Broken Cheaters (8 page)

“Not tonight, but maybe another day.”

“All right.”

“Is Trevor okay?”

“Yes, he’s asleep.”

The clock said three in the morning.

I snuggled into Axel, a little bit more relaxed. As he held me, I closed my eyes and had another dream. This one wasn’t a memory, though; at least not my own. It was one about Chloe and her new life in New York, at least how I imagined it. She held someone’s hand as he led her through Central Park. He was gorgeous, the way she’d described him, but I couldn’t see his face. He bought her cotton candy. Remains of pink fluff stuck to her face, and he lowered his mouth to hers to taste her, his tongue tracing the seam of her lower lip, removing the sugar.

When he pulled away, Chloe’s heart was beating so fast. She was looking at him with this glow floating around her body, with so much passion; like he was her lifeline.

I opened my eyes with a gasp just as Axel’s arm tightened around me. Holding me close to his body, I fell asleep, this time with no more dreams, only peace.

W
e were spinning faster
and faster. My hair was flying, slapping against my cheek, when I turned around to see Chloe. She was holding onto the carousel horse, laughing. When it finally came to a stop, I hopped off.

“Wanna go again?” I asked.

“Yes! But this time together on the sleigh. It’s better.”

She was right. Together was always better. This was our third trip around. Spending time with her at the annual fair was a tradition. As the carousel started spinning again, my phone buzzed, pulling me out of the dream. It wouldn’t stop ringing, and it wasn’t my alarm clock. I stretched my arms out, reaching for my phone on the nightstand while skimming with my other hand for Axel on the pillow beside me — a cold and empty pillow.

“Hello?”

“Good morning.” Axel’s voice woke me fully.

“Good morning to you too. You do know that I’m at your house, don’t you?”

“I do, but I had to leave early.”

“That’s not really a good morning to me, then, is it?”

“What would be a good morning?”

“You, here in this warm bed, waking up beside me. I thought you men liked it first thing in the morning?” I said languorously.

“Hhmm, that sounds irresistible, and I like it anytime, babe.”

Babe?

I smiled. “Where are you?”

“Dropping Trevor off at daycare, and then I have a meeting.”

“How is he feeling after the nightmare?”

I touched my chest, which was somewhat in pain from my own somber dreams.

“He didn’t remember anything this morning.”

“Oh, good. And are you okay? You must be tired after all the trips from one bedroom to another at night.”

“I am. Especially after the way you kissed me last night.”

“What?”

“You don’t remember?”

Oh, my God!
This was bad. How could I not remember kissing him?

“You woke up, and I swear if I didn’t have to get up an hour later and didn’t see how tired you were, I would have taken you.”

I wished he had. But then again, I’d been unconscious.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t tell me that I tried to take advantage of you as well.”

“I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have resisted, but no, you didn’t.” He laughed. “I’m hoping we can make up for the lost time soon.”

Me too.

“I sent a cab for you. It will be there in an hour for your interview with Olivier.”

“I need to resign at my other place.”

“Already done.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve been told they were about to cut back anyway, so you did them a favor.”

How was it me who did the ‘favor’ when I didn’t even speak with them? I sighed.

“I’ll also have someone pick you up after the interview to take you back home.”

Home.

His home, not mine,
I reminded myself.

“Thank you for everything, Axel. How is Julia?”

“She’s good. We have men looking for Brad. But I’d like you to stay close to me until he’s found.”

Who would refuse an offer like that? I should have, perhaps, but given Brad’s unpredictable nature, I didn’t.

“I miss you, Trish,” he said.

I squirmed in the sheets like a little girl. It had only been a few hours, and Axel was missing me. I inhaled his scent again, letting it settle deep in my lungs.

“I miss you too.”

“Breakfast is in the kitchen. Ms. Avery will lock up after you leave. You didn’t get a chance to meet her last night because she had a day off. She takes care of the house and keeps me on schedule. I asked her not to disturb you, but in case you run into her, I don’t want you to panic. She’s a wonderful lady.”

“Oh, okay. Anything else I should know?”

“Yes.”

Of course there was. Axel was full of surprises.

“There will be a few dresses in your closet when you come back from Olivier’s. And I was wondering if you’d like to come to a fundraiser with me next week. If you don’t find that boring, that is.”

I’d done a lot of fundraising events in my past life. Yes, they were usually boring, with a lot of rich people sticking their noses high up in the air. But as much as I didn’t feel like mingling amongst a sea of stiff pricks, I’d do it for Axel. To be honest, by now I was willing to do anything for him, so long as he was with me.

“I’d love to. I’ll see you tonight?”

“Absolutely, babe. Bye.”

Babe?
I couldn’t get the giddiness out of my chest. My mind kept going back to the fact that I didn’t really know him, but my heart squeezed tightly in my chest, fighting me, telling me something way different.

I jumped out of bed and opened the walk-in closet. All the clothes from my apartment had been transferred here. Despite that, most of this ginormous space was still empty. After a shower, I dressed in black pants and a white shirt for the interview and went downstairs for breakfast. A woman not much older than I was, wiped down the stove.

“Hi,” I said, wondering whether she was the housekeeper Axel mentioned. I’d somehow expected her to be a bit older, and not as beautiful as the tall blonde.

“Hello, Ms. Summers. I’m Ms. Avery.”

As I got closer, I noticed a faint scar running across her face, from the eye right down to the chin.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I reached out to shake her hand, but she only bowed, keeping her hands tucked away.

“Your breakfast is ready, and I hope you don’t mind this.” She pointed to the white mark on her cheek. That’s when I noticed that she was missing a pinkie on her right hand.

“Or this,” she said as she saw me staring.

“I’m so sorry. I’m being rude. Of course I don’t mind. Would it also be rude of me to ask what happened?”

“No, it wouldn’t. But it’s a very long story, and” – she looked at her watch – “and your appointment is in half an hour.”

She knew about my interview?

“One of my duties here is to ensure the house functions well. Mr. Wagner doesn’t like to be late, and it’s my job to help him with time-management.”

She answered what must have been a puzzled look on my face.

“The car is ready outside when you’re done, and if you need anything, anything at all, I can be reached at this number.” She handed me a business card.

The car was here already? My gaze flew to the front door.

Shit!
I better not make the cab wait. I shot off the chair, waving. “I gotta go.”

I grabbed a pancake off the plate and rushed toward the front.

“Wait, Mr. Wagner insisted you eat!”

“I will.” I waved the pancake. “Thank you, Ms. Avery.”

I stepped out of the house, my eyes searching for a yellow cab, and instead found Charlie standing with the door wide open to the stretched limo.

This was what Axel called a cab? This ride was suitable for a president.

“Is this for me?” I asked.

“It is, Ms. Summers.”

“I’ve been told to drive you to Olivier’s and then remain at your disposal until you’re back at Mr. Wagner’s residence.”

Wow!

I settled into the cushioned seats, taken aback by… well, pretty much everything. It had been a long time since I’d allowed myself any form of luxury, never mind the kind that Axel was treating me to. This couldn’t be an everyday thing for him, could it?

We arrived at the restaurant with three minutes to spare. Olivier, the owner and chef, was already waiting for me.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. When can you start?”

I returned his firm handshake with a somewhat confused look. “Wait, aren’t you going to interview me?”

“You’re a friend of Axel’s, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but…”

“I’ve already checked your references and I won’t get a stronger recommendation than the one from Axel. He’s never steered me wrong in the past. If you want it, the job is yours. Marie is the head waitress. She’ll go over the security details with you. Most of our clientele is very wealthy and expects a certain level of discretion, so whatever you see or hear at this restaurant, it needs to remain here. No one gets inside this restaurant without an appointment so you don’t need to worry about your ex-fiancé coming in.”

“Axel told you about him?”

“Yes, he did. And we’ll make sure that you feel as safe here as any of our customers.”

“Thank you, Olivier. That means a lot.”

“This is your starting salary, which will increase after six months. Any tips you receive are yours to keep.”

I had a salary? Not a per-hour pay?

“I may also need you on some weekends for exclusive catering services. Otherwise, I go by one motto: a smile can win over the coldest of hearts. Some celebrities can be… how can I say this politely? Bitchy. Just smile and nod, and you’ll be fine.”

“Thank you, Olivier.” I looked at the scribbled numbers on a paper he gave me. “But this is too much.”

“It’s as much as I would give anyone else I hire.” He reached out and closed my hand around the paper. “Is there any way you’d be able to start now?”

“Yes, of course.”

“And, Trish. We like to think of our staff as family. Anything you need, just ask. I know that if my staff is happy, they’ll do their job that much better.”

“I can’t even tell you how much that means to me. Thank you so much.”

After introducing me to Marie, Olivier left. I followed the head waitress around as she showed me the three different dining areas, some private booths, two bars, secluded tables, nooks and the hallways that reminded me of a labyrinth. None of it seemed as intimidating when I had dined here with Axel, but then again, my focus had been completely on him. At least the restaurant didn’t open until eleven for the lunch hour, so it was still empty, giving me a chance to familiarize myself with the floor plan.

“How do you not get lost here?”

“You will,” she laughed, “but you’ll get used to it with time.”

“I should make a map.”

“If you ever need help, just ask.”

By the time Marie had prepped me with the evening’s menu and showed me which tables I’d be responsible for, it was already lunch time. I was to shadow her for the first three days and then go on my own, and would hopefully have memorized the entire menu.

“I believe you’re already busy for lunch.”

I am?

“But when you don’t have gorgeous hunks taking you out, we usually get together in the staff room.”

She pointed to one of the booths where Axel was sitting, looking over the menu. Was he waiting for me?

“I’ll see you in an hour.” She gave me a gentle shove in his direction.

I strolled toward him with confident steps.

“Hello, my name is Trish, and I’ll be your waitress today. To start off, can I get you something to drink, sir?”

He gave me a bemused smile and slapped the pages he was holding closed.

“Unfortunately, what I want is not on the menu.” His husky voice sent shivers down my spine, and I had the urge to grab that menu off the table and write my name as one of the appetizers.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Hopefully, having a nice lunch with you.”

Detecting a hint of nerves in his tone, I narrowed my brows before sitting across from him.

“Anything you’d recommend?”

“Axel, anything you get from this restaurant will have your taste buds humming for hours. I can’t thank you enough for this. I mean, I’d be fine at my old job, you know.”

That was a huge stretch and we both knew it, but it was the polite thing to say.

“With Brad on the loose, we can’t take any chances.”

“Do you think it will take long to catch him?”

“I don’t know. That’s what I need to talk to you about as well.”

“What’s going on?” I leaned in, cocking my head to the side, somewhat concerned about the sadness I saw in his eyes. At the same time, a waitress brought over two cups of coffee and five giant plates of what I thought was everything off the lunch menu.

“Who’s gonna eat all this?”

“You. Next time, don’t skip breakfast.”

“How did… wait, I had a pancake.”

“One flab of dough doesn’t count as a proper breakfast. Now eat.”

“I see Ms. Avery is a spy as well,” I grumbled, as I stuck my fork into the fresh fruit at the side of the eggs Benedict.

“She was only doing her job.”

“Okay, so are you going to tell me why the glum look on your face?”

“I’m leaving for Europe this evening and won’t be back for a week. Brad opened accounts there under the business’s name that need to be cleaned up.”

Nerves contracted in my stomach at the mention of Brad’s name, but knowing that Axel would be so far away made me sad.

“Okay, ahm, I can get my stuff to the new apartment after work.”

“The bed’s not there yet.”

With all the resources Axel had, I wondered whether the delay in furnishing my new home was coincidental or not.

“I’ll figure something out.”

“I didn’t mean that you have to leave, Trish. I’d like you to stay at my house, with my mom and Trevor.”

“While you’re gone?”

“Yes. This way I’ll know that you’re safe.”

My heart drummed in that weird way it only knew how to do around Axel.

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“You won’t. I already talked to them both, and they’re very excited.”

“Really?”

His smile was melting my heart because the warmth I felt in my chest was unbelievable.

“Thank you for doing this, Axel. For opening your home up to me and for caring when honestly, I don’t deserve it.”

He reached across the table and took my hand. “You’re wrong. You deserve much more than you give yourself credit for.”

Except that he didn’t know what I’d done. He didn’t know that my past didn’t justify any merit.

From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw someone heading our way, and while at first I thought it was a waitress, the body build was way off. A young man, bearing similar tattoos to Axel’s on his left arm, sat down beside him. The resemblance was unmistakable.

“This is my brother, Ace, and here’s his number.” He passed me a card. “If you need anything, if you see Brad or even get a whiff of him, call Ace.”

“Thank you, Axel. For everything. I should get back to work now.” I stood up.