Charlotte and the Alien Ambassador (4 page)

From what Borgoz had gathered, she’d been mistreated by her family her entire life. Charlotte needed someone who would dote on her, give her everything she could ever want, including love. But that’s where things got tricky. He could promise her a devoted mate who would never cheat on her, but love? He knew of several human-Terran pairings where love was involved, but it didn’t always happen.

“I only know the males in a work setting,” he admitted. “They are honorable males who would treat you well.”

She looked disappointed but nodded her head. “When will I meet your wife?”

Borgoz gave her a startled look. “I don’t have a mate.”

For some reason, that little bit of knowledge seemed to please her. Borgoz wasn’t sure what to make of that tidbit. Surely she wasn’t attracted to him? He was years older than her, and she’d already compared him to her father, a man he knew she didn’t like.

Despite Helio’s warning about Charlotte being eased into Terran cuisine, he took her to his favorite restaurant. Her brow furrowed in the cutest way as she looked at the menu. He knew she couldn’t read a word of what was on the digital display, but it didn’t stop her from trying to figure it out.

“Would you like me to order for you?” he asked.

She gave him a grateful smile and nodded.

Borgoz placed their order and then focused his attention back on the delightful woman across from him. There was still a lot he wanted to know about her, and at the same time, he was almost afraid to get to know her better. Because the better he knew her, the more he would like her, and the more he would want to keep her.

“Why haven’t you mated anyone yet?” she asked. “I would think that you’d have had your choice of bride.”

“There hasn’t been time to look for one.”

“But you want one?”

He hesitated then nodded. He didn’t see the harm in being honest with her, but if he was going to admit that he wanted a mate, she should also know why it wouldn’t be wise for him to take one.

“My schedule is very busy,” he said. “It doesn’t leave a lot of time for finding a bride, much less entertaining a mate. If I ever take a mate, she’ll have to understand that my job comes first and that it’s a very demanding one. I’m sure you can understand since your father holds a position of power on your planet. It takes a lot of hours to get things accomplished, and I’m afraid any woman I claimed would end up feeling neglected.”

“But you’re taking the time to take me shopping and out to eat,” she pointed out. “You could have asked your servant to do it.”

“Servant?” He smiled. “You mean Helio? He’s a fellow council member who sometimes helps out around my house. There’s a group of women who come in twice a week to clean and I used to have a chef, but I eat most of my meals out now. If I’m in the house, I’m usually working, so eating out is my one guaranteed way of taking a break.”

“It sounds like you need a mate worse than you think.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, a mate would want to go on trips around the city. She’d want to go shopping and out to eat. She’d want to visit the pool or maybe go to a park. Although, with that incredible garden, I guess a park wouldn’t be necessary. But she would need you to take her to those places, which would get you out of your office. So you need a mate in the worst way.”

Borgoz couldn’t help but laugh at her logic. He’d been around his share of females, but he’d never enjoyed one quite so much. Nor had he ever smiled or laughed as much as he did around Charlotte. He knew if anyone could drag him out of his office, it would be her. Not that he was going to tell her that. Honestly, the thought frightened him a bit. He’d always been a -- what was that Earth term? -- workaholic. Never before would he have blown off the important documents he needed to review today just to have a meal with a beautiful woman. But for Charlotte, he found he was willing to do anything. One look into her eyes and he’d been smitten.

All right, so he’d also been annoyed -- annoyed at her for being so damn beautiful and annoyed with her father for having lied to him. At the same time, he was grateful that the Senator had sent the wrong daughter because Borgoz had a feeling Charlotte was very, very right. She would just have to be right for someone else. Someone younger, with more time on his hands.

The tent in his pants told him that his body wasn’t listening to all of the reasoning he was doing in his head. She tempted him, beyond words, and he knew he was going to ache until he had her. Or until she was mated to someone else and out from under his roof. At least, that’s what he told himself, but there was this little voice in the back of his head that whispered,
You’ll always want her, even when she moves out… because she’s yours
.

Stupid voice. Stupid male. He had it bad, and no matter what kind of pep talk he gave himself, he’d be better off admitting the truth and learning how to deal with it. Because hiding wasn’t going to be an option.

He made her laugh. Charlotte was certain that wasn’t his intention, but it was true nevertheless. She’d smiled more around Borgoz than she had in months, possibly ever, but the silly man seemed to think he wasn’t the right guy for her. He’d brought up council members or high ranking males several times during their meal, and she humored him by listening and commenting where she could, but really she wanted to take her plate and bash him over the head with it.

No matter what his lips said, his eyes said he found her every bit as fascinating as she found him. When she’d gotten up to use the restroom, he hadn’t been able to hide the erection tenting his pants, so it was obvious he found her attractive. She just wasn’t sure how to get him to act on it. And she wanted him to!

Charlotte had had boyfriends over the years but few and far between, and none were anything like Borgoz. They were boys playing at being men. But she could tell by the serious set of his lips, the determined tilt of his chin, that he was a man who took responsibility seriously. And therein lay the problem. He’d promised her father that he would find her someone influential to marry, but it seemed he’d taken himself off the list. Who could be more influential than the Chief Councilor? And yet, he was determined to push her off on someone else.

Well, she had news for him. She was having none of it! One way or another, she was going to make him realize they could have something wonderful together. He didn’t wince when she spoke in her strange way, and if she asked him to repeat something, he didn’t get annoyed about it. He’d been amused at her hesitance to eat the alien fare brought to their table, but when she’d seemed truly concerned, he’d offered to take her somewhere else, a place that offered Earth cuisine.

“You’re staring,” he said.

Charlotte blinked and then blushed, realizing she had been staring at him, and probably for quite some time. She tried to drag her gaze away, but she found herself looking into his mesmerizing, pansy-colored eyes once more. If anything, he seemed amused by it. Amused was good, right? It meant he was happy spending time with her.

“Thank you for taking the time to show me around and have a meal with me,” she said, trying to think of something to say.

“I’ve enjoyed our time together,” he said softly. And she could have sworn she heard him mumble
too much
, but she couldn’t be certain. Since he wasn’t speaking English, she couldn’t read his lips.

“You don’t have to take me shopping. I’m sure whatever I brought will be fine. I don’t intend to go out into society very much. I’ve found that social activities tend to be awkward for me, sometimes embarrassing. I’d rather avoid them.”

“I promised your father I would find you an influential mate. But a male of that caliber is going to require you to attend functions at his side and play hostess in his home. Your father assured me his daughter knew how to handle those situations.”

Charlotte nibbled her lower lip. “Father was speaking of Charity. She’s been groomed to become the wife of someone important. I was always an embarrassment to him and hidden away when there were parties or political functions. The few times he took me he swore he would never do it again, but the public expected to see both of his daughters with him when he went out. He tolerated me for the voters’ sakes. The only mates he thought would be suitable for me were men old enough to be my grandfather.”

“The more I learn of your father, the more I dislike the man. You’re not something to be hidden away. Any male worthy of you would be honored to have you by his side.”

“I talk funny.”

“I like the way you talk.”

The heated look in his eyes said he liked a lot more than that, but it warmed her from the inside out. Charlotte had never believed in love at first sight, despite all the romance novels she’d read as a teen and adult, but if anyone could make a believer out of her, it would be Borgoz. He was stunning to look at, funny, and he seemed to genuinely like her.

Now she just had to convince him that she was worth keeping.

“Are you ready to shop?” he asked, eyeing her empty plate.

“You really don’t have to take me around the stores.”

His lips twitched. “Is this where you point out again how busy I am? Or are you inferring that you aren’t worth my time?”

Her eyes widened because that hadn’t been her intention. If anything, she wanted him to see her as very worthy of putting work aside. But on Earth, men hated to shop. Were the aliens really that different? She’d assumed all males detested shopping with women.

Borgoz rose from the table and held out his hand, helping her to her feet. Then, he surprised her even more when he wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her out into the sunshine, or what was left of it. The multiple suns were setting, casting the sky into beautiful shades of pink and orange.

Charlotte might have leaned a little closer to Borgoz as they walked to the nearby shops, and she might have sniffed at his heavenly scent a few -- hundred -- times. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had turned her on, but none of those encounters had ever ended well. The men who dated Charlotte really just wanted to secure their future in politics, and thought by taking out the Senator’s deaf daughter, they would score some points. It hadn’t ended well for them or her.

“You look sad,” Borgoz said. “I thought you’d enjoy shopping.”

“I do. I was just remembering something.” She smiled. “I’ll try not to think about the past so much. It’s full of unpleasant memories.”

“No sad memories. I want your time here to be happy. Besides, once you start meeting eligible males, you won’t have time to be sad. It will be one -- what’s that Earth term? Date? -- yes, one date after another.”

She sighed and tried to muster a smile for him. It wasn’t that she would mind going on a date, but she didn’t want to date multiple men. She only wanted to date one man. The one walking beside her right now. But something told her if she said as much to him, he’d run the other direction. She needed to work on him subtly, try to worm her way into his heart, until he realized that he couldn’t live without her.

“Borgoz, what will happen to me if I don’t find a mate here? What if I don’t get along with your councilmen or warriors? What if they don’t like the way I talk or that I can’t always hear everything they say? What if they think I’m defective, just like everyone on Earth did?”

He drew her to a halt and then turned her to face him. “Charlotte, I’ve told you our males are different from your men on Earth. You’re going to make some lucky Terran a terrific mate, and I know there will be several males who wish to have that honor. You’re going to have your choice of who you spend the rest of your life with, so don’t think for a moment that no one will want you.”

“What if I don’t want them?”

He seemed momentarily startled. “You don’t wish to have a mate?”

“It’s not that,” she hedged. “But I don’t want to settle for just anyone. Just because someone wants to claim me as their mate doesn’t mean I’ll want them in return. There has to be some attraction between us, and it would be nice if I could relate to him in some way. You know, have conversations with him. I don’t want a male who only desires me because of who my father is or because he thinks I’m pretty. I want more. I deserve more.”

He studied her a moment, but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. As he stared at her, their gazes locked, the world melted away. Charlotte moved a little closer, her body nearly brushing against his. She wanted to feel his arms around her, his lips against hers. Would he tangle his hands in her hair and tip her head back to kiss her deeper, harder? She’d never had a truly passionate kiss before, and suddenly she really wanted Borgoz to be her first.

Someone jostled them, and just like that, the spell was broken. He cleared his throat and took a step away from her, releasing her hands. Charlotte felt chilled without him standing near and wished he would come back and wrap his arm around her again. But no matter how much she wished it would happen, she could tell from the look in his eyes that he wasn’t going to get that close to her again. Not on purpose anyway.

Borgoz spent the next two hours shuttling her from one shop to another and arranging for her purchases to be delivered to his home. He was patient while she tried on things and even made some suggestions on a few dresses, but he kept his distance. It killed her, the chill that had seeped between them. She wanted the heat back, the passion, but she wasn’t sure what to do to make it happen. She’d felt close to him, and then suddenly he was stiff and formal.

When they reached his home, he bid her a formal goodnight and made a hasty retreat. Charlotte’s shoulders slumped in defeat as she trudged up the magnificent staircase to her room on the second floor. After exploring her space a little more, she decided to soak in the large tub in the bathroom. She found some scented flakes under the sink and dumped a healthy amount into the hot water before sinking in up to her neck.

As an afterthought, she switched off her hearing aids, plunging herself into silence. Charlotte closed her eyes and enjoyed her bath. When her hands began to prune, she drained the water and got out, wrapping a towel around her. She was rummaging through her suitcase, looking for pajamas, when a vibration made her turn to face the door.