AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Graeme turns the brunt of his gaze on me. “How so?” I have to inhale sharply to steal myself. From across the room, I spot a beaming waitress innocently approaching our table with a basket of bread. I beckon her over, take the basket, beg for “five extra minutes,” and while she skips off, I rip a biscuit in half and place it down on the plate beside me.
At the same time, I add, “Well, no matter the cause of the damage—”
“Oh?” Alexander insinuates a darkly rich laugh.
“You made a donation to the hotel. If you double it, they might slap your name somewhere in the lobby. It’s good branding for Atelier Noir.” I reach for a tray of butter next and swipe off a hefty amount with a butter knife fished from the neat bundle of silverware near my place setting. I slather a chunk of bread, dab away the excess with my thumb, and then place the offering on Graeme’s plate.
He’s still scowling, but he surprisingly doesn’t object before taking a single bite.
And it’s like everyone can breathe again. While he chews, the waitress returns, and I skim the menu, ordering the richest, most satisfying foods I can within a healthy glycemic index. It’s only when I trail off, and the waitress still stands there, waiting expectantly, that I realize I’ve only ordered enough for one person.
“Eggs,” Graeme says gruffly as he reaches over to slam my menu shut himself. “Over easy, with two pieces of toast. Tea. Four sugars and cream.”
It’s the same meal I typically order during meals with Gloria. I don’t know whether to write off his accuracy as a fluke or consider the impossible—Graeme Bellamy is actually capable of paying attention to something other than himself.
Thankfully, Gloria speaks up to order her own meal—a martini, stiff, on the rocks—and a smiling Alexander requests, “Whatever you recommend, love.”
Blushing, our waitress scampers off, and I’m left with only seconds to steer the conversation toward safer waters. Changing the subject altogether wouldn’t do much—Graeme could be like a dog with a bone when it came to a topic he’d sunk his teeth into. The best method would be to just approach the tension head-on. The trick is to find the right angle of attack.
My gaze falls over Alexander, who I find is watching me as well, his familiar lips quirked into a smirk. Inhaling deeply, I ignore Graeme stiffening beside me and bite the bullet.
“So… Alexander, will you be in the country long?”
Gloria makes an alarmed sound that she tries to smother beneath her palm, but Alexander merely flashes a winning smile. “Blunt and to the point,” he says, glancing at Graeme. “I like her already.”
Okay, so that attempt goes down in flames. I square my shoulders and try again before Graeme can interject. “I’ve heard a lot about you, from your brother.”
Alexander laughs again, more deeply this time. “Beautiful as well as a charming liar. I bet you pay her handsomely, Graemy.”
It’s strange. Coming from his brother, the words would have been an insult. However, paired with Alexander’s good-natured laugh and flashing grin, I can’t tell. He seems more joking than sinister. I blink twice just to make sure I’m seeing things correctly. I would have never guessed that face was even capable of displaying anything other than a scowl or glare.
“I’ve handled this mess for you, this time,” Graeme tells his mother without even glancing at his brother. “If it happens again, you’ll have to call upon my father to bail you out.” He starts to stand, and I don’t know whether to copy him or scan the table for any potential weapon within his reach. “We’ll have our meals as takeaway,” he tells the waitress, who scurries in our direction.
Five minutes later, we’re in the car while James tucks our freshly-packed meals into the trunk. My head is spinning. If I still worked as his assistant, I would probably send Gloria a card in his name to smooth over any sore feelings. As for his brother?
For once, I’m not sure which gesture fits the circumstances. Though, it’s not like I don’t have more pressing issues to worry about. The moment he slams the door to the back seat, I’m already tense, waiting for him to unleash the temper tantrum I know him to be capable of.
He reaches for his tie and gives it a brutal tug. Then he smooths both hands over his thighs, flexing every finger. “That… that went well.” He actually sounds surprised by that fact.
So am I.
“W-Well?”
He glances at me and frowns. “Better than expected, actually.” He leans back, resting his head against the top of the leather seat. “I’d say you’ve earned yourself another chance to prove your worth.”
Prove my worth? It’s a jarring change of topic from the volatile family gathering, but I’m desperate enough to take it without question. “How exactly would I go about that?”
He reaches into his breast pocket and withdraws his wallet—or, perhaps, what any normal man might deem a mere wallet. In Graeme Bellamy’s universe, it is his heart. His soul. His one and only course of action for solving any problem to dare get in his way.
“When a man generally woos a woman, there is typically some level of trust involved…”
My heart skips a beat. Several. It stops. “I… What?”
The similarities to his brother are even more apparent when he smirks. It’s not quite as charming or effortless, but my stomach clenches anyway. “I saw the look on your face. I know what you’re thinking. That what happened back there—” He jerks his chin toward the now-distant café. “Was just about money. That it’s all that matters to me.”
I don’t say anything. It’s eerie how the bastard seems to read my mind. Could it be that someone as self-absorbed as Graeme Bellamy might have paid me actual attention over the last three years? More attention than a boss should extend to a mere employee…
“However, I hear that women find something alluring in generosity for whatever reason, so…” He opens his wallet and withdraws a credit card—one of those triple platinum, exclusive cards of legend that you needed a few billion dollars, a castle in France, and a sacrifice to the money gods to own. I can only stare as he offers it to me, his name gleaming on the surface in silver print. “Take it. Spend what you wish on whatever you wish. You have twenty-four hours.”
