Harbour (Runaway Home #1)

by Penelope Louleas

  We all take our seats and the meeting commences. I stay focused on my iPad and take down notes. I try to avoid eye contact with Lincoln because I know it will take me at least ten minutes to get my head back in the game.

  The meeting is almost over when Lincoln asks no one in particular, "Are there any further questions or issues?"

  I hear a dramatic sigh from Savannah, and I look over at her as she begins to open her mouth. "Actually I have a question."

  "As you’re Mr. Meyers assistant it's not normal protocol, but go ahead."

  She looks directly at me, eyes narrowed, and I take a deep breath, sit up ramrod straight in my chair and prepare myself.

  "Apparently, you're dating your assistant, Harper. I was under the impression dating your assistant wasn't allowed." The room is so quiet that the only sound I can hear is the low humming from the coffee maker in the corner of the room. I look up at Lincoln and he shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose.

  "Savannah, her name is Harbour. To answer your question, yes, we are dating, but it’s nobody's business. What's inappropriate is you bringing this up in a monthly board meeting. In future, if you have any issues of a personal nature you can approach me in private. If there's nothing else then this meeting is over." Lincoln stands and walks out of the room, slamming the door. The other attendees slowly make their way out, giving me the occasional pity glance. I notice that Savannah stays seated.

  Obviously this bitch wants round two.

  I stand and begin clearing the water glasses. As soon as the last person leaves, she begins. "You're

  not interested, huh? You're a good liar. I actually believed you!" She laughs. Normally I'd ignore her but I have a feeling she’s going to make my working life hell.

  "How could you believe any straight woman who says she’s not interested in Lincoln? I guess you're dumber than I thought."

  She gasps and walks over to me. She stops a few inches from my face so I have to look up at her. I don't move. I will not let her think she intimidates me.

  "Listen, Harlow, I wouldn't get so cocky. He's probably on the rebound and needs a little plaything. You're not marriage material. I'll be waiting when he's done with you."

  "You'll be waiting a very long time, and my fucking name is Harbour."

  I turn and walk out of the conference room just as Mr. Meyers, her daddy, enters. "Savannah, in my office. NOW!"

  Somebody's in trouble, I sing in my head.

  The rest of the day flies past. The whole company is now aware of our relationship, and surprisingly, most are being friendlier than normal, even stopping to say hello. I’m not an idiot; obviously these people don’t want to piss the CEO's girlfriend off.

  Lincoln calls me into his office at five p.m. and pins me to the door. He kisses me urgently, and I kiss him back with the same amount of need. We pull apart, breathless.

  "I’m sorry about Savannah. I’ve had a word to her father about reining in her attitude."

  "I don't care about her. She's just jealous, and I'm sure she isn't the only one."

  "I have a gift for you. Well, a couple in fact." He slowly releases me and walks over to his desk.

  "Oh, I love presents!" I clap my hands like a little kid and smile brightly at him.

  "Seeing as we got . . . distracted last night, I didn't have a chance to give you this."

  He hands over the Apple store bag he brought over to my place yesterday. I open it and find a new iPhone, all charged and loaded with my numbers. He's even taken a picture of himself and set it as my background.

  "Thank you, Lincoln. You didn't have to do that."

  "Nonsense. I can’t have my assistant without a phone. What if I need you after hours? And I definitely can’t have my girlfriend without a phone. Who will I send photos of my cock to?"

  "Oh my God, Lincoln! Don't you dare!" I playfully slap his shoulder and then kiss his cheek.

  "I would send them, but the phone isn't waterproof." I roll my eyes and laugh at him.

  "Thank you, I appreciate it. And I love that you called me your girlfriend."

  "Well, that's what you are. You’re mine, Harbour. And anyway, I like labels."

  "I know. I've seen your car." I giggle.

  "There’s one more thing. Go into my washroom and get dressed."

  "You bought me clothes?"

  "Well, I couldn't have my girlfriend meeting my parents in business attire."

  "I could've gone home and changed." I argue

  "Well, now you don't have to. Go get changed before I follow you in there and fuck you up against the vanity so hard you'll meet my parents with a limp."

  I love his dirty mouth. I giggle and run to the washroom. It's a beautiful room, fully equipped with a toilet and shower.

  I open the mirror cabinet and it’s stocked with a shaving set, cologne, and even a box of condoms. I shake the horrible thoughts that enter my head. Why would he have them in here? A part of me is hoping he bought them for us. No, I won’t let this ruin our night.

  I open the Neiman Marcus bag and pull out a gorgeous purple Michael Kors long-sleeved top with a zipper from neck to navel, and a pair of dark skinny jeans. I love them! He's also purchased new underwear from Victoria’s Secret: sexy boy-cut lace panties and a matching bra in electric blue. They feel so good against my skin, I feel sexier instantly. I put on the remainder of the outfit and it fits perfectly. There were no shoes, so I put my black pumps back on.

  I quickly let down my hair, collect my clothes and make my way back out to Lincoln's office. He's sitting at his desk, engrossed in whatever he's reading. He looks up and a sexy-as-hell smile spreads across his face. "She did good, real fucking good." He stands and walks over to me. "Who did good?"

  "My personal shopper. I like this zip." He reaches up and unzips the top, exposing my super sexy bra. "Fuck, I’m not going to be able to keep my hands off you tonight knowing you're wearing this underneath." He roughly grabs my breast and squeezes it.

  "Well, you better, because I’m sure your parents wouldn't enjoy a floorshow."

  I push his hand away and zip my top back up. He whines and then kisses me. "You're gonna get fucked so hard when we get home tonight." Home? Where's that?

  "You're sleeping at my place tonight, Harbour. I intend on spending the whole night fucking you senseless. I hope you're not tired." He winks then lowers his mouth to my earlobe and bites it.

  I moan as he pulls away and walks to the door.

  "I almost forgot." He turns me towards my desk. On top is a Jimmy Choo shoebox and a Chanel gift-bag. My eyes nearly pop out of my head. My heartbeat accelerates. Hey, I am woman!

  "I hope those aren't for me." Yes I do. I'm such a liar! I bite my lip to hide my excitement. He can't have bought me these, too.

  "Of course they are. You have to accept them. They’re not my size, anyway." He winks and gives me a cheeky smile.

  I turn towards him and cup his face in my hands. "Lincoln, you don't have to buy me things. I'm not that kind of girl."

  "Harbour, it’s not like I can't afford it, and anyway, I like buying you gifts."

  "I appreciate it, I really do, but next time, please don't spend so much. Hell, these shoes are expensive! I'd be happy with a pair of thongs."

  "Well baby, if it’s thongs you want, I'll happily buy you as many as you want."

  "Wait! No! I meant flip-flops! We call them thongs in Australia." I'm so embarrassed. He laughs at me, and I smile, I love hearing him laugh, even if it’s because of my stupid comments.

  "Open the box." He turns me towards the desk and I open the shoebox

  "Do they really call flip-flops thongs?"

  "Yeah, I figured that out after an embarrassing incident in a store over summer."

  I open the box and gasp as I pull out a beautiful pair of jimmy Choo black sandals. I clutch them to my chest. "Oh, these are gorgeous!"

  "There's a condition with you accepting these. They don't leave your feet until I say so." I look up and see the
heat in his eyes. I'd wear them forever if he asked.

  "Deal." I wink and move to my chair to put them on. After doing up the last buckle, I point my feet towards him and wiggle them.

  "You like?" I ask.

  "I fucking love," he replies in a low, sexy voice.

  Finally, I open the Chanel bag to reveal a beautiful black clutch. I've never owned anything this expensive. I think it may have cost more than my car back home. I quickly remove my necessities from my handbag and place them in the clutch.

  "You like?" he asks

  "I fucking love," I reply this time, jumping up from my seat and kissing him hard and passionately.

  "Thank you, Lincoln. You sure know how to make a girl happy."

  "Just you wait, baby. You ain't seen nothing yet."

  He takes my hand and we head to the lift. I feel sexy as I walk in my ridiculously expensive shoes, but it feels right, too. Any woman walking hand in hand with this sex god should look and feel confident.

  Well, I do—until we reach the steps of his parents’ estate.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I'm so nervous that my palms are sweating. I try to remove my hand from Lincoln's grip, but he tightens it.

  "Relax, baby. They'll love you."

  I give him a fake I'm fine smile and try to rid my mind of the negative reactions I'm expecting. Will they think I'm not good enough for him? Will they think I just took my position as his assistant to seduce him? God, what if they think I'm a gold-digger?! Relax, Har. Not all rich people are snobs.

  Please be right . . .

  The door swings open and Mr. Whitmore and his wife are standing there. I recognize them from the ball.

  "Son! So good to see you." The older man embraces Lincoln in a big bear hug, but Lincoln doesn't release my hand.

  "My darling boy. It's been too long." Mrs. Whitmore grabs Lincoln and embraces him warmly.

  "Mom, Dad, this is Harbour Manning, my girlfriend."

  Wow, that sounds awesome.

  "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Whitmore."

  "Hello, Harbour. It's lovely to finally meet you. Please, call me Mitchell, or Mitch if you like, and this is my beautiful wife, Dianne." Before I can put my hand out they both take turns to hug me and kiss my cheek. Genuine kisses, not air kisses.

  "Come in, dinner’s nearly ready. Jackie and Ben are out back."

  We make our way through the large foyer and I try not to stare at its beauty. The entryway is so overwhelming. It's elegant and almost regal with a grand staircase, chandelier, and what I assume to be original works of art on the walls.

  Mitchell and Dianne lead the way through the kitchen, which is, of course, perfect, and out to the patio. It's not really a patio; more like an outdoor living and dining area that could easily host more than two hundred guests.

  "Lincoln!" I hear a girl scream and then stand back as she lunges into Lincoln's arms. "What the hell? Where have you been? Did they not have phones where you were?!"

  The stunning blonde slaps him several times on the chest and he pulls her in for another hug. They missed one another. I can tell by the expressions on their faces as they hug.

  "Harbour, this is my sister, Jacqueline."

  She releases Lincoln and hugs me tightly; wow, they're a real hugging type of family. I love it. "It's so great to meet you, Harbour. You're hot!"

  "Ummm, ditto," I reply, shocked by her forwardness.

  "Lincoln, where the fuck have you been?"

  "Language, Benjamin," Dianne admonishes.

  "Sorry, Mom, but this idiot leaves the country for two months and we don't hear from him except for the occasional postcard? I'm allowed to be pissed."

  "I did call you when I got back. Sorry, man, had to figure some shit out."

  "Boys, language!" Mitchell calls out.

  Benjamin sidesteps Lincoln and stands in front of me. He towers over me and grabs my hand.

  "Hello, beautiful. Please tell me you're here for me."

  Oh, this guy is smooth. I smile shyly up at him and he kisses my hand, which Lincoln quickly removes from his grasp.

  "This is my girlfriend, Harbour. Harbour, my douchebag brother, Ben."

  "Nice to meet you, Ben." I smile at him. He leans towards my ear and whispers playfully, "If you ever get sick of my stuck-up brother, feel free to call me." He smiles devilishly and ducks as Lincoln attempts to slap his head.

  "Dinner’s ready, everyone inside," Dianne calls out as she leads the way to the dining room.

  The dining room is very big; formal, but inviting. The walls are a deep red with gold finishes, and there is a grand piano to one side. A portrait of the family hangs over a beautiful sitting area at the end of the room. I walk over and admire it. It's not a stuffy, set-up picture. It looks like it was taken recently. The family is dressed casually and they are all smiling, like they just heard a great joke.

  "I absolutely loved this picture." I hadn't noticed Dianne walk up beside me until she spoke.

  "We were all at our home in the Hamptons, and it was actually taken by a friend of mine with an iPhone camera. Can you believe that? We’ve had many sittings with professional photographers, but my favorite picture is one taken by an amateur on a phone." She laughs and I see the memories of that day flooding back to her. She sighs. "Let’s eat."

  We walk over to the table and I am seated next to Lincoln, with Mitchell at the head of the table to my right.

  Food is served and it’s delicious, of course. After our starters are cleared, Mitch asks me a question I've been asked many times.

  "So, Harbour; that’s quite an original name. How did your parents pick it?"

  "My father proposed to my mother on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They had two options for a name for me: Sydney or Harbour, but being Melbournians, my parents thought Harbour was a better choice."

  "It's weird, but in a cool way. I've never heard it before. What's your nickname?" Jackie asks curiously.

  "Just Har."

  "Har . . ." she replies, as if testing it out.

  "So, how did the two of you meet?" Ben asks, and Lincoln replies

  "We work together. Harbour is my assistant."

  "Way to go, bro!" Ben says over-enthusiastically.

  "Shut up, idiot."

  "Well, I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we're happy that you're dating again, and Harbour is lovely." Dianne smiles fondly at me, and I feel my cheeks redden. I think I just got the tick of approval.

  "Yep, so happy, considering that bitch is gone too."

  "Jacqueline, watch your tone. That's your brother’s ex-fiancée you're talking about." Everyone at the table is silent for a moment, looking from me to Lincoln, waiting for a reaction.

  "What? I called her a bitch, and you knew exactly who I was talking about. Let’s not sugarcoat this: that woman was trouble. We all saw it from the first time we met her." Jackie ignores her mother’s shut the hell up glare and continues. "She hated us; hanging out here was a chore for her. We hardly got to see Lincoln, and when we did he always looked miserable."

  The silence is deafening. Lincoln looks uncomfortable, shuffling in his seat and taking a large drink from his wine glass. I attempt to change the subject.

  "Jackie, I love your nail color."

  Everyone laughs and Lincoln leans in and whispers, "Smooth, sweetheart."

  Thankfully my attempt at changing the subject worked, but I now have a spa day booked with Dianne and Jackie next week. Not that I mind; I love getting pampered.

  Dinner did help me understand where Lincoln got his enthusiasm. His family just met me and they're already planning outings. Seeing as I have no one else to hang out with, I'm happy they're eager. And Jackie and I are close in age, so that's a bonus.

  We eat the remainder of our meal and Lincoln talks about his two months away. His parents look so proud that he chose to do something charitable with his time. I can tell they were worried he'd need some form of rehab when he returned.

  By the time dessert arrives I'm full, but
it looks so good I have to try it. I look up at Ben and Jackie, and they're both watching me with amused smiles.

  "What?" I ask holding the fork of tiramisu just near my mouth.

  "You're definitely not like the other girls Lincoln dates; especially the she devil. She would've stopped eating after starters." Ben chuckles, and I look over at Lincoln who is engrossed in conversation with his parents.

  "Well, I'm no runway model, and I don’t like to waste of food. Wait, are you calling me fat?" I put on the best hurt-expression I can muster without laughing at Ben’s shocked face. Lincoln has stopped talking and the table is silent, waiting for the bomb to drop.

  "What? No! Of course not, I just thought . . . um . . . It's cool. I've never seen a girlfriend eat like you. I mean . . . you're not fat, but . . ."

  "But . . .?" I respond, trying to stifle my giggle.

  "But . . . but . . ." he stutters.

  "What about my butt?"

  "Nothing! It’s great, honestly." He's actually begun to sweat a little, and I take pity on him.

  "I'm just messing with you, Ben. But for your own safety, don't check out my butt." I start laughing and the family joins in, realizing it was just a joke.

  "Yes, I eat a lot. I'm half Greek, half Aussie, and both halves love a good feed."

  Ben smiles over at me, then looks at Lincoln. "She's a keeper, dude."

  The family all agree, and Jackie mocks Ben and his panic at thinking I was serious.

  The night ends with coffee in the beautiful lounge area with the grand piano. My fingers are twitching just to touch it. I played a lot at home. I haven't played once in New York.

  "Do you like the piano, Harbour? Can you play?" Dianne must've noticed me staring at it like it was a long-lost friend.

  "It's beautiful, and yes, I played all the time back home. It was one of my mum’s rules. We had to learn an instrument. I played piano."

  "Why don't you play something for us?"

  Normally I would decline and make an excuse, but I feel drawn to the ivory keys. I really want to play; I’d play all night if I could.