In His World (For His Pleasure, Book 28) (7 page)

She gave a short yelp as Brody moved, quick as lightning, springing out of bed.

Chloe turned and saw that Brody was staring at his phone, which he’d jumped up and grabbed. “Fuck!” he yelled.

Chloe startled at the sound of his voice rising. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I didn’t realize the time,” he said. “I thought it was like six o’clock.” He shook his head as he texted into his phone.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know—“

Brody glanced up at her and his eyes seemed to warn her, before quickly looking back to his phone. “I’m going to the bathroom down the hall. You should probably get dressed as fast as possible.”

Chloe’s heart was racing now. What had happened that was horrible? What could he have been late for that would make him this upset? Had he missed an important television interview?

It was only eight thirty in the morning. She couldn’t even imagine what he was missing, but it was obviously something very important.

She jumped out of bed as he rushed out of the room.

Minutes later, she was fully dressed again, having gotten herself as put together as humanly possible, given the circumstances. Needless to say, she didn’t feel great.

Brody called to her from the great room.

She met him and found that he’d changed into a black tracksuit. He was carrying a large black duffel bag. “I’ve got to get to the gym,” he said, hardly able to look in her eyes now.

“Oh. Okay. Is everything all right?”

“Not really,” he said, gesturing to Freddy, the butler, who stood waiting nearby with a grave expression on his pale face.

Brody continued. “He’s going to make sure you get wherever you need to go. Unfortunately, I have to go now and explain to the media and my team why I’m late for the first time in my life for an open workout.”

Chloe’s brow wrinkled. “An open workout? Is that something…very important?”

Brody looked up to the ceiling as if needing to gather his patience. When he looked back at her, his eyes were unforgiving.

“Yes, Chloe. In fact, every single workout is very, very important. I’ve never—
never
been late to or missed a training session, let alone one that’s open to the media. I meet all of my obligations, without exception. That’s why I’m the very best in the world at what I do.”

“Okay,” she said, taken aback by his intensity. “I didn’t know.”

“Yes, I realize you didn’t. I don’t blame you,” he said, but his eyes shifted away from her and she knew he was lying. He did blame her. Completely.

“All right,” she said, trying to smile and lighten the mood. “I’m sure Freddy will keep me company.”

Brody checked his phone again. “Yes, he will.” He sighed and started for the exit.

“Should I expect the papers? The contracts you said were coming?” Chloe called out, her stomach twisting as he turned his back on her.

Brody slowed and turned momentarily. “We’re going to have to rethink that,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ll have…someone will be in touch,” he finished, and then he turned and left her standing there alone.

Chloe was shell-shocked. Brody was gone and she was alone with his strange, pale manservant. Freddy looked at her gravely, but his eyes were sensitive. “Do you know where you’d like to go?” he asked, softly.

She bit her lower lip and tried not to cry. Unfortunately, the tears were impossible to keep at bay, and then she was sobbing in front of this old, white haired man who was as remote and foreign to her as a country on the other side of the world.

“Shit,” she whispered, trying to compose herself.

Freddy approached slowly, his slacks rustling. He reached inside his pocket and produced a folded, clean white handkerchief. “Here you go, Miss,” he said, and she nodded, whispering her thanks as she took the soft handkerchief.

Chloe wiped her eyes and nose, feeling like a child. Feeling silly and embarrassed. No, embarrassment was far too much of an understatement for how she was feeling.

This was pure humiliation.

“Sorry, Freddy,” she said. “I’m ruining your beautiful handkerchief.”

“That’s what they’re for, Miss.” He gave her a slight smile, his hands behind his back now. “Take your time.”

She took a long, deep breath, and then let it out, her tears subsiding. “I suppose this isn’t the first time you’ve had to deal with a woman crying in the morning while Brody leaves you to clean up the mess.”

Freddy didn’t react. “I really cannot speak to that, ma’am.”

“No, of course not,” she said.

“But I will tell you that Mister Hawk is a very, very driven human being. Like nobody else I’ve ever encountered.”

“You admire him,” Chloe said, seeing it plainly in Freddy’s eyes.

“He’s been quite good to me,” Freddy told her. “In point of fact, he saved my brother’s life when he was having health problems. Found him the best surgeon in the world and paid for everything.”

“That’s amazing,” Chloe said, a new sadness welling up inside her.

“But although Mister Hawk has a very generous heart and a fighting spirit, his life is complicated and there’s not much room for others.”

She nodded, understanding quite clearly the message Brody’s domestic was sending her. “I get it,” she said. “And thank you for being kind to me, Freddy.”

The older man bowed his head slightly. “And now—do you know where you’d like to go? I will have a car take you anywhere.”

Chloe thought about it.

It was a far drive, but right now, she needed to go somewhere safe—somewhere where she might find understanding and love and warmth.

“Yes, I’d like to go to Connecticut,” she said. “Amesbury, to be precise. Can someone take me that far?”

Freddy smiled. “Yes, Miss. We could have taken you across the country if you’d so chosen.”

* * *

T
he ride
to her mother’s home in Amesbury Connecticut was taken in the comfort of a luxurious town car that felt like being carried along in a plush leather couch.

But it was difficult for Chloe to appreciate the luxury of her surroundings, now that she was sensing the end of her very short-lived relationship with Brody Hawk.

Freddy had left her, after explaining to the driver that she was to be taken anywhere she needed to go, and that this car was essentially hers for the day.

Chloe sat in the back and kept to herself.

The driver was olive-skinned, middle aged and stoic. He hardly spoke, just listened to classical music softly as he spirited her through the city streets and eventually to the highway that led to Connecticut.

She had already texted her mother and sister to let them know she was coming home on short notice. Her mother texted back to ask if everything was okay, and Chloe lied, telling her it was.

It would be easier to talk in person, and for the moment Chloe wanted to try and pretend that her life wasn’t falling apart. As long as she still had this last, tenuous connection to Brody, she didn’t quite need to deal with the reality that he’d had second thoughts and basically dumped her this morning.

After the most passionate night of her life…

Nothing.

That’s what it had meant to him—absolutely nothing. Less than nothing.

Maybe he would reconsider, she thought. Maybe he would keep his word and still give her the job as his assistant. Did she still want that job after everything that had happened between them?

Somehow, between falling asleep and waking up, everything had turned bad between them.

Chloe stared out the window at the passing scenery, her mind playing the film of her night alone with Brody Hawk…and her body rekindled with all of the passion and excitement she’d felt.

He’d done things she’d never imagined doing before.

And it had been decadent, wrong, dirty…but she’d loved every single second of it.

More than that, she’d felt things deep inside that went way beyond just sex. And Brody had said that he felt it too.

Saying it and meaning it were two different things, though.

That had probably been a line, just a way to tell the dumb girl what she needed to hear so he could get some sleep.

What if they’d woken up in time for Brody to make his workout? Would he have still wanted her if she hadn’t made him late for his appointment?

But that was just bullshit, anyhow. She hadn’t made him late. He had slept in, forgot to set his alarm. How could she be at fault for an appointment she knew nothing about?

Chloe shook her head and sighed, as her cell phone began ringing. She knew it would be either her sister or her mother calling to check in and ask her why the sudden trip home—but no.

It was an unknown caller.

Her heart began speeding up. Could it be…could he have somehow decided to contact her after all?

When she answered, however, it wasn’t Brody.

“Hello, this is Tina Folsom. I’m the general manager at Zanzibar Hotel,” the woman said. “I’m calling to discuss you coming to work for us in the sales department as Director of Client Relations.”

Chloe’s eyes widened momentarily. She knew of Zanzibar, since it was considered the most high-end hotel in the city. It was very, very exclusive and many celebrities stayed there when they came to do press, work on films, television and more. Other big executives for the largest companies like Apple and Google also stayed there.

“Well…” she said, considering her words carefully. “I’m not absolutely sure if I can commit to anything at the moment. Currently I’m considering another offer…”

The woman sighed. “Miss Reed, I’ve been instructed personally by Brody Hawk to make sure we can come to an agreement. Is it a matter of salary?”

Chloe felt like she’d been punched.

Brody had sent this woman to do his bidding, to get rid of an unseemly piece of business that he didn’t want to attend to himself.

“Oh,” was all Chloe could manage. She blinked back more tears. “Oh, well in that case, yes. I’m absolutely open to the position.” She tried to keep her voice light and steady.

“Great,” the GM told her. “I’d love to have you come into the office tomorrow so we can finalize the details.”

“Sure,” Chloe responded, fighting back sadness and rejection and anger, somehow finding the ability to finish the conversation amicably.

When she’d gotten off the phone, she felt sick to her stomach. Normally, this would have been cause for celebration. Working as a Director of Client Relations was an enormous step up.

And working at Zanzibar?

It was the most posh, exclusive hotel in Manhattan—if not the world.

But she couldn’t help her feelings of loss. Brody had called in a favor from the folks at the hotel, nothing more. Who knew how long they’d even employ her?

She’d probably end up fired or laid off in a matter of weeks or months at most. This was just a way to dump her and get rid of her without having to deal with the mess himself.

But nonetheless, she knew she had to take the job and try her best to move on. Maybe she would succeed and they’d continue to employ her into the future. Maybe it would somehow all work out…

Chloe couldn’t seem to stop crying, though.

As the car pulled up at her mother’s house, a lovely colonial style house on a busy street not far off the highway—Chloe wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and somehow find herself back in Brody’s penthouse.

To be in bed with him again, so warm and safe and feeling cared for by this man that she’d never expected to enter her life.

Instead, she was getting out of the car and walking slowly towards her mother’s home, and she saw the front door opening as her sister and mother appeared, their faces looking anxious.

She tried to smile and wave, but instead she burst into tears.

Her mother ran out of the house and threw her arms around her. “Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked, looking up at the black fancy car that was now pulling away. “And who drove you out here?”

Chloe hugged her mother tightly, smelling the familiar, comforting floral scent of her perfume, the sensation of her soft body and the sound of her voice.

“Oh, Mom…” she cried.

Now her sister Dana was there, sounding concerned. “Chloe? What happened? What’s going on?”

“I’m okay,” Chloe finally managed, pulling away long enough to sniffle and wipe her eyes.

“Are you sure?” Dana said.

Chloe looked up at her taller sister. Dana was older, taller, more popular and always had been better at school…and even life—than her younger sibling. But despite all of her advantages and achievements, she’d never been stuck up about any of it. She’d always been nurturing and protective to a fault.

“I’m not sure, to be totally honest,” Chloe said, holding back more tears.

Her mother’s face was lined with worry. “Are you sick? Did someone hurt you? What is it?”

Chloe bit her lip, thinking about how much she was ready to divulge. “I’m not sick,” was all she was able to say.

Her mother and sister exchanged glances.

“Well, let’s go inside,” Dana said, trying on a light smile. “Mom’s been making food on short notice, and we might as well eat it.”