Chapter 47
Emma paused when she recognized the man standing in front of her.
Nathan's executive assistant.
Her brows drew together, but after a moment, she followed him toward the waiting car.
She could already guess what this was about. Nathan had seen her at the Vance estate tonight, standing beside Lawrence while Lawrence introduced her as his girlfriend. Of course he was going to have questions.
What she hadn't expected was for him to wait outside her apartment building.
Emma checked the time on her phone.
10:00 p.m.
Her session with Client L was at eleven-thirty. She needed to leave herself at least an hour to reach whatever hotel he chose.
Which gave Nathan thirty minutes.
Maximum.
A silver-gray Rolls-Royce sat at the curb, sleek and quiet under the streetlights.
The rear door opened.
Nathan was inside with a tablet in one hand, still working.
Emma wasn't surprised. He always seemed busy. If there was work to be done, apparently it didn't matter whether he was in an office, a car, or someone else's driveway at ten at night.
"Go ahead," his assistant said.
The assistant himself had no idea what was going on.
He'd seen Emma standing beside Lawrence at the Vance estate. Afterward, his boss had been quieter than usual.
That alone was enough to make him curious.
Very little could affect Nathan's mood these days. At his level, most problems were either manageable or somebody else's responsibility.
Emma bent down and got into the car.
The door shut behind her. A moment later, the privacy partition rose, cutting them off from the front seats.
The cabin fell silent.
Emma's lashes fluttered once before she spoke.
"Mr. Grant, I'm sorry about what happened tonight."
Better to explain quickly and leave.
She had another client to see.
Nathan's finger stopped moving across the tablet screen. He looked up.
"What happened tonight?"
Emma stared at him.
He knew exactly what she meant.
Still, she put on an appropriately guilty expression. "The part where I cheated on you."
Nathan went silent.
When he finally spoke, his voice had lost most of its usual warmth.
"You seem very comfortable assigning yourself that role."
Emma's heart skipped.
It was the first time she'd heard Nathan speak to her that sharply.
Then she understood.
Right. She wasn't actually his girlfriend. Calling it cheating made it sound as though she thought she was.
And Nathan had made the boundaries of their arrangement very clear from the beginning.
"I'm sorry. That came out wrong."
Emma lowered her eyes. With the soft makeup and white dress, the gesture made her look particularly vulnerable.
Nathan's expression tightened.
He'd frightened her.
The realization bothered him almost immediately.
He had spent years learning not to show irritation unless he intended to. Losing control of his temper, even slightly, wasn't something that happened often.
So why had it happened now?
He tried to soften his tone.
"How long have you two been together?"
They'd held hands naturally enough tonight. Whatever was between them didn't look new.
Emma answered immediately. "We're not together. Mr. Vance was a client."
A client.
The tension Nathan hadn't acknowledged until then eased almost at once.
His fingers tapped lightly against the edge of the tablet.
"You weren't actually dating?"
Emma shook her head. "No. I needed the money, and he—"
"Needed someone who looked like his ex-girlfriend?"
Emma blinked.
Nathan knew more about Lawrence's personal life than he usually cared to admit.
Years ago, when Lawrence had been fighting with his family over Isabelle, Mrs. Vance had asked Nathan to intervene.
Lawrence had also gotten drunk enough one night to tell him the entire miserable love story himself—how much he loved Isabelle, how his mother wouldn't agree to her family's demands, how Isabelle had eventually gone abroad and left him behind.
Nathan hadn't been particularly interested in the romantic details. His advice had been simple: if Lawrence hated being restricted by the family, he should build something of his own.
Lawrence had taken that advice seriously.
Perhaps too seriously.
He'd thrown himself into building his business, working late every night, drinking through one business dinner after another, and landing in the hospital more than once.
Since independence had been Nathan's suggestion in the first place, he'd kept an eye on him. He had no intention of watching his younger relative work himself into an early grave.
Then, about six months ago, things had improved.
Lawrence was sleeping more, drinking less, and no longer seemed determined to destroy himself for the sake of his company. Nathan had eventually heard that he'd found a young woman who resembled Isabelle.
That had been enough for him. Whatever Lawrence chose to do with his private life was his own business as long as he stayed alive.
"Yes," Emma said. "You noticed that I look like his ex too?"
Nathan hadn't, actually.
He chose not to mention that.
And since Nathan had brought up the subject himself, Emma didn't consider her answer a violation of client confidentiality.
"I didn't know you and Mr. Vance were related," she continued. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have taken the job."
The whole situation was far too awkward.
Nathan studied her face. "How long does your arrangement with him last?"
Emma looked at him. "It ended tonight."
That surprised him.
His agreement with Emma didn't forbid her from dating.
It certainly didn't say she couldn't have other clients.
In fact, when he'd first hired her, he'd preferred the idea that she might have someone she genuinely liked.
It would make it less likely that she'd confuse their arrangement for something real.
So there had been no reason for her to end things with Lawrence.
Yet she'd done it tonight, immediately after discovering their family connection. She'd even rushed to explain herself afterward.
Nathan's expression softened.
She needed money. He knew that.
And she'd still ended the arrangement.
That only made him regret the way he'd spoken to her earlier.
If anything, he should have structured their arrangement differently. He hadn't known how much she needed the money when they'd signed the annual contract.
Had he hired her month to month instead, perhaps she wouldn't have needed to take other work.
His assistant had investigated Emma before the contract was signed. She'd grown up in a small rural town and didn't come from money. Nathan hadn't asked for every detail. At the time, all he'd needed to know was that she hadn't deliberately approached him and posed no threat.
That had been enough.
The tension in the car gradually faded.
Nathan settled back into his seat. "Lawrence would probably make a decent boyfriend."
Emma's instincts immediately went on alert.
That sounded like a trap.
Lawrence was Nathan's younger relative, so she obviously couldn't insult him. But saying he would make a good boyfriend sounded suspiciously like admitting she had considered the possibility.
"Mr. Vance is a good person," she said carefully.
Some of the warmth disappeared from Nathan's eyes.
Emma caught it immediately.
"But our relationship was strictly professional."
There.
That should make her position clear.
Nathan's expression softened again.
"What kind of man would you date, then?"
Emma became even more convinced that Nathan cared deeply about Lawrence.
He was obviously making sure she wasn't planning to cling to him after the contract ended.
Apparently, strictly professional hadn't been convincing enough.
She would have to be clearer.
"I prefer someone gentle," Emma said. "Mr. Vance is too reserved for me. He's not really my type."
A quiet laugh escaped Nathan.
Gentle?
Interesting.
Emma heard him laugh and finally relaxed.
Good.
Message received.
"Mr. Grant, it's getting late. You should go home and get some rest."
Nathan looked at her for a moment. "I was too harsh with you earlier. I'm sorry."
Emma smiled brightly. "It's okay."
In the white dress, with her long hair falling around her shoulders, she looked almost too soft for her own good.
Nathan's hand shifted against the seat before he stopped himself.
Whatever impulse had prompted the movement, their relationship didn't give him the right to act on it.
He rested his fingers against the leather instead.
"I'll cover whatever you lost by ending your arrangement with Lawrence."
Emma shook her head. "You don't have to. You already pay me more than enough."
A faint smile touched Nathan's mouth. He didn't argue.
A few minutes later, Emma stepped out of the Rolls-Royce and let out a long breath.
She checked the time.
Excellent.
Less than thirty minutes.
Her next job was still perfectly on schedule.
Nathan remained in the back seat, watching her walk away.
The white dress Lawrence had chosen left most of her back bare. Under the streetlights, her long hair shifted gently against her skin as she headed toward the building.
Nathan watched until she was almost out of sight.
Then he reached up and undid the top button of his shirt.
The car suddenly felt a little too warm.