done. I gritted my teeth together. I wanted his touch, but I feared his touch at the same time. A storm exploded inside of me from the dueling needs.
His hand retracted to his side. “Okay.” His smile softened. “If you need anything, you can call me.” He gestured to the long table behind me. “There’s a new phone there for you. It’s safer for you to use that one, not your old one. Your old could be—someone could be listening in.”
Oh. My brows furrowed together. Did that mean Dunvan knew it was me?
“It’s just safer. Use this new one.”
I looked back and was caught. I couldn’t look away. He had moved closer to me, within touching distance now. His voice grew quiet. “Franco Dunvan has no idea about your involvement. I have a phone company that’ll keep your line safe. I can’t guarantee that with your other phone. This would be a favor to me. It’ll make me worry less about you.”
I jerked my head in a nod. I was overwhelmed with so many emotions.
“Emma,” my name came from him in a soft whisper. He reached out and his hand slid to the back of my neck. He cupped my head and then stepped closer, almost pressing against me.
I closed my eyes as I felt him. My arms twitched. I wanted to wrap them around him and pull him to me, but I couldn’t. So I hugged myself harder. I hadn’t even realized I’d been hugging myself from the beginning. He pressed into me. His breath teased against my lips as his forehead rested on mine.
His other hand lifted and thumbed the corner of my lips.
I gasped, my mouth parted.
His thumb slipped inside, just an inch.
Before I could stop myself, my tongue darted out and swiped against it.
He whispered again, “Emma.” He drew in his own breath, tensing against me.
“Sir.” A different voice broke us apart.
Carter’s eyes were dark with desire as he stared at me, but then he cleared his throat. “Be right there, Gene.”
“Sir.” And then the door shut beneath us.
“I have to go.”
I nodded, trembling before him.
He groaned and reached for me. Instead of feeling his lips against mine, where I wanted them, he pressed them to my forehead. He whispered against me, “I’m glad you’re here. AJ would’ve wanted me to look out for you.”
He tore himself away and was gone within seconds. I was left in a mess behind him.
Was that all he was doing this for? For AJ?
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw it was a text from Amanda. Ben keeps walking in circles. He can’t understand any of this. We ordered a pizza and he pulled a knife on the kid. Or he tried. It fell and almost sliced his toes. He’s a bumbling idiot. What did you leave me with?
I grinned. Make him go for a walk tomorrow. It would do him good, Mals too. Good luck. Hide the knives.
Now you tell me. Hope you’re ok wherever you are.
I struggled for a second. My hands shook, but then I took a deep breath. Everything would be fine. I knew it. I am. You too. Take care of Mals for me.
Will do.
After I looked at the new phone Carter left for me, I texted her the number and said I’d be using that number from now on. When she said that she had programmed it in and would give it to Mallory, I relaxed a little. She hadn’t questioned it. I’d been worried about that, but Amanda and Mallory hadn’t questioned a lot of what I had done over the last week. They trusted me. That was the truth. They knew I would take care of them, and I had.
I looked around my new home.
I shook my head. This was my new life, at least for now. With that final thought, I grabbed my bag and went in search of my bedroom. My priorities were to shower and then get a good night of sleep. Everything could go back to a normal routine.
But as I went into the master bedroom and saw the king-sized bed in front of me, I just wondered what my new normal routine would be. I didn’t think it would be anything like my old life.
My first night was spent in a restless sleep. I didn’t know when Carter would come back. I didn’t know what he expected of me. Did he expect something more? Was I in his home for a reason, other than to keep me safe? I had closed my bedroom door, but when he got home I didn’t know if he would come to me. Or maybe I wasn’t there for that? Every time I thought I heard something, I jerked awake and my heart would start hammering in my chest. Then nothing would happen, so I would relax back in bed.
The last time I looked at the clock it was nearing five in the morning. When I woke, groggy, it was after eight in the morning. Three full hours of sleep. I looked around the spacious room, and everything rushed back at me. I sat upright, fully awake with no grogginess at all.
Unsure what to do or where to go, I slipped on a robe from the closet and headed downstairs after finishing in the bathroom. As I rounded to the second floor, I heard water running and coffee brewing. Then came the smell of bacon, causing my nose to twitch and my stomach to growl.
When I reached the kitchen, I braked. Instead of the grey suit from the night before, Carter stood in front of the stove in jeans and a plain tee shirt.
My mouth watered, and not from the food. Tee shirts had never looked that good before. Then my eyes widened as I realized what I was thinking. I’d never learn.
“Good morning,” he drawled, relaxed and composed. He had showered and his hair was still wet so the ends curled a little bit.
It was adorable.
Then I grinned to myself. Carter Reed was not adorable. Hot and dangerous, but not adorable.
“What is it?”
I shook my head. “It’s nothing.”
“Take a seat.” He indicated a counter. “Would you like some breakfast?”
I saw a box of Wheaties, bagels, orange juice, and a few eggs on the counter. “Breakfast of champions?”
He grinned at me. A bolt of warmth went through me. Goodness. I needed to get a handle on myself. It was moving into the pathetic zone.
“I was at the gym this morning. Breakfast helps me fuel up for the day. Help yourself.” He caught my eyes. “To anything.”
The gun at a horserace went off and there went my heart. It was thundering like a herd of hooves. I managed out, “Uh, coffee?”
His grin widened. He knew full well what he was doing to me, but he turned towards the stove again. “Or I could make you an omelet?”
“Oh. Uh.” My stomach rumbled, but I shook my head. “Coffee is usually my breakfast, or a breakfast bar on the run. I hit the snooze too much and am always late for work.” I grimaced. “Or almost always late.”
He checked his watch. “What time do you start work?”
I snorted. “After last week, I doubt I have a job there.”
“Are you sure about that?”
My eyes had wandered over to the coffee, but now they whipped back to his. A deeper look caught and held me breathless. Then a suspicion started to grow. “Carter, what did you do?”
“What makes you think I did something?”
I studied him, but there it was. I saw it again. There was a spark of amusement in his wolf-like blue eyes. I sighed. I was starting to realize he could do anything, and getting my job back was probably something he could’ve done in his sleep. “You know Mr. Hudson, don’t you?”
His grin widened. “No, I don’t know Mr. Hudson. Who is he?”
I couldn’t tell if he was lying now. “He’s the Head of Beverage Sales. I’m his assistant.”
“Oh.” He lifted his orange juice and took a sip. “That’s good to know.”
Why was I getting frustrated with him?
He glanced at his watch again. “When did you normally have to be at work?”
“Nine in the morning.” I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”
“You’re going in like that?”
I glanced down at myself, in the robe with my bare feet poking out. Then I heard what he said again and my head whipped up. “You got my job back, didn’t you?”
He took another sip of orange juice. “I don’t know Mr. Hudson, no, but I am sparring partners with Noah Tomlinson.”
My eyes bulged out. “You know Noah Tomlinson? He owns The Richmond, Carter.”
“I know.” His grin grew wicked. “He owns all of them.”
I couldn’t talk, not for a while. The Richmond was a ritzy hotel, with a chain that spread nationally and internationally. It had global success and Noah Tomlinson started it all. Wait—did he say sparring partners? Feeling dizzy all the sudden, I reached out for the counter to steady myself. My hand slipped, and I would’ve fallen off my stool to the floor had Carter not caught me. He grabbed my arm. It happened so fast. I couldn’t look away from his hand as it was wrapped around my arm. He righted me back on my stool before he stepped back.
“Good reflexes,” I noted, breathless. “I’m sure that comes in handy when you’re sparring against an MMA Champion.”
Carter grinned and shrugged. “It does have its benefits.” Then he gave me a pointed look. “You are going to be late if you don’t get ready.”
I still couldn’t believe any of what he said.
“Emma.”
Work. Late. It was after 8:30 now. Oh god. I shook my head. I was getting dizzy again. Then I choked out, “Noah Tomlinson didn’t have enough money to start all those hotels at once. He got the money from you, didn’t he?”
Carter lifted an eyebrow. “Your job is still there, but if you’re late, I can’t guarantee it’ll always be there.”
He didn’t have to say any more. I raced upstairs and emptied my bag onto the bed. When I couldn’t find anything that would’ve been appropriate, I wanted to scream. But then I looked at the closets and I wondered…. I swept it open and gaped. Well, that wasn’t true. I would’ve gaped if I had enough time. The closet was full of designer labels and after I checked a skirt, I saw it was in my size.
I didn’t have time to think about that coincidence.
Hurrying, I grabbed a white business skirt and shirt. There was another closet of shoes. I wanted to fall over in a faint. High heels, sandals, pumps, everything a girl would’ve wanted in shoes were in that closet. Giggling from all the emotions, I slid on a pair of Casadei shoes and then stopped in my room. How would I get there?
With my purse, the new phone from Carter, I headed out of my bedroom. My answer was standing in my living room, waiting for me.
One of the guards gave me a nod. “Miss Martins. Your ride is waiting downstairs.”
Of course. I had a car waiting for me.
This was Carter’s life. It was now my life, I guess.
We went down the elevator where the other guard had the door opened for me. I slid inside. One of the guards sat beside me while the other sat in the front and off we went. I didn’t say a word. I didn’t know if I was supposed to. I didn’t know which guard sat with me, but I had a feeling that Carter wanted them around me from now on.
When we were close to The Richmond, my phone vibrated.
When you are ready to come home, push zero nine on your phone. Mike and Thomas will be waiting at the back entrance of wherever you are. Have a good day, Emma.
I stared at the phone for a long time. I couldn’t look away from it. Home? To Carter? I was really living with him. It felt so intimate, my pulse picked up. A sizzling sensation went through me. This was my life. This was my new life. I had a car. I had two bodyguards. I lived in an extravagant home, with an extravagant man. I drew in a shaky breath. Could I handle this? This was all too…it was too much.
I sat back and counted to ten. An anxiety attack was coming on.
Four days ago, I thought my life was ending. Everything had taken a 180 degree turn.
“We’re here, Ma’am.”
I jerked out of my thoughts. The car had stopped and I scrambled out the door to find that we were at a back entrance. When the guard closed the door behind me, I looked at him, unsure what to do or say now.
He gestured towards the door. “This is where we will pick you up. Have a great day at work.”
“I—thank you…”
He nodded at me and then waited.
Uh…
“You can go on in, ma’am.”
“Oh!” Flushing from embarrassment, I hurried through the door. It was an entrance that I never knew about, but a time clock was next to it. I clocked in before I headed to the hotel’s breakroom for coffee.
I ignored the workers at the tables. No doubt they had whispered about me and my week of no-shows, but as I got my coffee and headed out, I was surprised. There was no reaction. It was like nothing had happened, so I shrugged and headed towards Mr. Hudson’s office.
When I got there, it was the same shock. I expected some comment from him, but didn’t get anything. As I sat down at my desk, in my own little office two doors down from his, there was a pile of paperwork on my desk and my inbox flashed a number that would keep me reading emails all morning.
It was nearing lunch when I got my first clue.
Mr. Hudson said from my opened door, “How was your vacation?”
I jerked back, my heart pounding. He never knocked, not even a courtesy knock. “Vacation?”
I stared at my boss. It took me a moment to comprehend and then I sputtered out, “Oh. Um. It was good. How was the week here?”
Mr. Hudson stared at me behind his glasses and pinched the top of his nose. He was a big man, but bigger since he had stopped working out due to a back injury. He had gained fifty pounds over the last year. He carried it all in his belly now, which made him unhappy. Everyone knew Mr. Hudson used to think of himself as a player type of guy, but with his hair starting to gray and thin, he couldn’t keep up the image. Annoyance had his nostrils flaring and he clipped out, “The week was fine, would’ve been better if we had proper notice of your vacation.” His eyes narrowed and he lifted the top of his lip in a sneer. “Word came down from the top. You never told me you knew someone at the top, Martins.”
I straightened in my chair and lifted my chin. “The vacation was a surprise to me as well. I apologize for any strain it might’ve had on you or others.”
He huffed out, “You can thank Theresa for doing most of your work. She couldn’t do all of it, since you’re my actual assistant, but you can touch base with her. She’ll bring you up to speed on everything. We’ve got a big deal coming up. There’s a conference in New York. I want you there.”
New York? My eyes widened. I was going to New York?
“Is that okay with you, Ms. Martins?” There was an edge to his tone.
“Uh, yes, Mr. Hudson. Of course, Mr. Hudson.”
“Good.” He rolled his eyes. “We have to present to Mr. Tomlinson in New York. I want you to do the presentation.”
“What account is that, Mr. Hudson?”
“It’s a new account. There should be an email about it. If you can’t find it, ask my secretary.”
“Alright, Mr. Hudson.” I pasted a professional smile on. He couldn’t know how much I wanted to strangle him. A new account? There was an email about it? He spoke to me like I was two.
With another eye roll and a disgusted sigh, he marched back to his office. I was left in my office with my hands digging into my desk. I wanted to get up. I wanted to follow him. And I wanted to do some damage. He had never talked like that to me before.
What the hell had been told to him? And by whom?
The only thing I could do was scroll through my email again, but an hour later I still didn’t see what he was talking about. There was no email from him or any from the higher administrative offices so I pushed back my chair and went in search of Theresa Webber, another assistant that worked underneath The Director of Sales. I could’ve gone to his secretary, but she was slimy like her boss. As I got to Theresa Webber’s office, she was frowning at her computer with a pencil between her teeth.
I knocked on her door. She jerked away from her computer. Her hands flailed in the air and the pencil went flying. She grabbed onto her desk to keep from falling off her chair. Her hair had been