He circled my waist with his arms and pressed a quick kiss to my mouth. If he didn’t have time for a rendezvous, he usually avoided giving me too much affection. When he did, it always led to other things. And if that happened, neither one of us would be eating lunch. He took my hand and walked with me to the courtyard. The second he appeared in the midst of the stone, flowers, and neatly trimmed bushes, the maids walked out with platters of sandwiches, salad, and assorted fruit. They set everything on the table underneath the umbrella then disappeared. Even though Crewe said thank you, they didn’t say much back. It was as if they were afraid to anger him in some way.
I knew Crewe could be intimidating, but he wasn’t that intimidating.
“How’s your day?” Crewe had a cup of coffee with his lunch instead of a glass of scotch. He’d had to quit drinking all over again, but at least he was sticking to it.
“Pretty good. Did some reading.” I hadn’t even begun the process of applying to a school. Now that I knew Crewe and I wouldn’t last much longer than a year, I didn’t see the point. It would be a waste of time and money since the credits weren’t transferrable. “How’s yours?”
“Ariel brought a new client to the table. He owns over two dozen restaurants in Greece, Turkey, and Austria, so he’s brought big business. Apparently, Cassandra had a connection to him.”
“That’s nice.”
“We’re gonna have dinner with Ariel and Cassandra soon. They seem serious, so I’d like to get to know her.”
I wasn’t sure why a sweet woman like Cassandra was with Ariel in the first place. That woman didn’t have a heart. “Let me know when.”
Crewe set his napkin in his lap and ate like we had visitors. His manners were an integral part of his demeanor, so he never ate like a normal person. I, on the other hand, always made a mess—one way or another.
“There’s something I wanted to ask you.”
“I’m listening.” He popped a strawberry in his mouth and focused his expression on me. He always gave me his entire focus whenever I asked for it. I’d dated a lot of guys who only partially listened to what I had to say.
“Can you help me get a phone?”
“A phone?” he asked, his eyebrows raised.
“Yes, like a cell phone.” I made it clear I was an independent human being this time around. “I’d also like a laptop and a car.”
Crewe didn’t shut me down. He took a bite of his salad and slowly chewed, considering my request. “I can arrange that.”
“I can pay for my own car. I just need help getting a license. I can pay for my own laptop too, but since I don’t have a license, I can’t just go out and get one.”
“I can have one of the men take care of that for you.”
“I’d like to pay for it, Crewe.” I didn’t want him to buy everything for me. His wealth didn’t matter to me, and I needed to prove that.
When his eyes darkened in intensity, I knew he wanted to shut me down and say he would pay for it anyway. But he knew how important it was for me to be respected as a real person, not a prisoner. “If you transfer the money into my account, I can have them pick up everything you need. Is that fair?”
That was the best compromise I was going to get. “Yes.”
“We’ll work on the license. I can arrange for you to take the exam here and get your license immediately.”
“Okay.”
He drank his coffee then took another bite of his food.
“I was also wondering if I could use your phone to call my brother.” I knew this would be a difficult subject. When I called Joseph before, I planned my escape so I could get away from Crewe. Crewe would carry that scar on his chest until the day he died. There was no way Crewe could just brush that off like it was no big deal.
He didn’t hesitate before he pulled his phone out of his pocket and slid it across the table from me. “Of course, Lovely. You don’t need to ask.”
I got a much better reaction than I hoped for. “Thanks…”
Crewe looked across the courtyard as he chewed his food, his hard jaw masculine and his features sharp and beautiful. It didn’t matter what he was doing, he always looked sexy doing it.
He took my request a lot better than I expected, and I wasn’t sure if his positivity came from Ariel’s return or something else altogether. I was just grateful the conversation went so well.
When he finished his food, he left his dirty dishes for the maids to clear. “I’ll be in my office. Return my phone when you’re ready. I’ll arrange for one of the men to pick up the things you asked for.”