you last night,” Simon said.
“I missed you too,” she answered, angling her face to plant a kiss on his lips. For the last twelve days, Simon had been sneaking into her bedroom after Ingrid had gone to bed. Last night was the first time he hadn’t slept with her since they had gotten together. Ingrid had been up till late, watching TV in the lounge room of their Wentworth Falls accommodation and falling asleep on the sofa. Geri hadn’t had the heart to wake her up when she’d looked so comfortable on the big couch with Rolf curled up at her feet.
Ingrid was very excited about her grandson joining them for the weekend. They’d be picking Justin up from the airport around noon on their way to the South Coast.
“Maybe we should tell Mrs. Lawrence about us,” Simon said tentatively.
Geri put down the utensil and faced Simon. “I’d love to tell her too,” she said, nerves preventing her from looking into his eyes, so she played with his shirt collar instead. “But is this the right time? I think we need to figure out where we’re headed first as a couple before we tell her anything. We haven’t even found another chauffeur that you can suggest to your other clients, so I don’t even know what will happen to us after your contract is finished.”
Simon lifted her chin with a finger so she would meet his eyes. “What do you want to happen when I finish my contract?” he asked softly.
She swallowed. “I’d like to continue seeing you.”
Simon smiled. “I would too.”
“You would?” she asked with a stupid grin on her face.
“Yeah. We just need to figure out how to make it work when you’re living in Hobart and I’m in Sydney.”
She took a deep breath. “I’m happy to consider living in Sydney.”
“Really?” Simon asked, surprised.
“Yeah.” She didn’t know how long she had to hide from Damon, so being in the same city as Simon was a tempting option.
“Great! So there’s no problem, then.”
“Well…”
Simon looked at her expectantly.
She glanced at the hallway. “It’s a long story and we don’t have the time right now. Can I tell you later?”
“Okay.”
“And about Mrs. Lawrence… can we wait until she’s ready to go back to Hobart? I know that’s still a month and a half away, but that’s not a long time. I just don’t want her to feel uncomfortable
around us.”
“I guess you’re right. I haven’t actually thought about her feeling uncomfortable with seeing us get lovey-dovey. Okay. We’ll wait.”
“Thank you,” she said with relief.
“I just don’t like the thought of Justin thinking you’re still available,” Simon said with a scowl.
She laughed, kissing his lips. “I seriously don’t think Justin’s interested in me.”
“He touched you on your back the last time.”
“Simon! He was only being gentlemanly.”
“That better be all,” he muttered.
She threw her arms around his neck, chuckling. How could she be so lucky? Perhaps her life was turning around after all. If she stayed in Sydney, she’d have Simon for support. And she was sure she could find a good job pretty quickly with Ingrid’s reference. Perhaps Simon might even know clients who needed a new PA?
As long as she was able to keep Damon at bay, everything would be fine.
They heard the clacking of shoes on tile and broke apart. Simon hastened to the fridge while she went back to beating the eggs.
“Good morning, Geri,” Ingrid said.
“Good morning, Mrs. Lawrence. Did you sleep well on the sofa?”
“I can’t believe I fell asleep there,” Ingrid said with a laugh. “Rolf didn’t even wake me. Anyway, I did have a good night’s sleep. That couch was pretty comfortable.”
“Looking forward to seeing Justin?”
“Oh, yes! I’m so excited. I can’t even remember the last time Justin and I have stayed in the same place overnight. I’m glad he’s making this effort for me.”
Geri smiled, happy that Ingrid was so pleased.
“Geri, just remind him that he is not to talk to me about his parents, okay? I don’t even want to hear him bring them up.”
Geri nodded. She wondered what it would take for Ingrid and her son to patch things up. Ingrid wasn’t getting any younger. If it was her, she’d want to be on good terms with her family members.
Tricia filled Geri’s mind, subduing her good spirits. Even if she managed to avoid Damon forever, she’d still need to patch things up with Tricia. She filled her lungs, not having any idea how. As long as Tricia was infatuated with Damon, they’d have a problem. Hopefully, time would help.
She glanced at Simon, who was pouring orange juice into three glasses. Would they last?
She most definitely hoped so. He was everything she wanted in a man—kind, considerate, helpful, funny, respectful, not to mention super hot and great in bed. Come to think of it, how come he was still single?
They’d have to talk about their past a little bit more. All she knew about him was that he was an only child and that his parents ran a small hardware business.
Her heart told her that she could trust Simon with everything. But was that being naive? She’d gone to great lengths to ensure that no one knew of her secret so Damon wouldn’t find out. Could she trust Simon with it?
She hoped so, because if she wanted their relationship to go from strength to strength, she had to eventually be honest with him and tell him everything.
Geri watched Ingrid and Justin hug each other at the Arrivals Hall of Sydney Airport, the childlike happiness on Ingrid’s face touching Geri.
“Hi, Geri,” Justin said, going to her and giving her a hug.
She patted Justin’s back awkwardly, glancing at Simon, who was watching them with slitted eyes.
“You guys haven’t had lunch yet, have you?” Justin asked as he released her.
“Not yet,” Ingrid answered. “We were waiting for you, although I assumed you’d eaten something on the plane.”
“Just something light,” Justin said. “Anyway, since we’re not in any hurry, I have a surprise for you ladies.”
“You do?” Ingrid said.
“Yes. You told me you didn’t get to go to the Sydney Tower Eye because you didn’t have time. Well, I’ve booked online for the three of us to have lunch at the restaurant up there. Might as well take advantage of the fact that we have another afternoon here in Sydney.”
“Just the three of us?” Geri asked, glancing at Simon, who was now pushing Justin’s trolley.
“Yes,” Justin said. “Simon has to stay with Rolf and… he doesn’t usually have meals with you, does he?”
Geri sent Simon an apologetic look. It was a little rude of Justin to talk about him as if he wasn’t there.
“Simon does join us for meals,” Ingrid said. “But I guess you’re right that he needs to look after Rolf. We’re in between accommodations, so we have nowhere to leave him. You don’t mind, do you, Simon?”
“No, Mrs. Lawrence,” Simon answered.
“Good!” Justin said. “Then it’s all settled. We shall go to the city and do some more touristy things.”
They headed to the car, with Ingrid telling Justin what they’d been up to. Geri tried to lag behind to walk alongside Simon, but Justin kept including her in the conversation. How annoying.
They got to their vehicle and Simon loaded Justin’s small suitcase onto the third row of seats since the boot was already full of luggage and shopping bags.
“Good. There’s still plenty of room back here for me,” Geri said, settling herself next to Justin’s suitcase.
“Hey,” Justin said. “You’re not sitting all alone back there.”
“Well, your grandmother likes having plenty of room, and it’ll be a pain to move Rolf’s car seat, so you can sit in front with Simon, then Mrs. Lawrence and Rolf can have their usual spots.”
“That’s no fun sitting by yourself back there,” Justin said. “Grandma, do you want to sit in front? You’d be comfortable there too. Then Geri can sit between me and Rolf.”
“Okay, good idea,” Ingrid said, to Geri’s consternation. “Justin’s right, Geri. We can’t have you sitting by yourself at the very back.”
Geri repressed a sigh. Ingrid seemed to think that everything that came out of Justin’s mouth was a good idea. Now she had to endure hours of travelling next to the man that her boyfriend—who’d been quiet and brooding in the background—was jealous of.
The journey to the centre of town proved to Geri how uncomfortable it was sitting next to Justin. They weren’t cramped—thanks to Rolf’s seat being small—but Justin had been talking non-stop and treating Simon as if he were invisible. Worse, the man kept on leaning towards her whenever he talked. When Justin took a breather from his yapping, Geri said to Simon, “Where do you plan to have lunch, Simon?”
Simon glanced at the rear-view mirror and their eyes met. It might have been just her imagination, but Simon’s features seemed to soften. “I’m not sure yet. But Rolf and I will find somewhere nice to sit while we wait around for you, won’t we, Rolf?”
Rolf seemed to understand, barking in response.
Geri smiled, stroking Rolf’s head.
Soon, Simon pulled over at a drop-off area near the Sydney Tower Eye building. “What time should I be back here, Mrs. Lawrence?” he asked as he opened Ingrid’s door.
“In two hours,” Justin answered.
“Okay. Enjoy your lunch. It’s great up there. The views are fantastic.”
“Wait, Simon,” Ingrid said, opening her purse. “Here’s your meal allowance.”
“Oh, no, Mrs. Lawrence,” Simon said, looking horrified. “I have money on me.”
“This is part of your remuneration,” Ingrid said, shoving a fifty-dollar bill into Simon’s hand.
Simon frowned, but didn’t attempt to hand back the cash to Ingrid.
“Have fun with Rolf,” Geri said, giving him a little wave as she walked off with Ingrid and Justin.
Simon smiled and got back in the car, but Geri knew he wasn’t at all happy with this whole thing.
“How come your chauffeur now eats with you?” Justin asked. “Elmer didn’t use to, did he?”
“Elmer didn’t want to,” Ingrid said. “I’d invited him many times and he’d always refused.”
“Well, I think it’s because he knew his place,” Justin said with a frown.
Heat rose to Geri’s face. “So are you saying I don’t know my place?” she asked coldly, insulted for both herself and Simon.
“Hey, I don’t mean you, Geri. You’re different from Simon.”
“How? We both get paid by your grandmother to do our jobs.”
“But you’re Grandma’s travel companion. Simon’s just a chauffeur.”
“Get off your high horse, Justin,” Ingrid chided. “Simon’s my travel companion too. And he’s fun to be with.”
“I just don’t want anyone taking advantage of you, Grandma,” Justin said softly.
Geri let go of some of her exasperation as Ingrid insisted to Justin that Simon should join them during meals except during days like today, when there was nowhere to leave Rolf by himself.
Annoyed as she was with Justin, she could still see his position, in a way. Ingrid was more generous, open and sweet than most employers, and Geri could understand if Justin was simply trying to protect his grandmother. Still, he’d been snarky. Good thing he was only staying with them for a couple of nights or she and Simon wouldn’t have any fun at all.
Then again, were she and Simon being paid to have fun? She sighed. Ingrid had indeed spoiled them. The least Geri could do for such a wonderful boss was to put Ingrid’s enjoyment first and foremost. It was Ingrid’s trip-of-a-lifetime, after all, and she and Simon were just a couple of people hired to make sure everything was how Ingrid wanted it.
Geri resolved to be friendlier to Justin, lest Ingrid start to notice her lack of enthusiasm for her beloved grandson.
The view from Sydney Tower Eye was indeed wonderful. They didn’t even need to walk around to see the thee-hundred-sixty degree view of Sydney and beyond, with the restaurant revolving at a very slow pace so they could check out the sights without leaving their seats.
Ingrid brought up their planned itinerary to the South Coast and, to Geri’s relief, Justin didn’t have a problem with any of it. Simon had practically put that plan together, and even though Simon wouldn’t argue with Justin for Ingrid’s sake, he’d fume if Justin insisted on making changes. Geri just hoped that Justin would stop being such an asshole to Simon.
The Unmasked CEO (Captured by Love Book 7) Page 8