“Yes. It’s why I fell in love with him after spending only one night in his company. Those qualities are as natural as breathing to your father and I believe there isn’t a person alive that can fake them.”
“I believe you’re right, Mum.” The last couple of years in the modelling business had taught me the difference between real and fake. The man I’d avoiding thinking about ever since the night of the catwalk show at the Worthington, popped into my mind. Was he real or fake?
What did it matter? He was straight, as the buxom blonde who’d been feeling him up at the show had proved. Then why couldn’t I get him out of my head?
With no obvious answer, I stood, the thought of eating with a churning stomach changing my plans of sitting and chilling before going to Nanna’s.
“Where are you going? You haven’t finished eating your meal?” Mum asked, worry in her voice.
Keeping my gaze averted, I sucked in a choppy breath. “It’s gone cold with me sitting here gibbering on. I’ll get something later at Nanna’s if I need it.” Not giving her a chance to question me further, I walked out the door and down the hall to the kitchen. Glancing back, I released a breath as I saw that the hallway was empty and she hadn’t followed.
Throwing the leftover food into the bin, I dropped the plate onto the draining board. I glanced at the back door to the coats that were hanging by it. Seeing one of my old ones, I grabbed it, shouting, as I went out of the door. “Have a good night, I’ll see you tomorrow,” before slamming the door shut behind me.
The evening air was cold against my flushed cheeks as I headed down the road. The five minute walk to Nanna’s was not nearly long enough to stop thinking about a pair of icy blue eyes.
Let it go for fuck’s sake.
How do I do that when he’s stuck inside my head?
Griffin
“We’re ready for take-off Mr. Hudson,” Captain Riley advised in a quiet authoritative tone.
Captain Riley, a retired army captain who had found sitting at home twiddling his thumbs not something he enjoyed, had been the first pilot I’d interviewed when I’d decided to purchase the jet.
His no-nonsense nature, as well as his background checks and references ensured that I’d snapped him up immediately. Once the paperwork had been completed, I’d handed the responsibility for further recruitment over to him, figuring he’d be better placed than I was to pick the right crew.
We’d agreed to employ two crews, one of which would always remain on standby. They were more than compensated for the time they spent waiting around for me. They also got the benefits of staying in luxury hotels when we flew in their downtime. It was good business to treat employees well so they remained loyal and accommodating. It was the first rule Alexander had taught me when I’d been more inclined towards being a rude arse. The second rule had been about finding ways to use my time efficiently and, after spending a considerable amount of time in airports, I’d decided that the jet was a necessity.
A slight cough alerted me to the fact I hadn’t responded. Captain Riley was standing with his gaze fixed somewhere above my head. His captain’s uniform was immaculate and looked as if it had been pressed to within an inch of its life. There was not a grey hair out of place and his face was cleanly shaven.
He frequently made me feel like a slob, even though I was far from it, dressed as I was in expensive, handmade suits. After much deliberation, I’d decided it was because he wore his uniform with a reserved elegance that I’d never be able to achieve. This was mainly because, no matter how much I spent on my suits, they always felt as restrictive as a straitjacket to me. They were simply a necessary evil I endured in a world where appearance was everything.
“Fine.” I waved him off and looked back down at the document I’d been reading before he’d come into the cabin. The papers had arrived just before I’d left the hotel in Madrid. May had had them delivered by courier, knowing I’d been impatient for Will to complete his report on disbanding the conglomerate.
It had taken longer than the week he’d promised previously and I’d had to leave London without the report, to attend meetings which had been on my schedule for several months. It was always the same. I had very few gaps throughout the year and this year was no different.
I sighed as I concentrated on reading the twelve page document while the plane taxied down the runway and took off. My stomach danced. My hand tightened for a few seconds around the piece of paper I was holding. I swallowed the saliva gathering in my mouth and kept my gaze averted from the window. Once we seemed to even off, I lifted my hand to attract the air hostess, Hilary’s, attention.
She gave me a sexy smile as she came down the aisle. I kept my face blank. “Could I have a glass of orange juice and some dry crackers?”
“Of course, Mr. Hudson. Is there anything else I can get you?” The husky request held a lot of innuendo that only a dead man could have missed. The fluttering eyelashes forced me to swallow a sigh. Was I going to have to get the captain to find another air hostess?
When I shook my head, she swung around, her luxurious mahogany hair swirling around her slim shoulders and the scent of her perfume wafting around me. Her hips swayed seductively as she went to retrieve what I’d requested.
I couldn’t swallow the sigh this time; I could already see the writing on the wall. It wasn’t the first time someone had taken a job just to get close to me in an attempt to try and entice me into a relationship. It always failed. I’d made a pact with myself, early on, to never to mix business with pleasure.
Is that right? Then why did you go looking for the model after the show?
I groaned aloud, my teeth grinding together.
“Are you alright, Mr. Hudson?”
I jerked back as if I’d been stung as her hand touched my arm in a proprietary way, reminding me of the night at the Worthington where the woman had distracted me by caressing my thigh.
“I’m fine. The drink and crackers are all I need,” I ground out, noticing that she’d laid them on the table next to me. Doing my best not to look at her crestfallen face, I gave a stilted nod. “Thank you.”
Without saying anything else, she turned and walked away. This time there was no provocative hip swaying.
Turning my attention back to the report, a smile spread across my face as I reached the section which stated that there was no legal reason why I couldn’t disband the conglomerate. Checking my wristwatch, I calculated how long it would be before I was able to turn on my computer and email my lawyer and May to start the ball rolling. I carried on reading, writing anything that needed clarifying in the margins as the minutes ticked by. By the time we’d reached Edinburgh Airport and were taxiing to a stop, I had a plan in place for the board meeting due to take place in a week’s time in London.
Exiting the plane with my briefcase, I headed to the waiting car. My luggage was loaded into the boot as I rang May. I tapped my fingers against my thigh while I waited for the call to connect, the driver starting to pull away.
“Mr. Hudson’s office, May speaking, how can I assist you?” May answered, sounding somewhat distracted.
“Is everything all right?”
At the sound of a girly giggle down the phone, I pulled the phone away from my ear and glanced down to check that I had indeed rung my office. With the phone back to my ear, I could hear a voice that I couldn’t quite make out in the background. “May, is everything all right?” I demanded when there was still no response to my previous question.