by Riley Love
That was rare.
Her mother and younger brother lived her and always seemed to need something. She let out a long breath. That was all she needed right then.
Peter motioned for her from his office door.
Kate nodded, eager for something to do other than sit around waiting.
As she crossed the lobby, her mind went back to William Alexander. After researching him for so long, she’d started to almost believe she knew him.
Seeing him in person was beyond anything she could have imagined. Pictures and videos online didn’t do him justice.
She wondered if he was still single.
“What now?” Kate followed Peter into his office
She could tell how tense he was, and tried to keep her own voice steady. The entire morning had been positively nerve-racking.
Peter didn’t speak. He simply kept walking down the long hallway that opened up to the lounge area before his office. She was unsure if she should ask again. Everyone knew better than to bother him when he was upset.
She considered simply going home, but she wanted to make certain what was to happen next. William said that he would call her. She needed more direction than that. Should she simply wait? The feeling of being in limbo made her nervous.
When Peter stepped into his office, he held the door open for her. That was her answer. With a sigh of relief, she entered and stood before his desk. They had so much to discuss, and it felt as if they didn’t have enough time. This might be the last time that they would see each other.
Once he closed the door, she offered a smile. “That went better than I expected,” she said. “Kelly is pissed. I never heard her say such a combination of curse words.” She let out a nervous giggle. “How are you feeling?”
He stood there for a moment, just taking her in. She felt as if under a microscope and moved her hair behind her shoulders.
“You really are beautiful.”
Kate tilted her head. Did he have any idea how long she’d wanted to hear him say that? The flirting had only begun a few weeks ago. All of a sudden he made her feel as if she wasn’t invisible. This was after two years of working for him and being treated like dirt.
“Thank you,” she said. “Where did that come from?” She couldn’t help herself from asking the question on her mind.
He loosened his tie and took off his suit jacket. He dropped it onto the floor. He was no Sir William Alexander, nor was he her type, but Peter Pruitt had his own charm. Hazel eyes and slick dark brown hair, he reminded her of one of her high school teachers. Perhaps it was his glasses and the fact that he was incredibly intelligent. She was always a sucker for a smart man. But then there was his temper.
“I’ve wanted to say that for a very long time,” he said.
Peter closed the shades of the glass that looked out into the lobby. Once the potential for unwanted eyes was eliminated, he took his tie off and approached her. She felt more and more insecure the closer he got to her. Kate stepped backward until her lower back met the edge of his desk.
She craved his attention, but there was a look in his eyes…one that made her slightly afraid of his next action. Her brain questioned his intentions, and she wanted nothing more than to slip away and pretend he’d never looked at her that way.
When he was directly before her, she shook with nerves. He reached for her face and stroked her cheeks.
Her eyes searched his, and all she saw was lust. Kate knew it, and it hit her hard that he wasn’t really seeing her.
Warnings flashed through her mind when his lips met hers.
Kate froze. The answer to his question ate away at her. This isn’t right. She grabbed his hand, taking it from her face, and held it.
“What’s wrong?” Peter stood to his full height, stepped back, and looked down at her in alarm.
Cheeks flushed, she didn’t know what to say. How could she tell him that she was having second thoughts? He was married. Those lips had probably just kissed his wife before leaving for the firm that very morning. She wasn’t the type of girl to overlook that haunting fact. Besides, she couldn’t truly forget how poorly he had treated her in the past.
Too many warnings.
Shaking her head, she fixed her gray pencil skirt and moved away from him. Walking backward, Kate avoided eye contact.
“I can’t do this,” she said. “I just can’t. It’s just awkward timing, and I don’t feel it.” Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry.”
“Fine,” he said straightening his shirt. All tenderness left his voice, and she knew she made the right decision. “Leave.”
She felt tears burn her eyes and gave him a look of disbelief. Two years and this was their goodbye.
“Good luck,” she mumbled and hurried across his office and left before he could reply or try to stop her.
Embarrassed, she tried to keep a calm face, even though her cheeks were burning as she walked down the hall to her shared office. No one stopped her. No one said anything. They were all preoccupied with preparing for the buyout, and she was grateful. She grabbed her purse from her desk and didn’t stop walking until she was outside.
The hot sun’s light bathed her bronze skin as she closed her eyes and tilted her head to the bright blue sky.
“Stupid, stupid girl,” she whispered. “When are you going to learn?”
The buzz of her phone made her jump. She reached inside her purse and sighed with relief when she read the caller ID.
“Aimee,” she said. “Hi.”
Her heels clicked along the pavement as she walked through the parking lot to her car.
“Hey, girl. How about Thai, at noon?”
“Sounds perfect,” Kate smirked. “You really are a lifesaver, you know that?”
“Why? What happened?”
Kate shook her head. “You don’t want to know. I seriously wish I could change my name and enter witness protection.”
“You okay?”
She unlocked her door and sat in the hot driver’s seat of her Honda Civic.
“Well, my boss just kissed me…the married one. I think my life is over,” she said while rubbing her left temple.
“What? No way! Wait, save the story for lunch. I want to hear every dirty detail.”
“Of course. See you in a few minutes.”
Lowering her cell phone, Kate looked at herself in her visor mirror. Large gray eyes looked back at her. They welled with tears, but she quickly wiped them away. She didn’t dare ruin her mascara or her pride.
She started her car and drove away without any intention of ever coming back.
Prince William Alexander’s offer lingered in the forefront of her mind. The uncertainty of the future frightened her. She’d researched this man from top to bottom, but she hadn’t a clue what his true character was like. He could be a handsome man with a cruel heart. She didn’t think she could work for another man like that. But her mother’s face entered her mind. She and her younger brother depended on her for survival.
Perhaps she had no choice but to accept the offer.
“What am I going to do?”
Chapter 4
KATE WALKED INTO Thai House to see Aimee already seated at their usual booth near the front door of the restaurant. She wished Aimee had picked a spot near the back, just in case someone from the firm decided to dine there as well.
Still, seeing Aimee smile and stand eased some of her anxiety. She returned the smile and walked over to hug her best friend.
“Good to see you, Kate Wanna,” Aimee said in a sing-song voice.
Kate laughed at the name Aimee had loved to call her since they were children. “Likewise, babe.”
The waiter came over right away. “Hey, ladies, what’ll it be? Two glasses of water with lemon, and an order of fresh rolls?”
They both smiled. “You know us so well, Hill,” Aimee said.
“You’re my best customers, of course, I do. I also know you two will both study my menu for a few minutes, but will end up pic
king green curry, and pad Thai. Am I right?”
Laughing, they nodded.
He grinned and took their menus. “Coming right up.”
Kate turned to Aimee, who stared at her from across the table with her arms folded. She was beautiful, with all of the features Kate could only wish she had been blessed with. Long blond hair, blue eyes, and the body of a Victoria’s Secret model. If Heidi Klum had a younger sister, she would look like Aimee LeBlanc.
Aimee looked at her expectantly. “Well? Don’t keep me waiting, little lady.”
Shifting back into her seat, Kate shrugged. “There isn’t much to it. It all happened so fast.”
“But I thought you hated that man. He treated you like shit.” Aimee leaned forward. “I called it when I saw him at your company Christmas party. I can always tell when a guy is putting up a front…when he really just wants to bang.”
Kate grimaced. “Bang?”
Aimee laughed.
A young girl who looked to be in her teens brought their waters out. Aimee squeezed a lemon into hers and then smashed it with her straw.
“You heard me. Bang. Fuck. Same difference.”
Kate shook her head. “It’s not like that. I simply had a moment of weakness. A man hasn’t interested me in a long time.”
“Oh, I see. You’re turned on by jerks. And whose fault is it that no man has interested you in so long? You never go anywhere. Of course, it would take someone that you work with every day to even get your attention.”
“True,” Kate admitted. She really only went for her morning run, work, an occasional lunch with Aimee, and home to her studies and recorded TV shows.
“I know it’s true. Now go on.”
“Okay. It all started with this one case he asked me to help him with. I pretty much just do the research for him, but we started working late in the office. We’d get take out together and would eat and work late into the night. He even had me bring some files to his house one evening when his wife was away.”
Aimee lifted a brow. “This is getting good.”
“No, it’s not. He is my boss. Well, he was. What we almost did was unethical. And let’s not get into his being married to another woman.”
“Listen to you talking about ethics,” Aimee laughed. “Do you know how many of my bosses I’ve fucked?”
Kate cringed. She wished Aimee would tame her foul language. She glanced around, hoping no one could hear their conversation.
Frowning, Kate took a sip of water. “I’m over all of that. I feel awful because I could have wrecked my boss’ marriage. I’m a horrible person, and I feel like such a fool for falling for his trap. He just wanted my body. He couldn’t have cared less about me.”
“Dear lord, stop beating yourself up. Nothing happened. So time to move on to another hot guy, one who is single. We are in Charleston, South Carolina. There are a ton of hot, wealthy guys all around us,” Aimee said. She leaned in. “When you go back—”
Kate shook her head as a waitress set their spring rolls on the table between them. She eyed them. “There’s more to the story.”
“Seriously? Tell me.”
“I will never see him again...because the firm was bought out this morning.”
“What?”
“You know that British guy I’ve been investigating all month? Well, he just walked in there this morning and literally bought the firm for his twin sister.”
“You’re kidding me,” Aimee said with an amused smile. “He just walked in there and bought it? Like a car?”
Kate nodded.
“Wow.”
“Yes, he did.” She pulled the paper with the salary William had written on it from her purse and handed it to Aimee. “And there is more.”
Aimee read what was on the paper and looked at Kate with wide eyes. “What is this? How much you owe on your student loans?”
Kate couldn’t help but laugh. “No. You’re ridiculous. It’s how much the new guy offered me to be his personal assistant. It can be my new salary if I accept.”
“If?” Aimee lifted a brow. “You’d be an idiot not to accept, and I will not let you be that stupid.”
“I don’t know this guy. Why did he pick me?”
Shaking her head, Aimee reached for a spring roll. “I have a solution for you.”
“And what is that?”
“Where is the one place you can go and not have to worry about people’s perceptions or judgment? Where can you go to escape, and fulfill your fantasies? Let me take you, and we can worry about this tomorrow. You need to let loose.”
“Your job?” Kate raised a brow.
Aimee nodded. “Where else? Suite is just what you need. I have the night off.” Her grin widened as she realized something. “And it’s Friday night. Which means it’s going to be packed with wealthy men looking to kick off their weekend. And it’s the last Friday of the month, which means I can bring a guest with no questions asked!”
The thought of going to Suite had entered Kate’s mind. Many times. The allure of such a mysterious place intrigued her. Aimee had no idea what thoughts kept her awake at night when she was all alone in her bed. She’d only been there once, to give Aimee her phone after she’d left it at home, and even just standing outside, Kate could feel the magic and mystique in the air.
She surprised her best friend. “You’re right. Take me.”
Aimee paused mid-chew. She swallowed. “What?”
Kate folded her hands. All she wanted was to forget this day, if only for a little while. “Yes. Suite. I need to get my mind off of things. I want to go.” She took a sip from her water. “Tonight.”
The grin on Aimee’s face alarmed Kate. Perhaps it was a mistake, the entire idea. She wanted to break out of her shell and put herself out there… but maybe her shell was what protected her from making a fool of herself.
Aimee reached across the table and placed a hand onto Kate’s. The mischievous glint in her eye made Kate tense.
“My dear girl, I am so glad you said that. Tonight, I’ll teach you a few things.”
Chapter 5
STANDING BEFORE THE BALCONY doors, William Alexander listened to Zara speak to their parents on the phone. He knew the conversation quite well. It was the same one since they left England to expand the family business to the U.S. While everyone else headed to Suite, they were stuck finishing some family business.
“Yes, Mother,” Zara said. “William and I are doing well. We promise to visit London in the fall.”
William shot a glare at Zara. He mouthed, no.
Zara nodded and turned her back on him. “Why of course we’ll be there. It’s just that right now things are just too busy with the business. We are making a lot of connections, and expanding in many different directions.”
Sipping from his glass of scotch and ice, William opened the French doors. Outside, the city of Charleston was bright against the backdrop of the sweet warmth of June. He sat on the red plush bench and drank one last bit of the amber liquid down. He felt like a coward.
How could he tell his family the truth? He never wanted to return to England. Everything about the place reminded him of Mia. He didn’t need to be reminded of the worst heartache he’d ever experienced. William put his feet up on the matching red ottoman and sighed. Apparently giving a woman everything she’s ever dreamed of wasn’t enough.
Mia didn’t want his love and attention. She only wanted his credit card, her own flat, and the freedom to sleep with the musician ex-boyfriend who still lived with his parents.
Ironic.
“Well,” Zara said, as she stepped onto the balcony and leaned her back against the rail, “she’s not happy. She says we will miss Julian’s birthday.”
William grimaced. “We aren’t twelve anymore.” He stood. “I have more important things going on than celebrating another year of mediocrity.”
Zara folded her arms. Her green eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the night. He reached inside the door and switched on the bal
cony’s overhead light.
“You’re not being fair. He is still our younger brother.”
“And I don’t pester him to stop whatever he isn’t doing to blow out some candles for me. He’s twenty-seven. He needs to grow up at some point.”
Zara smoothed her short blond hair and shrugged. “Not everyone can be overachievers like us.”
William shook his head. “Yet another statement I am tired of hearing him say.”
“Well, he’s engaged. Maybe he is growing up after all.”
Silence passed between them as William mulled over the fact that his younger brother had found someone to live out his life with. Surprisingly, the news stung his heart. “Who is she?”
“Does it matter?” Zara smoothed his suit jacket’s shoulder. “We both know you’ll never go back to London to meet her. She might as well be an imaginary friend.”
William felt a tinge of guilt. Perhaps he was selfish.
“And we both know the real reason you’re avoiding going home. And believe me,” she said, poking his chest, and looking up at him, “that little tramp isn’t thinking of you. So stop pining about what could have been, and move on.”
She searched his eyes, and he could see the sadness within hers. She was right, but he would never say so.
“When is the wedding?”
Zara’s eyes brightened. “August.”
“I’ll be busy,” he said. “Are you ready to go?” William asked, changing the subject as he pulled back his jacket’s sleeve to check his watch. He avoided her eyes. There was little that he could hide from his twin. “We mustn’t keep Henrik and the others waiting.”
Zara signed. “I am.” She grinned. “Who wouldn’t be ready to seal a business deal with a little debauchery?”
William watched her enter his condo’s living room. Her stiletto heels clicked along the granite floor.
She glanced over her shoulder and winked at him. “I’m sure I can convince Mr. Bauer to see things our way.”
William stepped inside and closed the doors behind him. “I’m sure you can. Lucky you that the owners are attractive young men this time. I’ve yet to meet a female owner that I can seduce.”