Chapter 18 Rafael
Rafael
There’s a knock at my office door.
‘Come in!’ I call, tapping out the final line of my email and hitting ‘send’.
‘Do you have a minute?’
I glance up. Aurora’s hovering by the door.
‘You need me?’ I ask.
She straightens her shoulders. ‘I do,’ she says, fluttering her eyelashes at me.
I stare at her for a moment, trying to figure out her angle. She gazes back, attempting to look friendly. But I can still see it – her derision for me, thinly veiled behind another flutter of lashes and a soft, forced smile.
The back of my neck heats as her gaze turns knowing . . . accusing. Like she’s the one in control here. But if there’s one thing she needs to learn about me, it’s that I will always be the one in control when it comes to her.
‘I’ve always got time for you, Aurora,’ I say smoothly, injecting warmth into my tone.
Amusement dances in my chest as she falters and a flush creeps across her décolletage.
I’ve never been so welcoming towards her before.
But I’ve also never found her coffee mug, complete with a trace of her lipstick on the rim, underneath my coffee machine first thing in the morning, either.
The sight of it posed one question in my mind.
How much did she see and hear?
‘Oh . . . good. Um, thank you,’ she says, keeping hold of the door handle like it will offer her support.
The blush creeps into her cheeks.
And now I know.
The little minx heard enough. Perhaps she even stayed and watched the entire show. Because now, here she is, in my office, an extra button unfastened on her blouse, trying her best to act as if she doesn’t despise me.
It’s almost too good to believe.
She wants something. And she thinks that by catching me enjoying her video, she has a chance of getting it. But she’s mistaking basic carnal desire for something else entirely. Something that would result in me actually wanting to help her.
And she’s about to be sorely disappointed, because as easily as I can shoot my load thinking about Aurora Thorne, I can just as easily pass her in the street without blinking.
But still, seeing whatever little charade she has planned will be fun.
‘Of course,’ I say.
She hesitates, smoothing the front of her blouse, which only pulls it tighter over her breasts, highlighting the curve of them beneath the fabric.
Those perfect little breasts that would fill my palms.
My dick throbs at the memory of this morning’s video, and that cute top she was wearing. The one that hugged them perfectly. That was a good video. A new favourite I’ll no doubt watch again later.
‘Take a seat.’ I gesture to the chair on the other side of my desk.
She glances back out into the hallway, like she’s questioning if she should be here. But then she steps inside, closes the door and walks to my desk.
‘Your office is lovely,’ she says, her pulse fluttering in her neck.
‘I take pleasure from lovely things,’ I reply, leaning back in my chair.
She flicks her eyes to mine. ‘The view especially, it’s stunning. You can see so much from this high up.’
I keep my chair pointing forward, refusing to turn it towards the wall of windows behind me. I’d much rather look at her getting all flustered.
Her eyes dart back to mine as I let the silence stretch. ‘I just thought I’d come and thank you again for the opportunity to work here. I’m enjoying it.’
‘You are?’
She nods, then walks to the edge of my desk, her steps clumsy and uncoordinated.
I rest my elbow on the arm of my chair and lift my thumb to my lips. I swipe it over the lower one as she rounds the side of my desk and comes to stand beside my seat, resting her pencil-skirt-clad arse against the desk.
‘Yeah, really enjoying it,’ she says, wrapping her fingers around the edge of the desk and leaning back a little.
The position is a flirtatious one, there’s no doubt about it. And my dick thickens in my trousers as I allow myself a slow sweep of her body.
She shivers under my scrutiny, but I’ll give it to her, she holds her nerve as I take my time drinking in her curves, making no attempt to hide the fact I’m eye-fucking her.
Her eyes are expectant the moment I lift them to her face.
‘You came in here to thank me for giving you the position?’
‘I did,’ she replies, her voice coming out breathy.
‘I do appreciate gratitude,’ I rasp, loving the way the blush in her cheeks has deepened.
She looks away quickly. ‘Um, maybe I could buy you lunch as a thank you? Unless you already have plans, that is? Gabriel said you might be having it with a friend, Dominic Ashworth?’
‘Dominic Ainsworth?’ I correct.
‘Oh, is that his name?’ She blinks innocently.
I smirk internally, applauding her for her acting. So that’s what she’s after. Dominic. The innocent act might work on others who just see a pretty face, but I know a determined gleam when I see it. And Dove’s let slip before about how hellbent Aurora is on appealing her father’s conviction.
The question is, how far will she go to get what she wants?
I always fantasied about her begging for my forgiveness.
But I never considered her begging me for help.
‘It is. He’s an old friend. We go way back,’ I tell her, tilting my head and noting the way her eyes light up.
I hide a smile. I don’t want to make it obvious that I’m on to her little ploy. Especially when there’s nothing for her to learn from me, or Dominic. But I could use this to my advantage. Maybe if I play my cards right, I might learn where my money is.
‘Really? That must be nice. I bet you know all sorts about one another,’ she says, trying to sound casual, but I can see the desperation in her eyes.
‘Pretty sure I’ve seen every skeleton in Dom’s closet,’ I say.
He knows all of mine too, of course, but there’s no way in hell I’m telling Aurora that.
‘Wow, really?’ She inches closer along the desk until her leg brushes my knee. She fights to school her reaction, but there’s no mistaking the small intake of air passing her lips as we touch.
I keep my leg in place, allowing hers to rest against it.
‘My father met him years ago through business. Dominic knew them back when my mother had her accident.’
Aurora’s gaze shoots up from where my knee is touching her leg, and her brow wrinkles.
‘The one where—’
‘We both almost died because she was pregnant with me at the time? Yes, that one.’
A look of genuine concern crosses her face. ‘Dove told me. It sounded awful. That’s why your mum called you Rafael, isn’t it?’
I study her. She’s watching me, an eager curiosity in her eyes despite it no longer being Dominic we’re talking about. Perhaps she thinks getting me to share something personal with her is the start to getting me to tell her whatever else she wants to know.
‘It is,’ I reply, deciding to toy with her, lull her into a false sense of security, to think we’re sharing a moment.
She might think she can find out something that’ll aid her crook of a father, but she won’t.
Because George Thorne is a guilty son of a bitch.
He stole from his company. He stole from me.
I spread my thighs, pushing my leg harder against hers. Her fingers tighten around the edge of my desk, but she doesn’t move away.
‘My mother believes her guardian angel was looking over us that day. And that it’s the reason she walked away with barely more than a scratch, when our car, on the other hand, was reduced to a mangled wreck.
It’s why she gave us all angel names. Except Dove.
My brothers and I made her sick throughout her pregnancy.
But Dove didn’t. Her “little slice of calm”, she said. ’
A soft smile tilts Aurora’s lips. ‘I was the opposite. Apparently, my mum had morning sickness the entire time.’
She looks at me and I ignore the sudden pang in my chest at the sadness in her eyes. Dove told me Aurora’s mother died from complications shortly after giving birth to her. But I shut down the surge of sympathy; she’s not going to get me falling for her innocent act.
We’re silent for a few moments before Aurora clears her throat. ‘So, do you? Have plans for lunch?’
‘I’m not meeting with Dominic today.’
Her face falls and I make a show of checking my watch.
‘But I am expecting a call from him soon, now that you mention him.’
‘Oh. Should I go?’ she asks, her voice lifting a little like there’s the offer of something else at the end of her sentence.
I shake my head. ‘No. You should stay right here.’
She bites her lower lip and gently moves her leg so it brushes along my thigh. ‘Okay, um—’
My phone rings with perfect timing, and I could kiss Dominic for always being such a punctual bastard.
‘Dom?’ I answer cheerfully after bringing it to my ear. ‘I was just talking about you.’
Aurora’s eyes widen and she pales like she might be sick.
‘Should I be concerned?’ he chuckles.
‘Of course not,’ I answer, holding Aurora’s eyes, knowing she can’t hear him on the other end.
‘Listen, it’s just a quick call. I wanted to check if you’re up for golf with Hillingdon on his course?’
I purse my lips, mulling over the idea, even though I already know my answer.
So many of these CEOs want to do business on the golf course, or over a poker game.
I’d rather do it in my own meeting room.
But this is business, and if Fairfax Guardian want to keep landing the big clients, then we need to be prepared to accommodate them.
Sourness coats my tongue, because I know first-hand what can happen when we don’t. It can risk the entire business. And that cannot be allowed to happen.
Lifting my eyes back to Aurora, she’s listening intently.
‘Absolutely. One second,’ I tell him, reaching around Aurora and grabbing a pad and my pen from beside her. ‘Did he seem interested in our quote, then?’ I ask Dom.
Aurora sucks in a little breath as I draw back, and the back of my hand grazes the front of her skirt.
‘After he called you an up-yourself twat, yes.’