Freeman spat out river water and fury in the same measure.
“Why the fuck didn’t you warn me that the men were holding the weight or that the damned tree would do that? My phone and my watch are going to be ruined!” He raged as he stood up and shook the water out of his hair and then raised the cuff of his shirt. The gold band encircling his wrist dripped water and Freeman wiped the face of what appeared to be a top of the range Rolex.
Joe surmised that the Freeman didn’t need rescuing and scrambled up the other bank. He held his hand out to give the man a pull up but it was brushed angrily away.
David looked down at him as he struggled with the weight of his own wet clothes and only spoke when Freeman had eventually hauled himself up to the bank.
“You waved us away. We thought you had a plan of your own.” He said innocently. “And the tree doesn’t bend nearly so much if you don’t leap off the side of the bank. In fact it hardly moves at all if you are gentle enough with it. You need to learn to work with the equipment you are given, not against it. And as to your phone and valuables, well you were warned not to bring them with you.” He turned away from the furious man and waved towards the others. “I think we should all take an early lunch. Mr. Freeman needs a change of clothes and I’m sure you could all do with a break too. We’ll head off back to the chateau and then come out again this afternoon, but first, unless you all want to climb over that wooden wall again then you are going to have to swing over here or wade through. Please don’t jump, just let yourselves swing. We’ll hold the rope as a counter weight and make sure that you don’t take a bath.”
Jessica took position in the rear of the group. She wanted to see how the others fared before she gave the swing a go. The others all made it over with varying success. A few of them needed help landing. But David and Joe were on hand to grab them. Jessica took her turn and squealed as she landed against Joe’s chest. She flung herself back from him as he held out a steadying arm.
“Don’t touch me!” She spat at him harshly and visibly shuddered as she lowered her gaze from his face to the forest floor.
For a moment Joe couldn’t understand her problem but then Freeman stepped forwards and spoke very quietly in Joe’s ear.
“How dare you frighten my staff. You shouldn’t get too close to them with a face like that. It’s off putting enough at a distance. Close up it’s horrendous.”
For a moment Joe wasn’t sure he had heard the man correctly but then he staggered away from him, unable to believe what he had just heard. Freeman moved quickly over to Jessica and bent to say something to her. She gave a snort of derisory laughter as she listened to the man whisper something in her ear.
David looked at Joe curiously. Even with a near expressionless face he could see the pain etched in Joe’s blue eyes. He moved to his friend’s side and frowned at him.
“Anything wrong? Are they getting at you?” David’s tone was full of concern.
Joe pulled himself together. There was nothing he could do about their attitude except ignore it. He glared at Freeman before he answered stubbornly.
“No, everything is fine. Mr. Freeman was just pointing out something that I probably should have guessed for myself.” He glowered at the man in front of him, determined to not let him see the pain he had just caused, but inside he was dying. He didn’t need to be told that his face was a mess. He saw it every day for himself. He had to live with the knowledge that his face took some getting used to, but he had thought that a grown woman would have a little more compassion. His eyes flicked over to Jessica Dennison and he stared as she shuddered again as she caught his eye.
For just one moment he thought he was angry with her for her condemnation of him, but suddenly Lucy was at his side, smiling up at him, her eyes glowing in exhilaration, her dimpled cheeks flushed with excitement and it was as though the sun had blossomed in his heart. He took another quick glance back at Jessica as she conversed quietly with her boss and realized that their narrow minded attitude just made him pity them. He straightened his shoulders and fisted his hands at his sides so that he wouldn’t punch Freeman in the face.
Lucy was still standing beside him. He could smell her deliciously perfumed hair and he turned his gaze to her friendly smile.
“Let’s go. We can cross back over the river at the ford further up. It’ll only be a few inches deep at this time of year and there are stepping stones so we probably won’t even get out feet wet.”
Lucy let out a great bellow of laughter.
“So you mean that we didn’t need to cross the river via the ropes in the first place! Ha! I can’t wait to see Carter’s face when he realizes that he hadn’t needed to get wet!”
Joe let out a laugh too. It would hold a certain satisfaction that was for sure. He guided Lucy towards the rest of the group who followed David along the river path.
Chapter Eight
Carter Freeman stood in front of the mirror in his room and checked his hair once again. He had been horrified to find it full of tiny green weeds after his impromptu dunk in the river. After he showered and re dressed, he had bagged up his soaking clothes and gave them to a smirking Geraldine who had knocked on his door to inform him that they would be happy to launder them.
“Most of our guests are at lunch already Monsieur Freeman. Please go down and join them as soon as you are able.” She handed the bag of wet clothes to the young woman behind her who immediately left to take them to the laundry room. Geraldine turned back to Carter. “I think my ‘usband and Joe want to take you to the zip wire this afternoon. I shouldn’t wear anything too special as you are bound to get wet again.” She looked at his Hugo Boss shirt and then down at his Armani jeans.
Carter nodded curtly. He stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out his IPhone that had miraculously survived its submersion in the river. He placed it on the dressing table alongside his Rolex and looked up at Geraldine, wondering for the umpteenth time why on earth someone so incredibly beautiful was with someone as ugly as her husband. He had decided the night before that she must have been married to him before the bomb, but had since been informed that this wasn’t the case. He couldn’t imagine what the attraction was. He cleared his throat before asking her if Lucy was with the group already in the dining room.
“Is my secretary still up here do you know? I need her to send some emails and the like and now would be an excellent time.”
Geraldine inclined her head.
“I think she is still ‘ere Monsieur. If you want you can just call ‘er room from your telephone.”
Carter glanced back in the mirror and smoothed back an invisible stray hair. Then he pressed a dampened fingertip to his eyebrow and Geraldine raised her own eyebrows in amazement as he proceeded to shape the line of dark hair.
“No, I’ll knock as I am passing her door anyway. We’ll be down to lunch as soon as possible but I must check in with head office.”
Geraldine was a little unhappy at his response but there was little she could do about it. She turned to head back along the corridor and Carter Freeman followed her. She heard him knock on Lucy’s door but she couldn’t hang around without being seen and she didn’t want to be caught eves-dropping. She was sure there was something not quite right about the tall arrogant man and she was determined to find out what it was.
Lucy opened the door at the light tapping. She had hoped that it would be Geraldine come for a quick gossip but Carter Freeman stood in her doorway, his tall frame taking up most of the door’s space. He moved forwards quickly and Lucy had to step back to avoid a collision with him.
“Oh, hello! I wasn’t expecting to see you at my door.” She sounded as surprised as she felt.
Freeman glanced around the fabulous room and pursed his lips. He moved through the sitting room and into the sumptuously appointed bedroom. Lucy followed him and stood in the doorway as he walked over to the huge bed and ran his hand slowly down the rich drapes.
“Looks like it was a good idea for y
ou to come the day early. This is impressive to say the least.” He glanced back at his secretary his eyes filled with lust.
Lucy took a step back into the lounge.
“I didn’t ask to be put in here. Ellen chose the room for me. They have all been very kind especially as I hadn’t a clue where else to go if they had decided I couldn’t stay.”
Carter followed her back out of the room and placed a hand on her shoulder. She tried to duck away but his other hand came up swiftly and held her in a vice like grasp.
“I can see that you had no choice but this room is plenty big enough for two Lucy.” He paused and she tried to pull herself away. He held on tightly. “In fact I would almost say that it is a condition of your continued employment.” His voice was low and threatening.
Lucy gasped and wrenched herself from his grasp. She backed up against the closed door.
“You can’t mean that Carter!” Her shocked tone didn’t put him off for a moment. He stalked forwards coming in close to her. He lifted his arms and placed a hand firmly on the door either side of her shoulders. She attempted to duck beneath one of his arms but he shifted his hand quickly, keeping her trapped within the cage of his arms and stepped even closer. His body was a breath away from hers and she felt her heart rate pick up. The feeling wasn’t a pleasant one.
“I mean exactly that Miss Collins. I think our arrangements for work should go to the next level. I know you need this job. In fact you won’t be able to get any other job, I’ve made absolutely certain of that, so you may as well give in and enjoy the ride. I’m absolutely certain that I will”
Lucy glared up at him.
“What do you mean? You know nothing about me. I could find another job easily. I don’t need to work for you Carter so stop threatening me.” She tried to disguise the tremble in her voice.
Carter suddenly stepped away from her and gave out a huge laugh.
“Lucy, Lucy, Lucy! Do you think that I don’t check up on the backgrounds of my staff. I run an international investment company. I have to know every single person I employ is completely reliable. I make in depth check into every single person who works for me. I have to confess that your back ground check made for some interesting reading. Nearly fifty thousand pounds of short term unsecured debt and a mortgage on top. You were lucky that my company would finance you. It’s right at the top end of our limits.”
Lucy gaped at him. She had no idea that he knew she was indebted to his company. She hadn’t known herself until a few weeks after she had started working for him as she was under the impression that the company sold insurance. It did but that was only one of its departments. She had been desperate to keep the knowledge of her debts a secret but it seemed that Carter had known about it for a while. She closed her mouth and gulped back her shock before she spoke bitterly.
“Well if I had known what a shark infested pool I was swimming in, I might have tried harder to stay on dry land. So you know I owe you the money, well I’m keeping up with the payments so you can’t foreclose on me.”
Carter laughed again.
“And how long do you think you would last if I told you that I no longer needed a secretary. Your resume will not look good if there is a dismissal on there for breaking a confidentiality agreement.”
Lucy frowned.
“Not that I have ever broken any agreement anyway but I don’t remember signing one in the first place so I don’t see how that could affect me.” She tried to look and sound confident but her world was crashing down around her.
Carter shook his head.
“You don’t understand Lucy. As my personal secretary you have signed on my behalf many times. I have your signature on hundreds of documents in my office. It really wouldn’t be hard to place one on any contract I like. You would never be able to prove you hadn’t signed anything and as you know the workings of the company almost inside out, no court would ever believe that you didn’t know exactly what you were getting into.”
Lucy took in a sharp breath.
“You can’t threaten me like this.” She hissed up at him.
Carter smiled down at her.
“I’m not threatening you Lucy. I am just explaining your options and how they will be affected if you allow me in your bed. I don’t really know why you aren’t leaping at the chance. Hundreds of other women do almost daily. I’m not a selfish lover. I would make it good for you too.” His voice was a smooth as a rattlesnakes skin and Lucy thought that she was about to vomit.
Her features hardened and she was about to reach forwards and slap him when there was a sharp knock on the door. She almost cried out in relief but stopped when Carter lugged the door open for her and glared at the man outside the door.
Joe almost stepped back in surprise but managed to hold his ground as he saw Lucy’s whiter than white face behind Freeman’s shoulder.
“Geraldine wants to know if you two are coming down for lunch.” He growled out as Lucy took her chance and barreled past Freeman.
“Yes, I’m starving. All that lugging about and walking this morning has given me a massive appetite. I’ll walk down with you Joe.” She stepped out of the room and into the corridor, the relief obvious on her face.
Joe didn’t look at her but continued to stare at Freeman.
“I take it that you are coming too. Close Miss Collins door behind you please. We wouldn’t like uninvited guests in her room.” The menace in his tone was clear and Carter narrowed his eyes.
“No, I completely agree and we can finish our business later anyway.” He stepped out into the hall and closed the door with a hard bang. Lucy gave an involuntary jump and immediately headed off down the stairs with Joe leaving Carter to walk slowly on behind her.
Joe was so angry he could barely speak. Geraldine had come running to him in the dining room and had voiced her fears for Lucy. Joe had come charging up the stairs two at a time and had only just restrained himself from barreling through her door.
“Why on earth did you let him into your room? That man’s like some kind of leech. You should stay away from him as much as possible.”
Having got over her shock, Lucy was now angry.
“I didn’t let him in. I opened the door thinking it was going to be Geraldine and he came barging in. I had no choice as he was already in before I could say no and actually I can’t really say no as he’s my boss and he may have needed me to do something for him.” She hissed out as they marched towards the dining room.
Joe caught hold of her arm and spun her towards him. His blue eyes were full of concern.
“There’s only one thing that guy wants you to do for him. He’s making it pretty plain what he wants. You really need to start looking for another job Lucy.”
She closed her eyes for just a moment and then squared her shoulders.
“I know but it will take a little time to find one. The jobs market is tough back home right now. I have to tread carefully Joe.” She didn’t dare tell him how carefully.
They reached the lavish dining room a few moments later and Lucy joined in the queue for the buffet while Joe walked mingled in with the rest of the guests.
Lucy looked along the fabulous selection. There was freshly made bread, cold meats and cheeses and a huge selection of salads. She grabbed a plate and piled it with a hastily gathered selection then she found a table with some other work friends and sat down to eat.
Her mind was in turmoil. How the hell had Carter found out that she owed his company. It had been a shock to her own system when she discovered that the insurance company he ran and that she worked for also had a banking subsidiary. She was undecided about the banking title part. She still considered them to be loan sharks but as she had no other choice if she was to keep a roof over her head, she had signed the financial agreement. It was only a few months later that she had discovered the connection between the two institutions and now it seemed that Carter had too.
She moved the food around her plate, thinking she would throw up i
f she actually consumed anything. He wanted her to sleep with him or he was going to foreclose on the loan. He would see her out of a job and left with nothing if she didn’t agree to his disgusting arrangement. He wouldn’t even leave her with any self-respect. The thought made the bile rise in her throat and she had to place a napkin over her mouth.
One of the men at her table leaned forwards.
“Are you okay Lucy? You’ve gone awfully pale.”
Lucy removed the napkin and grabbed hold of the jug of water in the centre of the table. She poured a full glass and gulped it down.
“Dehydrated I think. I was sweating like a pig lugging those logs around earlier.”
There was a general laugh from her friends and everyone agreed that it had indeed been hard work. The conversation continued and there was speculation about the rest of the day but Lucy barely heard what was happening around the table. Her mind was consumed with the thought of Carter Freeman and how she was going to keep herself out of his clutches.
She suddenly saw Geraldine crossing the dining room and she shoved back from the table, excusing herself quickly from her work colleagues.
“Hey, Geraldine. I left my laptop in my room and I’m just too tired to go back up there at the moment. Do you think I could use one of your computers to look something up? I think I forgot to make a transfer into my bank and I’m going to be charged if I don’t sort it out.”
Geraldine nodded immediately.
“Do you want to do it now or later? I can arrange for you to have some privacy in the office if you want to look at it all tonight.”
Lucy shook her head.
“Now would be better, I don’t want to take the chance. You have no idea of the fees banks charge even if you only a day late with a payment. It’s all Carter’s fault. If he hadn’t sent me out here three days early I wouldn’t have forgotten to do it.” She thought she sounded plausible.
Forever Scarred (Scarred Series Book 3) Page 9