“I didn’t know you had a brother. In fact, I don’t know very much about you Joshua.”
As his gorgeous dark eyes held my gaze, a wry smile touched the corner of his mouth. “In time you will know all you need to know. You will also be meeting my business associate Conrad. He can be overly spirited at times.”
I could have sworn I saw a glimmer of fire in his eyes when told me I would be meeting Conrad.
“The car will pick us up at the hotel at 7:45 p.m. and I will meet you in the lobby.” He started to walk away and then stopped, half closed the door, and leaned in my office. “Sarah?”
“Yes?” My eyes met his.
“Wear something sexy underneath your clothes this evening. I want to think of you wearing something only for me.” He winked at me and walked away.
I sat there speechless, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. How is it possible that this man still affects me this way? I had to push that thought out of my head and focus on the task at hand. I wanted my work to be flawless.
CHAPTER THREE
The Rolls Royce dropped me off at my hotel at about 5:30 and when I returned to my room, waiting for me were my makeup artist, manicurist, and hair stylist. I quickly showered, and then was able to sit and be pampered for a couple of hours. Initially I thought about telling Joshua that it was not necessary to have all of this provided for me. But then I caught myself and thought, why not? I had never been pampered like this before and I certainly could not afford to have a makeup artist, manicurist and hair stylist at my beck and call. So why not enjoy this temporary luxury? When my nails were dry I got dressed. I wore a pair of black dress slacks and a beautiful red, short sleeved YSL blouse. I had never had my makeup done professionally before and when I looked in the mirror I barely recognized myself. I actually looked pretty. I thanked everyone and went downstairs to the car that was waiting for me. I could feel myself holding my head up a little higher filled with confidence, as I received admiring glances from several men in the lobby. I hate to admit it, but I could get used to this lifestyle.
Joshua was already waiting for me in the Rolls Royce. My heart was pounding as I was about to get in. Would he notice the difference in my appearance? Why do I care anyway? Because you do. When I answered my own question, I was startled by the honest answer that I did not want to admit. I was still focused on my ultimate goal to make partner in five years, but it was getting harder to quell the feelings of excitement I felt whenever I saw Joshua.
My Prada perfume permeated the Rolls Royce as I entered. I hope he likes the scent. Joshua had an approving gleam in his eye when he saw my transformation but there was a hint of something else there. He almost looked worried.
“I see your personal salon workers did their job this evening. You look lovely Sarah.”
It was difficult not to blush at the compliment as I felt my cheeks flush. He looked so regal in his black suit, not a hair out of place. I was definitely living a fairytale and I was starting to want it to never end.
“Where are we having dinner?”
“Reflets, a lovely French restaurant. I hope you like French food.”
“I have never tried it but I am sure I can find something on the menu I like. We’ve never gone out to dinner together.” I straightened my shirt and fluffed my hair and gave Joshua a small flirtatious smile.
He seemed a bit uncomfortable with that. “Sarah, I think I need to make something clear to you. I want you to know that I enjoy your company. If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be here. We are going to be spending a lot of time together on this trip and you are going to meet some very important people in my life. But, I don’t want you to mistake this for anything other than what it is. This is strictly a contract, nothing more. I offered you something and you accepted. I don’t want you to have any misconceptions about us. We are not a couple.”
I sat there stunned. What an arrogant ass. We’re not a couple? I know that you jerk. Well then I guess that means I am free to flirt and mingle with whomever I’d like. Let’s see what the night has in store.
I gave him a cool stare and told him I understood.
“No need to worry Mr. Hunter. No misconceptions here at all.”
I saw him wince when I called him Mr. Hunter. I don’t think he liked the reinstatement of formality between us.
We rode in silence the rest of the way to the restaurant.
We were escorted to our private dining room and everyone was already there, waiting for us. Joshua walked over to his brother Jake and gave him a hug. It was nice to see him show affection for someone he loved. He kissed Jake’s girlfriend on the cheek and he shook Conrad’s hand.
“I would like for you all to meet our newest associate, Sarah Vaughn. She was the star intern and we are very excited to have her aboard.”
They each shook my hand and Conrad gave it an extra little squeeze. “It’s wonderful to meet you Sarah. I have heard many good things about you.” He gave me a little wink while holding my chair out for me.
“Thank you.” I flashed him an appreciative smile. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw Joshua grimace. We were at a round table so it was easy to see and talk with everyone. Jake sat on my left, Vivienne was next to him, Joshua was next to her, and Conrad sat on my right.
“So, Sarah, where are you from?” Jake dove right in with the question.
“I am from a suburb of New York City. I hope to get an apartment in the city soon so I won’t have to commute anymore.” I flashed Joshua a look and he was visibly irritated. Good.
“Do you have a long commute?”
I tossed my hair over my shoulder. “It’s relatively long and it’s very boring.” I held Joshua’s gaze as the biting words rolled off my tongue.
I saw the flash of anger fly through his eyes as he clenched his jaw.
“Jake, you are the Chief Financial Officer of the company, is that correct?”
“You’ve done your homework. Yes, I am. Joshua and I inherited the company from our father who inherited it from his father, and it goes back down the line several generations.”