* * *
I was a bit flabbergasted that London had such a small-town feel to it, since it was one of the largest cities in the world. Madison’s place was only about five minutes from the office, and it only took another five minutes to get to the ritziest part of town, the part where the unofficial royalty lived.
I gave the directions to the cab driver, then leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes, trying to gain control of my breathing and calm myself down. I’d made it a point to leave early enough that Robert would most likely still be at his house. Even the early birds and suck-ups weren’t at the office yet, so I was sure I had a decent chance of catching him, a decent chance of my plan working after all.
“Here we are, miss.” The cabbie glanced up at the towering mansion, then let out a low whistle. “Do you actually know someone who lives here?”
“We work together,” I replied quickly, passing a bill through the grate. “Listen, I should only be a few minutes. Is there any chance you can wait?”
The guy nodded and smiled. “Meter’s runnin’, love. Saves me havin’ to find another fare.” He then pulled out a rather questionable magazine as he settled back in his chair.
For a second, I merely froze in astonishment, my eyes flickering over the scantily clad, silicone-enhanced blonde on the front cover, but then I quickly regathered my wits and left the car to idle on the curb, realizing it wasn’t important.
Not the time to lose focus, Della.
I jogged up the front steps and was instantly surprised that Robert Cross didn’t have more security at his home. I half-expected a guard tower, occupied by an armed sniper aiming little red dots at my face and ready to drop me where I stood. I finally surmised that his anonymity was his security, since no one seemed to know who owned the place, save that file in Bev’s desk.
After a deep breath that did little to console me, I rang the bell.
In answer to my courage, I got no response.
After a few seconds, I rang it again, trying to convince myself that I wasn’t crazy for being there. When the third time did not turn out to be a charm, I backed slowly down the steps, ready to give up altogether.
After some sudden and very unexpected movement on the other side, I heard a shout: “Coming!” This was followed by the sound of heavy footfalls, presumably on stairs. “I’m coming. Hang on!”
My body froze, yet my heart quickened at the same time. I gave my dress an unnecessary smooth-down as the lock clocked, and a second later, I found myself staring up into Robert’s face. That didn’t last long, of course, because he was topless, fresh out of the shower and glistening like some kind of Greek god.
“Della?” He tightened the towel around his waist, staring down at me in surprise. “What are you doing here? I’m sorry. Do we have a meeting scheduled?”
I wrenched my eyes away from his bare skin and hurried to answer, “No, no meeting. I just... I’m wondering if you might have a minute to talk.”
Clouds of steam rose from his shoulders as he lifted his eyebrows in surprise. There was a split second of hesitation before he opened the door opened wider and gestured me inside.
After weeks of living with Madison, I had almost forgotten what a real house was supposed to look like. Far from her customary clutter, his was completely bare, almost clinically sterile, doused in every possible shade of cream and white, as minimalist as the white towel he was wearing at the moment. It was so white and perfect and untarnished that I almost asked if I should take off my shoes, but I quickly thought better of that.
“Can I get you some coffee or anything, maybe a spot of Earl Grey?” he offered graciously, still clutching the terrycloth in one hand to keep it from sliding down his hips. “Maybe a bite of breakfast?”
I followed him into the kitchen, shaking my head all the while. “No, thank you. I’m fine. I’m sorry if I caught you at a bad time.”
He turned around slowly and let his hand fall away, as if he was daring the towel to puddle on the floor. His lips curled up in an arrogant smirk before he leaned back against the counter to wait. “Fine. Then what can I do for you, Della?”
Do not stare at his body. I repeat, do not go there, Della. Eyes front and center now. No adlibbing, girl!
I pulled in a deep breath and smoothed my hair back, trying desperately to remain as cool, calm, and collected as he seemed to be. “Actually, I’m here to apologize.”
The smirk vanished immediately, and he looked at me in surprise. “Apologize?” he repeated, incredulous. “For what?”
My cheeks blushed as I dropped my eyes to the tile. “For all sorts of things. I know things have been a bit strange between us since I started working for your company, and it’s mostly my fault. I just... I thought we were one the same page.”
“The same page?” His shoulders shook with a baritone chuckle as his eyes swept over my face. “Honey, we’re not even in the same book. I have no idea what’s been going on—”
“I know. That’s why I’m here,” I interrupted quickly. “I want to fix that. Maybe we could start fresh, take things back to the beginning.”
He paused again, staring at me with a speculative frown. “Start fresh?”
I nodded firmly. “That’s right. We can just erase the last few weeks, pretend they never happened.”
The muscles in his arms and chest flexed as he leaned toward me. “And how, exactly, do you propose we do that?”