Fated (4 page)

Before
I knew it, it was lunch time and I was only through a quarter of his letters
and emails. I figured it was a good enough time as any to grab something to
eat, as well as Caden's flowers.

I
hesitated before I left, wondering if I should tell Caden I was leaving or
offering to pick something up for him for lunch. Macie had told me that I
didn't need to check in with Caden before I left the office to run errands, and
that he fended for himself when it came to lunch, but I still felt weird just
leaving without a word.

I
knocked on the door to the studio and waited, but there was no response so I
left after a few moments. I had no problems with him not wanting to be
disturbed.

I
picked out a bouquet of flowers that I personally would have liked, a dozen
white calla lilies. I smiled wistfully as they brought back one of the few good
memories of my childhood. My father had presented my mother with a bouquet of
calla lilies, her favorite flower, on their tenth wedding anniversary. Just a
week before they had both died in a car accident. It was one of the few
memories I had of my parents since I was only eight when they passed away, and
I clung on to the idea that, regardless of their early death, their life had
been worthwhile because they had loved and been loved.

I
paid for the flowers with the credit card Macie had given me, which I had been
authorized to use. I understood why Caden was wary of a stranger working for
him. I had a lot of access and was privy to details of Caden's life that were
of a sensitive nature, even though Macie had told me she didn’t know much about
Caden's personal life since he was such a private person. Still, I know I would
have felt uncomfortable with a random person answering my mail and using my
credit card.

Caden
was back in the office when I returned, although he wasn't where I expected him
to be. He was sitting in the chair in front of my desk, and I simply gave him a
bland smile as I sat down, putting the flowers and a sandwich I had picked up
on my desk.

"Did
you need something?"

Caden
glanced at the calla lilies and then back at me. "I would've thought you
would have gone for a dozen long-stemmed red roses."

"Aren't
red roses a little trite? They show lack of thought and they're a meaningless
token of a cliché." I shrugged. "At least calla lilies are
pretty."

Caden
studied me for a moment before responding. "That seems like a pretty
cynical view. I thought most women thought roses were romantic."

I
wanted to get off the topic of flowers. It was leading us into a discussion
that seemed too personal. "Most women probably do. I should put a damp
towel around the bottom so they stay fresh."

I
walked to the bathroom adjoining the office, carrying the bouquet of flowers,
and went to work on dampening a paper towel to wrap around the cut ends. Caden
was still sitting across my desk when I returned, so I repeated my earlier
question.

"Did
you need something?"

Caden's
amber eyes followed me as I sat down behind my desk. His constant watchful gaze
was making me feel awkward, so I covered it up with conversation.

"Did
you already have lunch?" I quickly checked his schedule on the computer
and saw his day was clear until dinner. Great, then he'd have all the time in
the world to hang around the office and make me feel uncomfortable.

"I
grabbed a bite upstairs while you were gone."

I
nodded, glancing at my sandwich but not touching it. There was no way I was
going to start eating with Caden watching me, despite the protest of my empty
stomach.

Caden
reached down to a plastic bag next to his chair I hadn't noticed and pulled out
a smartphone. He laid it on my desk. "This is for business use, and so
that I can reach you whenever I need to. It's already activated. This is the
number you should give out to my contacts if they need to reach you, but only
at my discretion. I don't want everyone having it."

"Okay,
thanks." I knew that Macie had a work phone as well, so I didn't think
much of it. I just hoped it didn't mean Caden was planning to make good on his
threat of three a.m. calls.

"I'll
be in the studio for the rest of the day. I had the office phone calls directed
to my cell phone this morning while you got acclimated, but they should be
ringing through your line now. Just take messages unless it's Michael, my
lawyer."

I
was surprised at his thoughtfulness, but just nodded as he disappeared into the
studio. I ate my lunch and continued going through his correspondence,
interspersed with answering the phone, which was now ringing frequently. A lot
of calls were from journalists wanting to interview Caden about his latest
collection, which had created a lot of buzz. It was pretty unprecedented for a
photographer, especially one who was already well-established, to take pictures
of women in the middle of an intensely private sexual experience and display
them for everyone to see. I had never seen any of the pictures myself, but I
had heard about numerous galleries refusing to show his collection because they
considered them pornographic. Instead of this diminishing his popularity, it
made Caden even more in demand.

It
was late in the afternoon when a woman with a sultry voice called, wanting to
speak to Caden.

"I'm
sorry," I said. "He's unavailable at the moment. Can I take a
message?"

"Who
is this? This isn't Macie."

I
sighed inwardly. I was tired of having to explain to everyone who called that I
was filling in for Macie when they were surprised she didn't answer.

"Macie's
on vacation. I'm filling in for her while she's gone. Can I take a
message?"

"Is
Caden there?" The woman's voice was getting demanding and I had to force
myself to stay polite.

"I'm
sorry, Caden is unavailable right now, but I'd be happy to take a message.” How
often was I going to have to say this?

The
woman grew shrill. "Listen, I'm not one of his fawning groupies. Put him
on the phone
now.
Tell him it's Lissa."

Bitch,
I wanted to say,
I don't care who you are.
I told you he's unavailable. Now let me take
a goddamn message so I can get on with my day.

"Hold
on," I said instead. Lissa's insistence made me wonder if Caden would
really want to talk to her. I had no idea if he had a girlfriend, but this
woman sure sounded proprietary. As much as I didn't want to disturb Caden, I
had the feeling this woman was beyond persistent.

"Caden?"
I called out as I knocked on the studio door. "I'm sorry to bother you but
Lissa's on the phone. She's pretty insistent on wanting to talk to you. Do you
want to talk to her?"

Caden
looked annoyed when he swung open the door. I instantly regretted bothering
him, but instead of saying anything to me, he stalked over to my desk and
picked up the phone, taking it off hold.

"Didn't
I tell you to stop calling the office line? Actually, I believe I told you to
stop calling, period."

I
gulped at Caden's cold voice. I hoped that cutting tone was never directed
towards me.

Caden
lips thinned as he listened, apparently unhappy with whatever Lissa had to say.
"I won't tell you again. Don't contact me. Don't contact my assistant.
Don't contact any of my associates. Otherwise you'll regret it."

I
quickly looked away when Caden hung up the phone, not wanting to be caught
gaping. I was still standing by the studio door, frozen in place by the
conversation I wish I hadn't heard. I quickly walked back to my seat,
studiously avoiding eye contact with Caden as I passed him.

"Don't
ever accept a call from her. If she calls again, just hang up and let me know.
I'll take the necessary steps."

I
nodded, not wanting to know what those necessary steps were. "Okay. I'm
sorry for bothering you with her call."

"Lauren."

I
looked up at Caden, who seemed less than pleased. "Yes?"

"When
I say I don't want to be disturbed by any calls except for Michael, I expect
you to follow those orders." His voice was tight with irritation.

I
should have felt chastened. After all, I had gone against Caden's request, but
he didn't need to act like I had committed some heinous act just because I had
disturbed him with a phone call. But I kept my expression carefully blank.

"Of
course. It won't happen again."

I
had to fight the childish urge to stick my tongue out at Caden's retreating
back as he returned to his studio. Despite my discontent, I felt a sense of
satisfaction with myself. Domineering men usually made me become overly
antagonistic to cover the fear I felt. It was a relief that I only felt annoyed
by Caden's surly demeanor. Maybe I was really making progress with my aversion
to overly masculine males.

It
was nice to get out of the office for a bit when I went to the post office to
ship some packages for Caden. It was sunny but still cool enough for a light
jacket, and it helped to clear my head.

The
office was empty when I returned, but I knew Caden had been in there. I was
confused by the calla lilies that were no longer wrapped in paper, but were now
in a vase filled with water, sitting on my desk. I couldn't begin to fathom why
Caden had done that. I considered the thought that he might be giving them to
me, but then I shook off the idea. It was too absurd. Maybe he wanted to give
his date flowers already in a vase. It would be a bit cumbersome, but I had no
other explanation that made sense.

The
rest of the afternoon went by quickly and peacefully. I was powering down my
computer and getting ready to leave for the day when Caden came out of the
studio.

"I'm
leaving for the day unless you need something."

"No,
go ahead, Lauren. I'll see you on Monday."

I
hesitated, glancing down at the calla lilies. "Don't forget the
flowers."

Caden's
face remained expressionless as he spoke. "Keep them. I decided that
flowers aren't necessary tonight."

I
hesitated before speaking. "Okay, thanks," I said, although gratitude
was the last thing I felt. I didn't want flowers that had been meant for
someone else, but I didn't want to protest because that would lead into a
discussion I had no interest in having. It was a pity they would just wilt
sitting on my desk over the weekend, but I certainly wasn't going to hoist them
up and carry them on the subway. Even if I did want them, which I told myself I
didn't.

"Have
a good weekend, Caden."

Caden
put his hands in his pockets as he watched me. "You too, Lauren."

I
left quickly, relieved to not have to see him for two whole days.

Chapter Four

By
the time Monday rolled around, I was feeling refreshed and confident that I
wouldn't let Caden get under my skin. I really had no reason to be so
discomfited by him. He had done nothing untoward to me, and I told myself I
would face the week with a positive attitude.

Caden
was at his desk again when I arrived.

"Hello,"
I greeted him in an upbeat tone. "What a gorgeous morning."

The
corners of his lips lifted, but it couldn't exactly be called a smile. His dark
brown hair looked black, still damp as if he had recently stepped out of the
shower. I immediately banished the thought that popped into my head of his
naked body under the spray of water. I really needed to get in control of myself.
This was
not
like me.

"How
was your weekend, Lauren?"

I
was surprised by his question, not expecting him to participate in
pleasantries.

"It
was good. How was yours?"

I
looked up, and his amber eyes caught me in his gaze, even from across the room.
"Fair."

I
nodded at his one-word response, not really wanting to delve further into his
weekend activities. I was pleasantly surprised that the calla lilies still
looked healthy and I leaned down to smell them without thinking.

"What
scent do you wear?"

Instead
of Caden's question weirding me out, which it should have, I felt a small rush
of excitement at his low gravelly tone. The question seemed too intimate, but
surprisingly it didn't put me off.

"I
don't really wear much perfume. When I do, it's whatever's on hand. Samples,
mostly."

"Most
women don't seem to realize that men don't like all the flowery smells that
they drown themselves in. A woman’s natural scent is much more preferable.”

Caden's
expression was enigmatic as he gazed at me, and I stared back at him
transfixed. I didn't know what it was about this man, but he had the power to
render me speechless.

"Well,
I guess that would save women a lot of money if they only knew that," I
joked weakly when I was finally able to answer.

Caden
indicated the chair in front of his desk. "Why don't you come over
here?"