Hurting To Feel (Carpool Dolls) (11 page)

She
nodded. He turned and walked out of the room. Away from her, where no one could
see him, he smiled.

Chapter
Twelve

"I
can't go." Addison paced in the living room.

Nathan
stood beside the fireplace, putting on his tie. "You're going."

Everything
about the weekend and staying with him at his house until now left her feeling wonderful.
She enjoyed their time spent together, the way he catered to her every need,
and getting to know more about him. But going with him to a meeting at the
Stewart building was out of the question.

The
likelihood of her father being there and recognizing her was slim. He'd never
seen her before, at least not in a way where he could derive a conclusion, and
figure out she was Carly Flint's daughter.

But,
she'd seen him. Many times. Anyone with half a brain could tell she looked
exactly like her mother. Couple that with sounding like her mother and the mole
on her left cheekbone, seeing him face to face scared her more than playing
Russian roulette.

"Nathan…really,
I don't want to go. I know nothing about your business, and I don't want to
distract you." She approached him. "It's a board meeting, not a
dinner. I promise to go out with you the next time you have an informal
meeting."

"I
want you there. Now grab your purse." He ripped out the loop under his
chin and started again.

"Here.
Let me do that." She moved his hands away, and quickly tied his tie.
"Please, I'll make up for not going next weekend."

Somehow,
she'd come up with some way to pay him back. She'd already convinced him,
although reluctantly, to let her stay at her house during the week. In fact, to
prove he'd compromise, he'd already taken most of her work clothes back to
Vancouver for her.

"If
you told me the truth about why you wanted to stay home, I'd consider it."
He peered down at her. "I said, consider. If you can't be honest with me,
you're going. End of discussion."

"But—"

"No
more." He leaned over, picked up her purse, and handed it to her.
"It'll take an hour, and then I'll drive you back to your house."

She
sighed. There was no talking to him. He set the rules, and he expected her to
obey them.

"My
car is still at the parking garage, probably littered with tickets," she
muttered.

"No,
it's not. I had the Porsche delivered to your house Saturday morning." He
walked away from her.

She
followed. "How did you do that?"

He
looked over his shoulder. "I know people."

Oh,
yeah. His friends. She chewed on the inside of her lip. How he managed to keep
both his lives separate amazed her.

Most
of the time, she forgot he ran a corporate business and lived through what she
could imagine was the worst childhood. He'd kept her so busy the last two days
in bed. She hadn't even had time to think about what he'd warned her about.

The
sex was definitely not abusive or even kinky. No spankings, no scarves, and
although he bullied her around and she eventually decided it was better to keep
her mouth shut, she couldn't say she didn't like how his attention made her
feel. She gobbled every concern of his up as if she were starving for
affection.

She'd
tried to explain how the relationship was new and that at some time she'd want
to get her way. He only ended up smirking as if she was put into his life for
his amusement only.

Tonight
wasn't funny though. Going with him could put her life in danger, her company
in danger and in the same vein, her girls at risk. If her mom feared for her
life when she was alive, what would stop her father from coming after her if he
found out her mother was dead?

Sulking,
she sat in the BMW and stared out the window. His forcing her to go with him to
the meeting felt like punishment. She'd done nothing wrong though.

"Are
you mad at me?" she asked.

"No."
He flipped on the radio. "Disappointed."

She
turned to him. Her stomach ached. "What did I do?"

"You
don't trust me." He shifted gears and turned onto Hamilton Street.
"I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. You need time to learn I'm the
one, perhaps the only one, who you can trust. There's no reason why you can't
come with me. The meeting is private, but because I'm the one running the show,
I want you there. It's a simple request that you should have no problem
fulfilling."

She
blew out her breath. He knew nothing about her, but what she wanted him to see.
Guilt made her stomach churn. She wrapped her arms around her middle and gazed
out the window.

"Fine,"
she muttered. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you if anything weird happens
tonight."

He
reached across the seats and laid his hand on her thigh. "Now that I know
what kind of business you run, it won't bother me to see other men recognize
you. They will keep their distance, and since Quint Salles will be there, I
want to make sure he understands you belong to me. I won't have other men
taking what is mine."

Her
mouth opened and she stared at him. "You're jealous. That's why you're
throwing attitude toward me? You realized that a lot of the men who use Car
Dolls are the same men who you rub elbows with."

"I'm
not jealous." His mouth tightened.

She
laughed. "Oh, my God. You so totally are."

"Don't
be cute." He shook his head and pulled into the underground parking garage
below the Stewart building. "I take care of what's mine. You're mine. And,
since we're on the subject, I don't want you hugging or kissing any of the men
if you do have a working relationship with them."

"Yes,
sir." She giggled. "I'll try to control myself."

He
parked in the first open spot, slammed the car into park, and turned. He hooked
her neck and hauled her toward him until the seat belt dug into her chest and
before she could curb her amusement. The hold on her hair wiped all of the
teasing out of her.

"I'd
kill anyone you touch," he said, between clenched teeth. "Think
before you do something stupid."

"I-I
was joking," she said, hating the way her voice shook.

"I'm
not." He tugged her closer. "I told you there were parts of me you'd
hate. This is one."

She
blinked, unable to look away because he was in her face. So close, he could
kiss her, but he wasn't moving toward her and his eyes were cold.

"Let
me go," she said.

He
remained silent, and he continued holding her. "Don't push me, doll. You
won't like the results."

She
pulled away, and he let her go. Her heart raced, and she rubbed the back of her
neck. He didn't hurt her, but the vehemence of his actions scared her.

He
took the keys out of the ignition. "Are you ready to go in?"

"No,"
she mumbled.

He
let his hands fall in his lap. She swallowed repeatedly to keep her emotions
under control. Dealing with Nathan's wishes on top of the possibilities of
running into her father threatened to undo her.

She
leaned forward. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Nathan
placed his hand on her back. She flinched. When he remained touching her, she
closed her eyes. If it weren't for what they'd shared the last two days, she'd
walk away. She wanted the tender man who held her at night. The one who saw to
her pleasure before his own. The one who carried her from room to room and
called her doll.

Doll.

Such
a stupid name, but she loved when he called her that. She inhaled deeply
through her nose and exhaled through her mouth. She could do this.

After
tonight, she'd be home and have time to understand why she was so indecisive
about Nathan. She'd finally figure out what caused her to fear losing him.

"I'm
ready," she whispered.

He
undid her seatbelt and kissed her forehead. "Good girl."

The
pressure in her chest eased, and she waited for him to open her door and lead
her into the building. In the elevator, she held his hand. On the fifth floor,
she glanced at him and when he leaned over and kissed her forehead, she relaxed.

Inside
the conference room, she nodded politely and sat beside Nathan. While he
talked, she took her chance and looked around at the other men who lined the
table. When she completed the inspection, her whole body relaxed.

Curt
Steward was not in attendance.

Maybe
tonight's meeting would be the last one she had to attend in this building, and
her worry over coming face to face with the man who denied her existence was
for nothing. She gazed up at Nathan as he stood before the other men.

He
caught her looking and winked. The weight of the evening, the tense situation
in the car, faded to the background. The way he conducted himself in business
impressed her, and if she'd been in the right frame of mind, she'd have
remembered everything he'd said. It was simple to forgive him for the few
moments he pressed her into an area where she wasn't comfortable.

But,
she wasn't a fool. She clasped her hands in her lap. The problems they had
weren't going to go away.

She
wouldn't change him. The security of knowing he would never leave outweighed
his demands. So far.

The
reasons he appealed to her were also one of her biggest fears. How long she
could balance her need for him versus common sense dangled in the air,
threatening to fall at any moment.

"Thank
you for coming." Nathan looked at his watch. "I'll have my secretary
fax the paperwork to you on Monday."

Addison
remained sitting as Nathan shook hands with everyone. Nathan never wandered far
from her chair, and eventually he leaned over, kissed her, and helped her to
her feet. She slipped her arm around his back and leaned into him.

"Addison,
this is Pierce Lowes of Lowes and Associates. He's also one of the men who I
meet at the gym on Mondays for a scrap game of basketball." Nathan put his
arm around her.

She
rounded her shoulder and put her hand on Nathan's stomach, and smiled.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lowes."

A
good-looking man with short blond hair and a fast smile, Pierce said, "Nate
was right. You are an doll."

She
tilted her head back and looked at Nathan. "You call me doll…here?"

Nathan
rocked back on his heels, squeezing her to his side. "The day I met you, I
was racing to beat Pierce on the Montgomery contract. I told him a doll helped
me make it to the deadline on time."

"He
won…again," Pierce said, winking.

Nathan
pulled her to the side. "I better get her home. See you Monday,
Pierce."

"Later,
Rafferty," Pierce said.

As
they walked out of the room, down the hallway, and stepped into the elevator,
Addison smiled. She still held on to Nathan's middle, resting her head against
the side of his chest. This was the first time they'd gone out in public as a
couple and she rather enjoyed everyone knowing she belonged to him.

"Happy?"
He pushed the button for the first floor.

She
nodded against him. "I am. I'm proud of you."

"Why?"
he said.

"Just
seeing you leading the meeting and the respect in the other mens' faces. They
like you. That's a huge compliment when you're the one in charge." She
rubbed his stomach and tilted her head back. "And, I know how much work
and time it takes to earn their confidence."

The
elevator dinged. She stepped forward with him when he pulled her over to the
side. She looked up and her lungs collapsed.

"Curt,"
Nathan said.

"Evening,
Nate," Curt Stewart stopped the elevator doors with his hand. "Late
meeting?"

Polished
in a black suit, white shirt, and powerhouse red tie, Addison's father stood
three feet away from her. She turned her head. Her heart raced and her body
seized in an awkward, jerky motion as if seconds took a minute.

"Yes.
The monthly Bradbury meeting with corp." Nathan's hand pressed against her
side as the elevator dinged and the doors swished open. "I'd like you to
meet—"

"I'm
sorry. You'll have to excuse me." She broke away and hurried across the
lobby.

She
heard Nathan excuse himself, and she kept going. The threat of having Nathan
introduce her to her father overpowered whatever he would do to her for leaving
his side. He could beat her, lock her in the house, refuse to take her home,
and she'd count herself lucky if she escaped the Stewart building without a
confrontation with the man she hated with all her heart.

Chapter
Thirteen

Inside
Addison's house, Nathan stood in the entryway. Angry over her actions, he
refused to talk with her while he returned her home. He had a lot to say but if
he started, he was afraid of going too far. Something was definitely wrong.