Pulse thundering in her ears Coco stalked to her desk and waved to the screens.
‘Help yourself and have a look. I’ve nothing to hide.’
The look on his face made her stomach clutch.
The expression in his eyes was one of thoughtful anxiety.
‘What?’ she almost yelled.
His eyes stayed on hers.
‘Why on earth didn’t you tell your father? He’ll be delighted when he learns of this.’
He still didn’t get it.
Louise swore under her breath and he looked from one to the other in genuine bewilderment.
Coco simply stared at him.
Then spoke very slowly as if speaking to an imbecile,
‘My father, and it hurts me to say this, is a control freak and a chauvinist. He wouldn’t be able to help himself. He’d take over, convinced that he could do better than the little women, with you and my brothers bringing up the rear banging the same drum.’
Rafe leaned forward now, resting his elbows on his knees as he studied her with dark brooding eyes.
‘The man loves adores you.’
Coco knew that was true.
Her throat began to ache and her stomach burned.
How could she to put into words the feelings churning through her system?
‘You’re right. But he’s also a controlling, manipulative old plotter.’ She walked to the window and stared out not seeing the fabulous view and spoke from the heart, ‘He’s an iron fist in a velvet glove.’ She spun around to stare into those unfathomable eyes and what she saw there filled her with dismay. ‘He’s so overprotective he suffocates me. There are times when I’ve felt unable to breathe. He refuses to really see me.’
‘Have you tried talking to him?’
She rolled her eyes to heaven.
‘Oh please, anytime I’ve tried to have an opinion he shoots me down. And so does Ethan, so do Bruce and Wallace and so do
you
.’
He looked so stunned she might have slapped him.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
She nodded.
‘I know you don’t, because you have a penis. Monroe Industries is a boys’ club. And quite frankly I am sick and tired of the boys’ attitude.’
His eyes went dark with outrage. ‘Is this an attention seeking thing?’
Coco exchanged a look with Louise, which said,
‘What the
hell
do you do with him?’
and shook her head.
‘No,’ she explained, holding onto patience by her fingernails. ‘It’s about being treated as an equal thing.’ At his blank expression, she slapped her hands on the back of the sofa and leaned over. ‘Describe me in ten words.’
Rafe didn’t hesitate.
‘You’re gorgeous, great legs, nice teeth, sexy, mischievous, self-centred, devious.’ He screwed up his eyes before continuing, ‘Selfish, spoilt and a pain in the ass.’
Coco didn’t trust herself as tears gathered in her throat; they humiliated and mortified her as the knife twisted in her belly, her heart.
Well, she’d asked him hadn’t she?
As a desperately hurt gasp escaped from her mouth, amusement faded from Rafe’s eyes as they held hers.
He stood.
On legs not quite steady Coco moved towards the door and slapped his hand away when he reached out to her as she passed.
‘Stupid, idiot
man
.’
The door slammed behind her.
‘Well done, ace. Nice shot. You really got her where it hurt that time.’
Furious, Louise loaded the tray and picked it up.
His conscience was clear Rafe told himself ignoring the pang in his heart and the sick ache in his gut.
As he opened the door for Louise, she speared him with a dirty look and sailed past him.
Heaving out a deep breath, he sat behind Coco’s desk and pressed a key.
All four screens flared to life.
Absently, he rubbed his neck, ran a hand through his hair as he took his time surfing through various files.
She’d told him to help himself and to have a look so why did he feel guilty?
Because he knew he’d never forget the look on her face or the fact that he’d put it there.
He’d hurt her.
His description of her had been half true.
If he told her what he really thought of her she’d stomp all over him and he couldn’t have that.
How could he say he adored her and found her funny and smart? That he found her beautiful, spirited and courageous? She’d grind him down like a bug. Self-preservation, that’s what made those things pour out of his big mouth.
He leaned forward scrolling down a document and tapped the keyboard.
His eyes grew wide as he sat back and took a breath.
Well, well, it seems the little madam was a definite chip off the old block.
She’d been making a killing on the currency markets buying forward currency contracts.
Her pharmaceutical portfolios and commodities were impressive too, she’d sold high and bought low. She’d dumped banking stock well before the recession. And she’d dumped her property portfolios a good eighteen months before the banking crisis. It looked as if she was researching the property market again but hadn’t jumped.
He sat back and absorbed the information and the bitter realisation he’d seriously underestimated her. One part of him had always felt when he was ready and Coco was ready they would explore their combustible feelings. He’d almost acted on those feelings once when she’d turned eighteen. Sometimes he regretted not taking her then, but she’d been too young and hadn’t lived a life. Now he wondered if he’d left it too late and the thought burned in his gut.
She’d moved on and made something with her life without him or her family - in spite of them in fact. What if she didn’t want him? No, her reaction to his kisses was not that of woman who wasn’t interested, quite the opposite, he reminded himself with relief.
The door flew open.
Coco entered.
Her face was ashen.
Those vivid eyes wild and blind.
She clutched her cell phone in one hand and stretched the other out to him.
‘Rafe, my God. Daddy...’ She staggered forward as he reached her.
Her trembling hand caught his fingers as eyes wide with shock met his.
‘He’s been shot.’
Chapter Sixteen
Joshua Erichsen swung his BMW6 series grande coupe through the gates of Sweet Sensations.
Usually he sat back and enjoyed studying the huge barn conversion he’d designed with Bronte Ferranti’s needs in mind. Two years after the business had moved from The Dower House, the building was settling well into the fabulously landscaped gardens. And the new cherry trees were looking stunning too. However, today he wasn’t in the mood to look at flowers or trees.
Nope.
Today he and a certain Janine Faulkner were going to have a little heart to heart.
And it was long overdue.
He popped the trunk, got out and pulled on his suit jacket.
He was an award-winning architect and since this was strictly a business meeting he’d gone to a lot of trouble to dress the part.
Picking up the tube of drawings, the house file, he closed the trunk, locked the car.
And strode into the vast reception area.
Immediately his senses were assailed with the sublime scent of baking cakes, toffee, chocolate and the sound of an iPod deck rocking Sharleen Spiteri. The pastry chefs at Sweet Sensation had a brilliant taste in music.
Bronte was busy icing a huge cake base.
When she spotted him her eyes lit up and her beaming smile of welcome did much to ease an aching heart and restore his shaky confidence. Even in kitchen whites with her white blonde hair hidden under a chef’s cap, she looked absolutely gorgeous. Tugging buds from her ears, she pulled off thin silicone gloves, dumped them in the trash and made her way towards him.
‘Why hello, handsome. And what can I do for you?’
She rose on the tiptoes of her rubber kitchen clogs and smacked him with a friendly kiss right on the mouth.
He gave her a one armed hug.
‘Hi, beautiful. I’m looking for Janine. I’ve the approved plans for The Grange. I need her sign off.’
Grabbing his hand, she tugged him through to the main kitchen where the heavy lifting of her business was done. Three industrial ovens, work surfaces, cold room, fridges, all in immaculate stainless steel were busy and in full production. He noticed the team had expanded and he counted six chefs working hard.
‘Wow, Bronte, if this carries on you’re going to need more space.’
‘No way. We’re missing Rosie, but thank goodness Janine has picked up most of the administration slack. I’ve no idea what would have happened if she’d not come on board.’
He held up the drawing tube. ‘Is she up in the office?’
‘No. She’s in the annexe with Boo. Come with me.’
She led the way down a wide corridor, and they skirted around a couple of buggies. One was a funky stroller and the other was some sort of huge three-wheeled contraption.
Bronte grinned at his raised brows.
‘I know, and all for one little baby girl.’ She pointed to the three wheeler. ‘That one’s for jogging.’
‘She jogs with the baby?’
‘Everyday.’ Bronte knocked the door, opened it and called out, ‘It’s only me and a big handsome man.’
Janine’s throaty laugh made his heart go pitty pat. ‘Come on through,’ she called.
She was sitting on a couch breast-feeding her baby.
For a moment Josh went to back out, to give her privacy, but he realised she wasn’t embarrassed.
And it took his system a couple of heart beats to realise that he’d never seen anything so beautiful in his life as Janine nursing her baby.
Since Bronte led the way, Josh saw Janine’s eyes go from warm as she greeted her friend to solid ice when she saw him.
And that look tipped him over the edge.
Professional be damned.
He turned to Bronte.
‘Am I a man who tortures puppies?’ he demanded to know.
Her eyes went huge before she frowned at the tone.
‘No.’
‘Do I have a bad reputation where women are concerned? Am I regarded as a toxic player or a breaker of hearts?’
Now her eyes bounced from Janine’s flushed cheeks to Josh and back again.
‘Ahh... No... You’re regarded as a very nice guy. Why?’
‘Perhaps you’d like to tell that to your friend here.’
He was fed up.
Pissed off.
And fucking furious with Janine for making him lose his temper.
Josh knew he was making a scene, behaving badly, but he simply couldn’t seem to help himself.
Bronte looked at each of them. ‘What’s going on?’
Janine opened her mouth, but Josh jumped right in.
‘I’ll tell you what’s going on. I asked her out twice. She said no. She doesn’t feel the buzz. Maybe she doesn’t even like me. That’s fine. I can take rejection. I’m not a fucking animal. I backed off, no problem. But ever since she’s treated me to the beady eye. To the Ice Queen routine. Which makes me wonder why she retained me as her architect for The Grange in the first place? Surely she must have known we’d be seeing each other frequently?
‘I can’t work like this. I’ve always managed to have a professional relationship with all my clients.’ He paused to glare at Janine. ‘Even the difficult ones. But I can’t do this. I refuse to be treated like horse dung. Here are the drawings. Sign them. Don’t sign them. I don’t care. Find yourself another architect.’
He stopped to take a breath and found two women with jaws on the floor simply staring at him as if he’d lost his mind. Maybe he had lost his fucking mind. But he’d had enough.
Along with the files he placed the drawing tube on the kitchen worktop.
He held up his hands in the peace gesture, turned on his heel and walked out.
Bronte simply stared at the door as it closed behind him.
And turned wide eyes on her friend who was so pale she thought she was going to pass out.
‘Well, God,’ she said at last. ‘What the hell was all that about?’
Janine found her daughter with her nipple still in her mouth staring up at her with big blue eyes as if to say,
‘Yes, mummy, what was that all about?’
Her baby girl adored Josh. She’d even smiled as she was feeding when she’d heard his deep voice.
And Janine knew a pang of shame because every single thing he said had been nothing but the truth.
She had been treating him badly.
Carefully she lifted the mewling baby onto her shoulder to rub her back and right on cue she burped. Settling her to the other nipple, she waited until Boo had latched on before her eyes met Bronte’s.
‘He makes me jittery,’ she admitted. And the way her cheeks burned made her wish to hell she wasn’t one of those women who blushed at the drop of a hat.
Bronte perched on the arm of the couch, folded her arms.
‘You know he has feelings for you?’
So what? Who’d asked him to have feelings for her?
She didn’t want his
feelings
.
‘That’s not my problem,’ she tossed back. ‘I’m not in the market for a man. And certainly not a man like him.’
Now Bronte’s eyes went huge.
‘What’s wrong with Josh? He’s lovely. I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word against him.’
‘It’s all an act. Behind those blue eyes lurks a predator. I can see straight through Mr Charming. I’ve been down that road before, Bronte. And I’ve no intention of going down it again. He’s got too much charisma. He’s too damned good to be true. And I just want him to leave me alone.’
Her friend blinked.
‘Sweetheart, what are you talking about? What road have you been down before? Talk to me, Janine.’
Her heart roaring in her ears, Janine wondered why on earth she’d said those things to her friend. Once she started exchanging confidences where would it end?
‘I don’t want to about it.’
God, she was trembling.
And the way her baby was staring up at her, the way she whimpered, made Janine gather herself together.
This was not good.
She was upsetting herself, her baby.