Spiraling Deception (29 page)

His frown deepened but he didn’t remove his
fingers from my hair straightaway. “Princess,” he began in a
gentler tone. “Unfortunately, some of those enemies might decide
one way of getting to me is to mess with my girlfriend.”

Chapter Nineteen

“
I understand, but I don’t
have to like it.” My protest came out half mumbled so I spat the
toothpaste out of my mouth, rinsed and then repeated my objection
to him. I was currently standing in Roman’s pretentiously large
marbled bathroom and brushing my teeth.

His master bathroom was beyond ridiculous:
who in their right mind needed two twin vanity sinks, and
his-and-her matching showers, toilets, and bathtubs—two enormous
bathtubs—come on!

My morning grumpy mood was largely due to
the fact that last night was the first time Roman and I had slept
together in a bed and hadn’t actually had sex. Seth arrived within
minutes of Roman calling him and I was then subjected to an
interrogation the likes of which rivaled some of the best
drama-filled cop shows on television. Seth bombarded me with
questions and wrote down a slew of detailed notes. When I mentioned
the man at the grocery store looked vaguely similar to the creepy
guy I’d met at the Venice airport who’d introduced himself as
Jonathan Gray, Roman and Seth’s eyes snapped to each other’s.

“
What? What is it?” I
noted with irritation that both Roman and Seth appeared to be
communicating in silent code with each other.

Seth’s usual menacing demeanor looked
downright terrifying when he said, “I’ll put a man on her
twenty-four-seven, Mr. Knight.”

“
A man? What man? What do
I need a man for?” My head felt as if I were at a tennis match,
volleying back and forth between Roman and Seth’s grim
faces.

Roman nodded once. A muscle ticked in his
jaw and then he tore his fingers roughly through the dark strands
of his hair. “Nothing,” Roman finally said, his tone brusque. “It’s
just a precaution like I said earlier. As of tomorrow, Charlotte,
you’ll have a driver to take you to and from work and anywhere else
you need to go.”

Lifting his chin, Roman indicated to Seth.
“My study.”

With a quick troubled glance toward me, Seth
wordlessly walked down the hallway to where Roman’s study was.

I frowned, shifted on the couch to face him
better and for what felt like the millionth time tonight, I asked
again, “Roman, what’s going on?”

“
I don’t know yet.” His
words were laced with a heavy mixture of frustration and confusion.
“I’ll know more after Seth and I talk. Get ready for bed, Princess.
I won’t be long.”

Stubbornly, I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Roman—”

Roman’s gaze appraised my obstinate pose and
then he let out a long sigh. “Please…just don’t worry about it and
go to bed. I promise I won’t be far behind you.” He then placed a
perfunctory kiss on the top of my head and without another word,
followed Seth into his study.

As I went through the motions of getting
ready for bed, myriad concerns and doubts badgered me. While I
brushed my teeth, I wondered what Roman and Seth were discussing
alone in the study. When I washed and moisturized my face, I
pondered why they’d both reacted so strangely when I’d mentioned
the creepy Jonathan Gray. And as I dressed in my pajamas, I
considered what having a driver/bodyguard was going to mean to the
landscape of my everyday life. Lastly, as I slid into Roman’s
king-sized bed, I frustratingly stewed over Roman’s continued
reluctance to be forthcoming with me. It was as if Roman would let
me into his life only so far and then when I gained a little
ground, he’d slam up these walls of secrecy and firmly shut me
out.

It took me ages to fall asleep and despite
Roman’s assurances that he wouldn’t be long, I drifted off before
he’d returned. Vaguely, sometime in the early morning hours, I felt
the bed depress from his weight when he climbed in and remembered
feeling him gather me into the warmth of his arms, the feel of his
lips on the crown of my head when he kissed me there but then I
must have fallen soundly back to sleep.

I’d awoken in the morning to an empty bed
and momentarily wondered whether I had imagined Roman coming to bed
at all last night. However, the pillows and sheets on his side of
the bed were crumbled and strewn, both convincing evidence that he
had. I glanced at the clock and was startled to see that I had
overslept. It was almost seven thirty and I quickly dashed into the
shower in haste to get ready for work.

While I blew out my hair, Roman strolled up
behind me and slid a freshly brewed cup of coffee on the marbled
countertop next to me, and then casually announced my
driver/bodyguard’s name was Richard; he’d be waiting for me
downstairs when I ready to leave for work. Richard, according to
Roman, was both proficient and discreet, his deployment was a
precautionary measure and lastly, I was not to worry.

Argh!

I didn’t want Richard the driver/bodyguard—I
wanted to know what the fuck was going on!

I inhaled the rich aroma, picked up the
coffee and took a mouthwatering sip and instantly realized I hadn’t
brushed my teeth, so I placed the cup down and rummaged in my
toiletries bag for my toothbrush. “Why do I have the feeling
there’s more going on here, Roman?” I couldn’t disguise the
accusatory tone in my voice.

“
As I’ve said already,
Charlotte, it’s nothing for you to worry about—it’s just a
precaution, nothing more.”

My frustrated gaze lifted to the mirror and
I watched, exasperated, as Roman strolled back into the bedroom. As
I stared at his retreating form, it occurred to me in that
moment—Roman had the telling habit of addressing me by my full name
when he was either sexually aroused, annoyed, or was trying to
manipulate me into doing or agreeing with his wishes. I huffed in
irritation. However, I was running late for work. I didn’t have the
time or the energy to examine Roman’s motives further—but at least
I had a ride to work, which would be a hell of a lot faster than
taking the subway or walking. For the first time since waking up
that morning, my mood lifted.

Richard, my temporary driver/bodyguard, was
of medium height, stocky, nondescript brown hair and brown eyes;
nevertheless, his outward demeanor and appearance was just as
ominous and intimidating as Seth’s. Inside, however, he seemed
really nice, friendly even, and greeted me warmly. I immediately
liked him. Richard was far more affable and talkative than Seth,
and I guessed his age to be well into his forties. Richard dropped
me off at school and I made it to my classroom in time before the
bell rang.

Later in the evening, when I was at home
eating a scrumptious bowl of satay chicken noodles Sam had cooked
while I filled her in on the whole drama, my phone pinged to alert
me to an incoming text message.

“
So did you ask Richard
the Chauffeur if you could call him Dick?” Sam burst into a fit of
giggles at her joke.

“
No,” I answered,
distracted as I read the screen of my phone.

I must have sighed too loudly because Sam
pointed her chopsticks at my phone. “Who’s it from?”

“
Roman. Apparently he has
some issue at work and will be working late tonight at the office.
He said he’d see me tomorrow evening instead.” I exhaled another
long sigh. Damn, after last night and this morning’s drama, I’d
really hoped to discuss the situation with him. After thinking
about it all day, I was determined to get some answers.

My phone pinged again with another message
and after reading it, I groaned and muttered under my breath. “Oh
shit.”

“
What?” Sam
asked.

“
Roman again. He’s sent a
text to remind me of some charity cocktail event we’re supposed to
be attending this Sunday night.”

“
Ooh-la-la. Sounds
swanky,” she teased. Mirth danced in her large blue eyes. “So why
don’t you sound more enthusiastic about it?”

“
Hmm…I am excited…or at
least I was until last night.” Using one of the chopsticks, I
pushed a cashew around in my bowl.

“
I know you said earlier
you weren’t any danger but are you sure, Charli? I mean, Roman
wouldn’t have put Richard the Chauffeur on duty if this was all
some misunderstanding, would he?”

I grinned at her reference
to Richard. Since telling Sam about Richard shortly after arriving
home from work that afternoon, she’d been referring to him
as
Richard the
Chauffeur
. “Nah…there’s no danger, Sam.
Like I told you—it’s probably all in my head. Seriously—who’d want
to stalk
me?
I’ve
barely been here a month, let alone know enough people in New York
for one of them to decide to follow me around. Besides, I’m a
schoolteacher, not a movie star.”

She threw me a mild look of disbelief and
sucked a long noodle through her lips, slurping it loudly.

“
Ooh, now that’s”—I
pointed my chopsticks at her—“classy.”

“
What can I say—I’m all
about class.”

Sunday had decidedly ended on a high note
after what had turned out to be one of the strangest weeks, replete
with a bizarre series of inexplicable events I’d ever
experienced.

Firstly there was Roman’s reaction to my
speculations of being stalked, and then his surreptitious
discussions with Seth, which resulted in me being assigned Richard
the driver/bodyguard. Having Richard stoically escort me everywhere
I went all week was a little constricting and felt mildly
disconcerting. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to someone
shepherding my every move.

And lastly, there was Roman’s absence for
the past few days. According to a brief phone conversation I had
with Roman the night before last, a deal he was in the final stages
of negotiating on had had a major setback and the whole situation
had reached a critical impasse. Roman and his senior team of
executives would be working around the clock to rectify the
crisis.

He sounded weary, tired, and extremely
frustrated over the phone and my heart instantly went out to him.
And as the days progressed, I missed his company—this was the first
time in several weeks we’d gone for an extended period of time
without seeing each other. His prolonged physical absence began to
make me feel oddly bereft, and broody. I’d gotten used to having
Roman around and without him, everything seemed to be tinged and
colored with a drab shade of gray.

I missed his sensual touch, his musky scent,
and the taste of his beautiful lips on mine. I even missed our
silly little squabbles and nonsensical banter. I missed everything
about Roman Knight, period. Which, of course, was completely
ridiculous—the man wasn’t dead—he was busy working, for God’s
sakes.

However, this evening we were attending a
cocktail party together. A charity, according to Roman, he, along
with other New York prominent business figures, supported. I was
excited to see him. I was thrilled to have an excuse to dress up
and hit the town. And I was more than a little intrigued to meet
some of his friends and peers.

“
There’s nothing to be
nervous about, Princess.” Roman’s palm settled warmly on my
knee.

Covering my hand over his, I sighed. “I
can’t help it. There’s going to be some of your friends there and
I’m anxious.”

He chuckled, turned his palm over and
entwined his fingers with mine. “Only Alex is attending tonight.
The rest of the room will be filled with a lot of stuffy,
pretentious people. You’ll most likely be bored within the hour and
beg me to take you home.”

“
Alex?
The
Alex whose yacht we stayed on in
Venice?”

“
The one and
only.”

I slapped Roman’s shoulder and my voice came
out somewhat shrill when I said, “You didn’t tell me he was going
to be here. I thought you said he lived on the West Coast? Now I’m
really nervous.”

“
Relax,” he admonished.
“You’ll like Alex. Just don’t let him flirt with you. I’d hate to
have to hit one of my closest friends in public. And yes, he lives
in San Francisco.”

I rolled my eyes and ignored his flirting
comment. “Is he out here visiting?”

“
No, not visiting exactly.
Alex flew out to consult on a project my company’s been working on.
He flies home tomorrow.”

My brows rose in surprise and I tried to
temper my curiosity. “The same project that’s had you working at
your office for the last twenty-four hours?”

His mouth curved into a wicked smile and he
pulled our joined hands up to his mouth to place a kiss on my
knuckles. “Did you miss me?”