Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Fabien
“I could stay here forever,” I say with a groan. “But I promised my mother. We’re here because of my promise to her.”
I roll off her reluctantly and sigh. In silence, I make my way to the bathroom to get something to clean us up with.
“I understand. And I’m here because I made a promise to you, so why don’t I get dolled up? We also need to come up with a story.”
“A story?”
“Right, so that if anyone asks how we met…” She winks at me. So fucking beautiful.
“I can’t tell them you work at La Maison and I paid you to come here this weekend. Right. Okay, so we met at a coffee shop in Corsica and hit it off over a discussion of philosophy.”
I’m no stranger to fear. So when I watched her response to my family, I knew she suspected something’s up. She probably doesn’t know much about the Gerard family. When she does, will she leave? Or will she stay for the sake of the money?
Still, I need to keep her here with me. When I tell her my real purpose, I don’t want her running in fear.
“Perfect.” I sit back on the bed and watch her walk over to her luggage. I could watch her unpack all day long. I could watch her brush her teeth and fall in love.
“Well,” she says thoughtfully as she carefully extracts a black silk thong and matching bra. God, I’m getting hard all over again. “We could go with that. We don’t have to change many details at all, do we?”
“Nope. Works for me.”
“Alright. But Fabien…” Her voice trails off. Frowning, she removes a pale blue dress and holds it up.
“The red,” I say, pointing at another dress alongside the first. Without breaking stride, she replaces the blue dress but still looks thoughtful.
“You’re hiding something from me,” she says softly. “And while that’s totally your prerogative and you’re under no obligation to tell me everything, I just wonder if there’s something else I should know.”
Did she hear something? Does she know about Lyam?
Maybe I should tell her after all.
“Like what?”
“What your family really does for work.”
It’s time. I can’t hide it from her any longer. She’s already agreed to stay with me, and Nicolette is a woman of her word. I’ll tell her this much, and carefully monitor her response.
“How much do you know?” I ask. I’m sitting in a pair of boxers, leaning up against the headboard. I love watching her get dressed. Red satin skates down her body as she slides into the dress and awkwardly tries to zip it.
I gesture for her to come to me, spin her around, and hold her in place with a hand on her hip as I zip her up.
“Thank you,” she says softly. “I know that you’re wealthy, that much is obvious. I know that you own property in Corsica and Paris. Your family is a powerful one, so much so you suspect foul play when it comes to the plane.”
“So Gwen didn’t tell you then.” I half suspected she would at least warn her.
“Well… she told me you’re a man who becomes obsessed,” she says, but she doesn’t meet my eyes when she looks at me. I watch her swallow, turn from me, and start rummaging through her bag for shoes.
“True. That’s fair. But she didn’t tell you who I am? And you didn’t look me up?”
“I’ve hardly had time,” she says. “And I want your side of the story. If I were to look you up, what would I find?”
I doubt this is the full truth, but I don’t push for an answer.
It’s a complicated question with an even more complicated answer. I hold her gaze. “Will you run if I scare you?”
A beat passes as she pauses, her hand on a strappy sandal. “Have I run yet?”
“No. Have I scared you yet?”
She swallows. “Yes.”
Good girl.
She’ll either stand her ground or run when she hears what I tell her.
“I’m not going to lie to you, Nicolette.” Even this is a lie. She doesn’t know that I have reams of records on her, that I’ve investigated everything about her. But about this—my ultimate purpose, who I am—there will be no lie.
“Thank you,” she whispers. “But I’ll have you know that whatever you tell me won’t scare me.
I promised to be yours for the weekend. I promised to stay with you.
I don’t go back on my promises. And Fabien, you know I need that money, and that…
well, that there are very few things that would be a dealbreaker for me.
” She laughs, though the laughter doesn’t reach her eyes. “You know where we met.”
I nod. “Good. But I’d like you here, beside me, when I tell you.”
Now’s the time to tell her everything.
She sits on the edge of the bed and tips her head to the side curiously. “Alright, then.”
“Gwen told you the truth. Yes, I’m someone who becomes fixated and obsessed.
She knows this because everyone knows what happened with a woman I was dating.
” My throat tightens. “Her name was Adele. She was killed in a robbery when she was working as a waitress in Paris. She didn’t need to work, but she was independent and headstrong and insisted she earn her own money.
” I take a ragged breath. “After her death, I didn’t eat.
I didn’t sleep. And when I found out who was responsible for her death, I hunted them down and dealt with them personally. ”
She swallows hard but nods and doesn’t look away. “The same way you dealt with the man that assaulted me?”
“Yes.”
Another intake of breath. “Which was?”
“A bullet through the head.”
She slowly blinks. Licks her lips. Nods. “I see. I’m so sorry.”
“My family is the Gerard family. We come from a long line of descendants straight from the great emperor Napoleon himself.”
Widened eyes but no response other than another small nod. She doesn’t recognize our name.
I reveal a little more to see how she takes it. “The Gerard family runs organized crime in Paris.”
“Organized crime, like… the mob. Mafia?”
She’ll find out soon enough.
“Exactly.”
I expect her to jump to her feet. Pace the room. Wring her hands.
“Well now that makes sense,” she says.
I’m so taken aback by her response that I laugh out loud. “I tell you that my family is mafia, and you say that makes sense?”
“Well, yes,” she says with a smile.
I want to gather her up in my arms and kiss her from head to toe. “I mean, I knew you didn’t make your money selling shoes or something. You don’t take me for a fool, do you?”
I shake my head.
“I knew that you at least hurt the man that assaulted me. I knew you were wealthy and powerful and of enough importance that someone may have tried to bring your plane down. So no, I’m not surprised and no, I won’t run.” A frown creases her brow. “Are there rules I should know about?”
This time, I do reach for her. I drag her to me and embrace her.
“The only rules you need to worry about are mine.” I kiss each cheek before I release her. When I let her go, she gently strokes my cheek.
“Fabien. Did you think I’d run that easily?”
“There’s more,” I whisper.
“Go on,” she whispers back.
“I hired you for this wedding, yes. But I want more from you. I have another purpose, another goal, and I won’t force this one. But if you agree, I’ll pay you so well, you’ll be set for life, Nicolette.”
It’s time. It’s time I tell her.
I love the way her eyes spark with interest. “Tell me everything.”
I swallow hard. “We’re keeping this quiet.”
She nods and holds my gaze, unblinking. “Yes?”
“My brother Lyam was taken hostage. We were given conditions to meet for his release. And I need you to help me.”
Staring at me with wide eyes for long seconds, she finally responds. “Is that all?”
I hug her to me fiercely.
“Fabien, you’re smooshing me—”
I let her go. She stares at me. “So how am I going to help you find your brother?”
I tell her everything. When I’m finished, she shakes her head. “So I’m… going to be your slave… so we can go to The Underground and retrieve something worth two hundred fifty million euros. We’ll give it to the people who have your brother, and they will let him go.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Only…” Her voice trails off and she gives me a curious look. “You won’t actually give them the talisman, will you?”
“Of course not, not to keep, anyway.”
“And once you locate them, you’ll… deal with them, as well?”
I nod. “I have no choice.”
“I see. Well, then, it’s time.”
She surprises me more and more.
“Time for what?”
“Time to tell you the full truth about me, as well. But first, a question.”
“Yes?” I can’t imagine what she’s going to reveal. What I don’t know about her yet.
“How much do you know about my family?”
“You have a sister and two deceased parents. They died in a fire.”
Drawing in a deep breath, she releases it slowly.
“That’s right. My sister’s in school and we were left homeless after the accident.
She’s on a full scholarship with room and board, and takes on nanny positions when school isn’t in session.
” She lets out a breath. “This isn’t…me.
I do this for one reason only, and that’s my sister. ”
“I understand. So I’ll help you, and you’ll help me.”
She stares at me before finally whispering, “Thank you. I feel like we should… shake on this or something?”
“How about I fuck you again?”
“You want to fuck to seal the deal?”
“Sweetheart,” I say, leaning in closer to her. I thread my fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck. “You’ve just agreed to be my slave to save my brother. Do you want me to put this in writing?”
“Is that usually how these things are done?”
“I’m not sure there is anything usual about this.”
Her brow knits in concentration. “Well. It sounds a little outlandish when you put it all that way.”
“A little outlandish? Well, that’s putting it mildly.”
“And what exactly will this entail?”
I tug a lock of her hair. “That’s where you’ll earn your money.”
“How?”
“By helping me form a plan. But for tonight, we’re getting all the information we can get out of my cousin, who’s also attending the rehearsal and wedding.
He handles security for The Underground, and we’ll play that angle.
I’ll have to pay him off, but I’m happy to do it. I trust him and he won’t rat us out.”
“Did you bring me here for this?”
Again, I tell her the truth. “Yes.”