Chapter Fourteen
June
“Nathan, do you have a moment? I’d like to speak with you privately.”
Nathan glanced up in surprise at Ian’s softly spoken request. “Of course. Should we adjourn to your office?”
“Yes, let’s do that. This won’t take long.”
Nathan glanced across the large conference room table, noticing that Julia was deep in conversation with two of Ian’s staff. Since they had arrived here for the meeting separately, it wouldn’t be necessary for him to tell her to wait for a ride back.
It had been ten days since the awards banquet, and things had been strictly business between them since. In fact, they had seen very little of each other this past week and a half, and the few times they’d met had been stilted, brief, and uncomfortable.
And despite nightly debates with himself, he wasn’t any closer to making a decision about the future of his engagement to Cameron. Each time he made up his mind to break things off with her so he could be with Julia, he would get a guilty conscience, telling himself that wasn’t the right reason to end things. And then, each time he tried to think of what words he might use to actually break up with Cameron, a cold chill went through his entire body as he imagined how furious she would be and how she would react.
But then, on the flip side, he’d remember in all too vivid detail what it felt like to lick Julia’s nipples, to thrust his fingers inside her hot, tight core, the bliss of coming hard after fucking her brains out. And the thought of never knowing those delights ever again left an empty feeling inside of him. In fact, in every possible way, Julia was probably the perfect woman for him. It went way beyond sex, too, though she was unquestionably the best he’d ever had by far. She was sweet and kind and gorgeous; she was in the same line of work and understood his business, especially since her own father was one of the greatest architects of modern day; she was neat and tidy and organized from the looks of her office. And, perhaps more important than anything else, his mother adored her. And when a guy’s mom gave her unsolicited approval – well, he ought to read the writing on the wall and know that this girl was the one. It was just too damned bad that he was already committed to another girl.
Ian’s office was massive and spacious, with its own small conference table and en suite bathroom. It was easily twice the size of Nathan’s own office. But then, as successful as Nathan had become in recent years, he certainly wasn’t in charge of several dozen exclusive five-star hotels and resorts, or a billionaire like Ian and his family members were.
“Please, sit.” Ian waved a hand at the grouping of love seats and chairs arranged in a square around a low table. “This really won’t take long. I hesitate to mention this at all, but I did feel you ought to be aware.”
Nathan frowned as he took a seat. “Is there a problem with the hotel design? If so, we’ll need to move fast since we break ground in a month.”
“No, not at all. It’s nothing to do with the hotel, all of that has long been settled. This is about Julia.”
That startled him. “Julia? What about her?” A sudden disturbing thought entered his mind. “Are you thinking of asking her out? Is that what this is about?”
Ian gave a hoot of laughter, an oddly irreverent sound for someone who was always the refined, reserved gentleman. “No, that’s not it, either, I assure you. Not that she isn’t an extraordinarily beautiful woman who I’m certain would be a delightful companion. But I never mix business with pleasure. Beside, I’m well aware that the two of you are very attracted to each other. I wouldn’t dream of interfering with that.”
Nathan gaped at him. “Excuse me?”
Ian chuckled. “It isn’t often that I can shock you, Nathan, but I see this is one of those rare occasions. Oh, I’m aware that you’re engaged, but it’s been obvious to me from the first time I saw the two of you together that there’s something there.”
Nathan fidgeted, suddenly ill at ease with this conversation. “As you’ve mentioned, she’s a beautiful woman. I can appreciate that as much as the next man. But that doesn’t mean there’s anything between us. Any more than there is between you and Tessa.”
Now it was Ian’s turn to look startled. “Tessa? Good God, what made you think of her? She’s a married woman and far, far too young for me in any event. And my employee, so off limits in every possible way.”
“Sorry,” apologized Nathan. “I didn’t mean to suggest anything inappropriate. Julia is actually the one who’s convinced you’re attracted to Tessa.”
Ian smiled wryly. “Well, I think Julia is a true romantic but in this case her imagination is getting the better of her. Tessa is a sweet, lovely girl and an exemplary employee but that’s the extent of it. Now, what I wanted to tell you – in strictest confidence, of course – was that Julia has brought up the subject of working for the Gregson Group with me.”
“What?” This time Nathan was truly shocked. “Was this recent?”
Ian nodded. “Very. Just a few days ago, in fact. She’s sworn me to secrecy but I consider you a friend as well as a business partner, Nathan, so I thought I should tell you regardless.”
Nathan frowned. “Technically, she works for Travis. I wonder why you haven’t told him.”
Ian rolled his eyes. “Because Mr. Headley is a known gossip and wouldn’t keep it quiet. He’d very likely confront Julia about it, and I did promise her it would be kept a secret for now.”
“So what did you tell her? About the possibility of a job, that is?”
Ian shrugged. “I kept it rather non-committal. Asked her what sort of job she might be interested in, given that we don’t employ interior designers directly. Seems that she’s always wanted to live in Paris, so she’d love to work at one of our hotels there in some capacity. I told her I’d see what I could find out. I haven’t, however, made any such inquiries just yet. Not until I had the opportunity to discuss this with you first.”
“I see. Well, I do appreciate the heads up, Ian. I’m rather surprised, though. I thought Julia liked her current position, and she’s certainly doing a fantastic job.”
Ian shook his head. “Well, of course she does, Nathan. It’s quite obvious – to me, at least – that the real reason she’s considering leaving has nothing to do with her job satisfaction and everything to do with an uncomfortable office environment.”
Nathan sighed. “And you think this situation involves me?”
Ian gave him a wise smile. “Oh, I don’t think, old chap. I know it does. Oh, she didn’t say that, of course, even when I came out and asked her directly. But I consider myself quite a good judge of people, Nathan – you have to be in my position. And that girl is very much in love with you. That’s why she’s looking at other job options – because it’s too difficult working in the same office with you while you’re set to marry someone else.”
“Please don’t say anything to Travis about this,” pleaded Nathan. “He’d have my head if he learned about this and thought I was the reason behind it.”
“I won’t say a word. But you also can’t speak to Julia about it. Our conversation was in strictest confidence. If you don’t want her to leave, you’ll have to figure out a different way to keep her.”
“Yeah.” Nathan expelled a tense sigh. “Fresh out of ideas here. You got any?”
Ian held up his hands. “Far be it from me to give you that sort of advice. I’m a lifelong bachelor with one broken engagement along the way. I hope you’ll forgive my frankness, Nathan. I certainly don’t mean to butt into your personal business.”
“I know you don’t. And I do appreciate learning about this. Please tell me if there are any new developments.”
“You have my word. Let’s hope you can figure out a way to retain her. As much as I’d love to have her working for my company, I’d prefer to work with her as a designer for our hotels.”
Nathan was still dumbstruck as he left Ian’s office, both at the knowledge that Julia was actually taking steps to find another job, and at the revelation that Ian Gregson was quite aware that he was attracted to Julia. Apparently he hadn’t been as discreet as he’d imagined, and he wondered in something of a panic who else might suspect – that nosy bastard Travis, the sardonic Courtney, his very observant PA Robyn, his own mother for God’s sake.
He was still pondering how much damage control he might have to do as he was walking to the elevator, and stopped short to see Julia also there waiting for a car to arrive.
She looked as elegantly beautiful and alluring as ever today in a sleeveless pale blue crepe sheath dress that hugged all of her curves, and silver gray platform pumps. She’d wound all of her thick, abundant locks into a knot at her nape, a style that emphasized her perfect bone structure. Her lips – those lush, tempting lips – were shiny with pale pink gloss.
She glanced up at his approach but didn’t smile. “On your way back to the office?”
“Yes. The meeting went well today, don’t you think?”
Julia merely nodded as they stepped inside the elevator, pushing the button for the lobby. Nathan frowned as he in turn pushed the button for the garage level.
“Didn’t you park in the garage?” he inquired.
“I don’t own a car. I took a cab here.”
He regarded her with surprise. “I didn’t realize you don’t have a car.”
She shrugged. “Hardly anyone owns a car in Manhattan so when I moved out here I didn’t have one. I’ve been procrastinating about buying one.”
The elevator began its descent. “So how do you get around?”
“Bus. Taxi. Walking. Sometimes Angela gives me a lift or I borrow her car. When I go see my parents I rent a car for the weekend.”
“So let me give you a ride back to the office then,” he offered.
Julia shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s a nice day out, I might walk back.”
“It’s just a ride, Julia,” he told her quietly. “And it’s a long walk for you in those shoes. Let me give you a lift back.”
“No, thank you. We shouldn’t be alone together, even in a car.”
He chuckled. “What’s the matter? Afraid you can’t keep your hands off of me?”
In the next instant he was startled when Julia grabbed his tie and yanked him towards her. Her green eyes were dark and intense as she stared up at him.
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” she hissed. “You’re wearing my favorite suit today. And my favorite cologne. All I could think about during that meeting was crawling under the table to where you were sitting, unzipping your pants, and giving you the best blowjob of your life. So you can see why being closed up in a car with me might not be a good idea.”
He gulped, feeling his cock twitch with arousal at her deliberately provocative words. “Well, I’d say that was a matter of opinion. And I would have an extremely favorable opinion.”
She let him go and stepped away. “Me, not so much. I told you what it would take, Nathan, and that hasn’t changed.”
The elevator stopped at the lobby level and she walked out without another word, leaving Nathan cursing softly as the doors closed after her, his balls aching.
Lauren McKinnon was very aware of all the admiring – and curious – looks that she and her sister were receiving from passers-by as they lunched at an outdoor table. Unlike her far more reserved twin, however, she didn’t always ignore or look away from her admirers but returned their stares boldly. If the man happened to be attractive, she might even grace him with a smile. And if he was super smokin’ hot, she’d make it quite obvious that she was interested.
So far today there had been precious few who fell into the first category, and absolutely no one in the latter. It had been awhile – quite awhile – since she’d gotten horizontal with someone, and with her impending trip to Nepal it was likely going to be awhile longer. When she was on a job, she was usually all business and was extremely careful to protect herself in every way. She rarely travelled alone, especially to a more remote locale like Nepal, but there was no question of boinking one of her fellow crew members. She’d learned the hard way that business and pleasure didn’t mix. Besides, she normally worked with the same crew on her assignments and they were all rather like family at this point. Fucking one of them now would just be weird.
But there were still a couple of nights left before she flew out on Saturday morning to the job site. Maybe she could talk her baby sister into going clubbing with her where she could find a willing and worthy partner for a night.
Lauren sighed as she took a sip of her wine. Knowing Julia’s reticence with men, it was highly unlikely she knew of any hot clubs to check out. It was a possibility that Angela might, but given that she hadn’t been on a date – or even left her flat on a Friday night – for two years, there were no guarantees.
She regarded the blond, almost pretty man in the navy Gucci suit across the table and wondered if Travis might know of any hot, swinging clubs that weren’t gay hangouts. Lauren had her doubts about that one. His odd young assistant Courtney might have a better handle on it, but Lauren wasn’t sure a hipster bar was what she had in mind, either.
One thing was for sure – wherever they wound up going tomorrow night,, she was dragging Julia and possibly Angela with her. Both her twin and their best friend needed some serious action and soon. Lauren had grown used to Angela’s morose, almost catatonic state over the past couple of years, though she wasn’t giving up hope on her just yet. Julia, on the other hand, certainly had some bug up her perky little ass. She’d been in a crappy mood since Lauren had arrived for a visit last Sunday, and Lauren was about ready to shake or slap her twin if she didn’t snap out of it. Julia was being extremely closed-mouth about it, too, but Lauren was willing to bet there was a man involved somehow. It was almost impossible for the twins to hide anything from each other, even when they saw one another so infrequently these days. And if it was a man causing the usually sweet-tempered Julia to act like a hormonal bear, then she wasn’t confiding in Lauren about it, which was very odd. And made the matter even more intriguing. There had to be a really good reason for Julia to keep a lid on the matter, and Lauren was determined to find out why.
The twins were both dressed appropriately for the warm, almost-summer day, though their styles were very different. Julia was in one of her usual high-fashion sheath dresses – this one of a luscious mint green with a crisscross neckline that showed a hint of cleavage. A wide cream satin sash emphasized her small waist. She wore those killer stilettos that Lauren cringed at the thought of wearing – these in a mint green with a peep toe. Julia’s caramel colored curls fell long and loose down her back, her makeup flawless and glowing.
Lauren, by contrast, was far more casually attired in a white James Perse cotton tank top paired with a slim fitting black and white striped maxi skirt. She wore flat black strappy sandals and not a lick of makeup. Her own tresses – cut several inches shorter than her sister’s – were bound back in a neat French braid.
Today was Thursday, nearing the end of Lauren’s visit with her sister before flying off to Asia in a couple of days. Julia had cooked an incredible dinner the previous evening for Lauren, Travis and Anton – the four of them had gone through three bottles of wine – and now Travis was returning the favor by treating the twins to lunch at a tapas restaurant near his office. Lauren hadn’t met Travis before this visit but was getting along famously with Julia’s boss. He was a perfect foil for her own bold, sarcastic way of speaking, and seemed to thoroughly enjoy some of her more ribald comments and stories.
Travis’ eyes twinkled as he gazed from one sister to the other. “I still can’t get over how different the two of you are. Oh, not in looks, of course – you’re identical from head to toe and everything in between.” He gave a mock lascivious leer at both girls’ generous bosoms. “But personality wise – it’s rather startling.”
Julia took a small sip of her wine and looked at her sister wryly. “You mean because I’m such a refined lady and Lauren’s a bawdy tomboy?”
Lauren snickered. “Appearances can be deceiving, Travis. Julia can cuss like a sailor when it’s called for, and drink like one, too.”
“And you’d be surprised at how nicely Lauren cleans up,” added Julia with a grin. “When you can pry her out of those baggy cargo pants and hiking boots, that is.”
Travis laughed. “I’ll bet the two of you together are really something when you’re in the mood to have fun.”
The girls exchanged a look that Travis didn’t even try to interpret, guessing it was one of those weird twin-radar things. He was about to ask another question when he glanced at the entrance to the restaurant and waved at someone.
“Ah, good timing. There’s Nathan, just finishing up lunch from the looks of it. You have to meet my business partner, Lauren.”
Lauren, being extremely attuned to her twin’s moods, immediately noticed the expression on Julia’s face when the name Nathan was mentioned. It was a curious mixture of panic, annoyance, and fear. And that put Lauren on instant alert as she watched her sister’s reaction to the seriously sexy man who was approaching their table.
Nathan Atwood wasn’t Lauren’s usual type – she didn’t do guys in suits and ties – but there was no denying he was one of the handsomest, smokin’ hot men she’d ever seen. She might not care for suits, but there was a whole lot to admire about the body inside of it. The glittering light blue eyes, thick dark brown hair, and sexy mouth weren’t too bad, either.
The hottie grinned as he shook her hand. “So you’re Lauren. I’ve heard a number of interesting things about you.”
Lauren raised a brow.”Is that right? Well, knowing my sister she only told you the tamer stories.”
Julia rolled her eyes at her twin. “That’s because you don’t tell me the wilder ones. You’re afraid I can’t handle them.”
“Baby sister, I know you can’t handle them.”
Travis grinned up at Nathan. “Have a seat, mate. These two are very entertaining when they get going. Anton and I were practically rolling on the floor when we had dinner with them at Julia’s last night.”
Nathan glanced at Julia, and then both of them looked hurriedly away. But Lauren instantly felt the sizzling heat between the two, and suddenly several lights went on in her head at the same time, and the wheels began to spin in rapid motion.
“I can only stay a few minutes, I’m afraid,’” said Nathan as he pulled out a chair. “I have an appointment in less than an hour at the office.”
Lauren held up the mostly empty bottle of wine. “Care for a glass?”
Nathan shook his head. “I’ll pass, thanks.”
“Suit yourself.” Lauren poured the rest of the bottle into her glass. “I’m the only one who doesn’t have to go back to work this afternoon, so I won’t say no.”
“Lauren’s a photographer for National Geographic, Nate,” explained Travis. “She’s off to a photo shoot in Nepal in a couple of days.”
“You’re very young to have landed such a high-profile job,” Nathan remarked.
Lauren grinned. “That’s because I’m very good at what I do.”
“Lauren won a couple of national photography contests while she was still at UCLA,” explained Julia. “National Geographic sponsored one of the contests and they actively recruited her after graduation.”
“Interesting. So everyone in your family is some sort of artist – your father the architect, your mother the painter, and the two of you in interior design and photography,” commented Nathan.
“You’re leaving out our aunt, who’s a former fashion designer,” added Lauren. “Aunt Maddy is the head buyer now at Bergdorf Goodman. She’s the reason why baby sister here always looks so hot. I know for a fact you guys don’t pay her enough to afford an Unger dress and Badgley Mishka shoes.”
“She sends you nice stuff, too,” retorted Julia, “but most of it gets shoved to the back of your closet. You’d rather grub around in stuff from the army surplus store.”
“Hey, when you’re lying in a muddy ditch trying to get the perfect shot of a herd of wild horses, you’re not thinking of whether you’re dressed in head to toe designer,” Lauren shot back. “Besides, like you said earlier, Jules – I clean up real nice.”
Travis grinned. “Do the two of you go out much together? I’ll bet you get lots of attention.”
Lauren hitched her head towards Julia. “Well, this one here isn’t much of a party girl, but when she does let her hair down, the two of us have been known to get a little wild and crazy.” She winked at Nathan, and grinned when she saw the look of alarm on his face.
‘Oh, yeah,’ thought Lauren triumphantly. ‘There is definitely something going on here with pretty boy and baby sis. He so does not like the idea of Jules getting her bad girl on.’
“So, I’ve got to ask you this,” said Travis with a naughty twinkle in his eye. “Anton and I were wondering about this after we left you two beauties last night. Has a guy ever approached both of you at the same time to suggest, uh -“
“A twin sandwich?” finished Lauren mischievously, watching in amusement as Nathan’s jaw dropped and he looked horror-stricken. “Sure, that’s happened before, hasn’t it, Jules?”
Julia shook her head, her cheeks flushed, and she looked mortified. “I cannot believe you had the nerve to say something like that, Lauren. And in front of my bosses, no less.”
“Pah.” Lauren waved a hand in dismissal. “Like anything I could say would shock this one,” indicating Travis. “You didn’t hear some of the stories he and Anton were regaling me with last night while you were cooking dinner.” She turned to Nathan and blinked at him flirtatiously. “And I’ll bet the idea of two hot, sexy women at the same time isn’t something you’d say no to. Am I right?”
Julia banged her head on the table while Travis laughed uncontrollably. Nathan just stared at Lauren in speechless shock, a deep red flush staining his cheeks.
“I, uh, I’m – er, engaged,” he mumbled.
Now it was Lauren’s turn to burst into laughter. “Oh, that’s a good one. Honey, you might be engaged but you aren’t dead. Unless –“she eyed him suspiciously, “you’re engaged to a dude. Travis, does he bat for your team?”
Travis had tears streaming down his cheeks from laughing so hard. “No, he’s straight,” he managed to choke out.
“Ah.” Lauren grinned saucily at Nathan “So if I got Jules drunk enough to agree, would you be interested in having a go at it?’
“Lauren, stop it.” Julia’s voice was firm and she sounded seriously pissed off. “I mean it. Your sense of humor is getting a little too twisted, and you’re embarrassing me.”
Lauren chucked her sister on the chin. “Relax, baby girl. I’m just having a little fun. Besides, it’s not like you can really share a man the way you can clothes or makeup, can you?”
Julia’s undoubtedly taut response was cut off by the ringing of her phone. She snatched it from her cream Gucci tote almost gratefully, as though she was desperate for an interruption.
“It’s the fabric supplier I’ve been trying to reach since Monday,” she told Travis. “Excuse me for a few minutes while I take this.”
Lauren waited until her sister had walked around the side of the outdoor eating space, out of earshot, before turning to Nathan again. “So, maybe you can help a girl out here, handsome.”
Nathan regarded her uncertainly. “I’m not sure I can handle one of you, much less two. And my fiancée really, really wouldn’t understand.”
She pinched his cheek teasingly. “Aren’t you cute? No, it’s not that, hot as it sounds. Before I leave for Nepal for three weeks, I need to let off some steam. My sister is too new to town, my best friend has decided to become a hermit – or a nun, I haven’t figured out which – and Blondie here” indicating Travis “can only vouch for the gay bars. I’m hoping a hottie like you can tell me about a good club or two to hit tomorrow night for some action.”
“Oh.” Nathan seemed relieved that all she wanted were suggestions on where to go clubbing. “Sure. The two places I’d suggest are Level Two and Sapphire Sky. The DJ’s and the drinks are about the best in town.”
“Yeah, but what about the action?” quizzed Lauren. “Is a girl likely to get lucky at one of those places?”
Nathan coughed, clearly more than a little uncomfortable with this line of conversation. “Uh, yes, I would say so. I’d guess you would get very lucky at either place – if that’s what you’re looking for, that is.”
Lauren finished off her wine before replying as nonchalantly as possible. “Oh, I’m not actually looking, no. I was really asking for Julia. She’s been in a crabby mood this week, which means she desperately needs to get laid. Thanks for the suggestions, sweetie. I’m sure we’ll find her a hot guy or two.”
She was half afraid that Nathan was going to have a stroke – or scream – based on the murderous look on his face. Travis, meanwhile, couldn’t stop chuckling, as though he fully shared Lauren’s suspicions that there was something between Nathan and Julia.
Julia returned to the table at that moment, glancing at an amused Travis, a pissed-off Nathan, and a very satisfied Lauren, and frowned. “What’s going on? Lauren, what outrageous thing did you say now?”
“Me?” Lauren asked innocently. “All I did was ask Nathan for a couple of ideas where we can have a fun girls night out tomorrow.”
Nathan glowered at Lauren, getting to his feet. “I’m afraid I need to get back to the office. Enjoy the rest of your lunch.”
Julia stared at his retreating form before turning to Lauren accusingly. “What the hell is going on? What have you done?”
“Just trying to start a little fire, baby sister,” drawled Lauren. “Let’s see if any sparks start to fly.”