Risking It All: London Calling Book Three (13 page)

“You were forgiven as soon as you told me. And I never wanted you to quit your job.”

She closed her eyes tight. “It was my fault,” she interrupted.
 

Bennett went on speaking, as if he didn’t hear her. Hastily, she took her phone off mute. “I’m sorry if you’ve had a hard time of it since you left. I know the rumors were flying around the City.”

That they had. But she’d come out of it like a phoenix rising from the ashes. “Bennett, I’m fine. Better really. It’s all worked out.”

“I hope so. And believe me when I say there’s nothing to forgive. If I can be partners with Dominic, you have to know we’re okay.”

“Partners?” Her voice cracked. So she repeated, “Partners?”

A pause. “Yes. I figured you knew.”

“No, I didn’t. I’m not in the same circles as before.” A little disoriented, she wondered if she needed an energy drink or a shot of sugar. Instead, she gripped her phone harder. “Bennett, may I speak candidly?”

“Of course.”

“I think you’re making a mistake trusting Dominic Martin. He isn’t honorable, and you need that in banking.”

Bennett sighed. “Do I also have permission to speak candidly?”

“Yes.” She’d listen but it was important to get through to him. Better than anyone, she knew the damage Dominic was capable of inflicting.

“You’re wrong.” Her head reared back. “Dominic Martin has been deceitful, dishonest, and sneaky. But he is
not
dishonorable.”

She stared at the phone in disbelief.

Bennett continued. “In fact, he’s extremely loyal with an iron-clad moral code.”

She gasped. “Listen, I don’t think you understand him as well—”

“I do,” he interjected. “I know he hurt you, Natalie. And I’m not remotely suggesting that was justified or excusable in any way. But I’ve come to know him better. And the first thing you have to understand is Dominic’s intentions. He’s ruthless. Machiavellian even. But only if he truly believes in a greater good. Or helping someone he cares about.”

She gaped. Speechless, she sagged against the back of the bench, a sudden chill shaking her frame.

“Trust me on this, Nat. I’ve gotten to know the man much better through our partnership and through Devon. Granted, he’s been misguided at times. After everything that happened, he’s working on that. But underneath is a solid core of decency.” He paused, but she still couldn’t find a reply. “I gave him a second chance. No regrets.”

“So far,” she croaked.

“So far. But I’d bet my last dime on Dom never letting me down again. Sometimes, you have to trust your gut. And then start trusting people.” He laughed, and she could hear the self-deprecation. “I learned that the hard way. And you know what else?” He didn’t wait for her answer. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”

They wished each other well and Natalie ended the call with a promise to meet Bennett and Devon for dinner sometime. Standing, she realized her knees were wobbly, and she felt decidedly puny. Sticking her thumb out to hail one of the cabs cruising by, she got inside. Stating the address for Payne Manor, she leaned back against the cushioned seat.

Bennett forgave Dominic. They’d
partnered
in a new business venture.

And Bennett forgave her. Months ago, by the sound of it. Assuming that was the reason for his calls and texts, she could easily see from the dates that he was being truthful.

She huffed out a sigh, garnering a puzzled look from the taxi driver in the rearview mirror. Sick of herself, she knuckled her eyes. Why would she doubt what Bennett told her? He’d never lied to her or been anything less than honest.
 

Sometimes starkly so. Abashed, she recalled the conversation when he’d gently let her down from any hopes of a relationship.
 

London’s scenery passed by unnoticed. For once, Natalie was oblivious to the chronic horns and wailing sirens that signaled city life. She slumped on the bench seat of the cab, absently rubbing her upper arms.
 

She was all alone, headed to an empty house that wasn’t even hers.
 

An intense longing to have someone in her life seized her, making her chest ache.
 

But not just anyone.
 

The truth was she didn’t need someone to tell her what to do or how to feel about Dominic. A year ago, she’d been blindly happy with him. He’d been different, delightfully so, from any other man in her life. He’d brought her out of her shell, encouraging her to enjoy and express herself as a woman in her own right. For the first time, she’d lived freely, uncaring how others perceived her. And before she knew it, or even acknowledged it, her heart had tumbled at his feet in perfect disregard for its safety.

She swallowed hard, trying to clear the thickness in her throat. She missed him. Horribly.
 

Now that he was back, the warmer memories, and happier times, wouldn’t stay walled off in her mind. Seeing him, hearing him, even arguing with him had catalyzed a thaw within her.
 

She wanted him. So badly it hurt.

The taxi pulled up outside Sebastian’s estate. Paying the driver, she hopped out and punched in the security code to allow her through the gates.
 

As she climbed the stairs to her private apartment, she questioned her resistance to Dominic, a man who’d brought sexiness and joy into her life. Yes, he’d compartmentalized her, pushing aside any thoughts about the harm he might be inflicting on her while he pursued his business interests.
 

Could she do the same?

God knows she’d learned her lesson. Dominic Martin was for fun. She liked him, but any deeper emotions were not to be felt, let alone shared. But why not enjoy him as she’d done before?

What was stopping her?

As long as she remembered not to expect too much, it should be fine.

The deep ache that had settled near her heart eased. She wanted to belong to someone again. And she wanted that someone to be Dominic.
 

As long as she remembered her rules and kept control of the situation, she would be fine. There was no need to be soulless, or cold either. This time the playing field would be level. They would take their pleasure but also respect each other. It would be
honest
.

Natalie skipped down the hall to her private suite of rooms and keyed open the door. She would go see him. But first, she needed to shower and change. Set the scene.

Her call to Bennett had been eye opening. Thought provoking.
 

No matter how unintentional her involvement in last year’s debacle, Bennett had forgiven her weakness. And in spite of Dom’s purposeful deceit, Bennett forgave him as well.

Maybe it was time for her to do the same.

CHAPTER SIX

D
OMINIC
HOOKED
A
finger on the handle of his hotel room’s heavy door, stopping it from slamming shut behind him. He walked over to his writing desk and set down the shopping bag from Harrods, tossing his key card beside it.

He was tired of restaurant food.
 

The small refrigerator hidden in a wooden cabinet housed the cheeses and cured meats he’d purchased. He placed the crackers, mustard, and fruit on a tray sitting on top. A bottle of wine with an opener came next. Finally, he removed the last item from the carrier bag.

An ivory box tied with a deep crimson ribbon.
 

Having no earthly idea why he bought it, he briefly considered throwing it in the trash himself to save Natalie the effort.
 

Instead, he opened a drawer and put it inside. He could decide later whether he wanted to continue playing the fool. Checking his watch, he realized it was still early. Not inclined to work, but even less inclined to go back out, he pondered whether he should have accepted Devon’s invitation to dinner with her and Bennett.

No, they needed time alone. Come to think of it, he admitted that’s what he needed too. The only person’s company he craved was living in a filthy extravagant manor in Kensington with a man up to his ears in suspicious activity.
 

A man Natalie defended with vehement righteousness. The way she ticked off Payne’s good deeds was hard enough to swallow, but when she coupled them against Dominic’s sins, it was too much to take. Her bitter words slipped under his skin, stabbing at his heart with biting accuracy.

He deserved every syllable.
 

Since the night she confronted him, he’d been oddly subdued. Turning over the investigation of Payne and his questionable businesses to Moneypenny was an easy decision. If nothing else he wanted,
needed
, to make sure Natalie wasn’t being taken advantage of or caught up in someone else’s mess. She would be the loser in that scenario, and if he could give her nothing else, at least he’d protect her.

He rubbed a weary palm over his sternum. He’d been ready to fight for her when she admitted Payne was nothing more than her boss and friend. Now, days had passed and he couldn’t help wonder whether he was being selfish, yet again. The honest truth was she deserved better than anything he had to offer. He’d had his chance and thrown it away long before he knew what she really meant to him.

Dominic was rarely morose. But when the mood struck, he was determined to wallow. After all, he was in London with no home, no friends. His family was too busy with their own happy lives to bother with his sorry self.
 

He walked over to his wardrobe and stripped off the pants and shirt he’d worn to Sterling International earlier. He exchanged them for faded, soft denims and nothing much else. Leaving his feet and torso bare, he padded to the cabinet and neatly opened the wine. Looking around, he realized he’d forgotten a wineglass.
 

Rather than drink from one of the tumblers provided in the room, he called the front desk. No problem, they’d send one right away.

While he waited, he checked his phone for messages. Nothing from Moneypenny. Dominic pinched the bridge of his nose, conflicted about giving MP the task of digging deep into Payne’s affairs. She made it very clear from the start she had boundaries respecting others’ privacy. Hell’s teeth, she hadn’t even given
him
her full name.

Knowing what happened in the past to make her that way made Dominic clench his jaw. Growing up in the public eye might have seemed like a dream come true, but Madeleine Price and her parents paid dearly for that exposure. He knew there was more to the story than he’d unearthed, but had no wish to investigate further. If anything, he hoped his gift of a multimillion-dollar penthouse did something, anything, to ease the way for her.

Unfortunately, he needed her to look into this. He couldn’t risk messing up again with Nat, yet he had a strong drive to protect her from any more pain. The fact he might be hurting MP in the process was not a fact lost on him.

The choice was terrible, not completely unlike the scenario from a year ago. Trying to secure his family’s finances while balancing their futures against the welfare of Nat and Devon, he’d nearly bungled the whole operation. At the time, he’d done what he thought best.
 

He wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Always, he seemed to sacrifice one person for another’s gain.
 

He was sick of all of it.

A rap on the door shook him out of his thoughts. He opened the door a crack, conscious of his bare torso.

Natalie Enfeld stood outside, dangling two wineglasses in one hand. With a slight flick of her wrist, she set them tinkling against each other.
 

“I intercepted room service. Got enough to share?”

He could only stare, gaping at her. With a small smile, she pressed her other hand flat against the door, gently pushing so Dominic had to back up a few steps. She walked through the opening into his room. Her eyes took in the airy contemporary furnishings set against the historic Victorian setting with its high ceilings and large windows looking out on the classic Chelsea neighborhood. Her gaze seemed to pause on the lavish king bed with a charcoal velvet tufted headboard reaching high on the wall behind it. She swung back to him, taking her time to slowly look him over. A mysterious half-smirk was her only expression.
 

It was rare Dominic was speechless, but this was one of those times. Natalie wore her hair in its classic chignon, but allowed several strands to escape, giving her the appearance of a sex siren. High stilettos donned her feet, and outrageously, she wore a tan trench coat buttoned to the throat.

It immediately made a man ache and pray to find nothing underneath.

She set the glasses down on the cabinet. She turned and used her index finger to poke him in the chest, pushing him backwards until his knees bumped the bed. Dominic went along, so weak in the knees he plopped down on the duvet.
 

With another push, she sent him sprawling on his back. He raised his head to watch as she took the belt of her trench and slowly untied its knot. The buttons came next, each one slowly slipping free while the coat stayed stubbornly closed.