Beautifully Broken (The Broken Series Book 2) (10 page)

I
thought about how different Michael’s lifestyle was from my own. I fought back
tears as my mind drifted to Kadyn, Cenia, Lexie, and my parents… people I would
never see or speak to again.
No
, I thought,
if I had to choose
between this lifestyle and being with them, I would easily choose them.

I
looked down at the crepes and saw only the cost at which they came. No longer
hungry, I set the half eaten plate of food aside. I refilled my coffee cup and
took it into the bathroom so I could shower before Michael returned to the room.

By
the time I was done showering, I had to admit that a luxury shower that pummeled
your body from twelve different angles would be a bit more difficult to walk
away from than the cook. If I was able to return home, I suspected I might miss
the shower and the bathtub. I was still on the fence about the cook.

I
spent a good thirty minutes in the closet familiarizing myself with the
wardrobe that Michael had purchased for me. I snooped in every drawer and felt
every dress, skirt, and blouse. Michael had thought of everything…scarves,
jewelry, hair accessories, lingerie, silk stockings, and swimming suits. Well,
everything but pants. I couldn’t understand what the guy had against pants.

I
settled on a black wrap shirt and a white knee-length skirt, which was
embroidered with large black flowers. I paired the outfit with strappy black heels.
I poured myself another cup of coffee on the way back to the bathroom. I dusted
a thin layer of makeup over my face and pulled my hair back with a silk barrette.
I stepped back from the mirror and studied my reflection. The woman in the
mirror looked polished and confident enough to negotiate her release. I nodded
my approval. I was finally ready to negotiate with Michael.

Rafael
was standing outside the bedroom when I opened the door. “
Bonjour,
Madame Stone.  How are you this morning?”

I
looked at him in surprise. I had forgotten about this little, well, not so
little road block. I smoothed my hand over my skirt as I sought to regain my
composure. “
Bonjour,
Rafael. I’m well, thank you. Do you know where I
might find Michael?”

“Yes.
Monsieur Garcia said you would be looking for him. He was called away for a
business meeting rather unexpectedly. He’s not expected back until late this
afternoon. He asked me to offer his apologies. He won’t be able to take you for
a tour of the city today, but he is still planning to take you to dinner this
evening.”

I
tried not to laugh. I had finally worked up enough courage to try negotiating
my release, and Michael was nowhere to be found. How was I supposed to
negotiate with the guy when he wasn’t even around? And, why wasn’t he around?
He was so intent on kidnapping me… and for what purpose? So he could have a
dinner companion? I fidgeted nervously in front of Rafael, once again unsure
about what to do.

Rafael
smiled. “Would you like to see the gardens out back?”

My
eyebrows shot up in surprise. He was offering to take me outside? Either Rafael
didn’t think I’d try to escape or he was extremely confident in his ability to
outrun me. I surveyed his long muscular physique, glanced down at my strappy
black heels, and sighed. No way was I outrunning him in these shoes. Besides, I
couldn’t just run off without risking some retaliation against Kadyn. Michael
had my passport, and I didn’t have any money, so there really wasn’t any means to
escape. Talking sense into Michael was my only real option. I’d have to wait
for him to come home so I could convince him to release me without hurting
anybody. I looked up at Rafael.

He
had an amused look on his face, as if he knew exactly what I’d been thinking.
He raised a single eyebrow questioningly.

I
nodded. “Yes. I would love to go outside and get some fresh air.”

Rafael
smiled a slow, easy smile. “I think the fresh air would do us both some good.”
He turned and walked down the hallway. I began trailing behind him, but he turned
around and waited for me to catch up. He shortened his stride so we were
walking alongside one another as we made our way to the first floor.

The
French doors in the formal dining room led to a large stone patio. Rafael reached
for my arm as we crossed the patio and walked down the stairs. He released me
as soon as we reached the bottom.

Smooth
stepping stones formed a path that branched off in two different directions
through the well-manicured gardens. Rafael nodded toward the path on the right.
“Monsieur Garcia purchased this property shortly after he met you.”

I
glanced back at the house. “The house is beautiful. Do you know when it was
originally built?”

Rafael
nodded. “This house was built in the early 1900s, but it’s been through a number
of renovations as you can probably tell.”

We
passed by a cluster of small sculpted trees before entering a large rose garden.
I knelt down to smell some coral roses that were just beginning to open. “The
neighborhood seems nice.”

Rafael
smiled as he reached for my hand.

I
glanced at him uncertainly as I placed my hand in his.

He
gently pulled me to my feet. “The neighborhood is known as the Golden Triangle
of the Yvelines. It’s a very exclusive neighborhood. A number of celebrities, heads
of state, and CEOs live here.”

I
figured as much. Rafael and I resumed walking through the rose garden. We passed
through another cluster of sculpted trees, which opened into a large expanse of
wildflowers. I glanced around in confusion. “This is an entirely different
garden.”

Rafael
chuckled softly. “Yes. There are four different gardens on the property. This
is my favorite one.”

I
couldn’t hide my amusement. I hadn’t expected my bodyguard to have a favorite
garden. I studied him in a sidelong glance. “There’s an amazing view of the
Seine River and the Eiffel Tower from the front of the house. Are they within
walking distance of here?”

Rafael
began walking backwards so he could face me. “Yes. We’re also within walking
distance of the Champs Elysees, which is quite famous for its designer shops.”

I
stopped abruptly. “I smell lavender.”

Rafael
laughed. He had a warm, carefree laugh that made it difficult not to smile. “Monsieur
Garcia said you liked lavender. It’s over here.” Rafael pointed to some long
purple flowers just off to his left.

I
gently squeezed one of the flowers, then smelled the palm of my hand. I nodded.
“That’s definitely lavender.”

We
followed the path through the wild flowers until we reached a stone arch that
was wrapped in climbing roses and flanked by sculpted trees. Rafael ducked
under the arch. “The cook and her granddaughter live in the guest house, which
is located through here.” He pointed toward a stone carriage house as I joined
him on the other side of the arch.

I
stood and admired the cottage. The trellises on either side of the windows were
filled with the same climbing roses that wound around the stone archway. I
couldn’t help but smile. “Now this house is a bit more my speed.”

Rafael
nodded. “It’s more my speed too.”

We
retraced our steps under the stone arch before walking through a small herb and
vegetable garden. Rafael eventually showed me to a sitting area where four iron
benches faced a marble fountain.

I
turned in a circle as I surveyed my surroundings. We appeared to be standing where
the four gardens intersected. My eyes settled on the fountain, which held a
nude sculpture of a man embracing a woman from behind as he leaned down to kiss
her neck.

Rafael
gave me a curious look. He spoke softly as he pulled me from my silent
contemplation. “When Monsieur Garcia purchased this sculpture, he said it
reminded him of you.”

“Of
me?” I asked incredulously. I walked around the fountain and eyed the woman in
the sculpture a bit more closely. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulder just
opposite of where the man was kissing her on the neck.

Rafael
watched me walk around the fountain. “Yes. Nearly everything in the house was
purchased with you in mind, with the exception of the books in the library and
Monsieur Garcia’s office.”

I
sank into the nearest bench. I was speechless. How could Michael put so much
effort and money into pleasing some passing fancy? I stared at the two lovers
in the sculpture. Was I a passing fancy… an obsession… a muse? Or did Michael see
me as something more? The man claimed to be in love with me, he had purchased
this home to share with me, and he had proposed...

Rafael
sat on the bench to my left. He reclined against the back of the bench and
appeared to be soaking in the sun as he left me to my thoughts.

I
shook my head. We had only been on four dates.
Four.
His feelings had to
be superficial. Surely, he was confusing physical attraction with love. I raked
my hand through my hair. If only I wasn’t so attracted to Michael. This whole
thing would be so much easier to handle, so much easier to understand.

I
was still trying to process everything when Rafael and I resumed walking. We walked
through a tropical flower garden before returning to the patio. I barely noticed
the flowers. I was too lost in my thoughts to really appreciate the fourth and
final garden.

Rafael
reached for my arm as we walked up the patio stairs. “What would you like to do
next?”

I
briefly considered my options. I was no longer confident in my ability to
negotiate with Michael. The efforts he’d made to forge a life with me made it
unlikely that he would release me any time soon. I looked up at Rafael as he
opened the door. “I would like to go to the library to see if I can find a book
that will help me learn to speak French. I would like to be able to converse
with the staff, and I don’t want to have to rely on Michael to translate
everything.”

Rafael
walked me to the library. He quickly pulled a number of books from the shelves.
“These should do the trick.”

I
eyed the books in his arms. “Thanks, Rafael. Can I take these books to the
pool?”

Rafael
nodded. “Of course. I’ll have your lunch delivered to the pool and escort you
down. Do you want to stop by your room to change into a swimming suit before we
head downstairs?”

I
smiled. “That sounds great. Thanks.”

Rafael
carried the books as we walked back to my room. “I’ll wait here,” he said,
stopping just outside the door.

I
ducked inside the closet and changed into a two piece swimming suit that looked
like black short-shorts and a black and white halter top. I couldn’t find a
cover-up, so I slipped a thin cotton dress over the top.

By
the time we made it down to the pool, the cook had already delivered two trays of
food. A waterfall beckoned and birds called softly through the overhead speakers.
Recessed sun lamps were glowing and warming the room.

Rafael
set the books on top of the table, alongside one of the trays. He reached for
the bottle of sparkling water and cracked the seal before setting it back on
the table. He removed the cover from the tray and examined the food. “
Bon
appétit
,” he said cheerily as he walked away.

“
Bon
appétit
,” I responded as I watched him cross the room.
Were bodyguards
supposed to examine food?
I studied the food. The cook had prepared a mixed
salad, sliced meats and cheeses, a baguette, and an apple tart.
How would
Rafael know whether someone tampered with the food by merely looking at it?
I
shook my head.

Rafael
settled into a chair next to the other tray, which was sitting on a table near
the door. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket. His thumbs flew over the
screen as he began typing something out.

I
tried to ignore the fact that he was there. I reached for the book on French
culture and customs and settled into the nearest lawn chair. I began eating
when I switched over to a book that translated common French phrases into
English. The process was a bit backwards for me, since I was trying to learn
French and not English, but I made it work.

I
was only halfway through the lunch when I found I could no longer resist the
pull of the water. I set the book aside, slipped the sun dress off, and walked
to the edge of the pool.

Rafael
stood the second I approached the water.

I
smiled. Apparently, he was unsure of my ability to swim. I dove into the warm
water and immediately began swimming laps. Rafael relaxed back into his chair,
so I continued swimming laps until my arms burned. I pushed off the side of the
pool and turned onto my back. My backstroke was lazy and slow. I closed my eyes
and relaxed into the warm water. I was completely exhausted by the time I
forced myself from the pool.

Rafael
met me at the side of the pool with a large white towel.

I
tried not to drip on his shoes. “Thanks.”

“You’re
welcome,” he responded. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but he
abruptly walked away. He looked a little unsettled when he reclaimed his chair.