A Matter of Trust

by Ciana Stone

  He ducked down as Richard walked out onto the terrace, then cautiously looked up. His father didn’t see him. Good.

  “Well, you seem to be hard at work,” Richard poured himself a drink from the terrace bar then took a seat in a lounge across from Nikki.

  She closed the book in her lap and set it aside. “Just research.”

  Richard reached out to sift through the papers on the table. “You’re writing it by hand?”

  “Oh, well, yeah—sort of. I take notes and compile them by hand and then when I get a chance to get on one of the computers at the university, I key everything in.”

  “Seems like an unnecessary waste of time.”

  “Sir?”

  “I mean doing it by hand and then having to enter it into the computer. Why not just eliminate a step and do it all on the computer?”

  “Well, that’d be great if I had a computer, but my laptop died, so I make do with what I have.”

  Richard leaned forward slightly in his seat. “Why don’t you let me help you? I’d be happy to provide you with everything you need.”

  “No, I couldn’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “It just wouldn’t be right.”

  “Consider it a gift.”

  “No, thank you.”

  Richard stood and moved over beside her. She scooted over to put more room between them. He draped one arm along the back of the sofa. “Nikki, I’d like to help.”

  “I appreciate that Mr. Weston, but I’m—”

  “Call me Richard.” He inched a little closer.

  Nikki didn’t consider herself a genius, but it didn’t take one to recognize the look on his face or the tone of his voice. She felt a growing revulsion inside. She hated men who tried to buy people the way they did things, and she especially hated men who thought they could buy sex. She had no doubt that was what was in Richard Weston’s mind, but she had no interest. No matter how much money he had, he didn’t have enough to make her prostitute herself.

  “Thank you, but I don’t think that would be appropriate—you are my boss, after all. I appreciate the offer but I can’t take it, Mr. Weston. I’m doing fine the way I am. Thanks anyway.”

  Richard moved the arm draped on the sofa and brushed his fingers against her arm. “I admire you, Nikki. Your strength and independence are commendable, but it never hurts to have friends. I could open doors for you that would otherwise remain closed. All I’m asking is that you let me help you. Is that so much to ask?”

  Nikki didn’t want to lose the job, but she also wasn’t going to lead him on and let him think she was willing to play his game. The trick was telling him in a way that didn’t get her fired.

  “I really appreciate it, Mr. Weston. No one’s ever wanted to help me before, so the offer is really nice. But I need to do things for myself. I know you’re a powerful man with a lot of influence, but I want to get where I’m going on my own. I hope you don’t think me rude, but I just need to earn what I get, instead of having it given to me.”

  Richard regarded her for a few moments then smiled. “Commendable, Nikki. I’m impressed. Forgive me if I’ve offended you. I simply want to be your friend.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled and started gathering up her things. “Friends are something you can’t have too many of.”

  Richard watched as she stacked up her books and papers. “I better get this stuff put away and check on Maxwell.” She turned to leave. “Thanks again, Mr. Weston.”

  His voice stopped her. “Perhaps we could have dinner later tonight? I have a meeting late this afternoon but should be back by eight.”

  She didn’t turn to face him. How was she going to get out of it? She couldn’t come up with a good excuse. “Okay, I’ll see you then.”

  As she hurried from the room, Richard leaned back with a smile.

  Inside the cabana, Maxwell sat back and thought about what he’d just seen. It was clear Richard was trying to get close to Nikki. The idea made his eyes narrow in anger. His father was attracted to Nikki.

  And what about her? Did she welcome Richard’s attention? It hadn’t seemed that way. But she’d agreed to have dinner with his father.

  Clearly Maxwell needed to be cautious around her until he figured out whose side she was on. As friendly as she seemed to want to be to him, he couldn’t take a chance on letting his guard down around one of his parents’ drones.

  He checked to see if the coast was clear, then snuck out of the cabana and headed for the third floor of the west wing. He needed to consult with his grandfather on how best to find out the truth about Nikki Morgan.

  Nikki walked into the kitchen as Louise was pouring a cup of tea. “Hi, am I intruding?”

  Louise turned to look at her. “No, of course not. What can I do for you, Ms. Morgan?”

  “Well, aside from calling me Nikki—please—do you think I could grab some fruit or something. I’m kind of hungry.”

  “Help yourself,” Louise gestured toward the refrigerator. “But I thought you were dining with Mr. Weston tonight?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Nikki wished she could be honest and tell the housekeeper that she wasn’t exactly keen on the idea. “But maybe just a snack to tide me over.”

  She turned her attention to the contents of the refrigerator and selected a fat nectarine. She took a bite then asked, “Do you know what Maxwell’s doing?”

  “Probably in his room tinkering with his electronics.”

  Nikki nodded. If only she could come up with a way to get out of dinner with Mr. Weston. She didn’t want to be alone with him. If he put the move on her and she rejected him, he might fire her. And then she’d really be in a fix. No money, no apartment, and no job.

  Anxiety suddenly robbed her of her appetite. She looked down at the nectarine which suddenly seemed unappetizing. “Guess I wasn’t as hungry as I thought,” she said and put the fruit into the waste bin. “Sorry to bother you, Ms. Gaynor. I think I’ll go check on Maxwell.”

  Louise watched her go, and then got up to go into Osgood’s office off the kitchen. “I think our employer is up to his old tricks.”

  Osgood turned from going over the household account. “What?”

  “I just had the most interesting encounter with Ms. Morgan.”

  Osgood removed his glasses. “Define interesting.”

  Hearing a knock on his door was a surprise. Maxwell opened it a crack to se Nikki standing there.

  “Hi, can I come in?”

  He was surprised at the request. It was after seven. Shouldn’t she be getting fixed up to have dinner with his father? What was she doing at his door in her shorts and T-shirt? And why wouldn’t she look directly at him?

  Curiosity prompted him to open the door. She walked in and looked around. “Wow!”

  Maxwell watched her curiously as she wandered around. She picked up the small suede bag that lay on the bed. “What’s this?” she asked and jiggled it.

  He shrugged and reached for the bag but she’d already untied it. She poured a few of the marbles into her hand. “Pretty,” she commented then returned the marbles to the bag and retied it.

  Maxwell held out his hand and she put the bag into it. He felt safer now that it was in his possession. He knew it was silly. Immature. A grown man shouldn’t have an attachment to a collection of marbles. He couldn’t explain it, but the marble bag was like a talisman. When things were intolerable, just holding the bag brought a small measure of calm. And the visions came more easily when the bag of marbles was on him, even in a pocket of his clothing.

  Nikki had already turned her attention to checking out his suite. She turned to him with a big grin. “This is fantastic!”

  Maxwell couldn’t stop the smile that rose on his face. He’d picked out everything that was in his room and thought it was great. No one else had ever shared his enthusiasm.

  Nikki looked at the rack of blueray discs and pulled out The African Queen.

  “I love this!” she announced, then asked a l
ittle shyly, “You think we could watch it?”

  Maxwell took the disc from her and popped it in the player. Nikki moved over to the bed. “Can I sit?”

  He nodded, and she climbed up on the bed, arranging her legs Indian-style. Maxwell took a seat on the foot of the bed several feet away. What’s she doing here? Is this some kind of trap?

  Nikki had no way of knowing that her actions would seem suspicious to Maxwell. In fact, she hadn’t really considered anything except to be relieved that he’d allowed her in. Maybe she was making progress with him.

  She’d been worried about him the last couple of days. She hadn’t seen him at all. When she’d asked, she had been told that he was in his room. She wondered if that had something to do with him being drugged.

  But apparently, he wasn’t drugged now. She looked over at him and smiled. “What’ve you been up to? Haven’t seen you in a couple of days.”

  Maxwell’s antenna perked up. Was she looking for something she could report back to his father? He shrugged and looked away.

  Nikki wondered if he would ever come right out and answer a question or if the entire summer would be spent with her asking questions and him either ignoring her or waving her off with some gesture. It made her a little irritable, but once more she reminded herself that he wasn’t exactly the average Joe. She had to take it slow with him. At least they were in the same room and he hadn’t bolted out, destroyed anything, or knocked anyone down. What was more, as long as she didn’t look into his eyes, she was able to convince herself that all vestiges of the attraction she had for him were gone. It wasn’t exactly easy, but it was definitely progress.

  Tired of the constant mental battle and always second-guessing everything, she decided to just try and enjoy the moment. She turned and grabbed one of the pillows from the head of the bed to put behind her head, then stretched out and focused on the movie. It was one of her all-time favorites and she hadn’t seen it in a long time.

  She felt his weight shift on the bed as he lay back on the bed, wedging a pillow behind his head.

  Nikki turned and looked at him. To her dismay their gazes met.

  And fantasy took over.

  They were on an isolated beach, not another soul in sight. The sky was on fire from a spectacular sunset and the water seemed to be molten, reflecting the light. The waves were gentle swells that dissipated into bare ripples at the shore.

  He peeled off his shorts and dropped them into the sand then extended his hand to her. She didn’t hesitate to discard her swimsuit and take his hand. He smiled and led her into the water.

  The coolness made her skin prickle and her nipples tighten. Warmth instantly replaced cool when he took her in his arms and claimed her with a kiss hot enough to match the light of the dying sun.

  She couldn’t get enough. She wound her arms around him and when he pulled her tighter and lifted her, wrapped her legs around his muscular body, bringing her wet sex against his belly.

  His erection teased against her, hot and hard. She wanted to feel him inside her. Needed to feel him fill her. She pulled back from the kiss to tell him.

  And was suddenly back in Maxwell’s room, staring into his eyes. It nearly undid her. There was passion, sadness, and fear in those smoky depths. Everything in her screamed for her to reach out and touch him, make the dream real.

  But she quickly reminded herself that Maxwell wasn’t normal, and it was stupid to feel anything for a person in his position.

  Even so, she felt a stab of disappointment. Boy, if you were normal, she thought. At that moment it was hard to imagine that she was looking at a man who was little more than a child trapped in an adult’s body.

  And what a body it was. He was undoubtedly one of the most attractive men she’d ever seen. Just my luck. Meet Mr. Oh Please Rock My World, and he’s a mental case.

  Immediately she felt bad even having the thought. Maybe it was because when she looked into his eyes she forgot that he wasn’t normal. Maybe it was because she’d been alone for so long and hadn’t had any luck in the relationship department. Or maybe it was just that she wished he was normal because he had the kind of packaging that really did it for her.

  Whatever it was, at that moment it was much stronger than she, and she was held prisoner by his eyes.

  How could she have imagined that at the moment Maxwell felt like he was paralyzed? He wasn’t sure if it was because he was afraid that he was somehow vulnerable to a potential Richard and Helen drone, or because the vision he’d just experienced had left him with a raging hard-on and a near-overwhelming need to touch her.

  And the way she was looking at him made him warm in a way that was making it impossible to will his erection away.

  He wished that for just a moment he could speak so he could tell her that he really wasn’t some kind of freak. Then the idea that she could be a drone brought the need for extreme caution to the surface. If only he could know whether she was just like all the others, waiting for him to make a mistake so she could rat him out. He didn’t realize that his thoughts were being mirrored in his expressions.

  But he did know that she sensed something because she reached out and put her hand on the side of his face and her face wore the most tender expression he’d ever seen. He couldn’t stop his eyes from closing for a moment, letting himself pretend that her touch was as filled with emotion as he wanted it to be. Suddenly the door banged open. “Ms. Morgan!” Osgood sputtered when he saw her on the bed.

  Nikki’s hand moved from Maxwell's face like she’d been burned and she sat up fast. “What?”

  “I hardly think it’s appropriate for you to—” Osgood cut a look at Max. “If you’ll accompany me, Ms. Morgan.”

  Maxwell thought she looked like a kid who’d been caught doing something they weren’t supposed to. She looked at him with a slightly red face. “Thanks for the movie. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Once in the hall, Osgood pulled the door closed behind him and turned on her. “Just what do you think you were doing?”

  “Watching a movie.” Her tone was every bit as indignant as his.

  He glared at her. “In the future I suggest that if you want to view a film with Maxwell, you do so in the theatre. It’s inappropriate for you to be in his room alone with him.”

  “Why?”

  Osgood looked at her as if she were an idiot but didn’t answer. Instead he checked his watch. “I came in search of you to let you know that Mr. Weston is waiting for you on the terrace.”

  “Oh shit!” She’d forgotten about dinner. “Well, maybe I should just beg off. I mean I haven’t showered or changed or anything.”

  Osgood gave her appearance the once over. “I suggest you do that now, post haste. I shall make your apologies for the delay.”

  Nikki waited for him to leave, but it was clear he wasn’t budging. Giving in, she went downstairs to her room. As she got into the shower, she thought about the way Maxwell looked into her eyes and the intense fantasy it had inspired. If only… She caught herself before the thought was completed. She had more urgent things to consider, like how to get through dinner.

  Richard was in the sitting room, having a drink when Nikki entered. He stood and walked over to her. “You look lovely.”

  “Thanks.” She gave the appropriate response even though she didn’t particularly like the way he looked at her.

  “Would you care for a drink?”

  “No, thanks. I’m fine.”

  “Just one?”

  “No really. Not unless you have some juice or iced tea.”

  Richard went to the bar. “Let’s see, ah, grapefruit juice?”

  “That’s fine.”

  He poured her a glass and brought it to her.

  “Thank you.”

  “Please.” He gestured toward the sofa.

  Nikki perched on one end of the sofa, holding her drink between both hands. Richard took a seat in the center of the sofa, angled toward her. With the position of the sofa, neither of
them saw Maxwell sneak into the room and duck behind the bar.

  “Osgood tells me you and he had a misunderstanding.”

  “Oh…it was nothing serious. I was watching a movie with Maxwell in his room and Osgood thought it was inappropriate.”

  Richard took a sip from his drink. “Maxwell, as you have noticed by now, can be—how shall I put it? Unpredictable at times. I’m sure Osgood was merely concerned for your well being.”

  “Well, that’s nice but I think he overreacted.”

  A cross look appeared on Richard’s face. “Nikki, I’m not trying to alarm you, but I want you to be realistic. Maxwell isn’t what anyone would deem normal. Caution would be advisable. Should he become violent and you were, for example, in a closed space such as his room, it could be potentially—

  “Dangerous?” she interrupted to finish the sentence for him.

  “I hesitate to put it that strongly, but yes.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell me before you gave me the job?”

  Richard looked at her in surprise.

  “I don’t mean to be rude, Mr. Weston, but it seems to me that if everyone’s so afraid of Maxwell and he’s such a threat, that you wouldn’t hire just anyone off the street. Including me.”

  “Nikki, dear, I think you’re overreacting. I never meant to give you the impression that you were in mortal danger around Maxwell, simply that you try to understand that his emotions and mental processes are not like yours and mine. He may look like an adult, but mentally and emotionally he’s a child, a child who, like all children, is prone to outbursts. And naturally, with his physical size and strength, such an outburst is much more difficult to manage than that of a small child.”

  It sounded like a professional spin-job to her. Clearly ,he wasn’t going to be straightforward with her. Again, she got the feeling that something was definitely being hidden in the Weston mansion, and it was more than just alleged artifacts.

  “Well, thanks for your concern, but I think I can handle whatever comes up.”