Heaven Scent

by Sasha Wagstaff

  Xavier clutched his dark hair. ‘Where would she have gone? Anyone … any ideas?’

  Leoni thought for a second. ‘Seraphina said she was going on about one of Paris’s most famous landmarks before we left.’ Filling him in, she pushed him out of the door but Xavier didn’t need to be told twice.

  As guests began to trickle out of the door, Leoni leant her head on Ashton’s shoulder. ‘The shop is so beautiful. I can’t thank you enough.’

  ‘I actually built that shelf myself.’ Ashton pointed to the curved shelf that showcased Leoni’s home fragrance line. He shrugged. ‘Hey, I had nothing better to do and I quite enjoyed getting my hands dirty, for once.’ He glanced down at her, tipping her chin up towards him. Loving the sight of her mouth without a scrap of red lipstick on it, he kissed her. ‘I can’t believe we’re finally together.’

  ‘Me neither,’ Leoni said, snuggling into him. She breathed in the tang of his aftershave. Dunhill London, crisp apple, rose and patchouli, so very Ashton. ‘So, show me where you’ve been living.’

  Ashton laughed and took her upstairs. He watched her as she did her best to look unperturbed by the lack of space and the cold chill that crept in from the cracks in the windows.

  ‘Oh no,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘This will never do.’

  ‘I did say . . .’

  Leoni smiled. ‘I just meant, as a long-term solution. But for what I have in mind, it’ll do just fine.’

  Ashton looked at her. ‘What do you have in mind?’

  She blushed prettily.

  ‘Aah.’ As gently as he could, Ashton threw her on the inflatable bed. ‘Just to warn you, clothes might get ripped in a minute and I can tell this dress is very expensive but I know I won’t be able to help myself . . .’

  Leoni grinned as her stomach did a flip-flop. This was it, this was the way she wanted to feel. ‘Is that a promise?’

  Ashton nudged her legs apart with his thigh. ‘Seriously, L, haven’t you learnt by now that the one thing you can say about me is that I never, ever lie . . .’ Pushing her back against the bed, they both laughed at the sound of material ripping.

  Shoving some notes into the taxi driver’s hand as he pulled up alongside the Eiffel Tower, Xavier leapt out, nearly colliding with a group of Japanese tourists. The place was teeming with people; crowds were milling around the four great feet of the tower, taking photographs and queuing to take a ride up to the top floor.

  La dame de fer, the Iron Lady, as it was nicknamed, looked magnificent. Close up, it was immense and its base stretched out widely, encompassing a vast concreted area. It was lit up beautifully, rising majestically into the sky like a beacon and at 1,063 feet it unquestionably provided the best view of the city, especially at night.

  This was madness. Xavier looked around in frustration. Cat could be anywhere in the city and, frankly, he thought it more likely she had gone back to the hotel to book an early flight to England. Just because she had mentioned to Seraphina that the Eiffel Tower was one of the places she’d always wanted to visit, didn’t mean Cat was going to head towards it right at this minute. And if she had, how the hell was he going to find her?

  Xavier tore up to the bridge for a better look, scanning the area with eagle eyes.

  ‘Excuse me, mister . . . you take picture?’ Someone was tugging at the sleeve of his suit.

  Xavier was about to tell whoever it was to go away in no uncertain terms when he saw that it was a small Japanese girl with bunches and gappy front teeth.

  ‘You very handsome,’ she told him earnestly. She was holding up a funky little pink camera, no doubt the latest in forward-thinking Japanese technology. He didn’t have the heart to turn her down.

  Xavier sighed. ‘Of course. How do I work this thing?’

  After a quick lesson on pointing and pressing, he waited as the girl ran to stand with her family. Xavier held the camera up and pressed the focus button, accidentally panning back and sending the image of the family hurtling into the distance. About to correct the focus, Xavier gasped. There she was! In the background of the shot, he could see Cat. She was standing by the southern foot of the tower and through the powerful lens of the camera, her turquoise dress stood out brightly against the dark grey steel, as did her butterscotch-coloured hair.

  He quickly took a photo of the Japanese family, thrust the camera into the girl’s hands and tore after Cat before she moved and he lost her again. Zipping in and out of the crowds and doing his best not to knock anyone over, he kept his eye on Cat’s turquoise dress, never letting it out of his sight. Seeing that she was starting to walk away, Xavier cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled her name at the top of his voice. Cat turned in surprise and when she caught sight of him, she gasped.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ Xavier panted as he caught up with her, his loose bow tie ends flapping. His dark hair was all over the place and he looked uncharacteristically dishevelled.

  And ridiculously sexy, Cat thought. Standing there, looking like a glamorous French model in his dinner suit with his chiselled chin and kissable mouth, Cat knew she would never, ever feel the same way about another man again. It wasn’t just his looks, it was his humour and his passionate nature that made him heart-stoppingly irresistible. Realising he’d asked her a question, she stumbled to answer it.

  ‘I just wanted to see the Eiffel Tower before I go home.’

  ‘Go home?’ Xavier clutched her hands. She looked gorgeous, even though her cheeks were tear stained and flushed and her eyes were full of anguish. Xavier didn’t think she had ever looked more vulnerable or more beautiful. ‘Your home is La Fleurie.’

  ‘No, it’s not, Xavier!’ She tugged her hands back. ‘And it never was. I had no right to be there . . . I was never married to Olivier.’ Cat hoped he couldn’t see her tears. ‘I feel so stupid, so embarrassed. I’ve spent months living with you all and I never should have been there in the first place.’

  Leading her to the grassy stretch behind the Eiffel Tower and pushing her down on to the closest bench, Xavier took her hands again. ‘I meant everything I said back there in the store,’ he told her honestly. ‘You were . . . you are the inspiration behind La Spontanéité. You’re that perfect woman I had in mind. I just hadn’t met you when I put that formula together. But you’re everything I knew I wanted in a woman. You’re beautiful – on the inside too, which matters more than anything.’ Xavier stroked her fingers with his, aching to kiss her. ‘You’re genuine and you’re brave.’ He laughed. ‘You must have been, to take on my family.’

  Cat started to smile as she stared into his gorgeous eyes and focused on the gold flecks.

  Xavier continued. ‘Look, Cat, I didn’t want to fall for you. You were Olivier’s widow, at least, I thought you were, and I thought you were crazy to fall in love with him when you didn’t really know him.’

  ‘I don’t think I was ever really—’

  ‘It’s doesn’t matter,’ he interrupted her. ‘I was wrong to think that because it’s exactly what happened to me with you. I had all these ideas about you but as soon as we went to Grasse, I knew I’d made a mistake and then I did the very thing I was mocking you for.’ Xavier’s expression was rueful. ‘I fell head over heels for someone I barely knew.’

  Cat’s heart leapt.

  He took a deep breath. ‘And trust me, I didn’t want to fall in love with anyone because the last time I did that, I got hurt. As you know. Although, obviously, I was very wrong about Angelique . . . she had other things on her mind.’ Loath to talk about his ex-girlfriend for a second longer, Xavier looked at Cat with intent. ‘But you showed me that life is about taking risks and being spontaneous, that even if something seems to be crazy, if it feels right, then it is right. That’s how I felt about you in Grasse . . . and it’s definitely how I felt about you that night in the stables.’

  Cat blushed. ‘It was amazing, wasn’t it? I didn’t imagine it . . .’

  ‘You didn’t imagine it,’ he told her firmly. Leanin
g down, he kissed her. Taking her face in his hands, he kissed her again. Gently at first and then with increasing urgency. Feeling her heart flip over, Cat wound her arms round his neck and kissed him back as though her life depended on it. God, she had missed him! Loving the feel of his warm hands in her hair and feeling her body respond as he kissed her, Cat tingled all over.

  ‘Did you . . . did you kiss me when you saved me that day,’ she asked as they broke free for a second. ‘The day of the riding accident?’ She had to know the truth.

  Xavier nodded. ‘Not really the done thing, as Ashton would say, but I couldn’t help myself. I was so relieved you were alive and I couldn’t believe I’d nearly lost you.’ He traced a finger over her mouth. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said. ‘About everything. For being angry with you about Angelique when you didn’t even know her name . . . for not speaking to you before I kept dashing off everywhere. It’s just that . . . making the fragrance, it was something I had to do . . . I had to finish it and you were in my mind the whole time.’

  Cat grinned; that actually made her feel much better.

  ‘You have . . . brought me back to life,’ he told her in a jerky voice. ‘Not just me, my whole family.’ Xavier looked down at her hands, bringing her fingers to his mouth to kiss them. ‘When my mother died, everything changed, all of us changed, and not for the better. And after Olivier’s death, I don’t think any of us knew how to function, not even Grandmother. And then you came along.’ He smiled as Cat slipped her arms round his waist. ‘You came along and you turned all of us upside down, and now I can’t imagine La Fleurie – or life – without you. The way you went after Max like that . . . you’re so brave. You . . . you grab life with both hands and it’s taken me ages to realise it’s the best way.’

  Cat felt overwhelmed with happiness. She wanted to say something but she couldn’t. Anything she could think of felt inadequate; besides, after all the confusion, she didn’t want to jinx anything.

  Xavier thought her silence meant she needed more convincing. ‘Look, you’ve saved all of us . . . my father, Leoni, the twins. Me. I was a mess . . . after my mother’s death, after Angelique, I didn’t know how to feel any more. And you have to know that what I feel for you is more powerful and more real than anything I ever felt about Angelique. Trust me, I’ve had long enough to figure it out.’

  ‘But you never said anything . . .’

  He looked stricken. ‘I know. I’m so sorry I shut you out when Angelique arrived. I was so confused . . . she kissed me once and I thought for a second that I wanted her back. Just for a second. And then I knew it was all just in the past . . . and deep down, I knew it was you I wanted.’ He smoothed a lock of hair out of her eyes. ‘It hit me like a thunderbolt in the stables that night and then it hit me all over again in Morocco.’

  Cat reached up and kissed him. She was glad he’d told her about the embrace with Angelique; it meant there was nothing hanging between them that was unsaid.

  Xavier pulled back. ‘You changed me, you’ve breathed life into all of us. And don’t you dare say you have no right to be at La Fleurie again. Because if you do, I swear I will take you to the top of the Eiffel Tower and I will do a Tom Cruise . . .’

  ‘Oh my God, was that some sort of proposal?’ Cat punched his arm. ‘Because if it was, it was rubbish.’

  ‘No.’ Xavier stood up. Leaning down, he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her easily. ‘When I propose, I’m going to do it when you least expect it. But I warn you, it’ll be soon.’

  ‘Really?’ Cat clung to his neck, feeling absurdly happy.

  ‘Yes.’ He glanced over his shoulder. ‘But right now, we need a taxi.’

  ‘Why?’

  Xavier pretended to look innocent. ‘Because we need to get to the hotel.’

  Cat sank her hands into his dark hair and pulled his mouth down to hers. ‘Well, in the absence of a stable . . .’

  ‘Exactly.’ Xavier yelled for a taxi.

  Hurrying away from the new Ducasse-Fleurie store in disgrace, Angelique kept her head down to avoid the camera flashes that recorded her early departure. She knew there would be a story about her in the papers tomorrow, about how her ad campaign had been scrapped and about her swift exit but there was nothing she could do about it.

  Would Xavier really go to the press about what she’d been up to? Angelique wondered as she tried to catch her breath. If it was any other member of the Ducasse family who’d made the threat, she would take it with a pinch of salt, but one thing everyone said about Xavier was that he was as good as his word. And he was furious, which would make him even more determined to stop her from getting what she wanted.

  Letting out a frustrated cry, Angelique realised she had been defeated. After biding her time and missing out on a Hollywood opportunity, she had ended up with nothing. Turning a corner without looking where she was going, she crashed into someone. She was gripped by two enormous hands and found herself staring up at Mason.

  ‘W-what are you doing here?’ she stammered. Her eyes were dazzled by another loud tie; this time, a bright pink one with white flecks. God, he’s so brash, Angelique thought crossly.

  ‘Has your dream been shattered?’ he demanded, his nasal tones sounding guttural in the cool, Parisian air.

  Angelique swallowed, her eyes travelling from his hooded eyes to his hooked nose before settling on his wide mouth. ‘My . . . my dream?’

  Mason shook her slightly. ‘The Ducasse family. Have they sent you packing?’

  She went limp in his arms and turned her head away. ‘Yes. How did you know?’

  Mason gathered her up, wrapping his big arms round her waist. ‘Because I knew they’d want nothing to do with you in the long run.’ He stared down at her. ‘You’re not one of them, you don’t belong there. Didn’t I tell you that?’

  Tears ran down Angelique’s face. ‘I’ve been so stupid. I wanted this perfume thing and the Ducasse family because I thought it would bring me respect. I wanted to be taken seriously, Mason!’ She beat her fists on his broad shoulders but the blows were puny against his vast size. ‘I’ve done some terrible things . . . you wouldn’t want to know me if you knew.’

  Mason ran a finger over her ripe red mouth, enjoying the way she fought against him. ‘I do know. I know about the marriage and about the abortion.’ Feeling her start in his arms, he held on to her. ‘I always investigate my clients, Angelique. Always. I’ve known about you for a long time. And the press have been sniffing round you for years. I’ve been protecting you . . . it’s cost me a fortune.’

  Angelique gasped. ‘Why . . . why didn’t you tell anyone?’

  Mason stared at her. ‘Don’t you know?’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Christ, for a smart broad, you’re so dumb at times.’ He tightened his grip.

  She shook her head.

  ‘Look, you’ve just got to know who you are, baby,’ he said in an exasperated tone. ‘Who gives a shit about perfumes and respectability? You’re going to be the biggest export France has ever seen in Hollywood soon.’

  ‘Hollywood?’ Angelique’s head snapped up. ‘Is the deal still on the table?’

  ‘Of course it is! What do you take me for? I told them you were messing about with some ad campaign but that you’d rip your right arm off for the part once you were done.’

  Angelique was overjoyed. ‘So . . . so why have you been protecting me from the press for all these years?’ she pressed, for some reason needing to know the answer.

  Mason stroked her hair away from her face. ‘Take a guess.’

  ‘Because you’re a good agent?’ she offered, not really believing it.

  He laughed. ‘I’m the best, but no, that’s not it. You’re different, you’re . . . special.’ Mason looked uncharacteristically emotional for a moment. ‘You mean everything to me, Angelique. That’s why I’ve spent years protecting your secrets from the press. And why I’ve put up with your shitty attitude when I should have kicked your ass into touch a long time ago.’ He grinned.

>   Angelique’s eyes widened. She had no idea why she felt this way and it wasn’t just because of what he’d just said, but she wanted to kiss Mason. She actually wanted to kiss the man, to kiss him and not let him go again. ‘But I hate you,’ she said in a low voice. She felt genuinely confused by the fact that she was attracted to him. ‘You’re . . . you’re repulsive.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Mason said without an ounce of hurt. He growled. ‘I told you, you and me are the same, built from the same mould. We go after the things we want and we don’t apologise for it.’

  ‘And what is it you want?’ Angelique asked Mason, although she thought she already knew. All thoughts of Xavier, Olivier and the Ducasse family were slipping away and suddenly she no longer cared about any of them.

  ‘You, you dumb bitch,’ Mason said, crushing his mouth to hers. Kissing her hard, he ran a hand down her quivering body and thrust his groin against hers. ‘And don’t you ever forget it.’

  Clinging to Mason’s enormous shoulders, Angelique realised they were indeed made of the same mould. In fact, as he scooped her up like a rag doll and headed towards their hotel, she had a feeling they were going to fit together perfectly.

  In Xavier’s seventh-floor suite in the George V, a room which apparently had artwork dedicated to Napoleon and Josephine, Cat shivered as Xavier’s mouth brushed her neck. Leaving the curtains open so the jaw-dropping view of Paris by night was still visible outside, he reached up and undid her dress. She bit her lip in ecstasy as he left a trail of kisses down her bare back. The wait had been excruciating but now that she and Xavier were finally together, Cat wanted to linger on every, sensual moment.

  By the time he’d reached the cleft of her spine at the bottom, she was a quivering wreck. As she felt her dress slither to the floor and she stood in front of him in a black lace bra and thong, Cat slowly eased his dinner jacket off. Tossing his phone on to a nearby table, he allowed her to undress him, his eyes fixed on hers. Standing in a pair of very tight, black boxer shorts, his tanned torso looming over her, Xavier pushed Cat up against the wall and they were both transported back to that erotic night in the stables. They both jumped as a text arrived on Xavier’s phone, sending it twirling all over the table.