Chapter Eleven
Noelle didn’t hear from James for two and a half weeks, although Paul called to let her know James would be out of the country for a week. That didn’t account for the other week and a half. And knowing he was in town and not visiting hurt like hell.
After he rolled out of bed the last time they were together, he headed for the shower and stayed there for a considerable amount of time. At the very least, she expected him to come by her room to say goodbye but he didn’t, leaving her feeling used and discarded.
Most women would have packed their bags and got the hell out of there but she couldn’t bring herself to walk away. The man seemed to have weighed her down with invisible chains she couldn’t break from. There was another side to James he hid from her, a side he didn’t think she saw. It was in his eyes the last time they were together. Noelle wanted to take whatever pain he carried away. But once again, he’d shut her out. What kind of masochist was she to take this kind of emotional abuse?
During his absence she stayed in the penthouse most of the time, trying out her mother’s recipes and adding her own twists to them. She’d only leave the penthouse to take a walk around the block for the sake of getting fresh air. After a week with no word from James, she went out more, mostly to go shopping for things she believed James would like to see her in. She kept in contact with Simone via the phone and pretended everything was fine and dandy, despite the fact she was a big ball of anxiety as she waited to hear from James.
Noelle missed him so much she had trouble sleeping and could barely eat. The culinary confections she made were given to the guards at the front desk and the doorman. She went down one dress size.
After two weeks she was tempted to call Paul and ask if James was traveling again but she had a feeling he wasn’t. As it turned out, there was no need to contact Paul because he showed up two weeks into James’ mysterious absence. Hearing the knock on her door one day startled Noelle because she wasn’t expecting anyone. The only two people allowed past the guards without receiving a call from them were James and Paul. James never knocked so she knew it had to be Paul, though she’d only met him when she first moved in to the penthouse.
Her only interactions with him had been on the telephone when he called to check in on her to see if there was anything she needed. He was always polite, but very crisp and businesslike, making sure no familiarity developed between them.
“Hi, Paul,” Noelle greeted once she opened the door.
He nodded. “Miss Greene? May I come in?”
She stood back, opening the door wider to allow him entrance. “Sure. And please, call me Noelle. I thought we settled this already.”
The polite smile he shot her way told Noelle he had no intention of complying. “James wanted me to stop by and check the faucets. He said something about the water pressure being off the last time he was here. Have you had any problems with it lately?”
“No. I gotta admit, I’m surprised to see you here. Normally you just call to see if everything is okay.”
“Usually when there’s a problem with maintenance, I stop by to see for myself what’s going on so, I’m able to accurately describe to the repairman what the problem is. “
The explanation seemed plausible enough but there was something about his statement that didn’t really hold true. Noelle could sense there was something Paul was holding back but she decided not to call him on it. Besides, being the type of man James was, she doubted his EA would be here without his knowledge. “Okay,” she finally responded. “You know where everything is. I’m going to finish frosting my cake.”
Paul raised a dark blond brow. “You baked a cake?” The surprise was evident in his voice.
Noelle shrugged. “I didn’t have much else to do. There’s only so much shopping I can do before it gets boring.”
“I can imagine. Well, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Sure.”
By the time Paul returned from his inspection, Noelle was viewing her handy work. Not only had she tried a variation of her mother’s recipe, she’d tried her hand at piping to recreate a cake she’d seen on television.
She didn’t realize he’d entered the kitchen until he spoke. “Everything seems fine but I’m going to call the plumber anyway just to make sure. I’ll call and let you know when you should expect someone.”
Noelle barely spared him a glance as she continued to study what she’d created. “Okay. See you later.”
“You made that?”
“Yes. What do you think?”
Paul approached the island. “I think that’s pretty amazing. I didn’t realize you were so talented. It’s almost as fancy as those cakes you see in bakery window displays.”
Noelle beamed under his approval. It wasn’t often someone complimented her on something she did. “Well, how about seeing if it’s as good as it looks. Let me cut you a piece.”
He held up his hands in protest. “No. That’s okay. I had a big lunch.”
“So, I’ll cut you a little slither. Please, won’t you try some?” She wouldn’t have pushed in other circumstances, but being alone in the penthouse for the past couple of weeks was driving her nuts, and having company broke the monotony. “Please,” Noelle softly begged when she noticed his reluctance.
“Okay. I guess I can give it a try.”
She had a feeling his capitulation had more to do with politeness than him actually wanting to try her concoction. Whatever his reasons, she ignored it and sliced him a piece of cake, serving it to him on pristine china.
Paul forked a sizable bite into his mouth and froze. His eyes widened slightly before he began to chew slowly. “This…” He took another bite. “You baked this?”
“Yes. It’s my mom’s old recipe with a twist.”
“And you decorated it and everything?”
“Yep. Don’t sound so surprised,” she responded dryly.
“I didn’t mean to offend but besides the cake looking great, it tastes fantastic, even better than the junk I’ve been forced to try with my sister.”
“Your sister bakes?”
“Not on her spoiled little life. No, she’s getting married at the end of the year and we’ve visited caterers and bakeries for the reception. I must admit, this beats all the ones we’ve tried so far, at least in my opinion. You have a gift.”
Noelle grinned, content to have someone enjoy her culinary treats besides the security guards who claimed she was making them fat. Not that they minded because they always eagerly accepted whatever she had to offer. “Then I’ll cut a piece for you to take to her.”
He forked another mouthful past his lips and moaned. “To be quite honest,” he spoke with his mouth full, “it may not make it to her.”
“Then take the entire thing with you.”
“I couldn’t.”
“Sure you can. I wasn’t going to eat it anyway. It would only end up with the guards downstairs. But be prepared for dirty looks from them when they see you walk out the door with a cake.”
“Seriously Miss—Noelle,” he amended when she raised an admonishing eyebrow. “I don’t want to impose.”
“Please, Paul. You’d be doing me a favor. Besides, it’s not like I need the extra calories. I just bake because it’s one of the few things that relax me. My mother and I used to bake together when I was little. She worked hard to make ends meet, and there were times I rarely saw her because she was pulling extra shifts to pay a bill that got behind. But every week she set aside some time for me and one of our favorite pastimes was baking. Doing this keeps her with me.”
“How old were you when you lost your mother?”
“I was eight. It was especially tough since my father died before I was born—an accident at work.”
“So where did you stay after that?”
“I went to live with my Aunt and her husband.” A shudder wracked her body as she thought of the years she’d spent in that house. Even though she hadn’t lived there in over three years, she was shaken to the center of her being as the memories came flooding back.
“Noelle, are you okay?” Paul placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Huh?” She snapped back to attention.
“You were somewhere else for a second. Is everything all right?”
“Oh, yeah. Sure.”
“I take it you weren’t happy living with your Aunt and Uncle.” He turned a bright shade of red after asking the question as though remembering he wasn’t supposed to be curious about her. He quickly removed his hand and straightened up. “My apologies. It’s none of my business.”
Noelle shook her head, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable around her and draw back inside his shell of professional politeness. “No need to apologize. I’m the one who bought it up. And no, things weren’t great with them, but I guess I should be grateful for the roof over my head, the clothing and food they provided me. At least that’s what they kept telling me. If it wasn’t for my cousin Simone, I don’t know how I would have made it without going bonkers.” It was weird finally saying out loud what she’d always felt about living with her Aunt and it was even stranger the person she’d confess this to was James’s Executive Assistant. All she knew was it felt good to unload. To her relief Paul didn’t seem put off by her admission.
With a sigh, he placed his plate on the island. “Noelle, may I be frank with you?”
She gulped. That sounded ominous. “Uh, sure.”
“Look, I could possibly get fired for what I’m about to say but…I think I’m a pretty good judge of character, and you just don’t seem like the type to walk away from this arrangement unscathed. Why are you really here?”
She opened her mouth to reply but as the meaning of his words suddenly hit her, she immediately shut it again.
“I think you know where I’m going with this right?”
She turned her back to him to hide her expression. “In other words, you don’t think I’m good enough or glamorous enough to be here. But it really doesn’t matter what you think does it? James chose me.” Noelle wrapped her arms around her body, afraid to turn around and face Paul.
“Yes, he did and I can’t imagine what he was thinking. But you and I may have our wires crossed here. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be here because you’re not good enough. I meant you’re too damn good for something like this. Noelle, I’m not telling you this to hurt your feelings but you’re not the first woman James put up in this penthouse. For as long as I’ve worked for him, there have been dozens. Some don’t last more than a few weeks, some months, but none of them last past a year. But those are the kind of women who live the life. Most of them already have other rich benefactors not long after they leave. You just don’t strike me as the type to give herself to someone for financial gain.”
Her cheeks burned at his assessment. Even if the words were true she didn’t like being so exposed. She finally turned and faced him. “What do you know about it?”
He shook his head, his expression full of pity. “I’m the one who makes sure everything runs smoothly and makes sure the women are happy. You’re not like the others, and that leads me to believe you’re here because of your feelings. James can be very charming when he wants to be. Trust me, I’ve seen him in action. But as there have been others before you, there will be some after you.”
Deep down, she knew he spoke the truth but to admit she was wasting her time with a man who only saw her as a convenient fuck was not something she was yet willing to accept. “And what makes you so sure?”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not telling you this to be cruel. I just want you to be aware so when the time comes for this thing to end you won’t be hurt.”
“How do you know James hasn’t developed feelings for me?”
Paul shook his head with that compassionate gleam entering his blue gaze. She was starting to hate that damn look. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his smart phone. After taping a few buttons, he held it out to her. “Here, take it and read.”
Noelle didn’t want to but couldn’t stop herself from reaching for the phone. On the device was an article from a local newspaper, the society section. Her heart seized in her chest when she spied a picture of James with a beautiful redhead clinging to his arm like a limpet. She was everything Noelle was not: tall, gorgeous, and poised, with an air of sophistication about her which screamed confidence. This was the type of women she imagined a man like James would be with. Seeing this picture was like her worst nightmare come true. Under the picture was a caption of that read: Hotel magnate James Rothschild and Socialite Eleanor Harrington at the Cancer Awareness Benefit. Sources have revealed an engagement is on the horizon for this couple.
Noelle handed the phone back to Paul. She went numb. There was the evidence staring her in the face. Here she was holed up in this damned penthouse while James squired around his potential perfect trophy wife. But did she have the right to be upset when he’d made no promises to begin with? He’d been honest, and it was only her foolishness which made her ignore what was staring her in the face. He didn’t care for her and possibly never would. But that glimmer of home nestled deep in the recesses of her heart refused to die. And as long as the little kernel remained intact, she’d forge ahead. She bit the inside of her cheek so hard the coppery taste of blood filled her mouth. She focused on the physical pain so she wouldn’t have to think about the emotional ache.
“Noelle will you be okay?” he asked gently.
She stood still in an attempt to get herself together. It was several silent moments before she trusted herself to even move without bursting into tears. Noelle nodded. “I’m sure you’re a busy man so I won’t keep you. Let me wrap this cake up for you. And I really hope your sister enjoys it.”
“Shit,” Paul cursed under his breath as he racked his fingers through his neat blond hair. “I was out of place. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Noelle shrugged as she moved mechanically, going through the motions of boxing up the remainder of the cake. “If you’re worried whether I’ll tell James about this conversation forget about it. I won’t mention it.”
“If I cared about that, I wouldn’t have said anything in the first place. You’re a genuinely nice person. And I just want you to be careful okay. May I have your cell phone please?”
“Why?”
“Please?”
“Fine,” she let out with an exaggerated sigh. The phone was on the counter. It was the one James had provided for her in case he needed to get in contact with her. The one he never called. She picked it up and tossed it to Paul.
He began pressing buttons and before she could ask him what he was doing another cell rang. Paul reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out another phone and showed her. “This is my personal phone. The number is in your phone now. If you need anything at all, even if it’s just to talk, give me a call.”
She snorted. “Isn’t that your job?” Noelle knew she was being surly, but facing the realization she was nothing more than a glorified whore kind of put a damper on her mood.
“Noelle, I’m serious. If you need anything, just call me okay? Either on my business or personal phone. Okay?”
“Sure you won’t get in trouble with the boss for mingling with his side piece?”
“Don’t denigrate yourself like that.” He looked as though he wanted to take a step forward and offer comfort of some sort but thought better of it. “I’m really sorry, Noelle.”
“Not as sorry as I am.” She handed Paul the cake and turned her back to him again. She refused to let him see her cry.
And despite what Noelle was now aware of, she knew she’d stay.