Duplicity 2 (Duplicity New Adult Romance)
Read Duplicity 2 (Duplicity New Adult Romance) Online
Authors: K.T. Knight
PROLOGUE
She has no idea she is being watched. Running late today, she shakes the rain from her hair and approaches the counter, greeting the server by name, smiling in animated conversation.
Her hair is shorter, chic, the New York vogue. It suits her. She’s glowing. A jewel in the sea of commuters.
She pays for two hot drinks, one for herself and a suspended coffee for a less fortunate patron. Skinny chai tea latte? Not her usual. But she embraces change, loves a challenge. Fearless, my Holly.
She turns and looks in my direction, as if something has caught her attention. I lower my gaze and raise the newspaper. She turns away and exits with a spring in her step. It’s a short walk across the street to the entrance of the office. And then she’s gone.
Still pretty. Still kind. Still perfect.
Bitch.
CHAPTER ONE
“Hello, stranger,” whispered a familiar voice right in my ear, taking me by surprise and making me jump.
His breath gave me tingles, in a good way.
“Hey,” I spun around in my chair, beaming. “Well, hello. Do I know you?”
I looked him up and down, thumb on my chin and tapping my forefinger on my top lip, pretending to appraise him. He looked so bloody sexy in that suit. Hair ruffled, day old stubble. Those dancing eyes that melted my heart. Every. Single. Time.
“Well now,” I continued, “you sure do look familiar, but I think you’ll have to remind me … ”
I noticed disapproving looks from a colleague opposite. They were all so stuffy here, and I was happy to liven things up a little.
“I’d be happy to,” he grinned, and he bent down as if to kiss me. But even Nick wasn’t quite so bold for that sort of carry on. Not first thing in the morning, in a bustling open-plan office. His lips stopped an inch away from mine.
“My office, Miss Martin. 5 minutes. Don’t be late or you’re in trouble.” He raised his eyebrows and his eyes widened.
“Yes, sir.” I saluted him. My smile radiated from every pore. Even old stuffy ass who was eyeing us across the desk seemed to soften as she watched.
My gaze followed Nick as he strode away. His confident gait never wavered. In spite of everything he was going through right now, he was an unsinkable rock. My rock. I was so bloody lucky, I had to pinch myself sometimes to believe he was mine.
And then I remembered. He wasn’t mine yet. And I was dangerously close to losing it all. I shuddered at the thought, and tried to put it out of my head.
I loved Nick. Nick loved me. Our life in New York might have got off to a shaky start, but it wasn’t insurmountable.
Shit happens. No-one said it was gonna be easy.
***
I rapped on the door of Nick’s office before entering, without waiting for a response. The room didn’t have sprawling proportions, but it was big enough and swish enough to convey the importance of Nick’s status as VP in one of the most eminent corporate services firms in NYC.
Nick was standing looking out of the window, hands in his pockets, and I saw his suit jacket on a hanger behind the door as I closed it.
“Penny for them,” I commented, watching Nick, who snapped out of his trance when he heard me.
He turned, walking towards me, and met me with an embrace. He held me tight, his arms pulling my chest and shoulders towards him. Burying his head in my hair, we stayed in silence for a few moments, connected.
“Holly,” said Nick, pulling back and staring at me. I raised my face to his.
“We need to see more of each other, Holly. This is crazy. I can’t believe the way things are turning out. You mean so much to me, you know that don’t you?”
I nodded. I did know it, but recently it didn’t seem like it.
“Good,” he said, taking my hand. “Here, sit. I’ve got something for you.” He nodded towards the comfy lounge chairs in the corner of the room and he joined me as I sat down.
“I hope you like it,’ he said, taking out a small blue box from his pocket. He watched me as I held the box. Tiffany & Co.
Oh no. Please no. I can’t do this.
I felt my chest constrict as I struggled for air.
Nick must have seen the look of horror on my face and he burst out laughing. “Just open it, Holly. I’m married already, remember?”
As if I could forget. Even so, my hands trembled as I pulled the ribbon. Opening the box, I gasped with surprise and pleasure.
“Oh, Nick, wow!” I burst out, as the sparkling diamond earrings caught the light and sent glittering rays shooting across the room. “Thank you. They’re so beautiful.”
I leaned across to kiss him.
I don’t deserve these
. A pang of guilt grabbed me and I looked away, unable to catch Nick’s eye.
“It’s you who’s beautiful. Will you wear them tonight?” asked Nick, lifting my chin towards him. I met his eyes then, and saw how much he cared.
“Of course I will,” I replied, forcing a smile.
Everything would be okay. How could it not?
I checked the arrangements. “Six thirty, downstairs?”
“Sure thing, gorgeous. And later we’ll … ” Nick kissed me, soft and lingering. I was on a promise for later.
Out little tryst was interrupted by a rap on the door, followed by an embarrassed cough as a man entered. Suited and booted, a silver fox. I didn’t recognize him from Cathwell’s.
Nick stood up abruptly, and the magic was broken.
“Ah, Don, sorry,” said Nick, walking over to him. “Is that the time already? I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”
But the man wasn’t paying any attention to Nick. Instead he was watching me, still seated and holding my little blue box. He looked kind, maybe a little sad. I snapped the box shut, feeling self-conscious, and stood to leave.
Nick shook Don’s hand, but Don’s eyes remained on me the whole time.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Don challenged Nick, his voice calm, his tone measured.
“Of course,” said Nick, standing between us. “Don, this is Holly Martin, my, er, friend. Holly and I worked together in London.”
I glared at Nick. Friend? Is that all I was?
Ignoring my dirty look, Nick continued. “Holly, this is Don Gribben. My father-in-law.”
CHAPTER TWO
I checked my reflection in the mirror. Hair blown out perfectly at lunch time. Makeup professionally applied at Barney’s. I was glowing for sure, and the reason was not yet confirmed. I really had to deal with that sooner rather than later. Meeting Don Gribben earlier was a surprise, and I was annoyed by Nick’s vague introduction. But for tonight, I just wanted to forget about my worries and for everything to be perfect.
All I had to do was change into my sexy new cocktail frock after work and I was ready for my hot date with the love of my life.
In my mind’s eye, I imagined the look on Nick’s face when he saw me later. His gray-blue eyes, giving me the once over. His smile, filled with approval and desire. Reaching out his hand, and pulling me towards him. Burying his head in my neck and smelling my scent. Whispering in my ear to tell me how sexy I look, while sending shivers down my spine. Taking my hand and introducing me with pride to the movers and shakers at the Cathwell’s annual charity auction. All the while, flirtatious teasing until we are alone.
I came back to reality with a start, and the sound of a toilet flushing behind me. I finished up, as the cubicle door opened and a woman I had seen around the office approached the row of basins.
“Hi,” she mouthed, with a sweet, polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She looked away, and I turned towards the restroom exit and made my way out. Her petite figure, perfect hair, immaculate make-up and expensive designer dress burst my bubble. Even all dolled up, I felt scruffy beside her.
New York women sure set the bar high when it came to appearance. Many of the women in the office had daily blow-outs on their way to work, after they’d finished their 6AM workout with a personal trainer. Meeting rooms would be booked at lunchtime and after office hours with personal stylists bringing over a selection of outfits for colleagues to choose from. Their weekly food shopping was delivered with menu plans and meal by meal instructions, carb and calorie counted to within an inch of their lives. Not that there were many inches on these women, for whom size zero was plus-size.
Not for the first time since arriving in New York ten days earlier, I vowed to overhaul my diet. There was a diet plan Tara was always raving about, what was the name again? I felt twinge of regret, remembering what had happened with Tara.
On second thoughts, maybe I should get a recommendation for a nutritionalist. Note to self: add food guru to my list of must-have advisers. To include, but not limited to: facialist, herbalist, astrologist and acupuncturist. My new salary, which initially had seemed so generous, wasn’t going to stretch very far in this world of perfectionists.
Back at my desk, I just had to finish up a couple of emails and turn in a finished report before getting changed and meeting Nick downstairs.
At work, the powers that be had put us in different teams, unlike in our London office where we had met when Nick became my new boss. In a way, it was good for me to find my feet in a new environment without being in Nick’s shadow. They said it was to let me “shine.” Without the distraction of working with my sexy lover, it did make me more productive. In terms of expected output, the New York standards were unrelenting and the competition cut-throat. There was zero tolerance for slackers. Work legend decreed that it wasn’t uncommon for people to leave work in tears after getting fired on the spot. As if to hammer home the point, the day after my arrival I witnessed the exit of an emotional colleague carrying all that was left of their tattered career in a cardboard box.
I sat down at my desk, glancing at the clock. I had just over an hour to finish up and get changed. I tapped a quick internal communicator message to Nick. Things had been stressful for us both the past couple of weeks, and it would be good to spend some quality time together, even though it was a school night. My message swooshed off to Nick in his upstairs office.
Hey you…can’t wait to see you later. How will I recognize you?
His reply was swift.
Meet me in a crowded elevator and you’ll know
I smiled at the reference to our first encounter. If our kids ever ask how we met we’ll have to get our stories straight.
Enough already.
Thinking about our possible future kids was too close to home right now. My body gave an involuntary shudder at the secret fear I’d been carrying around. I’d not shared it with anyone. There was no-one for me to confide in here, only Nick. And I couldn’t say anything to him yet, not until I knew for sure.
I typed the last few emails and filed my report for review. A good piece of work, if I said so myself. Everyone here knew that I got a transfer from the London office because of Nick, so it was important to me to prove I deserved my place based on merit.
And if it just so happened that I was also sleeping with Nick Van Hoogen, the sexiest, brightest star in Cathwell’s New York, then the haters would just have to suck it up.
***
In the lobby, the atmosphere sizzled. Throngs of Cathwell’s staff filled the area with laughter and chatter. Staff were gathered in both small huddles and larger groups.
Everyone, from the top of the company hierarchy right down to the mailroom assistants, was invited to the charity event. This year it was being held in aid of the families of war veterans.
Modelesque, identikit cocktail waitresses with slicked back hair and smokey eyes plied the guests with Cosmopolitans and Manhattans, while hot men dressed as butlers weaved through the crowd holding trays of canapé blinis above their heads.
Being the new girl, I was acutely self-conscious. Surely I wasn’t imagining the inquisitive looks that came my way as people wondered who I was? I clocked the restroom woman from earlier, who looked the other way when I caught her staring. She whispered into her companion’s ear as they giggled. Trying not to be paranoid, I wished that I felt more at home in this crowd of strangers and wondered where the hell Nick was.
