“You’ll love the view,” he said. “If I don’t blindfold you.”
That thought made my face redden, and for the rest of the ride, he teased me about the wicked things he was planning to do with me on Tuesday night.
But when the limo pulled up in front of the civic center, my fun, flirty mood vanished. There was an actual red carpet in front of the building. And a crowd. And reporters with microphones and people with professional cameras. I hadn’t known it was going to be like this.
Nervously, I pulled my shawl around my shoulders. It was one I’d knitted last year out of a thin delicate yarn that had silver threads running through it. For some reason, that fact seemed so bizarre to me. The paparazzi was going to be taking our picture, and my entire outfit was either borrowed, hand-made, or bought from the mall by my little sister.
Jason came around and opened the door. Perhaps sensing my hesitation, Ford climbed past me and got out first, ignoring the crowd and holding his hand out to me. As gracefully as I could manage, I exited the car, holding tightly to his arm as he escorted me past the swarm of people and flashing cameras. Even without all the added distraction, I would have been a little unsteady due to the high heeled sandals I wore, so I was glad to be able to cling to him as we walked into the building.
After that dizzying entrance, the rest of the night passed in a blur. I was introduced to more people than I’d served in a week at the diner. Ford’s mother wasn’t there, but I met several members of his board including Garrett, a stern older gentleman who’d been a friend of Ford’s father. It was clear that Garrett was fond of Ford, but on the whole, I much preferred Jason. Something about the way Garrett looked at me made me suspect he didn’t approve of Ford’s choice of dates.
But everyone else was really nice, and Ford and I had fun bidding on items for a silent auction. Well, he did the bidding, I just helped him pick out which things looked fun. And the food was amazing. Once I stopped worrying that I was going to spill something all over my dress, I appreciated the gourmet delicacies. Some of the best caterers in the city had worked together for this night.
It was a magical evening, but also a whirlwind of activity. New faces. New customs. A new world—the world of rich, famous people. The only thing that kept me steady was Ford. The way he looked at me. The way he held me in his arms when we danced. And the way he would whisper in my ear, sometimes to make me smile, sometimes to make me blush. When I was with him, it didn’t matter if we were in a coffeehouse or a fancy ballroom. All that mattered was that we were together.
At least until the end of the night. By the time we left, most of the crowd out front was gone, but for some reason, there were more reporters and photographers. And this time they shouted questions at us. Well, mostly at Ford. I suddenly remembered that jerky guy who’d shown me around Davenport Industries saying that Ford was frequently on lists of handsome eligible bachelors. Some of the questions they asked him were about his company, but some were also about me.
And it scared me a little. Ford seemed to take it in stride, but I wasn’t used to it. Up ahead, Jason was waiting by the open door of the limo, and suddenly I wanted to be inside the car with the dark tinted window separating me from the crowd. Eagerly, I rushed ahead, but I forgot about my new shoes. The heel of one silver sandal twisted under me, and I would have fallen if Jason hadn’t stepped forward and caught my arm. The shoe had actually come off, so I was unbalanced as I took the last few steps to the limo, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to be inside it and away from the crowd. Ford piled in after me and handed me my shoe. And then Jason sped away, and I was in Ford’s embrace again. Which was the only place in the world I wanted to be at that moment.
33
Autumn
On Sunday, Ford called and we talked a little about what had happened after the ball. He was a semi-public figure in Southern California. He came from a very rich, prominent family, and then there was the little fact that he had movie-star looks. Even hotter than a movie star, in my opinion, but perhaps I was biased. He acknowledged that sometimes at events he was hounded by the press, but not usually in his day-to-day life. It wasn’t like he usually got stopped on the street. Though, as I teased him, women sometimes stopped to drool over him.
By Monday morning, I’d regained my equilibrium. If I was going to be part of Ford’s life, I needed to get used to that sort of thing. So I’d do my best. But still, it wasn’t something I’d ever experienced before, and I realized that I’d been a little naive before by never considering that part of his life.
My coworkers were acting differently around me today, too. They kept exchanging looks when I walked into a room. And at one point during a team meeting, Roger turned to me with a hint of a smile on his face. “Do you think you’re ready to try editing this audio clip on your own?”
“Sure,” I said, eager to try. I’d done a couple with his supervision.
“Because if not, it’s okay to ask for help. Maybe there are some birds or mice who could assist you.” He and the other team members cracked up at that, laughing at some joke I didn’t understand. Finally, Heidi poked her head in the conference room and took in my baffled expression.
“Can I see you for a minute, Autumn?” Bemused, I followed her into her office. “Have you seen the news today?”
I shook my head. I hadn’t had time to look at anything online this morning. Yesterday, though, I’d bought a paper just so I could clip a picture of Ford and me arriving at the ball. Cara had put it on our fridge.
Heidi swiped at her tablet and then handed it to me. I squinted at the news website she’d pulled up, not sure what I was supposed to be looking at. And then I realized that it was a picture of Ford bent over, holding out the shoe I’d lost on the red carpet. All that was visible of me was my bare foot and the skirt of my dress as I’d scurried into the limo.
But it was the headline that was the problem: Has Prince Charming Found his Cinderella?
I groaned. Now Roger’s comment about the mice and birds helping me made sense. “There’s more,” Heidi said quietly. I scrolled down and found a picture of me with my gown on, and a short article speculating about who I was, and about if one of Southern California’s most eligible bachelors was off the market.
“They’ll hound you and Ford for a few days before moving on to other targets. Have they identified where you live yet?”
“No,” I said. “Could they?”
“It’s only a matter of time. But again, this’ll die down. But…” Her lips twitched upward. “Maybe you should avoid wearing pale blue ball gowns and white gloves for a while. All you needed was a carriage made out of a pumpkin to complete the look.”
Ruefully, I shook my head. Personally, I thought my dress had been more beautiful than Cinderella’s, but I could see why I reminded the press of her, especially with my light blonde hair in an updo. And then I’d gone and lost a shoe. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Heidi seemed prepared for either one as she placed a tissue box near me. “It won’t happen all the time, but it’s something to think about when dating Ford.”
“Has—did it happen with his ex girlfriends?” I asked hesitantly.
She frowned a little. “Ford’s taken many women to events, but I wouldn’t say that most of them reached girlfriend status. He’s always been a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. At least until he met you. The way he looks at you is different than the way he’s ever look at anyone else. I can see that, and so, it seems, could the press on Saturday night. So my advice is to just be prepared for this kind of thing to happen.”
“How do you prepare for being labeled a fairy-tale princess in the news?”
She laughed. “I meant mentally prepared. Again, it’s not likely to be an everyday thing, but as long as you’re with Ford, there will be pictures of you in the paper. And speculation about you. It can’t be helped. Just be grateful there aren’t any skeletons in your closet for them to find.”
I stared at Heidi as her
last words sank into my brain.
Uh-oh.
34
Ford
“Send her right up,” I told the doorman, my voice cool and crisp. But inside, I was doing fucking cartwheels. Or something more masculine. Hmm… jumping jacks? Push-ups? Some kind of shit like that. Because she was here. We’d finally get to spend the night together. And once we’d eaten the Italian dishes warming in the oven, I had big plans for tonight. And none of them involved wearing clothes.
The elevator chimed. The doorman had entered the code that allowed the doors to open in my penthouse. It took up the entire top floor of the building, but right now, all I cared about was seeing those doors slide open. And then they did.
And she was here and she looked incredible. A white button-down blouse. A red mini skirt. Bare legs and low heels. She didn’t look like Cinderella anymore. She looked like a woman who’d come here to get fucked. She even had an overnight bag slung over her shoulder. I hoped she hadn’t been foolish enough to pack a nightgown.
While I was standing there thinking how fuckable she looked, she was gaping at the vast living room. The floor-to-ceiling windows along one wall. The open air kitchen. But the tour could wait.
“Welcome,” I said, and a half second later her bag was on the floor, and I had her pressed up against the nearest wall.
“Mmm…” was her only response. I guessed it was pretty hard to talk when someone’s got his tongue down your throat. And speaking of hard, I ground my hips against her, showing her how ready I was for her.
“Oh god,” she gasped, and I moved my mouth to her neck, nipping and biting. “God, that feels good.”
“You’re going to feel all kinds of good tonight,” I growled against her throat. “And tomorrow… actually, tomorrow you may be a little sore. But trust me, it’ll be worth it.”
She moaned again as I reached down and grabbed her thighs, wrapping her legs around my waist. Now I could grind my throbbing erection into her without her skirt getting in the way since it had ridden up her hips.
“Wait,” she gasped, but her body didn’t seem to be waiting. Her nipples jutted out through her shirt like hard little stones, and she was circling her hips in a sensual little dance.
“I think we’ve waited long enough.” I pushed a hand between us and opened her blouse in record time, thrilled to find that her bra consisted of two tiny triangles held together by a clasp in the front. One flick, and her breasts were free, awaiting my touch.
“Ford, I thought we were going to eat first.”
“Good idea, I’ll start with your nipples,” I lowered my head and captured one in my teeth. Autumn squealed as I sucked and tugged on her hard peak. Her hips were grinding against the bulge in my pants harder than ever.
“Oh god,” she said. “That feels so good. But please, there’s something I need to talk to you ab—” Whatever it was would have to wait, because I’d reached under her skirt and found her clit. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she panted in short, gasping breaths.
“Isn’t this better than talking, sweetheart?”
“Yes,” she groaned, her fingers scraping down my back. “I mean no. I mean, could we please just—”
I cut off that thought with a kiss, and she responded eagerly, riding my hand as I pushed two fingers inside of her. She cried out as my fingers filled her, and from somewhere in the back of my mind, I registered another sound. A phone ringing. But who the fuck cared about that.
Autumn had her hand wrapped around the back of my head, pulling me so close that she was all I could see, hear, taste, touch. And definitely feel. “Ford,” she moaned as I pumped my fingers in and out of her. I grazed my thumb over her clit, and her body jerked as if I’d given her an electric shock. Then she was kissing me again, rubbing the smooth skin of her face against my rough stubble. If she liked that, she was going to love the other body parts my stubble was going to come in contact with tonight.
Wrapping my free hand around her waist, I picked her up, carrying her over to the couch by the window. But as we passed her bag, I heard a phone again—this time it was her ringtone, not mine. What the hell was up with people calling tonight?
We reached the back of the sofa, and I reluctantly slid my fingers out of her, promising that I’d replace them with something even better in a moment. Something rock hard and so ready for her. But then we both heard it. The chime of the elevator.
Cursing, I set her down next to the couch, pausing to yank her skirt back into place so it was covering her. She frantically buttoned her blouse as we both looked toward the elevator. There was nothing I could do to hide my raging erection, but I didn’t fucking care. Unless the building was on fire, someone was going to be out on his ass tomorrow.
It was Jason. Who else? But he knew I was up here with her. He knew that, and he’d barged up here anyway. He came toward us and I was ready to bite his head off, but he wasn’t even look at me. He was looking at Autumn.
“The press is outside. They know,” he told her.
What the hell? I looked down at Autumn. Her face, which had been beet red a minute ago was completely pale now. What was going on? “Did they find out she worked at Sultry Sirens? Because that’s bullshit. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’ll send out a press release saying that I’m the owner. It’ll last one news cycle at best.”
But Jason was still staring at Autumn, and her face was white as death. Shit. This wasn’t good. “Someone say something,” I growled.
Finally, Autumn did, her voice so quiet I could barely hear her. “I think he means the press found out about my father.” She looked at Jason and he nodded once.
“Found out what?” I asked.
“That he’s in prison.”
What? What for? And why hadn’t she ever mentioned that? “What happened?”
“It was when my mom first got sick. In my senior year of high school.” Autumn looked so small and vulnerable as she started talking that I led her around to the other side of the sofa and made her sit down. I tried to pull her next to me, but she froze, balancing stiffly on the edge of the cushion a little ways from me. Again—not a good sign.
Jason came and sat on a chair across from us as Autumn continued. “There were a lot of medical bills. Stuff that wasn’t covered by health insurance. And I was skipping class a lot to take my mom to doctor’s appointments, and to be with her when she wasn’t feeling go well. Plus we’d lost my mom’s salary. It was just a really bad time. And then for a short time, the money situation got a little better. It was easier to make ends meet. And then I found out that my father had stolen some money from his employer.”
Uh-oh.
Now she looked at me, her eyes pleading for understanding. “He worked for Davenport Industries. Not when you were there, but when your father was CEO. I’m so sorry, Ford, that I didn’t tell you. I wanted to. I tried to several times, but I was just—it’s just a very painful part of my family’s past. And when I first met you, I didn’t know you were a Davenport, I just knew you as Ford and—and—I’m sorry.”
I glared at Jason. He’d done a background check, he’d sure as hell known this. He stared right back at me, unruffled. I could almost hear his slow, deep voice in my head telling me that I’d said I’d only wanted to know the basics. But this was a big fucking deal. He and I would be having words later. But right now it was Autumn who I needed to talk to.
“You could have told me,” I said. “I wouldn’t judge you on something your father did.”
“I should have, I know,” she said, looking miserable. “I just—it took me so long to trust in this relationship. To believe in it. And I didn’t want to do anything to screw it up. Plus my father didn’t want me to tell anyone, not even Cara…”
Somehow, her pale face got even paler. “Oh god, Cara.” She turned to Jason. “What exactly are they saying on the news?”
Jason spoke matter-of-factly, but I heard a note of sympathy in his voice. “It’s not good. A lot of wild speculation. They’r
e saying that your dad was convicted of stealing sixty thousand dollars from Davenport, and that he’d maintained that he was framed, so he sent his daughter in to seduce the CEO and find out the truth.”
“What?” I said at the same time Autumn did.
“They’re vultures,” Jason continued. “They’ll say anything for ratings.”
“Ford,” Autumn said, her voice faint with shock. “You know that’s not true. I only see my dad every couple of months, and I never told him I knew anyone associated with Davenport Industries.”
“I know that. But we need a plan. A media strategy. Let me call a couple of people, Garrett, some folks in the legal and PR, maybe Heidi, too, and we’ll figure out our next move.”
But Autumn was standing up, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t stay. It’s Cara… she doesn’t even know dad’s in jail. If she hears this on the news… she’s probably already heard it. I have to go. I’m so sorry.” She looked anguished as she rushed over to pick up her overnight bag.
“I’ll go with you,” I said, standing up.
“No, you need to work on damage control,” she said with a glance at Jason. “Again, I’m so sorry I have to leave, but I have to get to her right away. I’ll contact you later. If you—if you want me to.”
Fuck. Of course I wanted her to. I caught up with her just as the elevator doors were open. Reaching out, I grasped her hand and held it tight. She squeezed back until the doors started to close. Then she stepped back against the wall, and the last thing I saw was her mouthing the words: “I’m sorry.”
Shit.
35
Autumn
Cara’s eyes were red when I picked her up from Janie’s house, but she wouldn’t say much. She didn’t have any questions for me, not then. She’d just said, “You should have told me.” Her words echoed Ford’s, and they were both right. I should have.
Charming: A Cinderella Billionaire Story Page 22