Mistress to the Beast (9 page)

“You could be on to something. He’s had a really bad time recovering from his injuries.”

“It could be one of the reasons he’s so moody as you put it.”

She snorted. “I think he was probably a jerk long before the accident.”

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“If that’s the case, then this can’t be easy for him. And haven’t I taught you better about judging people? You never know what someone else is going through unless you walk a mile in their shoes. Maybe what this guy really needs is a little understanding. I know he’s a client, but maybe what he really needs is a friend. Maybe you should try a little harder to see things from his perspective.”

Could her father be right? Was she being too hard on Hunter? Maybe what Hunter really needed was a little understanding, but would he accept an olive branch from her?

Lila had made damn sure Hunter knew her only reason for agreeing to their arrangement was for the sake of her father. Should she have been so blunt? Perhaps he was just as ashamed of their deal as she was. After all, it must have been quite an ego crusher for him, a former playboy, to resort to blackmail in order to get what he wanted from a woman. That he even had to was kind of sad. Confusion assailed her. She wasn’t supposed to feel sorry for someone she’d vowed to hate. Lila shook her head to rid it of her guilty thoughts.

She and her father chatted idly for another few minutes before he had to get back to the store. The conversation had made her feel much better, but it didn’t change matters.

She still had three months to put up with “the Beast” himself. It would be a miracle if she could walk away from this mess unscathed.

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Tonight she chose a cream off the shoulder dress which dipped to the small of her back. The skirt rested mid-thigh. The fine material crested over her curves like a second skin and Lila had to admit she looked good in it. But she couldn’t shake the feeling of being some kind of mannequin dressed for Hunter’s pleasure.

Glancing at herself in the full length mirror, Lila ran her fingers through the hair that fell to her shoulders to assure her appearance was in order. She’d stalled as long as she could. It was time for dinner.

“Miss Lila?” Mrs. Coates’s voice chimed in over the intercom.

Lila rolled her eyes, realizing she was being summoned. She walked over to the offending box on the wall and pressed the talk button. “Yes, Mrs. Coates?”

“Dinner will be served in five minutes.”

“I’m on my way down.”

“I’ll let Mr. Jamison know.”

“I’m sure you will.” Lila spoke softly, but she heard every word.

“Did you say something, Miss Lila?”

Damn. Her finger was still on the button. Still, the woman had bat ears. “Umm, no.”

“Very well. I’ll see you shortly.”

Lila felt like she was in grade school all over again and teacher had caught her passing notes. There was no point in delaying the inevitable. She had to face Hunter sometime. With an impending sense of doom, she trudged down the stairs and walked to the dining room.

Hunter was waiting for her. He stood when she drew close, his bright eyes gleaming with naked appreciation. She didn’t want to be pleased by his blatant desire for her, but a tingling sensation spread through her body.

“You look lovely tonight.”

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Keeping her lids lowered as she took her seat, she gave him a brief smile. She didn’t see why they couldn’t at least be cordial to one another. “Thank you.”

If it was his intention to play nice, she was willing to go along with it. Frankly, all the bickering was starting to wear on her nerves and she hadn’t even been here that long.

Lila didn’t like the hostile feelings she harbored toward this man, even if he did deserve them. Perhaps for her own peace of mind it was better to try and get along with him rather than look for an argument. Her father’s words came back to her and Lila steeled herself to get through the rest of this night with as little conflict as possible.

Hunter sat once again, taking the bottle of white wine and pouring some into her glass. “Try this. I think you’ll like it.”

“I’m not—” It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she didn’t want any, but she stopped herself. If she was going to get through the next several weeks with her nerves intact, arguing with Hunter wouldn’t be the way to go.

She brought the glass to her lips and took a sip. She wasn’t much of a drinker but this wasn’t bad. In fact, the mixture of fruity flavor with just a hint of sweetness was pleasing to her taste buds. “It’s very good.”

“I’m glad you like it. It’s from my vineyard.”

Lila raised a brow in surprise. This was news to her. “I thought you were strictly into property development.”

“That’s my main interest, but my fingers are in several pies. For instance, I’m part owner of a car dealership, several restaurants and various businesses.”

“You must stay pretty busy if you’re running all of those things.”

“I don’t do it all on my own. There are people who work under me who see to my business holdings.”

“Figures,” she muttered before taking another sip of wine.

He stared at her from over the rim of his wineglass. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

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“Nothing.” Lila silently cursed herself for letting her mouth get ahead of her thoughts. If she didn’t want to start any arguments with him she’d have to guard her tongue more carefully.

“Are you by any chance surmising that I sit on some kind of throne while the worker bees do everything for me?”

She shook her head vehemently. “Not at all. Forget I said anything.”

“I assure you, Lila, I don’t demand anything of my employees that I’m not willing to put out myself,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “A company can’t run properly if it has a weak link in the chain and as the leader, it’s my job to keep that chain strong. Most days, I’m working from dawn until well after midnight.”

“That can’t be healthy.”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “You actually sound like you care.”

“I guess it’s the nurse in me. I’d feel this way about anyone.”

He raised his glass and brought it to his lips and took a sip before saluting her with it.

“Honest to a fault. If I had any ego before you arrived, I certainly won’t have one for very much longer.”

Lila nibbled on her bottom lip. There she went again, putting her foot in her mouth.

She would get this conversation on better footing if it killed her. “I didn’t mean it that way. And of course I’m genuinely concerned. You’re not doing your body any favor by working such a grueling schedule.”

“Probably not, but work is all I’ve had since…” His eyes narrowed slightly before he took another sip from his wine glass.

“The accident?” For the first time since she’d joined him, Lila looked at his face. His hair which he still wore parted in the middle and hanging down on either side of his head obscured most of his scars. She could still see angry red lines peeking through, however.

They weren’t so bad, compared to some of the things she’d seen throughout her career. Probably having one side of his face still untouched was a constant reminder to him of how he used to look. If the society papers were correct about his former playboy www.samhainpublishing.com 67

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lifestyle, having half of his face disfigured would be harder to deal with for him than it would have been for other people.

She could tell how self-conscious he was about it by the way Hunter was constantly patting his hair down over the marks, which is what he was doing at this very moment.

Didn’t he know it only drew more attention to him? Lila would have pointed this out, but the last thing she wanted was to make him feel more insecure than he already was.

“It’s all right if you don’t want to talk about it. I’m sorry I brought it up.”

“You didn’t. I did. And yes, I’ve worked more hours since my accident, but I worked a lot before it so I’m used to it.”

Mrs. Coates appeared, wheeling in a cart with their dinners and then proceeded to serve them.

The Chicken Francese lined with roasted potatoes and asparagus had Lila’s mouth watering. She didn’t plan on making the same mistake twice by not eating dinner. “It looks delicious.”

The older woman nodded. “Thank you, Miss Lila.” She turned her attention to Hunter. “Will that be all?”

He nodded his head in approval. “Yes. Thank you.”

Only after the housekeeper was gone did Hunter reply to her last statement. “To answer your question, my work has pretty much been my life since the accident.”

“Why do you hold yourself away from the rest of the world? Maybe people make such a big deal about your face because you do.” She cut into her chicken, attempting to add a casualness to her voice she didn’t quite feel.

Hunter stiffened his fork halfway to his mouth. “You seem to have it all figured out don’t you?”

Lila took a sip of her wine before answering. “It’s pretty obvious. For instance, you keep your hair in your face. That probably draws attention rather than detracts from it.”

Hunter didn’t reply. Lila could have kicked herself. She’d resolved not to mention what was on her mind and did exactly that. This wasn’t a good time to suffer from run-of-the-mouth-itis. But for a moment Lila had caught a sad look in his green gaze which had 68

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touched something deep within her. In that moment there was much more to him than just the business tyrant or the scarred recluse. Surely there must be something charming about him. How else would he have earned the reputation of ladies’ man before his car wreck?

What was he like then
? she wondered.

Lila cleared her throat and began her next attempt at conversation. “What do you like to do besides work? Do you have any hobbies?”

“No.” The answer was curt and Hunter offered no further elaboration.

The remainder of dinner was eaten in silence, only broken when Mrs. Coates would come in to check on them. By the time dessert had come around, the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Lila couldn’t take it any longer.

“Hunter,” she began tentatively, “I won’t bring it up again if it bothers you. I didn’t mean any offense. I was only…”

“Making small talk?”

“No. Well, yes. But seeing as how we’re stuck together for the next three months, we may as well get to know each other better.”

He placed his fork down and leaned back in his chair. “Say what you really mean, Lila.”

She frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“You said we’re stuck together. What you meant was
you’re
stuck here with me.

Isn’t it?”

Lila shook her head. “I said what I meant. You’re twisting my words.”

“Am I? So in other words, if I weren’t holding something over your head you’d be here on your own volition?”

“Probably not.” The words spilled out before she thought about how they may have sounded.

Hunter’s lips twisted into a grimace. “That’s what I thought.”

“I didn’t mean it as it sounded. No, I probably wouldn’t be here because our paths probably wouldn’t have crossed otherwise. I’m hot dogs and beer. You’re caviar and champagne.”

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“Very nicely put, but let’s not pretend you meant anything other than what was said.

I appreciate your honesty far more than your lies.”

“But you don’t understand. I really didn’t mean it the way you think. And anyway, even if we did move in the same social circles, I wouldn’t want to be here because of your actions, not the way you look. You have to admit, your reputation wasn’t particularly stellar before your injury. And the fact you were trying to destroy something my father and me held dear didn’t make you a recipient of the good guy award, in my book. I wouldn’t care if you looked like a movie star, I’d still not want to be here, but since I am we may as well make the best of it.”

Green eyes narrowed. “So looks don’t matter to you?”

“Not particularly.”

He rolled his eyes, disbelief etched in every line on his face. “Go ahead and pull the other one. You may have fooled yourself into believing that bullshit, but you sure as hell haven’t convinced me.”

“That’s because you care so much about them, it puzzles you when someone else doesn’t.”

He leaned back in his seat and studied her with his intense stare as he absently swirled his wine around his glass. “There’s no need to pretend with me if they do. It won’t make any difference one way or another.”

“It’s the truth. I’m not that shallow.”

“Then you’re one in a billion. I’ve found more women of my acquaintance would rather cross the street when they see me coming than look at my face. I can’t see how you’re any different.”

“You must be exaggerating.” He had to be. Or was he? Perhaps that’s why he was so bitter. No one deserved to be shunned the way he had, even if karma had finally caught up to him. Lila squirmed in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable with this sympathy she was beginning to feel for him. The last thing she wanted was to care, to see him as a human being who hurt like everyone else. Getting along was one thing, but understanding was quite another.

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“Am I? I can’t have imagined the look of horror in my lover’s face when the bandages came off. You see, the irony of the whole situation was, she was in the vehicle during the accident. We argued because I wanted to end the affair. She’d grown a little too clingy for my taste. Dawn, on the other hand, thought we should take the relationship to the next level. She made such a scene in the restaurant, I had to take her home.” He paused for a moment and gulped the remainder of his wine down.

Lila could see the pain radiating out of every pore in his body and it touched a part of her she didn’t expect. She sat silently, waiting for him to continue.