Fated (5 page)

His
invitation was innocent enough. He probably just wanted to go over my tasks for
the day. But his eyes told me otherwise. They were gleaming with a look of
interest, but I was determined not to be fearful. Just because this man was
interested in me didn't mean I had to give in. And I definitely didn’t want to
give in. Not only was he my boss, but he was everything I avoided in a man.

I
picked up my notebook and pen and walked over, sitting down with the guise of a
friendly smile. I was relieved when Caden started rattling off people he wanted
me to call. Maybe I had misread his expression.

"How
old are you?" he asked suddenly, taking me off guard. A part of me wanted to
reply that my age had no bearing on the job. Wasn't it considered ageism or
something to ask an employee's age? But I suppressed the urge to lecture him on
appropriate workplace topics and just kept a friendly expression.

"Twenty-six.
Same age as Macie."

Caden
nodded. There was the hint of stubble on his jaw, and I couldn't help noticing
how it enhanced his ruggedness. He would look totally at home rappelling down a
mountain shirtless, his muscles straining with the exertion as beads of sweat
ran down his naked chest...

I
tamped down the thoughts as quickly as I could, feeling myself flush at my
wayward thoughts. I just hoped my expression remained blank.

"What
made you decide to move to New York?"

The
personal questions again. I didn't know how to refuse to answer them, so I
responded to them as vaguely as I could.

"There
was no reason not to." I rethought my answer. It sounded a little too
facetious, so I spoke again. "I was getting tired of Chicago. I needed a
change of pace."

"Did
you grow up in Chicago?" I wondered if I should take Caden's questions as
just friendly curiosity. After all, wasn't it normal for an employer and
employee to get to know each other? I, on the other hand, had no desire to
learn about his personal life.

"Yes,
I lived there my entire life before moving here." As much as being shipped
from foster home to group home could qualify as
growing up.
I tended to think of it more
as surviving.

"Does
your family still live in Chicago?" The questions were slipping out of
Caden as if he couldn't ask them fast enough, his impatience to know more about
me seemingly growing.

"No."
I was aware that my one-word answer wasn't exactly in good conversation form,
but I wasn't about to tell him I had no family. Not only did I want to avoid
the subject of my parents dying, I certainly didn't want to bring up any bad
memories for him.

His
eyes narrowed at my short answer but he didn't push. Instead, he dismissed me
and I didn't see him for the rest of the day except for a few times when he
stopped by to pick up messages. I had no idea where he spent the majority of
the day since he wasn't in the studio, but I didn't really care as long as he
wasn't making me uncomfortable with his presence.

This
set up the pattern for the rest of the week. He would be waiting for me in the
mornings and would give me a list of tasks interspersed with personal
questions. He would then disappear for most of the day, whether it was to his
studio, upstairs or completely out of the house, except for a few brief
appearances.

On
Tuesday he asked me what I liked to do in my spare time.

"Nothing
too earth-shattering," I replied. "Since I'm new to the city, I spend
most of my free time exploring it."

"What
about when you lived in Chicago?"

I
shrugged. "The normal things."

Caden
frowned, not looking pleased by my vague answer. "And what exactly are the
normal things?"

I
wanted to sigh in frustration, but I kept the smile on my face as I lied. I
wasn’t able to tell him about my non-existent social life back in Chicago.
"Spending time with friends, eating out, going to games and concerts,
museums...you know, normal things."

"Have
you seen any of my collections? I've had a few exhibitions at the Museum of
Contemporary Photography."

I
wanted to roll my eyes at his question since it seemed a little self-promoting,
but I suppressed the urge.

"No,
sorry." I didn't mention that the last thing I wanted to see was his
conquests at their peak of pleasure. I was relieved when he dropped the
subject.

On
Wednesday, he asked about my travels.

"Have
you been abroad much?"

I
shook my head. "No, I've never been out of the United States." I had
been too busy most of my life struggling to keep my head above water and to pay
my bills and rent on time. Now that I was more financially secure, I had toyed
with the idea of visiting Spain or France, but for some reason it still seemed
unreachable. I had spent so much of my life with my nose to the grind to make
sure I was never dependent on another person, that the idea of going abroad
just for pleasure seemed foreign.

Caden’s
expression turned thoughtful. "Is it because you don't have the desire or
you've never had the opportunity?"

"I
guess I've never had the opportunity." I made a show of turning the page
in my notebook loudly. "Anything else you need me to do today?"

By
Thursday, I was getting sick and tired of his questions. This time he waited
until the afternoon to start the inquisition. My patience was already wearing
thin, and when he asked me about my relationship status, my patience wore out.

"Isn't
that a little personal? I don't think it's an appropriate discussion for me to
be having with you." I tried to keep my voice steady but it wavered a bit
with anger. Caden seemed to be under the impression that just because I worked
for him, he had the right to pry into my personal life. It didn't help that
Caden asking about my love life made me extremely uncomfortable.

Caden's
jaw tightened, but his voice was modulated when he answered. "I think it's
relevant. I need to know how much resistance I'm going to get when you have to
work extra hours or work during weekends. A boyfriend always makes things more
difficult."

I
was suspicious of his reasoning, not entirely trusting it, but I figured the
quickest way to end this line of questioning was to answer.

"I'm
single."

Caden's
jaw loosened at my answer and he almost looked pleased. I told myself I was
insane and was just imagining it.

"What's
been your longest relationship?"

Okay,
that was it. His question had
nothing
to do with my employment with him, and there was no way he
could spin it to make it seem relevant. I was tired of being the one answering
all the questions, so I responded without thinking.

"What
about you? Are you in a relationship? What's been your longest
relationship?" The questions came out in a rush, fueled by my indignation

Instead
of being angered by my questions, Caden looked amused, a corner of his mouth
lifting up.

"I
was wondering when you'd start asking questions back."

I
crossed my arms against my chest, even more annoyed that he seemed to be
enjoying my ire.

"Well?
You didn't answer my questions."

Caden
thought for a moment before answering. His expression was bland except for his
amber eyes that seemed to bore into me.

"Relationships...that's
a tricky word. I have plenty of
relationships,
but on my terms. As for my
longest relationship, if you're talking about monogamy, then my longest
relationship has been zero years, zero months and zero days."

I
shouldn't have been shocked by his answer. After all, I knew about his
reputation with women. But his answer did shock me, and I felt my cheeks warm
at his admission. It had been stupid to fire those questions back at him, since
it only served to push our working relationship into even more
inappropriateness.

I
was saved from having to respond by the buzzer that indicated someone was at
the front door. I breathed a sigh of relief and jumped up to the wall monitor
that was connected to a camera outside the townhouse. A man was standing at the
door and I pushed a button to speak.

"Hello?"

"Hi.
It's Michael Seymour, Caden's lawyer."

I
buzzed him in and opened the office door, watching Caden's lawyer who opened
the front door of the town house and greeted me with a smile. No one had
dropped by the office since I had started working for Caden, and I was relieved
by Michael's presence today. Macie had told me Caden didn't accept anyone
stopping by the office without an appointment except for Michael.

Michael
Seymour looked to be in his early sixties and he cut a dashing figure, his
salt-and-pepper hair framing a warm, friendly face that smiled at me widely. He
was wearing a suit, yet looked casual despite the formal clothing.

"You
must be Lauren," he said enthusiastically as I stepped back to let him
inside the office. I couldn't help returning his infectious smile.

"Yes,
it's nice to meet you." I had spoken to Michael once on the phone, and he
was just as open in person as he had been on the phone.

Michael
shook my hand warmly and then looked behind me. His smile widened even more and
I turned around to see Caden scowling back at him.

"What
are you doing here? You were supposed to meet me at the club. And it's not even
close to being one o'clock."

"Ah,
ever the fount of charm." Michael winked at me and spoke conspiratorially.
"Don't let Caden fool you. He's not as big of a brute as he'd like you to
think."

I
had no idea how to respond to Michael's statement, but it turned out to be
unnecessary. Caden stood up abruptly, his scowl turning even more thunderous.
Macie had told me that Michael was one of the few people able to take liberties
with Caden without meeting his wrath, but I wasn't so sure about that at the
moment.

"Michael,
let go of my assistant's hand and sit." It was said in an imperious tone,
but I was surprised that there was no heat behind it. I guess Macie was right.

Michael
grinned in response, but he also dropped my hand that I hadn't even noticed he
was still holding. He sank down in the chair opposite Caden's desk, looking
unperturbed.

"I
just came by to let you know I can’t make our squash game today. Millie has
been after me to go to the doctor for a check-up and she scheduled an
appointment for me today without telling me. She'll be a force to be reckoned
with if I skip it."

Caden
sat back down behind his desk, his look of irritation replaced with concern.
"Is something wrong?"

Michael
waved dismissively. "No, I'm perfectly healthy. Millie is endless with her
ideas of preventative care. I say, if it's not broken, don't fix it."

"She's
right, old man," Caden said wryly. I was sitting back down at my desk but
I couldn't help staring at him. I was used to him being so closed off, but
there was an openness to him with Michael that was fascinating. It was a side
of him that I didn't necessarily want to see, but I couldn't look away.

I
cleared my throat, trying to banish the unwelcome curiosity from my thoughts.
"Michael, would you like something to drink? Coffee?" There was a
small kitchenette in the corner of the office, but I had never used it since
Macie said it was unnecessary to offer Caden coffee since he fended for
himself.

"No
thanks, darling."

I
normally hated anyone using terms of endearment on me, but Michael seemed so
gentle and kind that it didn't bother me. I glanced at Caden and noticed he was
frowning at Michael, still looking concerned.

"What
time is your doctor's appointment? Do you have time for lunch?"

Michael
grinned and nodded. "It's nice that you finally have time to relax. I
barely get to see you when you're in the middle of shooting or when you have
back-to-back exhibitions."

Caden
grimaced but his eyes looked warm. "That's what you always say, but then
you always end up sticking your nose in my business. Remember the time you
barged into the middle of a photo shoot because Millie convinced you I wasn't
eating properly and it was of utmost importance that you deliver her pot roast
to me?"

Michael's
rumbling laugh was a pleasing sound, but I felt uncomfortable being privy to
their conversation. They had an easy familiarity with each other, and I felt
like an intruder listening in, even though I had no choice since they were in
the same room.

"I'll
say. I've never seen a woman scramble for her clothes so quickly."

I
couldn't suppress my sound of surprise, which I quickly tried to hide by
coughing. Michael turned around to look at me, looking supremely amused, but it
was Caden's mocking look that bothered me. But I tried to not let it show.

"Sorry,
I have a frog in my throat." I quickly turned to my computer,
concentrating on updating Caden's schedule, not wanting to see them laughing at
my naive reaction.