Dazzle: The Billionaire's Secret Surrogate (Contemporary BWWM Romance) (5 page)

The room Kady had been left in was probably bigger than her entire apartment had been. It had its own bathroom with a jetted garden bathtub, and the toilet even had a lever you could use to spray your backside like a bidet. She didn’t even know they made those as combos!

Rather than take the nap as Archer had suggested, Kady found a giant bottle of expensively scented bubble bath and got into the tub first. The heavenly scent of roses and jasmine greeted her nose as she relaxed more than she’d been able to for years. Putting thoughts of tomorrow or even this evening from her mind, she just let it all go and enjoyed her moment.

She had to admit that she would love to get used to this bathtub. It was a hell of a lot better than anything she’d ever had the privilege of using before. And the soaps, too. He must have spent a fortune just on those alone.

After about an hour, Kady held up a hand, inspecting her prune-like fingers. She sighed in regret as she decided to get out and dry off.  She stretched and yawned, then headed for the huge, soft looking bed. She curled up on her side in the cocoon of the red brocade comforter and silk sheets. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

“Miss Kady?” said a soft-spoken woman as she felt a gentle push on her shoulder. Kady drowsily opened her eyes as she had to drag herself awake, trying to focus on the kind looking woman standing next to the bed in her black and grey uniform “I’m the maid, Dee. Dinner is ready. If you’ll follow me, I can show you where Mr. Archer is dining tonight.”

“Mmm, yes, please do,” said Kady sleepily. “I can imagine it wouldn’t be much fun getting lost in this place.”

“Would you like to put on something pretty for dinner, miss?” asked Dee shyly. “I believe Archer’s mother is still fairly slim, though not quite as slim as you. Still, that only means the dress would be sure not to be too small, right?”

“Do I have time for that?”

“Sure, your bedroom is right beside the one she uses when she visits—not that she’s done so for a while,” she commented. “Not since—well, since they had a slight difference of opinion concerning his social activities, I guess you’d say.”

“I wouldn’t say it, but you go right ahead,” said Kady dryly, suddenly starving for more information about the mysterious man with whom she was supposed to dine. Besides the fact that he turned her entire body to jelly with just a look. “I’d love to hear more.”

“Maybe some other time, when we wouldn’t be interrupted. Come on, we’ll pick out something perfect and get you dressed,” she grinned. “I swear, helping you dress will almost be like having a real live fashion doll.”

“I know the feeling,” Kady smirked.

The two women spent about fifteen minutes picking out a lovely teal and cream knee-length dress with liberal accents of shiny black sequins. The overall effect of the sequin design reminded Kady of windswept water. It was simply dazzling, and she suspected that it was also one of a kind.

“I’m not sure that Archer’s mother would want me to wear this,” said Kady as she hesitated, though the sound of her voice gave away just how much she wanted to.

“Don’t worry about it," the maid responded. “She never keeps anything important in here. You’re pretty safe to use these clothes. Besides, since you’re a model I already know you’d be careful with them.”

“That is true,” she agreed. “And it seems a shame to let something like this go to waste in some closet without ever allowing it to come out and play.”

“Listen to you,” she chuckled. “You sound as if you think the thing has feelings or something.”

“Oh, yeah, it really does,” said Kady with a nod. “Every fashion ever created does, you know. Every piece of clothing lives to be worn, dreams of being seen and loved. It’s almost sinful, locking this dress up in here.”

“Well, it sure would be a lot more interesting around here if you would decide to stay, Miss Kady,” Dee said with a smile. “Don’t forget the shoes. They look to be the right size too.”

Giggling, Kady stated, “It almost seems like this whole set was made just for me, doesn’t it? I love everything about it!”

“Well, I guess we’d better hurry now,” said the maid briskly when the miniature grandfather clock on the wall began to chime. “Mr. Archer doesn’t like to be kept waiting too long.”

“Yeah, of course,” Kady agreed, as she quickly changed clothes, not the least bit shy in front of the other woman, since she was used to rapid-fire fashion exchanges back stage anyway. “I’ll just be a second in the bathroom, then we can go.”

“Try not to disturb anything in there,” said Dee with a warning frown. “She could care less about this closet, but she’d have a cow about her bathroom. Go figure.”

Kady was already coming back out again as the maid finished speaking, the sound of the flushing water adding background noise as she said, “Weird. Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

They hurried down the hall to the stairs and took them at a slight clip. The shoes Kady had put on were somewhat flat, making it easier to keep up with the hurrying employee as she tried to make up for some of the time they’d lost by practically running up the flight of twenty steps and the hallway they found beyond. Then she opened one of the doors and Kady discovered they’d reached a veranda where Archer was waiting.

“Have a good evening, you two,” Dee wished the pair. “I’ll let Maggie know that she’s arrived.”

Dee left almost as quickly as she’d come in, leaving Kady and Archer alone.

“Well, there you are at last,” said Archer, his slightly annoyed expression melting into admiration as he drank her in. Kady blushed under the scrutiny, but felt unaccountably proud as she noticed the pleased look in his eye. “I was beginning to wonder if you had lost your way.” The tone of his voice softened as he stood, walking around the small table to pull out her chair. “It seems that Dee has been showing off my mother’s closet again.  The dress looks rather nice on you, I must say.”

“Oh, thanks,” said Kady with another blush.  “I hope this was okay, though. Your maid thought that it would be.”

“Yes, it’s perfectly fine,” he replied, his expression suddenly serious. “However, after this I will expect you to ask me that beforehand rather than after the deed’s already been done.”

“I understand,” Kady said, feeling the displeased tone all the way down to her toes. “It won’t happen again.”

They sat quietly together, enjoying the splendid meal which Maggie had soon brought in and sharing light, casual conversation as the stars began to appear in the night sky. A slight breeze began to come in as they were finishing up, and Archer got to his feet, removing his suit coat and wrapping it over Kady’s arms before she even had a chance to shiver. The gallant action had warmth radiating through her, and not just the heat that his body had left behind.

“Come, we’ll go inside and have a nightcap,” he said invitingly, his fingers splaying across her back before he’d ever let the jacket go, gently yet insistently urging her to her feet. Kady suspected he wanted her to move so he wouldn’t spend a whole lot of time enduring the cold now that he’d used his coat to warm her instead.

“Yes, of course,” she replied, standing as he’d suggested and falling into step beside him. One of his hands slid downward to the small of her back as they went, sending little thrills over her senses like icy tendrils of desire. Somehow they all managed to converge right behind her clit, making it throb. She determinedly told her body to behave itself since she had not yet decided that she’d be doing anything involving that piece of anatomy with him.

“How did you find your bedroom?” Archer asked conversationally as they walked down the long, marble-tiled hall. “Was everything to your liking?”

“Oh, yes, it’s great,” she answered shyly. “Thanks for asking.”

“I want you to be comfortable,” he said softly. “If there was anything lacking, I would like to know. I am willing to provide you everything you might need while you’re here, Kady. You know that, right?”

“I-I guess so,” she stammered, looking down at her feet as he opened the door to the study. She went to step inside, and found his hand on her back again briefly as she did so. He released her so she could sit down and moved over to the wet bar in one corner of the room.

“You can be sure of it, okay?” he said as he went. “I never say anything I don’t mean.”

“A commendable trait,” commented Kady as she sat near one edge of the loveseat and began to fiddle nervously with her fingers.

“Here, try this,” said Archer as he set a drink into her hands, the brush of their fingers causing another wave of desire whirling through her.

“I don’t usually drink alcohol,” she admitted, her voice getting higher toward the end of the sentence when he sat down right beside her, despite the sheer number of other places he could easily have chosen.

“This is a very fine blend of whiskey, and I’ve given you plenty of ice,” he explained. “Just a sip and it’ll take the edge of that bout of nerves you appear to be suffering. However, if you don’t like it, we can always fix you something else.”

Kady sniffed the drink with some uncertainty, but since she didn’t know how a very fine whiskey was supposed to smell, it didn’t do her a whole lot of good.  Blushing under his intense look, she brought the glass to her lips and took a sip.  Only when he was certain that some of the drink had been ingested did Archer glance away.

Wrinkling her nose, Kady considered what her opinion of that drink might be.  In the end, as it sat on her tongue for a few moments and began to seep in, she realized it was quite pleasant.  Then she realized that she’d begun to giggle for no apparent reason.  Could she possibly become drunk just from a sip?

Archer laughed as he caught sight of her face.  “You really don’t drink much, do you?”

              “I told you that I didn’t,” she excused herself, still chuckling.

              Archer placed an arm around her shoulders as he took a long sip from his glass.  When he had finished with it, he set it on the end table just beyond her other side.  This action, of course, meant that his body brushed hers along the way.  Kady’s heart started thudding in her chest, and she was sure the wicked man knew it.

              “What’s the matter, Kady?” he asked in a smooth, sultry tone.  It sent shivers down her already quivering spine.

              “N-Nothing,” she lied.  Archer knew that she was lying.  He knew exactly what affect he was having on her, both her body and her mind.

              “You know, I’ve been wondering if advertising for the mother of my child-to-be was in my best interests, just as you pointed out,” he commented, as one finger of his free hand began playing at the curls beside her ear. “Do you think we should just treat this like some sort of a blind date instead? Maybe see if we would hit it off, you know, instead of it being just an impersonal business deal.”

              “What are you saying, exactly?” Kady wanted to know, curiosity and desire peeking at his huskily spoken words.

              Archer said, “That I find you very interesting, far beyond anything I had expected when I made that silly flyer. That maybe ‘doing things the right way’ could begin with a meeting of our minds as well as our bodies.”

              “I see,” Kady responded nervously. As nice as that sounded, she knew she needed to be as honest with him as he was being with her. “But I’m in no position to allow myself the luxury of letting my feelings play into this.  For you, if it didn’t work between us, you would simply send me on my way.  But for me, if it didn’t work, where would that put me and my future?  I really need to know that I’m going to have a roof over my head this time next year.”

              Archer sighed.  “All right, I see your point. But that doesn’t change the fact that there’s clearly more going on between us than a simple business transaction, does it? Surely you must be feeling the connection too?”

              “I-I’m sure you’re right about that,” Kady agreed. Her body
more
than agreed. “I just don’t know if it would be a good idea to acknowledge it. I think maybe I need to go back to my room now.  Maybe we can figure all this out tomorrow?”

              Without another word, Kady dove off the couch, propelled by her nerves and the overwhelming situation, and bolted for the door. Archer didn’t try to stop her, choosing simply to watch her go. She swore she could feel his dark gaze burning into her back like a brand the entire way back to her room.

              Back in the bedroom, Kady carefully removed the dress that she had borrowed, lovingly returning the designer garment to its rightful hanger, and put her own clothes back on.  Her nerves were so jangled she could barely even think, but there was one thing in her mind that she could hear loud and clear.  She needed to get out of there.

              If she didn’t leave Archer Devonshire’s home right now, her virginity was in definite danger of being a part of her past.  Which by itself wasn’t that big of a deal, except that she wasn’t at all sure a man like him was someone to whom she should be giving such a valuable gift. Hadn’t she always considered that part of her to be very personal and special? Was she really going to just suddenly throw it away like it was nothing?

              Kady remembered the words he had spoken to her just a little while ago about the connection between them. Would it really be nothing with him? She turned aside, facing the large bay windows. Was that what she was really afraid of?

              Besides, the two of them were worlds apart.  The man didn’t even know what it would be like to live in her shoes. He was obviously born with a silver spoon in his handsome mouth, wasn’t he?

She had come here with no expectations other than a job offer. But now Archer was suggesting much more than just a business transaction between them. He had expressed an interest which left her in complete and total shock.  She had grown up in the slums, for goodness sake!  What would a billionaire playboy type like him want with a down and out model like her?

              No, it was one thing to consider having a baby to secure her future, and quite another to unwittingly become some sort of a gold digger.  Isn’t that what people would think if she actually entered into a real relationship with Archer?  She didn’t want anyone to think that, but especially not Archer himself.  She had come to his door looking for money, so it would be only natural for him to eventually wonder if that was the reason they were together if she returned his affections.

              Fully dressed now, Kady wasted no time going to the bedroom door and out into the hall.  She went quickly and quietly down the stairs and headed for the closest door that led outside.  She did not hesitate as she headed for the gate and began running down the street.

              A car pulled up behind her, and Kady recognized the driver who had brought her here earlier. With relief, she walked closer to the curb.  Daryl motioned for her to get in the car, and she did so.

              “I heard someone had gotten the job, whatever it is, but I didn’t think I’d find you out here walking if it was you. Where are you headed now?”

              “I don’t think I want to take that job,” Kady said with a frown as she buckled her seatbelt, her thoughts a mess too tangled to sort out.

              “Is that so?” he asked, one brow raised curiously.

              “Yeah, it was a bad idea,” Kady replied.  “I really think I should just go back to town and forget this whole thing ever happened.”

“Well, I’m not doing anything right now,” Daryl said. “I can take you back to your place if you like.  No expectations, just a guy trying to help out.  I have a perfectly good wife at home, you understand, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

              “Believe me, I’m not looking for any strings either,” Kady commented, shaking her head at the thought.  If she really wanted to find some strings, she didn’t even need to leave Archer’s home. He was already trying to truss her up like some sort of a Thanksgiving turkey as it was.

Kady had Daryl drop her off outside of some apartment building just across from Central Park.  She went inside the entryway when someone else opened the door just as if she belonged there, then waited until the car drove off before she came out again.  She stepped out the door and headed for the park as fast as her legs could take her.

Earlier in the week, she had already determined a particular bench she would wish to use if she ever had to.  It was in a somewhat secluded section, but close enough to the street that she could easily get away if anyone tried to harm her.

She headed to it now, nervously looking from side to side along the way.  She didn’t wish to run across anyone, homeless person or cop, so she moved quickly to her destination, not even noticing if anybody was following behind her as she went.

On the bench, she couldn’t get comfortable no matter how hard she tried. Thoughts and memories from the day kept swirling through her mind like a tornado. The way Archer had put his coat around her shoulders at dinner, the way she felt when he looked at her. Their long, quiet conversation about everything and nothing as they ate the most delicious meal that Maggie had prepared kept replaying in her mind.

The images kept coming, but it was almost like remembering a dream. They were so far removed from the cold, hard bench she was laying on now.  She finally managed to doze off, but it was only to a restless sleep.  She knew this place was very dangerous, but she had nowhere left to go.

She awoke to the sound of voices sometime later. She froze in place, adrenaline surging as she recalled horror stories of people attacked in the park at night, hoping whoever it was would simply go away, but that’s not what happened.  With a start of surprise, she recognized the voice the next time the man spoke.

“And this is where you followed her to?  You just let her fall asleep on some bench in the middle of Central Park? Don’t you know what kind of people hang around this place in the middle of the night?”

It was Archer’s voice.  Kady’s stomach clenched at the realization as she abruptly got to her feet and met his eyes.  It was no surprise that the other person to whom he was speaking was the same man who had driven her away from his home. 

She wondered if Daryl was actually one of Archer’s employees and simply hadn’t informed her of it, but she didn’t bother to ask. What difference did it make anyway? Either way, he’d told him where to find her.

“Kady, if the idea of loving somebody is so frightening to you that you would rather spend the night here than even give it some thought, then I won’t ask you again,” Archer said, keeping his hands clenched at his sides, and there was a strange note of fear in his deep voice.  “If you come back, it’ll be strictly business.  If that’s really what you want.”

“I’m just not sure this is a good idea,” Kady replied, as tears pricked at her eyes. She cast an embarrassed look at Daryl, and he turned and walked a few feet away, leaving them to talk with some semblance of privacy.  “I’ve never been with a man before, and I always wanted it to be special—and having kids is supposed to be special too, isn’t it?  I just– I just don’t know what to do.”

“Look, I don’t have all the answers to your questions. I never expected you, or this. I never thought– Well, I am not leaving you out here in any case,” said Archer, suddenly stern.  “You’re coming home with me.”