Love in Paris (The Art Models Club Book 4) (11 page)

Hunter squeezed her in his arms. “I assure you I would have rather been here. The artist I was escorting around the city today was a total jerk.”

Amber leaned back and stared at Hunter with surprise.

“
He was rude to you of all people?”

Hunter laughed.

“Of course not. Or I would have dropped his ass off at the nearest metro station. But he was rude to some of the other staff at the gallery. I was supposed to take him to dinner tonight. But after the way he was acting, I arranged for dinner to be delivered to his hotel.”

“
Won't you get in trouble?” Amber asked, dismayed.

Hunter shrugged. “Isabelle understood completely. He was petty with her as well but she put him in his place pretty quickly.”

He lifted her chin. “But even without her approval I wasn't going to cater to the whims of that asshole.”

He smiled. “I have my reputation to think of.”

Amber laughed, wondering exactly what Hunter had told the artist. She was sure it wasn't pretty. She remembered how his roommate Caleb had told her how angry Hunter could get. She had never seen him truly furious before. She had a feeling she didn't want to.

The microwave dinged and Hunter broke away to get his dish. He grabbed a chunk of leftover bread in a basket on the table and dipped it into the juicy stew.

“Ah! This stuff is so good,” he said, once he had swallowed his first huge spoonful. “Mom's been making this forever. I think she got the recipe from my grandmother.”

Amber was tempted to bring up the puppy but now was clearly not the time. Instead, she decided on a safer line of questioning that might give her some insights.

“So how far away did your grandparents live from here,” she asked innocently, waiting for him to finish chewing to respond.

“
About an hour outside of the city,” he replied. “I actually stayed there a lot during the summers when my mother was helping my dad out in the office.”

“
That must have been fun,” Amber said, her voice neutral. “I mean, there would be more space for playing in the country side.

Hunter nodded. “Yeah, that was the idea. Give me some fresh air and that sort of thing.”

“Did the family sell the property after your grandparents died?”

Hunter gave her a funny look. He looked wary all of a sudden.

“No. Why do you ask?”

“
Sorry, I didn't mean to pry,” Amber said quickly. “I was just curious but it doesn't matter one way or the other.”

Hunter released the tension in his shoulders.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to be abrupt. I forgot for a second who I was talking to,” he muttered.

“
Hunter Webb! Have you been chatting it up with some tart?”

Hunter laughed. “Baby, you know you're the only one for me.”

He pushed away his now empty bowl. “Come over here so I can show you.”

Amber put her hands on her hips. She dropped her voice to an indignant whisper.

“Okay, you won the bet but there is no way in hell that I am going to make out with you in your parent's kitchen. Especially with them in the next room!”

Hunter chuckled but his eyes were dark.

“If I wanted to, I would prove you wrong yet again,” he said, his voice thick with lust.

Amber felt herself melting under the heat of his gaze. His eyes made her tremble.

Hunter smiled slyly.

“
Lucky for you, I would never do that to my mother. I simply wanted to give you another hug.”

Yeah, right. Like she was going to believe that.  Amber stood and carried his dishes to the sink.

“Hunter, do you want to help me wash these up?” she called out loudly over her shoulders.

Hunter started laughing as his mom came in, immediately pushing Amber's hands away from the sink.

“No, darling, leave those. You two should get going so you're not exhausted tomorrow.”

Before she knew what was happening, Amber found herself with her coat and walking out the door after quick hugs from Hunter's parents.

“See you in the morning,” Mrs. Webb called as she waved to them from the door.

Hunter ushered her into the car. Oh! So apparently they were using the car service to get back. Amber noted the new driver. She supposed the drivers operated on a rotating shift if the car was used this much. Unless this was a different car? She had to shove aside the nagging thought that this must cost a fortune.

For the trip back to the hotel, Hunter seemed content to hold her in his arms as she told him about her afternoon at work. She had to give him credit. He sincerely seemed interested in her day. The only thing on her mind that she couldn't talk about, though, was her suspicion that something terrible had happened to his dog when he was a child. She couldn't simply blurt it out and her one awkward attempt to get more information had led to that weird change in his behavior. Plus the strange comment about not remembering who he was talking to.

The most puzzling aspect was that she absolutely believed that she was the only woman in his life. Had there been someone when he was much younger that had gone after him for his money? Was that what had surfaced? Or was there something about his grandparent's house that bothered him even now as an adult.

“Are you okay?” Hunter asked after she had been quiet for a little while.

“
Sorry, I think I'm just a bit tired,” she said, and as if to make her case she found herself yawning.

“
We'll go straight to bed when we get home,” Hunter said.

Amber wanted to argue that she would decide if she was ready for bed but she didn't want such a nice day to end on a sour note. She imagined herself giving Hunter a gift of agreement in a large box with a bright red bow on top. Hmm . . .That might be a good gift for his birthday, she thought and yawned again. Wow, she was more tired than she imagined.

Hunter shifted beneath her and shrugged off his coat. He folded it over and placed it on his lap.

“
Lie down and close your eyes, baby,” he said softly and Amber was again too tired to object.

Almost as soon as she put her head down, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep. She vaguely remembered Hunter carrying her through the hotel lobby and then undressing her and tucking her into bed. Sometimes, she thought groggily as she turned over and snuggled in the covers, having a control freak for a boyfriend wasn't the worst thing in the world.

Amber was in the break room at the office, refilling her water bottle, when she heard a familiar unpleasant voice down the hall. Peeking out, she was startled to see Kayla's mother in the middle of a low argument with her husband. She darted back into the break room and tried to hear the conversation but she only got small snatches.

Amber knew that the Webbs were out of the office for the next hour or so. Mr. Webb had a meeting with a client and Mrs. Webb had left for a dental appointment. As everyone's schedule got posted on a whiteboard in one of the conference rooms, it would have been easy for Mr. Ross to let his wife know when the Webbs weren't around. Hmm . . .She was assuming that Mrs. Ross wouldn't visit the office with the Webbs around. She was really getting paranoid now. Then she thought of her name. Mrs. Webb had purposely left it off because she was afraid that some of the other staff might be tempted to give her additional errands.

“
Please know that you are only here to work for me,” she told Amber firmly that morning. “I know of a few people who will try to take advantage of having a young person around. But feel free to tell them that is not your responsibility. Later, you can take on any additional responsibilities you want as long as it doesn't interfere with your primary job.”

Amber put her ear as close to the door as she could as bits of conversation floated down the hall.

“Files . . .not working. . .time . . .Amber. . .disaster.”

What the hell? Were they talking about her? Amber strained to hear. The voices started to fade and she peered out the hall cautiously. The Rosses were walking further down the hall toward an empty conference room. When they entered the room, Amber didn't pause for even a moment. She tiptoed out and crept down the hallway, looking for a place to conceal herself. She didn't know what was going on but she had a sinking feeling it wasn't good for her.

At the very end was a tall storage closet that the cleaners used. Mrs. Webb had pointed it out, explaining that there was an access panel to the water pipes for the restrooms in the corner that plumbers could use in an emergency. Amber slipped inside. The closet door had vertical slats, giving her a clear view of the hallway and the giant copy machine directly opposite of where she stood. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear any conversation coming from the conference room.

Then she heard the click of heels hitting the tiled corridor. A door whooshed open and the heels entered the bathroom. One of the stall doors banged shut. Great, she could hear everything from the restroom. Ugh! She definitely did not need to be hearing those noises. She was contemplating slipping out and simply returning to her work area when she heard more footsteps in the corridor.

Peeking out, Amber watched Mr. Ross shuffle by, one hand clamped to his forehead. He was muttering to himself. The toilet in the bathroom finally flushed and was followed seconds later by running water in the sink. Amber could even hear the distinct sound of the paper towel ripping from the dispenser. The door hissed as it opened and then heels struck the corridor floor. Kayla's mom appeared and stood waiting impatiently by the copier, one hand on her hip as she tapped her foot and checked her watch.

A minute later, Mr. Ross reappeared, carrying a thin folder. He handed it to his wife and started to walk away but Mrs. Ross restrained him.

“Don't be an idiot,” she muttered softly. “What would it look like for me to be copying company documents? Stay here until I'm finished.

“
I could have done it after you left,” her husband said, his voice sounding tired and whiny like a child's.

“
I don't trust you. Last time you left out some of the statements.”

“
I could get fired for this!”

“
Oh, shut up. If they find out what you've already done you'll be lucky if that's all they do to you.”

Her husband groaned.

“I want to stop this,” he said. “I think I'm getting an ulcer. Even the Webbs are asking if something is wrong at home.”

Kayla's mom turned on her husband. “You just keep your mouth shut. Tell them you're having some minor health issues. You're starting to look like death warmed over so it won't appear strange. But I need at least a few more of these for our client.”

Amber felt her face flush with anger. What the hell was that bitch up to? She patted the pockets of her linen slacks, disappointed she didn't have her cell phone with her. There was no way that anyone was going to believe this without proof.

Kayla's mom was scrutinizing the documents as she began to put them into the document feeder.

“Wait a second!” she hissed. “This isn't the full report. Half of what I need is missing.”

Kayla's dad shrugged helplessly. “They haven't finished the report yet. When Hunter left they postponed the board meeting.”

Kayla's mom slammed the folder down on the copier. “Why didn't I know this sooner?”

More footsteps sounded in the hallway and another accountant passed by on her way to the restroom. Kayla's mom plastered a fake smile on her face.

“Bonjour, Renee,” she said as the woman passed. “Comment allez-vous?”

The woman greeted her politely and continued into the restroom.

Kayla's mom lowered her voice so much that Amber could barely hear her.

“
When I return . . .states . . .better . . .report.”

Inside the restroom the toilet flushed and Mrs. Ross's voice got a bit louder.

“I'll hold the client off as long as I can. But I expect you to provide what I need within three days of that meeting.”

“
I'll get it for you,” Kayla's dad said, his forehead dripping with sweat.

“
No. I don't trust you and your ethical issues,” Kayla's mother said, making a face. “You monitor those schedules and let me know the next time the Webbs are out of the office once the board meets. I'll take care of the report.”

Amber swallowed hard. She was glad she was hidden here in the closet. That woman was ruthless. If she could make a grown man, her own husband, tremble and sweat like that, what would she do with someone like Amber?

Just before she stalked away, Kayla's mother purposely knocked some of the papers to the floor.

“
Clean this mess up,” she said, clearly referencing what she thought of as his incompetence.

Amber actually felt sorry for Kayla's dad as he bent and scrambled for the papers just as his co-worker stepped out of the restroom.