Come Away With Me (19 page)

“So it seems Brad is more than a friend of a friend.” Luke turns to me, his eyes cold and distant.

Shit.

“No, that’s exactly what he is.”

“Didn’t look that way.”

“How did it look?” I back away from him and cross my arms across my chest.

“It looked like he was picking you up.”

I shake my head adamantly. “He is just a flirty guy, Luke. He was being nice. I was looking around for you.”

“I got a phone call. I have to leave, I’m sorry. I have to run home and do some work.”

“Fine, let’s go.”

“Do you have to work today?” He opens my car door for me and I slide in.

“No,” I respond when he’s behind the wheel. “I have today off.”

“You’re welcome to come home with me.” How can he go from being pissed off

and

jealous

to

sweet

and

accommodating?

“That’s okay, just take me home.”

“Are you mad at me?” His voice is soft and I can’t look him in the face.

“Yes. Are you always going to overreact whenever a man speaks to me?”

“He’s had his hands on you twice in two days, Natalie. He wasn’t just speaking to you.”

“But I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“He wants in your pants and you didn’t do anything to dissuade him.”

“Luke, I’m more than capable of saying no. Trust me, that’s all I’ve said all my adult life. Until you.” My voice is raised in my frustration.
Doesn’t he see that I’m mad about him? That I don’t want anyone else?

“I will never be okay with another man putting his hands on you. Get used to it.” His voice is sharp and his eyes are so cold.

He pulls up in front of my house and I jump out without waiting for him to open the door. He leaps out of his side and follows me up to the front porch.

“Go home, Luke. Go work.” I shove my key in the lock and turn it but his large hand covers mine so I can’t turn the nob.

“Natalie, don’t be mad at me.”

“Don’t be mad at you? I may be your girlfriend, but I’m not your property.”

“I didn’t say you are.” He backs up as if I’ve slapped him.

“Brad’s just a flirty kid. Trust me; nothing is ever going to happen with him.”

His eyes flare at Brad’s name again and I want to kiss him for caring enough to be jealous, and smack the shit out of him for being so jealous he’s almost blind with it.

I take a deep breath and decide to change tactics.

“Remember yesterday when you compared seeing Brad and me on that bed in the studio with seeing you onscreen in a love scene?”

“Yeah.” He runs a hand through his hair and looks thoroughly frustrated.

“Am I supposed to get jealous every time a fan fawns all over you? They all want in your pants. All of them. They fantasize about fucking you and wooing you and about you being their boyfriend.

Trust me, those girls have all spent more time thinking about you than I care to think about.”

He starts to speak, but then closes his mouth and shakes his head.

“Don’t you dare say that it isn’t the same thing. A crush is a crush is a crush. Brad has as much a chance getting in my pants as any one of those pathetic women has getting into yours.”

He exhales loudly. “Well, I guess I can see your point.”

“Go work. I’m going to take a shower.”

“Are you still mad at me?” He closes the gap between us and grips my hand in his tightly.

“A little. I’ll get over it. Go work and call me later.”

“Okay.” He bends down and runs his lips lightly over mine, then pushes his fingers in my hair and pulls me to him, kissing me deeply, as if his apology is in his kiss and I can’t help but melt against him.

“You make me crazy,” I murmur against his lips.

“Ditto, baby. I’ll talk to you tonight.”

He leaves me on the porch and I watch him slip into his sleek black SUV. He smiles and waves and pulls out of my driveway.

I’ve fallen in love with a beautiful, sexy, sweet, jealous control freak.

Shit.

***

Jules is in the kitchen when I go inside. I slam my purse on the breakfast bar and yank the fridge open looking for a water.

“Well, hello sunshine,” Jules says sarcastically.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“I’m working from home. Hey, you’re really pissed. What happened?” She plants her hands on her hips and scowls at me, and I immediately feel better.

“He just irritated me at the gym. Luke has a jealous streak.”

“Scary jealous, or sexy jealous?”

Jules asks, her eyebrows raised.

“Stupid jealous.” I sigh and fall into the deep cushions of the red couch in the living room. Jules follows and sits in the armchair opposite me, her bare feet propped on the ottoman.

“He’s obviously crazy about you.”

She takes a swig of her own water.

I shrug. “I guess. I’m new to all this, Jules. I don’t like being questioned about things I do.”

“He’s not being a controlling asshole, is he?”

“No, but he does have a bossy streak.

Not in a bad way. I know he cares about me. He’s really sweet and gentle with me. But boy, he does not like Brad.” I roll my eyes and lean my head back against the cushion.

“Sexy model client Brad?”

“Yeah.” I explain about Luke walking in on us in the studio yesterday, and running into Brad at the gym today.

“Gee, I wonder why. That kid has it bad for you.”

I scowl at her. “He does not! He’s just flirty! Don’t you start, too.”

“You never could recognize when someone was interested in you, Nat.”

“Luke has nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, I know that.” She brushes my words aside with the wave of her hand.

“Why doesn’t he?”

“This is new to him, too.”

“Whose side are you on?”

“Yours, sweetie. Always yours.

Where is he?”

“He went home to work. Someone called while we were working out.”

“Maybe you could use a day apart.”

“Probably. Hey, what are you really doing here? You’ve been working from home a lot lately.”

Jules

frowns

and

shrugs.

“Telecommuting is easy.”

“Uh uh. I don’t buy it.” She’s not telling me something. “I know you too well, Julianne Montgomery.”

“My new boss is kind of a dick.” She shrugs again, but she looks like she might be fighting tears. Alarmed, I sit on the ottoman, making her lower her feet, and grasp her hands.

“Has he hurt you?”

“No, he’s just a condescending asshole.” She shrugs again, but then breaks down in tears. Holy shit.

“Sweetie, what is it?” She drops her head in her hands and cries, a hard, sobbing cry.

“I fucked him.” She cries through her hands.

“What?” I sit back, my jaw dropped, shocked. Jules has a strict policy, no screwing co-workers.

“The night you first brought Luke home.” I remember that night, when Jules went straight upstairs without coming to the kitchen to meet Luke.

“How? Jules, this isn’t like you.”

“I know.” She wipes her eyes and her nose on the back of her hand. “We went out for dinner with some other people from the office, and I had too much to drink.”

“Honey, is he trying to ruin things for you at work?”

“No! No, nothing like that.” She takes a deep breath and I hand her a tissue. “It’s just so uncomfortable. And it doesn’t help that he’s freaking hot.

Almost Luke Williams hot.” She smiles at me and my shoulders relax just a little.

“Wow, that’s pretty hot.”

“I know, right?” She shakes her head and looks sad again. I hate seeing Sad Jules. “And Nat, you’d be shocked what he’s hiding under those business suits he wears to work. Wow. It was the best sex of my damn life.”

“Jules, are you hung up on this guy?”

“It doesn’t matter even if I am. There is a no fraternizing policy at our office.

We could both be fired.” Her eyes well again, and I just feel so helpless.

“What has his reaction been to all this?”

“Well he was pretty pissed when he woke up the next morning and I was gone.”

“Ah, so you did the whole sleep-with-‘em-then-bail-when-they’re-asleep move.” I nod knowingly.

“Yeah. I didn’t want to face the ugly morning after.”

“Can’t blame you there. But if he was pissed you were gone, maybe he really likes you.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s hopeless.”

“But…”

“No, don’t try to fix this, Nat. It’s done. I’ll go back to the office eventually; I just need a little time to regroup. I took a few vacation days and now I’m working from home until I work up the nerve to see him again.”

“Okay.” I rub her arm soothingly, and then stand. “I’m going up to shower.

Let me know if you need me.”

“Thanks.” She gives me a watery smile. “Oh, Nat?”

“Yeah?”

“Stupid jealous is kinda hot.”

I’m picking you up in an hour.

Please dress formally.

Oh my. I stare at the text and read it again.

I glance at the clock. It’s five thirty, and I’m definitely not anywhere near close to being formal or sexy. I don’t even know where to start.

This is a job for Jules.

“Jules!” I yell out my bedroom door, mentally thumbing through my closet.

“What?”

“I need to get sexy.”

“What?”

I shove my phone in her hands and she breaks out into a huge smile.

“Wow, he knows how to woo a girl.”

“Jules!” I clasp onto her shoulders and shake her. “Help me. I’m not good at this.”

“Come on.” She grabs my wrist and drags me into my closet. “The new red Louboutins are a no-brainer.” She pulls them off the shelf and hands them to me.

“What am I going to wear with them?”

I’m in a panic.

“Don’t you have a little black dress?”

“No.” I frown. I don’t have many dresses at all.

“Everyone has a little black dress, Natalie.”

“Not me.” I shrug.

“Get in the shower and scrub, shave and loofa. I’ll be back.”

“That sounds painful.” My eyes widen in fear and Jules smirks at me.

“We’re just getting started. Go!

Clock’s ticking.” She jogs back to her room and I start the shower.

***

Fifty minutes later, I am buffed and polished. Jules has curled my thick chestnut hair and managed to twist it up into some kind of sexy knot thing, with tendrils hanging around my face.

The face is a Julianne masterpiece.

She’s made my eyes look all smokey and sultry, accentuating the green in them.

My cheekbones are defined, and my lips are pouty with a cranberry red lip stain that is guaranteed to not smudge or come off for eighteen hours, which sounds too good to be true to me, but I’ll take it.

My eyes run down the rest of my body in the full-length mirror hanging on the back of my closet door.

I’m hot.

Jules has lent me a to-die-for black dress. The neckline reminds me of something Elizabeth Taylor would have worn, just off the shoulder with a deep V-neck. The back swoops down low across the small of my back. It’s sleeveless and is gathered at the waist with a thick waistband. The skirt is floaty and soft, and flirts just at my knees.

Under the dress is some impressive black underwear and a garter belt with nude stockings. I’ve never worn stockings before, but they’re amazingly comfortable and feel silky and sexy.

My beautiful red stiletto Louboutins are killer with this dress.

Jules walks into the room and lets out a loud wolf whistle.

“Well, don’t you clean up well, best friend of mine?”

I laugh and do a turn so she can see the whole effect.

“Will I do?”

“Girl, he’s going to die of heart failure the minute he sees you. You look amazing.” She smiles and hugs me tight.

“Here, this wrap and purse will go with your outfit.” She hands me a beautiful red wrap and handbag that perfectly match the shoes and I smile in gratitude.

The doorbell rings and there are now about five million butterflies in my stomach.

“I’ll answer. Take your time, make him sweat.” She kisses my cheek and hurries down the stairs.

I stare at myself in the mirror for a few more minutes, and then put my things in Jules’ red handbag.

Here goes nothing.

Do not fall down the stairs. Do not fall down the stairs.
This is my mantra as I walk down the stairs. I don’t think I’m breathing, I’m too nervous. Where is he taking me?

I get to the bottom of the stairs and enter the foyer and all of my wits completely scatter.

Luke is wearing a black double breasted suit with a white shirt and a blue tie that perfectly matches his incredible eyes. His messy hair has been tamed somewhat, and it’s begging for my fingers. He looks every bit the wealthy, sophisticated movie star, and he’s all mine.

His eyes lock on mine and a slow, delighted grin spreads across his face.

“Natalie, you take my breath away.”

“You’re not so bad yourself.”

Luke closes the gap between us and hands me a bouquet of red roses.

“These are for you.”

“Thank you,” I murmur as I bury my nose in them and breathe them in.

“They’re lovely.”

“We

should

go,

we

have

reservations.” He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles, shooting shivers up my arm.

“Okay.”

Jules

magically

appears

from

nowhere. “I’ll put those in water for you. Have fun, you guys. You both look incredible.”

“Thanks, Jules.” I hand her the flowers and Luke ushers me out of the house.

Instead of his Mercedes or the Lexus, there’s a black stretch limo parked in my driveway with a sharply dressed driver standing at the open back door.

“Madam,” he nods at me and I smile in return. Holy shit, Luke’s gone all out! Is this how he says he’s sorry? If so, we might have to argue more often.

I climb in the back of the spacious limo and slide over so Luke can follow.

The inside must seat ten easily, is all soft black leather seats and has some sort of impressive sound system and other gadgets. The privacy glass is up.