“I don’t think that’s really necessary, do you?” I asked, buttering my toast. “Driving another car? They can’t be all that interested in me. I’m just some girl you got drunk and kissed at a wedding. You’re the celebrity, not me.”
“Charli, for the record, you’re not just some girl I got drunk and kissed at a wedding.” He stopped just short of telling me I was special, but those are the whispered words I wanted to hear in that pause. “You’re the first girl I’ve been publicly linked to since my break-up.” He took a sip of coffee before he added, “Since I, uh, kind of swore off relationships. Naturally, people are gonna be curious about the girl who got me to break my own rule.”
“It’s not like you haven’t had sex since your break-up,” I said, shaking my head. “You’ve just been a little more discreet, I’m guessing.”
“Actually, I haven’t been with anyone since I ended my engagement.”
My mouth dropped before I forcibly snapped it shut. “Sorry, that was just a while ago.” A long while. “I’d just assumed you were…” I cleared my throat, trying to figure out how to pry my size six foot out of my mouth. “Pretty sexually active.” He sure seemed to have a lot of practice, given the expertise he’d displayed with me. But his dry spell may have explained why we broke the bed… not that I was complaining. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
“I can’t afford to sleep around,” he said, piling eggs and bacon on my plate before adding some to his own. “Not with pics and video getting posted online in seconds these days. Sex means letting your guard down and I can’t afford to do that unless I trust someone.”
“But you barely knew me and we had sex.” I dig into my food, realizing how hungry I was after I took the first bite.
“I can’t explain what happened between us.” He paused with his toast in hand. “I tried like hell to resist you… I just couldn’t.”
Oh. Wow. When your celebrity crush tells you he couldn’t resist you… you’re gonna go a little fangirl, trembling on the inside, and that’s exactly what I did. But on the outside? Steady and calm. “Hmm, pretty sure alcohol had something to do with that, Dade. Lowered our inhibitions. Made us think it was a good idea, when obviously it wasn’t.”
“You said you had no regrets.” He looked out the window, at the mature trees beyond the landscaped pool area. “I guess that was before you had to uproot your whole life to stay off the radar, huh?”
“I’m more concerned about the effect this’ll have on your life,” I said, gently. “We talked a lot about how you’re going to protect me, but what about you? How’re you gonna avoid your friends in the press?”
He looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time. “You’re worried about me?”
“Sure, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Uh, because I’m the reason you’ve had it out with overprotective parents, twice. Got run out of your own home. Had your face plastered all over the Internet. Had to leave your friend’s house…”
I smiled. “Having to bail on Max wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“I’m sure he thought it was.” He hesitated before asking, “Has he texted? Called?”
“Only about a dozen times.” I rolled my eyes. “I like the guy, but not like that, and I’ve told him that.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying, I guess.” He nodded as he polished off his eggs. “This is delicious, by the way, thanks.”
“My pleasure.” I loved to experiment with different recipes, but hated cooking for one, so it was a treat to cook for him. “I would have made hash browns too, if I’d had a bit more time.”
“Can we make cooking part of your job description?” he asked, grinning. “I can handle the grill, but that’s about it.”
“I’d love to cook for you,” I said, thinking about how much fun I’d have if time and money were no object. “But I could cook it down at my place and just bring a plate up for you, so you can eat whenever you feel like it. That way I won’t be underfoot all the time.”
“Feel free to use my kitchen,” he said, pouring juice into two glasses from the glass decanter I’d left on the table. “It’s much bigger and better equipped than the kitchen in the guest house. Besides, you’ll be here for most meals anyhow, so it makes more sense for us to cook and eat here.” He winked. “Maybe you can even give me lessons.”
“Okay.” His kitchen was a gourmet’s dream, so I certainly wasn’t going to complain.
“For the cooking, we’ll add an extra five hundred a week. Plus food and travel expenses.”
“Travel?” I couldn’t believe how generous he was being, but I supposed my salary was pocket change to a man worth almost half a billion dollars.
“Sure.” He looked at me over the rim of his juice glass. “Gas for local travel. Food when you’re away from the home office, running errands for me. Travel…” He took a sip of the freshly squeezed juice before licking his lips and setting his glass down. “I hope that won’t be a problem? Travelling with me? Naturally we’ll fly on my plane and I’ll cover all the hotel, food, and transportation costs.” He gave me a quick once over, taking in my Lulu capris and tank. “Anything that you need, in terms of wardrobe, to accompany me to meetings or events, just submit your receipts to my business manager, Jason. He’ll cut you a check at the end of the month.”
My head was spinning. I was used to working as a virtual assistant for small businesses. I’d never considered what must go into running a brand like Dade’s. “I hope I’m not getting in over my head here.” I tucked a lock of hair behind my hair. “I really want to do a good job and I don’t want to disappoint you—”
“Charli.” He reached for my hand. “Relax. We’ll go slow, I promise.”
I shuddered. He’d said those very same words to me that night, when he was perched on top of me. He was inching inside of me for the first time and I tensed up when I realized how hard it would be to accommodate him without a bite of pain.
He smirked before dipping his head. “Uh, I guess that was a poor choice of words, huh?”
