Chapter two
When I came to, I waslying on the bed. Nathan was sitting on the bed beside me. His facial expressions were hard to read, but for a second I thought I saw a flicker of concern flash through his dark eyes.
“If you just relax, Rose, and go with this, it could be a very interesting experience,” Nathan whispered softly as he leaned in closer to my ear.
I could feel my cheeks flame red in anger. How dare he say something like that!
“Interesting? This is blackmail, this is crazy, and I will never just go with it,” I bit out.
Anger flashed in Nathan’s dark eyes. “Fine then, Rose, have it your way. But you will be the only one who suffers.” He got up and stalked over to the door. “Dinner is being served in ten minutes. We’ll have it in here, on the balcony,” he said with a scowl. “Use this time to freshen up. Everything you need you will find in the ensuite bathroom.” He opened the door and walked out, leaving me to freshen up alone.
I sat on the bed for a moment trying to gather my thoughts. He was right, if I did fight this then I would be the only one who suffered. And Liam when I got my hands on him. The thought of harming my brother eased some of my anger but didn’t do much to calm my nerves. Everything was happening so quickly, I couldn’t seem to get my head around what I’d just agreed to. How was I going to be able to do this?
I got up and made my way into the bathroom. And what a bathroom it was. It was all done in a white-coloured granite with gold trimmings. There was a huge, white claw foot tub in the corner with polished gold feet. In the other corner was a massive shower with a showerhead at each end. The toilet had its own small room and a large double sink took up the entire remaining wall. His bathroom was as big as my house.
I walked over to the vanity and looked in the mirror. My hair was a slight mess, but apart from that I looked fine, just a little pale. I grabbed a brush off the bench top and ran it through my hair, then I splashed a bit of cold water on my face. I didn’t care what Nathan thought of my appearance. I took a few deep breaths to try and calm my nerves. I still couldn’t believe this was happening. When I was as composed as I could be, I opened the door and walked back out.
A woman in a black uniform was setting the table on the balcony. Nathan was already seated and reading something on an iPad, not paying any attention to the woman. I waited for her to finish, then I sat down in the chair opposite him.
Nathan looked up at me. “The food will be here in a moment,” he said. I simply nodded. I couldn’t get any words out, my mouth was dry.
He picked up a bottle of white wine and poured some into each of our glasses. I took mine and drank it down in two long mouthfuls. I wasn’t much of a drinker, but I hoped the liquor would help calm my racing pulse.
Nathan raised an eyebrow. “Thirsty or calming your nerves?”
“Both,” I replied, deciding to be honest. I turned to look out over the balcony. It was a beautiful sight overlooking all of Sydney Harbour. He wasn’t joking about the luxury.
A man in a white chef’s hat walked out to us carrying two plates. He quickly put one in front of each of us and without a word, walked back out of the room.
“I hope you like salmon with lemon and dill dressing and baby vegetables,” Nathan remarked as he reached for his knife and fork.
I nodded and picked up my own silverware. I couldn’t have cared less. It could have tasted like cardboard and I wouldn’t have noticed. I was feeling completely numb and still couldn’t believe I was really here. Food was the last thing on my mind.
After Nathan had finished his meal, the woman in the black dress, who Nathan called Jane, came back to collect our plates. I was still mindlessly picking at my food, but I was glad to hand the plate over. While it looked amazing, I just couldn’t stomach it.
“You have to eat,” Nathan said after Jane had walked out of the room.
“If you were that concerned about my welfare, Mr Davenport, I wouldn’t be here,” I bit out angrily. How dare he act as if he cared about me!
He smiled a rueful smile. “True, but I don’t like my women to be all skin and bones.”
“I’ve seen the type of women you go for, Mr Davenport.”
I knew I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t help but mock him. I could feel anger begin to take over my fear.
He raised an eyebrow in question. “Oh?”
“You’re one of Australia’s most eligible bachelors. If you even look like you’re going to talk to a woman her photo is splashed across the internet. And there’s been quite a few women on those pages in recent years,” I noted.
Nathan was a rich, well-connected man, well known as a notorious playboy, especially for his short, sexual relationships. The tabloids have a field day with his social life. And the women seemed to fall at his feet.
Nathan smiled, clearly unfazed by his reputation. “Well Rose, prepare to have your fifteen minutes of fame, because as far as anyone is concerned, you are my new flame.”
I nearly choked on my sip of wine. “No, I’m not.”
There was no way I wanted to be seen as one of his floozy’s. Or anyone’s floozy for that matter.
“How else are we going to explain all the time we’ll be spending together? The truth? I don’t think that will look good for any of us.”
I sighed a long and slow sigh. I knew he was right and I couldn’t have my family go through that kind of embarrassment. “Alright then, I’ll agree to be your new flame. But I can’t promise much, just the sight of you makes my skin crawl.” I was a little surprised by the venom in my voice. It had to be the wine.
Nathan’s eyes narrowed and his voice dropped to a low growl. “I would watch what you say, Rose. I can make this a pleasant experience for the both of us or I can just take what I want when I want it, without any regard to your needs or feelings. That is what a mistress is for, isn’t it?”
I felt my blood run ice cold. Nathan’s eyes had a real maliciousness to them. I had no doubt he was the kind of man who would use a woman any way he seen fit, without any regard to her feelings. The trouble was, I’m sure most women he attracted were blinded by his manly good looks, powerful presence, and wealth to realise he was just using them.
Nathan’s eyes were still looking at me with such darkness, like they were trying to read my thoughts, trying to work out if he’d scared me enough. I forced myself to take in a deep breath and I raised my chin. I may have been frightened of him but I would not let him know just how scared of him I really was. I would not spend my future time with him cowering in fear.
“I don’t care what you have in store for me, Mr Davenport. I’m not scared of you.”
I was terrified of him.
“You were an hour ago,” he said casually, leaning back in his chair as he brought his wine to his lips.
“I wasn’t scared of you, but more of what your thugs were going to do to my brother.”
Nathan smiled. “Ah, yes, your brother. Tell me, Rose, why did you agree to this? Why didn’t you let me teach him a lesson? You know he deserves one. I have no doubt he’s been taking your money as well.”
I did know. Liam’s gambling was out of control. I was constantly lending him money to pay his bills. Some weeks I hardly had enough money to pay my own bills. A secretary’s wage could not support two households.
“Charlotte,” I said with a small shrug. “If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t help him at all. But I can’t see her suffer, especially in her condition. She’s been through enough.”
Nathan nodded. “I have met her. She’s a delicate little thing, isn’t she? You know when I threatened to hurt her, I was only trying to get a reaction out of Liam. I would never harm a pregnant woman,” he said, his tone softening, and I was surprised that his voice sounded sincere. I nodded. I did believe him.
We descended into silence and I looked out over the harbour. It was a beautiful, warm, November night. I was only wearing a pair of navy linen shorts and a white, short-sleeve shirt, but I felt quite comfortable in the outside night air.
“Do you work?” Nathan asked, breaking the few minutes of silence.
“Of course I do. Why?”
“You will have to take some time off. I want you to move in here where I can keep an eye on you. I don’t want you running away when I’m not around.”
I nearly fainted again. “Are you serious? My job is my life. I love it. I couldn’t leave Mr Johnston in the lurch like that.” My pulse began to race. My job meant everything to me.
Nathan smiled and there was a hard, cold look darkening his eyes. “I don’t care. We made a deal, Rose. I want you, all of you. Not just on weekends, and I refuse to share you with anyone.” He raised an eyebrow. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
His question nearly caused me to laugh out loud. A boyfriend? I hadn’t had a boyfriend in years, since high school. I worked too many long hours and had too many bills to pay to worry about a boyfriend. I never ended up dating anyone more than twice.
“No, Mr Davenport, I do not have a boyfriend.”
“Casual acquaintances then?” he asked with another raise of those dark eyebrows.
I shot him a dirty look. “Unlike you, I believe sex is a personal thing that should be shared between two people that love each other, and not something that you should have casual acquaintances for.”
Nathan laughed a deep, mocking laugh. “You are so very young, Rose. It’s the twenty-first century. Everyone has casual sex these days, it’s not that big a deal. There is protection available if you want to test the waters.”
“Well, not me,” I said defiantly. “And I’m not young, I’m very mature for my age.” I had to be with my parents moving away, leaving me to help deal with all of Liam’s problems.
“How old are you? Twenty-four?”
“I’m twenty-five,” I answered, putting my chin in the air.
Nathan laughed. “Sorry.”
I had a good look at him. I hadn’t taken much notice before now, but I could tell he was slightly older than me. It didn’t stop him from being unbelievably handsome, though. He was the type of man who could make a woman swoon. Had this been a different century, I know women would swoon over him. It was his beach-tanned skin, dark brown hair, and large muscular body that easily towered over my five-foot-four frame. And his eyes, I had already noticed three different shades of brown, depending on his mood.
“How old are you then, Mr Davenport?”
“Too young for you to be calling me Mr Davenport all the time. My name is Nathan.”
“Alright then, Nathan, how old are you? Forty-five?” I guessed he wasn’t close to forty-five, but I wanted to see if I could get a rise out of him.
His eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m only thirty-five, Rose.”
“Ooh, did I hit a nerve? Is that what this is? Some attempt to show people you can still catch a young woman?” I read the magazines, I knew he attracted women of all ages. However, taunting him was just too good to pass up.
Nathan stiffened. “Remember what I said about watching what you say? I can be a very unpleasant person.”
I had no doubt. The look in his eyes right now would have been enough to scare anyone. However, I had to at least pretend to be a strong person and show him I wasn’t easily scared. I looked him square in the eye and in an even tone said, “And I told you that you didn’t scare me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?”
Nathan pulled himself out of his chair and stepped towards me, his movements slow and calculated. Like a lion stalking his prey. He reached down and dragged me to my feet, leaning in so close I could feel his wine-scented breath on my face.
“Am I scaring you now, Rose?” he asked, his voice coming out low and husky.
“No.” My voice wobbled and I silently cursed myself for the small display of weakness.
Nathan leaned in closer, so I was pushed hard up against him. I could feel his body move as he breathed. It was slow and steady, unlike mine, which I could feel start to quicken. “Yet, Rose?” he whispered in my ear.
I took a step back and felt the cool wall of the house against my back. “I told you, you don’t scare me.” My traitorous voice broke.
He stepped towards me and pushed up against me again, completely pinning me between him and the wall. “Your sharp tongue and obvious stubbornness are going to get you into a lot of trouble, angel.” Nathan whispered. “It makes me believe that you are stronger than I first thought and can handle anything I choose to put you through.” His eyes had turned to black granite, piercing right through me. “And trust me, they don’t call me a ruthless bastard for nothing.”
I had heard him called that before. I’d read articles about his unforgiving business takeovers. He was one of Australia’s most feared businessmen. I felt the blood rush to my head again. What had I gotten myself into? I was no match for Nathan Davenport.