Predictably, the next morning Evangeline woke alone in bed, Drake no doubt having vacated it long before. She had no idea how he managed to keep the hours he kept and even how he had the time to work her into that busy schedule.
She closed her eyes in dismay when she saw that this morning’s offering was the same as it had been all the mornings since she’d officially moved in with Drake. She dreaded seeing what outrageously expensive gift he’d chosen for her this time.
With a resigned sigh, she opened the gift first, avoiding for now the note Drake had left her.
It was a dazzling and no doubt priceless tennis bracelet with huge diamonds that encircled the entire piece of jewelry. It matched the diamond earrings he’d given her, and now she worried he’d soon be giving her a matching necklace as well.
The only gift she never took off was the necklace Drake had given her because it was symbolic to her. It represented his pet name for her, a name only he used, and it had been the first gift he’d given her. But at the time, she hadn’t realized this would become a daily ritual of him buying her expensive pieces of jewelry that made her feel guilty because of how extravagant and unnecessary it was.
She was uncomfortable over the thought behind the gifts. If he was trying to buy her when all she wanted was him. She felt guilty wearing such priceless jewelry when her parents and friends lived day to day, paycheck to paycheck.
Yes, Drake had seen to her friends and family, but it still bothered Evangeline to be living in such luxury and being showered by gifts that the cost of one piece alone would cover her parents’ expenses for an entire year.
With another sigh, she carefully put the bracelet back into its box and got out of bed to go place it next to the others before returning to see what Drake had to say this morning.
Going to be a long day in the office. I have several matters to take care of and several meetings to attend. I’d like you to cook something that will keep or be able to be warmed over, since I won’t know an exact time I’ll be there. I’ll call you on my way so you can warm it up again for my arrival. Zander will be by this afternoon to get a grocery list from you and run out for whatever you need for tonight. Enjoy your day in and rest. I was hard on my angel last night.
Evangeline’s lips tightened. She couldn’t even go to the market to get the few things necessary to cook a meal? Was she a prisoner after all, no matter what Drake assured her of? She knew one thing. She wasn’t staying cooped up in his apartment all day while Zander played errand boy. It was a beautiful day and the forecast had been for cooler, more fall-like temperatures today and the rest of the week. She had no intention of not getting out and staying shut in every day.
Since she didn’t know what time Zander would arrive—and what was up with Zander being her babysitter du jour anyway? Hadn’t he been in the doghouse last night? Or was she to be tossed between Drake’s men one by one until she reached the last of the pack and started over from the beginning?
She shrugged. Oh well, she didn’t know what time he was due to arrive, and there was a market within easy walking distance. If he wasn’t here by the time she’d showered and dressed, she’d run down to the market herself and get the necessary items for dinner.
While she showered, she mentally went over the possibilities, wanting something more elegant than she typically served her girlfriends, when making every dollar stretch as far as possible was also a necessity.
Then she remembered the steak—Wagyu steak?—that Justice had taken her to eat and how expensive it had been. The question was, what kind of market would even sell such expensive meat, or could one even get it outside the fine restaurants that served it?
She had a recipe for a simple, delicate butter sauce because meat that tasted that good needed nothing heavy to mask the natural flavor, and well, butter made everything better, or so her mother always said. Green beans would be a perfect complement, as would a mouthwatering gourmet homemade mac and cheese recipe she had, and she could add lobster to jazz it up. Which only left potatoes because steak without potatoes was an unpardonable sin in her book.
Scalloped potatoes or simply baked potatoes with Drake’s choice of toppings?
She had completed her menu by the time she dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and lace-up tennis shoes. She chose an oversized sweater with a comfortable neckline that layered over her breasts, only giving a hint of her cleavage, which was displayed much better thanks to the new bras she’d purchased.
She eyed the ever-growing selection of jewelry Drake had given her but opted not to wear anything but the angel necklace. It was simple and not too ostentatious. It suited her when the other stuff was just not her.
After applying light makeup and brushing out her long hair, she chose to leave it down so it would dry faster. Then she went into the living room to find her purse so she could be on her way.
She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn’t notice Zander until he cleared his throat and she jumped, emitting a startled yelp. She backed warily away, cursing Drake’s men’s propensity for appearing out of nowhere. Did Drake give them free run of his apartment? Or did they just not believe in knocking, for God’s sake?
“Sorry for frightening you once again,” Zander said. “Drake told me you would know I would be here.”
“He said you were coming by, not that you would be here when I got up,” Evangeline muttered. “Apparently the idea of knocking or buzzing up to let someone know you’re here is something that escapes all of you.”
Zander grinned. “I’ll get out of your hair as soon as you give me the list of stuff you need from the market.”
Evangeline frowned. “Actually, I’m going shopping. What you do with your afternoon is up to you.”
Zander’s smile faded, and he looked uneasily at her. “Uh, that wasn’t my understanding.”
“It is now,” she said firmly. “I’m going shopping. Whether you come is entirely up to you.”
Then she turned to walk toward the open elevator doors.
“Shit. Drake’s not going to like this,” Zander muttered behind her.
She punched the close door button and watched in amusement as Zander’s expression turned murderous just as the doors shut in his face, preventing him from getting on with her.
She rode down and walked by the surprised doorman before he could open the door for her, and she stepped into the brisk air and blinked against the sudden wash of sunshine. She’d been right. It was truly a spectacular day. She inhaled deeply, feeling as though she were seeing the outside world for the first time since she’d entered Drake’s world.
Not taking too much time to savor the feel of freedom, she started down the street toward the market that was just a few blocks away, her list memorized. Zander caught up to her at the corner as she was waiting for the crosswalk light to turn green.
He grabbed her elbow and whirled her around, his eyes glittering with fury.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, woman?” he all but roared at her. “Are you just trying to piss Drake off?”
“The more appropriate question is whether he’s trying to piss me off,” she returned sweetly. “I just love how my shopping trip, which wasn’t supposed to include me by the way, was planned and arranged when no one but me knows what I’ll be cooking and what I’ll need, including brands, spices, ingredients, et cetera.”
“That’s what a list is for,” he growled.
Her cell phone rang and she fumbled for it, and then seeing Drake’s name as the incoming caller, she looked accusingly up at Zander.
He shrugged. “You dug your own grave.”
“Hello?” she said warily.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Drake clipped out.
“I’m going shopping so I can cook dinner, like you instructed,” she said defensively, not liking at all that Zander was standing a mere foot away and could likely hear every word Drake said even with the sounds of traffic all around them.
“Maybe you don’t remember the conversation you and I had where I was very specific in that I was to know where you are at all times and that if you were going out you were to inform me of your plans and that I would not be pleased if you forgot.”
His tone was icy and he was obviously furious. Not just angry. He was, as Zander had said, pissed.
“I wasn’t given that choice,” she said in an icy tone to match his. “I was told to give him a list and I was told he was going and that I was not. I prefer to do my own shopping, especially when it comes to a menu I’ve meticulously planned. He refused and intended for me to remain in the apartment the entire day when it is an absolutely gorgeous day outside and I wanted to shop for my own groceries. Therefore my only choice was to go myself.”
“All you had to do at any time was pick up the phone and call me,” Drake said, anger still vibrating in his voice. “You could have told me what you wanted and then I would have been aware of your whereabouts instead of receiving a call from the man I assigned to protect you telling me that you gave him the slip and were even now God only knew where in the city.”
She went silent, her mouth dropping open. He made it seem so simple, and yet nothing about Drake’s words suggested she had any choice or say in the matter.
“If you make such a mistake in the future, I will not be as forgiving or understanding,” Drake said in a cool, slightly more calm voice. “Now do your shopping and don’t make Zander’s job any harder than it is. His job is your safety, and he can’t do that job if you’re not with him.”
“Okay,” she whispered, embarrassed by the sudden sting of tears at her eyelids.
He ended the call and she stared a long moment down at the now-blank screen, and then she slipped it back into her purse, refusing to meet Zander’s gaze.
He sighed beside her and then reached out a tentative hand to squeeze her shoulder.
“We haven’t started out on the best foot, have we, Evangeline?” he asked ruefully.
“Tattletale,” she muttered.
He chuckled, some of the tension easing. And then his voice became somber once more.
“He’s right about one thing. You shouldn’t be going out alone. It’s dangerous. You could be hurt. Your safety is my job, so let me do it and then both our lives will be a hell of a lot easier.”
Then he let out an exaggerated sigh. “I assume this means we’re walking and you’ll expect me to carry everything back?”
She gave him a small smile that seemed to delight him, and, well, she had been a bitch to him. It wasn’t his fault. He was only following orders.
She sighed back. “I’m sorry for making your job difficult. It isn’t your fault.”
He seemed perplexed and uncomfortable with her apology.
They walked the rest of the way, Zander providing a shield around her so that no one so much as brushed her on their way by.
After spending nearly a frustrating hour perusing the beef counter and even going to a local butcher, Evangeline was beginning to wonder if Wagyu beef even existed outside the restaurant Justice had taken her to. Maybe it was specially imported. Cooking excellent meals with what she made do with was something she was good at. Fine foods, expensive gourmet foods, however, were beyond her realm of knowledge.
“What the hell are you looking for and not finding, Evangeline?” Zander asked in a frustrated tone. “Maybe if I knew, I could help.”
Her eyes lit up and she grumbled to herself for not having thought of it earlier.
“Do you have Justice’s phone number? Is he busy?” she asked anxiously.
Zander couldn’t hide his perplexed expression as he stared wordlessly back at her.
“Do you or don’t you?” she asked in exasperation. “Do you want me to be shopping all afternoon, or will you call Justice for me?”
The answer to that question was obvious when he immediately dug out his phone, punched a button, and then handed the phone to her.
“Yo man, how’s angel duty going. Any disasters befallen you yet?” Justice asked cheerfully.
“That depends on what you consider a disaster,” Evangeline said sweetly. “I would say inserting one’s foot into one’s mouth might be considered somewhat of a disaster.”
“Oh shit,” Justice said with a groan. “Hello, Evangeline. Everything okay? Why you calling me from Zander’s phone? You should have my number and all the guys’ numbers programmed into your cell.”
“Oh,” she said. “I didn’t look. I mean, I asked Zander to call you. I didn’t know I had your number. I barely know how to work the damn thing.”
“Is there something you need?” His voice took on a more serious tone. “Are you in trouble?”
“No, no, well, nothing serious. You remember the restaurant you took me to and ordered that ridiculously expensive steak?”
“Yeah,” he said in obvious puzzlement.
“I can’t find that steak anywhere,” she said in frustration. “Drake wants me to cook tonight and he likes steak, so I thought I’d buy some Wagyu steak and grill it. But I can’t find it anywhere.”
Justice chuckled. “No, of course not. But tell you what. I’ll make a phone call right quick. Have Zander take you back to that restaurant and ask for the chef. He’ll know you’re coming and he’ll hook you up.”
“Really?” Evangeline whispered, in awe of the obvious connections not only Drake had, but his men as well. Was it really that simple and had she wasted an entire hour when a simple phone call would have provided her with instant results?
“Yeah, really. Let me go so I can make that call. By the time you get there, the chef will be expecting you.”
She ended the call and handed the phone back to Zander. “Um, he says to tell you to take me to the restaurant where he took me to eat Wagyu steak the other day.”
“Fuck me. You’re making Drake Wagyu steak tonight and I’m not invited?” Zander asked in a cute, sulky tone.
“No, but if you’re nice to me the rest of the day, I’ll save you some leftover dessert. It’s even better than my cupcakes. Promise.”
Zander groaned. “Drake’s a lucky bastard. I hope he knows that.”
“I hope so too,” Evangeline murmured, low enough for Zander not to hear.
Judging by the arched brow and curious look sent her way, she hadn’t been that fortunate.
“Oh, he knows,” Zander said softly. “Don’t ever think otherwise, Evangeline. If you think he’s this way with other women, you’re wrong. You’re special to him, even if you haven’t realized it yet.”
She wasn’t at all sure what to make of that statement, so she let it go as they began the short walk to the restaurant.
As Justice had told her, when Evangeline and Zander arrived at the restaurant, though it wasn’t yet open for lunch hours, they were immediately let in and led back to the kitchen, where they were met by a middle-aged man she assumed was the chef.
He smiled when he saw her and enfolded her hand between both of his.
“Justice tells me you enjoyed my steak the other day.”
“It was the most wonderful steak I’ve ever had,” Evangeline said honestly. “I wanted to cook it for dinner tonight but haven’t been able to find it anywhere.”
The chef went over to the counter where a butcher-wrapped package lay out, and then he wrapped it in plastic wrap so it wouldn’t leak and handed it to Evangeline.
“The secret is in not undercooking it,” he explained. “These steaks are heavily marbled, so if a person normally eats their steak rare, I would suggest cooking them medium rare. But don’t overcook them either. You want the fat to dissolve just enough and to be warm all the way through. If they aren’t cooked enough, you end up with jellylike consistency from the marbling instead of the juicy succulence you should experience. Overcook it and, well, you have a burned mess that has none of the wonderful taste that it should.”
“Thank you so much,” Evangeline said, smiling radiantly at the kind older man. “I have no doubt dinner will be a wonderful success thanks to your generosity and expert advice. How much do I owe you for the meat?”
The chef blinked and immediately looked discomfited. Zander smoothly inserted himself and said, “Drake has an account with the restaurant. He’ll be billed. You don’t need to worry about it.”
People had accounts with restaurants? For that matter they had relationships with the chefs that made it possible to get what was no doubt proprietary meat from the chef to cook at home?
The more she saw into Drake’s world, the more aware she was of just how clueless she was when it came to having money and connections. It all sounded like something out of a ridiculous movie. Not real life and definitely not her life.
Then she surprised the already bewildered chef by impulsively hugging him.
“Thank you for doing this for me. I have no doubt dinner will be superb tonight, thanks to you, and rest assured you’ll get the credit for providing such an amazing meal.”
The older man flushed. “It was my pleasure, Miss Hawthorn, though from what I hear of your culinary expertise, I’d take you on and put you to work in my kitchen any day of the week, although I’d probably fast be out of a job.”
It was her turn to blush, and she wondered how on earth this man knew anything about her cooking.
“I won’t keep you any longer,” Evangeline said. “I need to get home so none of what I’ve purchased is spoiled. Thank you again.”
Zander herded her from the kitchen and out of the restaurant, where once more she blinked and squinted at the bright autumn sun.
“You need a pair of damn sunglasses,” Zander muttered.
She shot him a strange look and then shook her head. But as they headed down the sidewalk, Zander stopped at a name-brand boutique and dragged her inside, where he proceeded to make her pick out a pair of outrageously expensive designer sunglasses that horrified her once she saw the price tag.
She mutinously shook her head, refusing to even consider buying such an extravagance. He merely ignored her and since she wouldn’t make a choice, he chose the two he thought looked the best on her and just gave her a look she was becoming well acquainted with since it was one Drake and all his men wore like a second skin. The one that said, You won’t change my mind.
After he paid for them, he plucked a pair and slid them on Evangeline’s nose, adjusting them to his liking before they stepped from the shop. He seemed rather pleased with himself and Evangeline didn’t have the heart to put a damper on his mood, so she kept her thoughts of the ridiculousness of paying hundreds of dollars for a pair of sunglasses to herself. A five-dollar pair from a grocery store or pharmacy would have certainly sufficed.
But what she wore was a reflection on Drake, and she doubted he would be pleased to see her wearing anything but what he considered the best.
And it was because of her exasperation and her inattention to her surroundings that she tripped as they headed down the sidewalk and went sprawling before Zander could catch her. The impact of hitting the concrete took her breath away as Zander’s colorful curses filled the air.
“Jesus Christ, Evangeline, are you all right?”
His concerned face filled her vision as he gently turned her to look at her. She reached up, worried she’d broken her sunglasses and when, in fact, they came away in two pieces, she nearly burst into tears.
“I broke them,” she said tearfully.
“Fuck the sunglasses,” he said, fury lacing his words. “I’m more concerned whether you broke anything on you. Can you get up? Do you hurt anywhere?”
She let him help her up, wincing when she stretched her leg to its full length.
“Just my knee,” she said. “I think I just scraped it. God, I’m so sorry. I’m so clumsy.”
Zander bent right there in the middle of the sidewalk, forcing her to hold on to his shoulder for support as he examined the tear in her jeans and moved the material right and left so he could assess the damage.
“You’re bleeding,” he said grimly. “I can’t fucking see well enough to know how deep the laceration is or if you’ll need stitches. I need to call Drake.”
“No!” she burst out. “For God’s sake, Zander. I scraped my knee. The world isn’t ending. Drake does not need to be disturbed at work because I’m an idiot who fell and scraped her knee. He has a very busy day and said he had several meetings and that he’d be late arriving home. I don’t want to disrupt his schedule over something so insignificant.”
Zander frowned, having no liking for her response. He knew Drake well enough to know that if Evangeline was involved and especially if she was hurt, he wouldn’t give a fuck about some goddamn meeting. But she looked like she was on the verge of a complete meltdown, and given that she’d already been on the receiving end of a pissed-off Drake this morning, he could well imagine why she wouldn’t want to risk provoking his anger again even though Zander knew damn well Drake would be anything but pissed.
“Zander, please,” she begged. “This is embarrassing enough without involving Drake.”
His expression softened and then he shook his head before picking his phone up. To Evangeline’s dismay, he seemed to have not been moved by her entreaty.
“Yeah, Zander here. I need you to come get me and Evangeline and have Drake’s doctor on standby. I’m taking her to get checked out.”
There was a long pause.
“No. She doesn’t want Drake to know. She just took a fall. Her knee hurts but I can’t exactly examine it in the middle of a fucking public sidewalk. Just get here.”
After Zander gave whoever he was talking to his and Evangeline’s location, Zander ended the call and then gathered the bags he’d dropped when Evangeline fell. Then he curled his huge tattooed arm around her waist.
“Lean on me and try not to put much weight on your hurt leg,” he said. “We need to get somewhere you don’t get knocked over by some asshole pedestrian in a hurry. Preferably somewhere you can sit so you aren’t putting any strain on that knee.”
He all but carried her and the bags a short distance away under the awning of a restaurant and settled her into a bench intended for waiting customers. When the woman manning the door would have protested them sitting, Zander sent her a ferocious glare that promptly had her shutting her mouth and retreating hastily to her post.
“Who did you call?” Evangeline asked.
“Justice. He’s not far or he would have called someone who was closer than he was to come get you.”
“Is a visit to the doctor really necessary?” Evangeline asked with a frown. “We should just go home. I can doctor it myself. It’s not serious. It doesn’t even hurt that much anymore.”
“We are going home,” Zander said calmly. “Drake’s personal physician has a clinic on the second level of Drake’s building. He has a practice, but his primary job is to see to Drake and Drake’s employees’ needs. And believe me, we’re a full-time job,” he added with a grin.
But Evangeline didn’t return his smile. Her brow furrowed in thought over what Zander had told her. Drake required a personal physician? As in one who looked after the needs of him and his men? Were their jobs that dangerous? For that matter, she had yet to figure out precisely what Drake and his men did for a living. Surely owning a nightclub didn’t command the kind of wealth Drake and his men possessed and certainly wouldn’t be cause to have a personal doctor to patch someone up on a regular basis.
She felt faintly ill, wondering just what she had gotten herself into and if she was already in way over her head.
“How bad are you hurting?” Zander asked bluntly.
She looked up at him, squinting when her gaze met the sun beyond Zander’s broad shoulders. He frowned and dug out the other pair of sunglasses and promptly perched them atop Evangeline’s nose.
“It just stings a bit. You’re completely overreacting,” she muttered. “One would think I got shot.”
Zander wasn’t amused, and it was the fact that his expression became as grim as it did that made her wonder if being shot was a possibility. Was her coming to harm why Drake was so overzealous when it came to her having protection any time she left the apartment?
If she thought for a minute she’d actually get an answer, she’d ask Zander just that question, but she knew he’d bite off his tongue before ever telling her anything. So she sighed and resigned herself to a visit to the doctor.
She was surprised when only five minutes later, a sleek car she didn’t recognize the insignia for pulled up, and to her further surprise, not only did Justice step from the car but so did Silas.
And it would appear Silas’s presence came as a surprise to Zander as well, judging by his reaction.
Justice shrugged as they neared where Evangeline still sat on the bench.
“Silas was with me and when he heard what went down, he said he was coming.”
Unspoken was that no one ever likely refused Silas anything.
“I just hope to hell he doesn’t scare the shit out of her,” Zander muttered so only Justice could hear.
Evangeline immediately bristled and shot upward, wincing as her knee protested the sudden and unexpected movement. She pointed her finger at Zander. “To date, you are the only one who has frightened me. Not to mention how rude you were. And you dare to suggest that a man who has impeccable manners and who made considerable effort to ease my embarrassment after I dumped a cupcake all over his pants—which was your fault, by the way—would somehow frighten me? Quite frankly, I’m better off with him.”
Silas stood staring at Evangeline as though she were an alien, surprise written clearly on his features. And then he simply walked to where she was shakily standing and put one arm around her.
“How much does it pain you?” he asked quietly.
“Enough,” Evangeline muttered. “I just want to go home. It’s not that bad and it certainly doesn’t warrant a visit to Drake’s doctor who also conveniently has a practice in Drake’s building. Hell, Drake probably owns the entire building.”
“He does,” Silas said in his somber voice.
Evangeline closed her eyes. She shouldn’t have gone there. It was her own fault for opening herself up for that.
Silas squeezed her, giving her silent reassurance. She wasn’t so sure why the others seemed to have a healthy fear of and respect for this man. Well, the respect he had no doubt earned, and it was owed. But the fear she didn’t understand, nor did she understand why they would think she would be afraid of him when he’d been nothing but gentle, kind and compassionate with her.
And because she was thinking those things and because whatever she thought always seemed to make its way out of her mouth, she put it out there before she could think better of it.
“W-would you go with me to the doctor?” she whispered so the others wouldn’t hear. “Zander seems to think you frighten me, but truthfully he scares me more than any of the others, and I would feel more comfortable, if I must go see this doctor, if you were with me instead of him.”
Silas went completely rigid, and she realized she’d just made a huge mistake. Damn her and her propensity for saying what was on her mind. She needed a gag stuffed into her mouth on a permanent basis.
“I’m sorry,” she said sincerely. “I’ve already interrupted your day with what is not anything remotely resembling a serious accident. I really should just go back to Drake’s apartment and clean it up. Band-Aids are miracle cures, you know.”
“It would make me very unhappy to ever know that a woman like you ever feared me,” Silas said, as sincerely as she had spoken. “The fact that you don’t fear me and in fact defend me to the others raises you in my esteem considerably. If having me with you makes you more comfortable, then I’ll go. No further explanations are warranted or necessary. Now, I’m going to help you to the car. Zander can get back to the apartment with your bags on his own dime while Justice and I take you to the clinic.”
“You aren’t a bad person, Silas,” she whispered. “In fact, I think you are a perfect gentleman. You’ll never persuade me otherwise.”
A shadow fell over his eyes before he blinked it away, but in that shadow she saw past pain, memories, things that had shaped the man he was now. And then just because it seemed like the right thing to do, she hugged him, trapping his much larger frame against her smaller one, and squeezed hard.
“Thank you for coming so quickly. I’d rather Drake not know about this, but if we don’t get moving, the dinner I’m supposed to prepare won’t get done on time and I don’t want Drake to be even more unhappy with me than he already is.”
Silas frowned. “I’m sure he will be more than understanding if you don’t cook dinner at all, considering you injured your knee and who knows what else in your fall.”
Evangeline shook her head. “I don’t even want him to know about this. Any of it. The day already started all wrong, and this will just ruin the entire evening. Can we just go and get it over with?”
In response, Silas merely picked her up, cradling her in his arms, and then ducked into the backseat of the car. Once he was settled, with her still on his lap, he put a pillow beneath the knee she’d injured and urged her to relax, saying that they were only a few minutes from Drake’s apartment.
Evangeline sighed. Welcome to Drake’s world should read more like Welcome to Drake’s insane world where nothing makes sense.
Because there was nothing normal about being sprawled on the lap of a man who obviously inspired fear in others while being rushed to a private clinic, owned by Drake, an enormously wealthy and extremely secretive, mysterious man who now, according to him—and, well, acknowledged by her—owned her.
Crazy. It was the only word to describe her previously boring, uneventful, predictably dull existence.
Things like this just didn’t happen to ordinary girls from small towns like the one she grew up in. Only it was happening, and it was all too real for her comfort level.