Ruthless Love

by Demi Damson

  Jordan went quiet and looked at her. “Sometimes when you look at me, your gaze is intense. It’s like you look right through me. You see who I am.” Then he flushed and laughed nervously. “I guess it’s a trick of the trade.”

  “I don’t know you at all,” she said, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach that said she wanted to. For a moment, she wondered if he was going to kiss her. He looked into her eyes a moment longer, as if searching for something he couldn’t find. Then he got off the bed.

  “Sorry,” he said, with no other explanation. “I’m going to take a shower. Make yourself comfortable here and we’ll go down and face the lion in half an hour.” Without another word, he walked into the attached bathroom and closed the door behind him.

  She sat up and looked at the closed door. Well, obviously he just wanted the sound of the squeaking mattress to show off his virility. That was typical of Jordan, everything was about appearances. He was obsessed with looking like a playboy, all the while he was paying women to be with him. She shook her head, annoyed at herself for even thinking about him.

  It didn’t matter. She was here to find out about his father, not to fall for some spoiled rich kid who thought the world revolved around him. She was damn glad he hadn’t kissed her. She certainly wouldn’t have let him if he tried.

  She got up and straightened her cream suit in the mirror. She wasn’t going to sit here cooling her heels waiting on his every whim. A cup of soothing tea for her jangled nerves would be perfect right now. He could come down and find her when he was ready. She headed back down the stairs and looked for the kitchen.

  Chapter Ten

  Cold Shower

  Jordan stood in the shower, water set to as cold as it would go, until the physical signs of his arousal had abated. It took a surprisingly long time. How much had Buddy said? $10,000 for all included weekend. He shook his head. No. He was not paying this woman but he was beginning to understand how she commanded such high fees. Everything about her seemed both refreshing and straight-forward and at the same time as sexy as anything. He remembered Buddy had seen her naked. There, that did the trick. Now he could face her again.

  There was a tapping at the bedroom door. Jordan toweled off quickly and pulled it around him before stepping into the bedroom. Charlotte was gone. The tapping sound came from the door again. “Jordan?”

  It was Lauren. Jordan rubbed his hair and threw the towel on the floor. What did she want? And for God’s sake, where was Charlotte?

  “I’m busy,” he called back. He considered bouncing on the bed a bit, hoping she’d get the hint that it wasn’t a good time.

  “I saw her go downstairs,” said Lauren. Great.

  “Lauren, go away.” He crossed the room leaned against the door. “I’m not dressed.”

  She tittered. “That never stopped you before!” She tried to open the door.

  He put his full weight against it so it wouldn’t budge. This was ludicrous, that he could even be in such a position of trying to stop a woman from getting into his bedroom. Why the hell couldn’t the woman take no for an answer?

  “Fine, be that way.” He heard her footsteps retreating back through the hallway, towards the master bedroom. He stayed where he was for a minute longer, cursing her name and his father’s blindness and Charlotte. Where the hell was Charlotte?

  He threw his clothes on in record time and stormed out of the room. The entire reason she was here was to ensure Lauren didn’t get to him alone and now she’d just abandoned her post. He pushed away the thought that maybe it was his fault, after that moment on the bed. Maybe she freaked out at how badly he wanted her. But then, that couldn’t possibly be new to her. Probably she was sulking because he didn’t follow through. He was sure that if he had, she would have charged him a fortune.

  Jordan had had his fill of challenging women. Charlotte was sexy as hell, yes. But he was paying her to sit still and act a part, not to be sexy. She needed to be doing the damn job he was paying her for.

  He searched the house before finally finding her in the library with the fire lit, reading one of the hardcover books from the dusty shelves of his father’s classics collection. All leather-bound, none of them ever read. But they looked impressive, and as far as his father was concerned, that was the main thing.

  “I need to talk to you.” He glanced around the room and then frowned and pulled the door closed. “Privately.”

  He tilted his head to read the gilt lettering on the cover. Wuthering Heights. Did Charlotte perhaps have a romantic streak?

  Regardless, she was on the job and this was not what she was being paid for. “What are you doing here?”

  She looked up at him, all big eyes and innocence. “Um, I’m reading?”

  He kept his voice a low whisper. “You have perhaps forgotten you are on the clock?”

  “How could I possibly forget? I was just waiting for you. Is that ok?”

  He didn’t like the way she looked at him, as if he were most unreasonable.

  Desperate not to be overheard, his voice came out in a hiss instead of the whisper he intended. “Charlotte, your job is to be at my side. Not sitting on the sofa reading romances.”

  “Excuse me? You were in the shower!”

  “And now I’m not and yet you were nowhere to be seen. That is not what we agreed.”

  He expected an apology but instead she just rolled her eyes.

  “You told me you wanted a companion, not that we had to be joined at the hip!” She closed her book with a slap.

  Jordan spluttered. “I expect you to be at my side,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “You were in the shower. Do you really need me to be on permanent standby, waiting for your every whim?”

  “Yes, I do! I expect you to do as you are told.”

  She shook her head, eyes wide. “Wow. You are the most spoiled man I have ever met. No wonder you have to pay for company.”

  Jesus! Her voice was full volume. Anyone could hear her. Jordan lost it. “Go to your room!”

  “Yes, sir. Whatever you say, sir.” She dropped the book onto the coffee table and flounced out of the room without another word. He stood there staring with his fists clenched as she disappeared up the stairs.

  This was a huge mistake. All of it.

  His mood was not improved to see Lauren coming down the stairs. At least that meant she hadn’t heard Charlotte’s outburst. Lauren glanced after Charlotte stomping up the stairs past her. She looked at Jordan and then they both winced as Charlotte slammed the door shut.

  Lauren smiled like a Cheshire cat who had found the cream. “Trouble in paradise?”

  “No, Lauren. Everything is fine.” He unclenched his fists and tried to look calm. He was dangerously close to losing his temper. Deep breaths.

  “Oh well!” Her voice was cheery. “Poor Jordan. But you’ve never done well with women. A flop with chicks. I guess you must be getting used to it.”

  His anger transferred to Lauren. “I do just fine with women,” he snapped. “Other than you.”

  “Oh, not just me.” She was still smiling. “It’s you. You won’t commit. You are too scared to give up control, to learn to compromise. You think you want an interesting woman but then you feel threatened. Only a very weak little woman will do, and only for a very short time. This one? You’ll drive her away. Shall we put money on it? I’ll bet you a thousand dollars she’s gone by Christmas.” She stepped closer to him. “I’m not even sure she’ll last to the end of the weekend.”

  He glared at Lauren and refrained from commenting that it was his father’s money she was offering to gamble away. “Commitment is not an issue with the right woman,” he said, stepping back from her. “We’re engaged, actually.”

  Lauren’s smile slipped. “Well. Well, well. I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

  Jordan felt a brief rush at having taken her down a peg. “Charlotte is the best thing to have ever happened to me. She understands commitment. She is honest and beautiful
and true and she’s willing to fight for what she believes in. She’s not just looking for a free ride. She expects to work for what she wants. And what she wants is to be with me.”

  His voice slowed as he thought about his words. He believed that about her, despite the escort thing, or maybe because of it. The way she stood up to him and refused to back down, even when he could see her trembling with the effort. She had a moral core at her center he could only envy and he realized he meant every word of what he’d just said. Well, not the bit about her wanting to be with him, obviously. Although he was beginning to think he wouldn’t mind.

  “There’s no accounting for taste, really, is there?” And with that, Lauren swirled out of the library towards the kitchen. She flashed him a smile as she reached the end of the corridor. “I guess we’ll have to have a joint party Sunday night. Won’t that be cozy!” And then she was gone.

  Shit. Jordan clenched his fists again. He’d only been home three hours and already he wanted to kill himself. He put the leather-bound book back onto the shelf and closed the library. He was going to have to tell Charlotte.

  Chapter Eleven

  A Previous Engagement

  Charlotte sat on the edge of the bed, feeling like an idiot. She had been here all of one hour and already everything was falling to pieces. The plan seemed simple: come to Haven with Jordan and find out where George Lovett kept his files. It should have just been a case of waiting for the right opportunity to sneak a look, although the fact that Jordan was sleeping in the same room she was made it more difficult.

  But if she wasn’t allowed to make a move without Jordan, then it was going to be completely impossible. And who did he think he was, anyway, shouting at her like that. She scowled, pushing away the twinge of guilt that maybe she shouldn’t have said that thing about him needing to pay for company. Ok, she definitely shouldn’t have said that. But if he wasn’t such a jerk she wouldn’t get wound up. He seemed to have a knack for pushing her buttons.

  A tap on the door startled her out of her thoughts. “Come in.” It was him. She crossed her arms and glared at him, ready to be told off again.

  He closed the door behind him and then sat on the sofa. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I’m stressed and I took it out on you. I was wrong.”

  Well, that was unexpected. She wasn’t sure how to deal with a complete apology. “I’m sorry, too. Forget it.”

  He didn’t look any happier. In fact, he looked like he’d been kicked. She furrowed her brow. Had something happened? “Is your father alright?”

  “He’s fine.” He sighed. “It’s Lauren.”

  “I see.” Charlotte waited, letting the silence fill the room. She didn’t understand why he hated Lauren so. Charlotte couldn’t imagine ever being friends with the woman but it wasn’t like she was the devil or something. George Lovett clearly adored her and surely whatever made him happy should make Jordan happy, shouldn’t it? But Jordan didn’t seem to be able to say her name without looking like he wanted to spit.

  Finally, Jordan spoke. “I told her we’re engaged.”

  Charlotte’s train of thought skipped the rails. “You what?”

  “I told her we’re engaged. Look, I told you not to leave me alone. This is the direct result.”

  “You did what? And this is somehow my fault? Jordan, what the hell?”

  He put his head in his hands. “I... she was...” He didn’t seem able to complete a sentence. “I’m sorry.”

  As if that explained anything. “Why?”

  “Because she told me I was a flop with chicks.”

  Charlotte rubbed her temples. Was it possible that she was completely misunderstanding him? Because nothing he said made sense. “You told Lauren that we’re engaged because she questioned your virility? Have I got that right?”

  Jordan’s head snapped up at that. “She did not question my virility. My virility is not in question and Lauren damn well knows it.”

  Charlotte blinked at him in confusion. “Lauren knows it? I feel like there’s some context here that perhaps I’m missing.”

  “She’s my ex.”

  “Eww,” said Charlotte before she could catch herself. And then, “Oh,” as she thought it through. “And she’s marrying your father?”

  “Yes. And she’s been hinting that she’d like to hook up or something. That’s why I asked you to come. I just wanted to keep her away from me.”

  She’d heard the rich and famous were terribly incestuous, but this was beyond her wildest imaginings.

  “That’s so...” she shook her head. There were no sympathetic words here. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “I know. If you want, I’ll up your fee.”

  She laughed. “Up my fee? Is that your answer to everything?”

  “Jesus, I know it’s bizarre.” He glared at her. “You aren’t seriously blaming me, are you? You look like you are edging away.”

  “I’m just not sure I’m up to living in a soap opera. Life in Haven,” she said. “Sorry. It’s just a different world from what I’m used to. I’m not judging...”

  “No, Charlotte. No. This is not normal. Not for me, not for Haven, not for anyone. Please, do not sit there and act like this is just some sort of weird rich-people thing the Lovetts do all the time.”

  At that, she laughed despite herself. It was nice to hear he knew it was bizarre. Still, she couldn’t imagine how someone would get into that situation in the first place. Maybe having too much money was just boring and they had to find drama to keep themselves distracted from the tedium of counting money. She’d like to be bored like that, just for a short time.

  “That’s why you were so angry at me for leaving the room.”

  “Yes. And because I feel stupid that I effectively need a bodyguard in my father’s house. But I’ll do anything to keep George from finding out, which means keeping Lauren away from me without making her feel like I’m rejecting her. Because she’s mean when she doesn’t get her way.”

  “But if you are marrying someone else, then it’s not about her.”

  “Right.” He at least had the decency to look embarrassed. “Also, I was angry.”

  “At being called a flop with chicks.”

  “Twice in one hour, if I understood you correctly.”

  Charlotte winced. “Sorry,” she said again. Her outburst really was uncalled for, especially now that she understood why he wanted her at his side. Not to control her, but to keep Lauren away. “I didn’t take it seriously. It won’t happen again.”

  Jordan took a deep breath. “The thing is… now it’s a joint engagement party on Sunday night.”

  “Oh, please, stop.” Charlotte covered her face with her hands. “Seriously?” Would this nightmare never end?

  “Yes, seriously.” He crossed to the bed and sat next to her. “Charlotte, I’m sorry. This is a mess and I’m sorry I dragged you into it. But I need you now. She’s telling George as we speak and there’s no way I can explain this. I’m going head to head with him on a dozen business issues and if it makes him happy that I’m settling down, then at least that’s something in my favor.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “I know it’s bizarre and stupid and unbelievable. And I can’t tell you how much it would mean to me for you to help me through this. Just these few days.”

  She was still shaking her head in disbelief but what could she say? “Ok, I guess?”

  He hugged her from the side. “Thanks, Charlotte. I appreciate it.” He got up. “She’s distracted now, telling everyone my good news. Our good news.” His laugh was rueful. “I guess I’ll take the chance to talk with George before dinner. He’s furious about the company daycare I set up.” At the door, he paused. “I meant it about upping your fee, you know.”

  “Forget it.” Charlotte waved him away. “I’ll get changed for dinner and come down as quickly as possible. Where do you want me?”

  “Come to the sitting room. I’ll need moral support.”

  “I’ll b
e there.”

  She stayed on the bed for a moment longer after he’d left. It was foolish to feel sorry for him. Talk about first world problems: your ex-girlfriend is dating your father and you are still carrying a torch for her. She would love to tell her parents about this, because she knew they would share her ghoulish curiosity, like rubbernecking at a car crash. But that would involve explaining why she was here and um, no. Not until she had something solid.

  Which was another problem. How the hell was she supposed to have a snoop around if he wanted to know where she was every second of the day. But she’d cross that road when she came to it. Right now, just making it through the weekend seemed like challenge enough.

  Chapter Twelve

  Fatherly Advice Is Always Useful (not)

  The conversation with George went about as well as Jordan expected it to. Jordan tapped his foot against the polished coffee table leg. He’d purposefully sat on the long white sofa, hoping Charlotte would hurry up and meet him there. Meanwhile, he was sitting quite low and couldn’t help but feel like a small child again as his father lectured him.

  “You can lead or you can be people’s friend,” said George. “But if you want to run the company, then you need to forget about all this soft-touch no-dress-code modern bullshit. It’s a waste of time. It’s a construct built up by a bunch of kids who were lucky with technology but have no idea what to do when the chips are down. I didn’t make this business work by worrying whether people were fulfilled.” He spat out the last word as if it tasted bad. “I made it work by focusing on a single goal—where’s the money?—and taking it the moment it was in reach. You have to have guts, boy.”

  “Guts, got it.” He tried to nod forcefully. His goal right now was to not answer back. He got up to put another log on the fire. Was it late enough for a drink? “Can I get you a beer?”

  “That’s the kind of thing I mean, Jordan. It’s not even dark yet but you are ready to knock off and relax. If you want to win, you have to keep pushing!”