Bound By His Desire (13 page)

‘She’s breathtaking,’ Pam husked out.

‘I know. No matter how many times you see her, you never tire of the majesty that is intrinsically her.’ Nick reached for the camera Pam had lowered after taking pictures of the Statue. ‘Here, let me take a picture of you with Lady Liberty in the background.

He took the camera and focused it on Pam. Through the lens, her joy reached out towards him. He took a couple of quick snaps and then handed the camera back.

Within minutes the boat had docked and they were making their way down the jetty so they could walk around the island and get a closer look at the statue. Nick laid his hand on the small of Pam’s back, feeling the slight tremor from his touch. Somehow, he knew after today things between them were going to be very different. He’d acknowledged to himself last night he wanted to pursue what he was feeling for Pam. He didn’t think she would be opposed to the idea. Not after the way she’d reacted to him in the kitchen this morning. He’d seen the way her eyes had gotten wider with every step he took towards her. He’d known that he could lean in and taste her lips and she wouldn’t object.

He pulled himself from thoughts of seducing Pam when she stumbled slightly as they stepped off the jetty and onto the path leading to the Statue. He slipped his arm around her waist, tucking her closer to his side.

‘Careful, we don’t want you hurting yourself before we’ve even got a chance to get up close to Lady Liberty.’

With her so close to him, the ripples from her small laugh had his body stirring to life. ‘Thanks for rescuing me, I was too busy looking up when I should’ve been paying attention to where I was going.’

‘I’ll always keep you safe.’ Nick had no idea where the words came from but he knew they were true. Something in Pam called to the inner part of his soul, a part that had been so deeply buried he’d forgotten it existed. The part that wanted to protect a woman and keep her safe. The part that wanted to care. A feeling he thought he’d never want to experience after what he’d seen happen to his mother and father and what love could do.

He stopped his thoughts there. He didn’t ‘love’ Pam. He felt responsible for her because she was in a city she’d never been to before. He dropped his arm from around her and took a step to the side to put some distance between them.

‘We have tickets to enter the pedestal of the statue. We can’t go up to the crown because those tickets were sold out.’

‘I had no idea you could go up to the crown, but I’m not sure I could deal with being up so high. I mean, the observation deck of the Empire State building was okay, but in the statue… I think that’s something I wouldn’t deal with too well. I’d feel like I’d fall out of it.’

‘It’s very safe and the view is spectacular. Maybe next time you’re visiting you’ll have the opportunity to get up there. Although they do sell out pretty quickly, which was why I couldn’t get us tickets.’ Going against his thoughts of moments ago of putting distance between him and Pam, he reached out and took hold of her hand. She went to pull her hand away, but he wouldn’t let her. He was enjoying the sensation of having her fingers entwined with his. Nick led her towards the bottom of the statue. He knew he had to stop blowing hot and cold with her. He knew when he did that he confused her. Her innocent enjoyment of the simplest things was catching. He wanted to enjoy the simple things again. Over the years he’d forgotten how to do that. Perhaps it was time to start remembering how to live.

Pam sat on the picnic blanket and looked all around her at the sights that were Central Park. There were people sitting in groups laughing and, like her and Nick, enjoying a picnic lunch. Others were throwing a football and she even spied a couple getting married.

‘Movies and television shows don’t do the park justice. They can’t capture the unique atmosphere, can they?’

‘No, it’s not possible. Real life can’t be translated to the television or big screen. Even most reality shows are scripted. No one is real these days. Everyone is always hiding behind a façade. The perfect image they want people to see.’

Nick was lying on his back with an arm over his eyes. He looked relaxed, and part of her wished she could lie down and rest her head on his chest. He’d kept her by his side the whole time they toured the Statue of Liberty. While they’d travelled on the ferry back to Battery Point, he pointed things out to her. Places she’d seen in the movies and television shows. For a while she’d let herself imagine they were actually a couple. That at the end of the day she’d be going home with him and spending the night in his bed. Part of that was true; she would be going home with him, but the going to bed part was a fantasy she was pretty sure wasn’t going to be played out anytime soon.

But something he said intrigued her. He didn’t think she was playing a part, did he? Did he think she was trying to be something she wasn’t?

‘Sounds like you’ve been burned a couple of times, Nick.’

He rolled over onto his side, resting his head on his elbow. ‘Not burned, just cautious now. You know the reason I brought you here was because my previous assistants decided that I was perfect marriage material?’

‘Yes? Are you saying they were faking their qualifications?’

‘To some degree, yes, but their main motivation was looking for a fast-track to easy street. They didn’t appreciate it when I fired them. The last one decided to take some confidential information pertaining to the deal we’re working on. She gave it to the attorney of the people we are negotiating with. You may be aware of that attorney.’ He finished on a sardonic tone and it didn’t take much for Pam to work out who he was referring to.

‘Ethan?’ she voiced her suspicions, and wasn’t surprised when he gave a slight nod. Now she understood why he hadn’t wanted her near Ethan, he was worried she would do the same as his previous assistant. All her thoughts about him warning her away from Ethan because he was jealous flew out the window. ‘Did you think I would do the same?’

Nick sat up quickly and took hold of her hands. ‘No, I knew you would never do that, it never crossed my mind. I knew from the first moment I met you you were loyal and had more integrity in your little finger than those girls had in their whole body. I knew your loyalty would be to me and to Luciano.’

Even though the words comforted her, Pam wished she could see Nick’s eyes to know whether he was telling the truth or saying things to make her feel better. His sunglasses hid them from her. What would he think if she leaned over and pulled them up, asking him to repeat his words? At the end of the day, did it really matter?

‘Thank you. And yes, there’s no way I would betray you or Luciano or the Morelli Corporation. Even if I didn’t need my job, there’s no way I’d even consider doing something like that.’

She stopped her words. There was no need to let Nick know how important it was for her to keep this job. She’d received an email from the real estate agent and there’d been no offers presented on her house. He was hopeful that soon he’d have an offer to present to her.

‘Can I ask you something?’

‘Sure.’ Pam hoped it was something as simple as would she like a drink.

‘Why were you going to resign? From what I understand, there was no need for you to quit your job.’

Pam closed her eyes, trying to find the right words. ‘I don’t know. I just felt that with Jasmine leaving, maybe it was time to move on. You know, see if there was something bigger and better out there.’

‘Why didn’t you just ask for a transfer to a different department?’

She shrugged. ‘I don’t know, never occurred to me to ask for a transfer. I figured finding a new job was the better option.’

Nick nodded and Pam hoped that was the end of the conversations. ‘Can I ask you another question?’

‘If you want.’

‘Are you in financial difficulties, Pam?’

The question came out of nowhere. ‘Why would you ask that?’

‘This is not the first time you’ve alluded to the need to keep your job. Is there something I can help you with?’

It would be so easy to spill her guts to Nick. To share the burden of the financial difficulties weighing her down. If their circumstances were different, if they were a couple, then yes, she’d share her burden with him. The reality of the situation was, as far as she knew, they were simply employer and employee. He may have been touching her a lot today. They may have shared a few kisses; it didn’t mean things were changing between them.

‘There are things I’m working on, and hopefully everything will soon be solved.’ She hoped her vague answer would satisfy Nick. She didn’t want him to think she was after a convenient way to easy street. She knew that what she owed in medical expenses and her outstanding mortgage would be nothing to a man like Nick.

‘How are they going to be solved?’

She should’ve known Nick wouldn’t be easily put off. He’d shown this tenacity to her before. ‘Look, you don’t need to worry about my financial situation, Nick. It’s none of your concern. It’s mine and I’ve got plans in motion to solve the issue. Hopefully, by this time next week everything will be solved and I won’t have to think about it anymore and I can start to follow my own dreams.’

‘If you need any help at all, I want you to come to me, Pam. I mean it.’

‘Thank you, Nick, but I think I should be fine.’

She was touched that he would offer. It would be so easy to tell him. So easy. But so wrong. She’d never been one to rely on others to help her out of her predicaments and she wasn’t planning to start now. Had he offered to help any of his other assistants? It didn’t seem like he would, considering the reasons behind why he employed her.

God, what did it matter anyway? She wouldn’t ask for his help. The last thing she’d want is to be in debt to Nick Rhodes.

‘The offer is always there.’ He lazily stroked his thumb over the top of her palm. ‘So tell me, Pamela Bishop, what are your dreams?’

Her most pressing dream, right at that moment, was for Nick to kiss her. Kiss her right in the middle of Central Park.

‘I don’t think you need to tell me what one of your dreams is at all.’ Nick whispered the words out. With a gentle tug of his hands she fell towards him. ‘I wonder if your dream might match mine.’

He didn’t give her an opportunity to confirm or deny his question as he leaned forward and took ownership of her lips with his. She melted at the first touch. Nick released her hands and wrapped his arms around her, falling back onto the blanket so that she lay across his chest. With her hands free, she was able to put them on either side of his face. Her fingers brushed against his lightly stubbled cheeks. She wished she had the courage to trail her hands down to the bottom of his shirt and lift it so she could feel his warm skin.

Nick obviously had no problem doing that, as in the next instant a cool breeze wafted over her back before warmth filtered over her skin. As his fingers skimmed up her back under her shirt, so did the blood heat up inside of her.

Never in her wildest imagination did she think, at the beginning of the day, when she’d woken up mortified about what had happened the night before, that she and Nick would be in the middle of Central Park making out.

As if he knew her thoughts, he pulled his lips away from hers and removed his hands from under her top.

‘Yes, I do think one of our dreams may have matched. However, this is probably not the time or the place to take it any further.’

The laughter of the people in the park infiltrated her mind, reminding her where they were. In the middle of Central Park, in front of God knows how many people. It seemed they didn’t have a problem with public displays of affection. Something she didn’t think Nick would be into.

‘I suppose so,’ she sighed and rolled off Nick, missing the strength of his arms around her and his hard body beneath hers. She may be a virgin but she knew Nick was aroused by their kisses. She’d felt the evidence of his erection pushing against his jeans and into her belly. What would it be like to actually feel his naked flesh against hers?

‘How about we take a carriage ride around the park? I know you want to do it. Every time one has gone by you’ve tracked its entire route.’

She laughed and couldn’t deny it. It was true and today was a day of experiencing firsts, so she was all up for a ride around the park. ‘Sounds perfect. How do you know which carriage to choose? Are there good tour guides and bad ones?’

‘Nope, from what I can tell they’re all pretty good.’

‘Well, I guess I’ll pick the prettiest horse then.’

Nick laughed. ‘Seems like as good approach as any.’

Within minutes their picnic blanket was folded and the containers that had held their lunches were disposed of. Nick grabbed Pam’s hand again, and together they walked through the park and towards the row of horse and carriages lined up on the side of the road.

As they got closer, Pam’s eye was drawn to a dark brown horse standing in front of a white open carriage. She walked up to the horse and it lowered its head towards her.

‘Can I pat your horse?’ she asked the man in the top hat, standing at the head of the horse.

‘‘Course you can, love. You want to take a tour?’

Pam went over and stroked his soft nose. The horse nuzzled into her hand. Without checking with Nick, she turned back to the man. ‘We sure would.’

‘Then climb in and I’ll take you on the best tour around Central Park you’ll ever get.’

She laughed. She had a feeling all the tour guides said the same thing. She climbed up the steps and settled herself on the soft leather seat. Nick climbed in and sat next to her, slinging his arm across the back of the bench seat and resting it lightly on her shoulder. His fingers played with her hair as they slowly made their way around the park. The guide was very informative and she was amazed at the stories he told about some of the residents of the buildings. To see the apartment building where John Lennon was shot in front of was surreal. She recalled her mum listening to his music and her telling Pam about how he’d died when he was making a comeback. She wished she could share with her mum this experience of a lifetime.