Pandora's Box (previously Worth the Wait, a Zebra print best seller) (21 page)

Erik entered the room slowly and sat next to her on the bed. “Are you avoiding me, runt?”

Charlie kept her eyes downcast and twisted the laces through her fingers. “Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know. Because you think I might be upset about you and Damian?”

She raised her head. “Are you?”

“Of course not. I never would have pictured the two of you together, though. I mean, Damian can be about as exciting as strained peas.”

Strained peas? That was not the image that came to mind when she thought of Damian. “I accused him of not knowing you, but you don’t know him very well either. Damian is more like chocolate mousse. Smooth, delicious, and sinfully rich.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, kid. If you’re not careful, he could be fattening, too,” Erik added ruefully.

Charlie felt a hot flush creep up her cheeks. “Erik!”

“What?” he asked innocently. “So, if Damian’s not the problem, why haven’t you called me all week?”

She turned away again and mumbled, “You should have told me, Erik.”

“Told you what?”

“That you knew I spent time in the juvenile home, and why.”

His face turned flame red. “He told you? Damn it, Charlie, he promised he wouldn’t say anything. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not mad because you told Damian. I only wish you’d said something to me. When he dragged me down to that place, I panicked.”

Erik drew his brows together in a frown. “What place?”

“He didn’t tell you what he was doing?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Charlie stood up and walked across the room. She stumbled over the words, but facing the truth was the only way to get beyond it “He brought me to a woman’s trauma center to talk with one of the counselors.”

“He did what?” Erik fumed, springing to his feet “That is so typical of him. He always thinks he knows what’s best for everyone.”

Charlie grabbed hold of his hand as he headed for the door. “He was right this time, Erik.”

The calm acceptance in her words dissipated some of his anger. He unclenched his fists and leaned back against the wall next to her. “So, what happened?”

“At first I was going to leave and go back to my apartment. I felt so humiliated. I spent ten years blaming myself, and I thought everyone else would think the same if they knew.”

“Oh, God, Charlie. It wasn’t your fault.”

She nodded sharply. She wasn’t comfortable talking about it, even now. “I know that now. But it didn’t make it any easier to know that you couldn’t talk to me about it.”

He squeezed her hand. “I wanted to. I kept hoping you’d feel close enough to me to tell me on your own. I didn’t want you to know I’d hired a private investigator to find you.”

“I didn’t think you found me by divine intervention. Did you have to hire such a good one?”

“He damn near didn’t find you at all. For three years there wasn’t a trace of you. And then you changed your name. I was afraid that you might have gone to Algeria to find your mother’s parents.”

“My mother’s parents?” she exclaimed. It had never crossed her mind that she had grandparents. “Are they still alive?”

“I don’t know. According to Peter’s journal, her father disowned her when she left home. I know you never read his diary, but you’d learn a lot about your mother if you did.”

“A very one-sided story, I’m sure,” she mused.

Erik shook his head. “He never blamed her. If anything, he took full responsibility for his own actions. He knew what he was and he was always brutally honest about it. He never loved my mother, either. She was wealthy, and more than willing to support his career financially. It was only when he began to have second thoughts about leaving you with his aunt that my mother made sure she had a stranglehold on him.”

Charlie’s curiosity won out over her bitterness. “What was that?”

“Me. She made him choose between his son with her, or a daughter he never knew. A daughter who would be terrified of him.”

Try as she would, Charlie couldn’t work up any sympathy for her father. Money had been more important to him than his child. “He never visited me once, Erik. Not once.”

“I’m not defending him. I’m only suggesting that you read the journal to learn about your own family. He wrote about his time in Algeria and the village your mother came from.”

“I’d like to know about my mother.”

“You should. Regardless of the fact that she’s gone, she was a part of who you are. I hate my mother’s role in all this, but she’s still my mother.”

“I don’t want you to choose sides. Or Damian, either.”

“It’s too late. The sides have already been drawn. For once in her life, Mother is going to have to learn how to share or have nothing at all. I have a pretty good idea where my brother stands. I don’t know what he said to her after graduation, but she’s been licking her wounds ever since.”

Charlie twisted her fingers together. That wasn’t what she’d intended. Perhaps at one time she had wanted Monica to suffer, to know the pain that she herself had felt for most of her life. But not at the expense of Erik or Damian. And they were hurting. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want this to happen. I told you that she never should have met me.”

“Well, there is one bright spot: It has kept her from making Shelly’s life hell.”

“I can imagine.” Charlie had to smile. “She’s probably so worried that I’ve got my claws in her older son that the prospect of Shelly as a daughter-in-law is a relief.” The smile faded. “I shouldn’t have gotten involved with Damian. I’m such a jerk.”

Erik laughed. “I don’t think he left you a choice. I’ve never seen such determination in Damian away from the boardroom.”

“I can’t figure out why.” It was a question that had long been bothering her. She had nothing to offer him in return for all he’d given her.

“Because you’re a rainbow of emotion in his otherwise black-and-white existence.”

“Don’t make me gag! It’s more likely guilt,” Charlie said, half afraid it might be true.

“No,” Erik assured her. “It might have started out that way, but not anymore. His time is something he shares rarely and with very few. I couldn’t tell you the name of one woman he dated more than twice in the last few years.”

“Is that supposed to ease my mind or warn me off?”

“Erik,” Damian called from the door. They both turned their heads, embarrassed that they’d been caught discussing him. “If you’re trying to help me, don’t. You’re scaring off my best girl.”

“Best?” Charlie pouted, turning her back on him. “I’d better be your only. You can’t keep up with me now. Another one might kill you.”

Damian came up behind her and slid his hands around her waist, locking them in front. “You might do that on your own.”

“I think this is where I leave,” Erik said. “I’d hate to have to beat up my brother, defending my sister’s honor.”

She closed her eyes and expelled an exasperated sigh. “You have such a dirty mind, Erik. I wasn’t talking about that.”

“You weren’t?” Erik and Damian said at the same time.

“You’re both sick,” she muttered. “It’s a good thing I’m going home today.”

“You’re going home?” Damian said.

She glanced down at her outfit, the only clean clothing she had left “I’d look pretty silly showing up for work tomorrow in my shorts and tee-shirt.”

“We can pick up your clothes and come back,” Damian suggested.

She tilted her head back and scrunched her nose up at him.

“Okay,” he said, “you win. I’ll take a suit with me and we’ll stay there.”

“Excuse me,” Erik cut in. “Shelly’s all alone out there. I’ll leave the two of you to argue this one. Let me know the results, so I know if I’m staying here or back at Charlie’s place. I haven’t found an apartment yet. Of course, there’s always a homeless shelter.”

“Are you going to park the Ferrari out in front while you inquire about a bed?” Charlie asked. “Or perhaps you’d prefer I just take all my things and move right in here? Then you can have my apartment.”

“Good idea,” Damian said.

When would she learn? Every time she let out a sarcastic snipe, she wound up with her foot in her mouth. “I would have thought that after a full week of me, you’d recognize sarcasm by now. And don’t you walk out of here, Erik. Erik . . . Erik . . . come back here this minute,” she demanded.

The door shut behind him with a resounding thud.

Charlie began to squirm in Damian’s arms. He gave her just enough slack to turn around and face him. “Let’s go pack your things, Charlie.”

She kept her palms firmly on his shoulders as he tried to move her closer. He was not going to cloud her mind with sex. “We’ve had this discussion before. I am not going to live off of you.”

“Not off of me. With me,” he corrected, drawing her nearer.

He pressed his lips against her temple, her cheek, her ear. She lost her desire to fight and slid her arms around his neck. He wasn’t going to change her mind, but she might as well enjoy the effort on his part.

He slipped his hand under her shirt and cupped her breast. “Charlie?”

“The answer’s still no,” she muttered, then gasped as he took the nipple between his fingers and massaged it. “It’s not going to work.”

“It already is,” he whispered in her ear.

He knew all the right buttons to push. Without realizing it, she returned each caress with one of her own, oblivious to the fact that they had company in the next room.

His hand kept moving lower in tender strokes. His fingers paused at the elastic of her shorts. “Are we going to pack your things?”

“I won’t change my . . .” She moaned as his hand slid inside her panties. She pulled his hand back and locked her fingers through his. “That’s not fair.”

“I know.” He kissed her firmly on the lips. “I don’t feel like playing fair. I want to get my way.”

“I want to get my way,” she mimicked in a child’s voice. She lowered her head on his shoulder and sighed. “You’re so spoiled.”

“Please, Charlie. I’d like you to stay.”

She wanted to scream yes, if you’ll finish what you started here, which was exactly his intention. She didn’t want to be manipulated. However, she was spineless when it came to saying no to Damian, and they both knew it “Only until Erik finds his own place.”

“I’ll take it.”

He kissed her again and turned her loose. Her legs felt like two rubber bands; her body, hot and painfully unfulfilled. What a letdown! She stared up at him, making no attempt to hide her frustration. “How do you turn it off like that?”

“Who are you kidding? I’m going to take a cold shower.” He smiled wickedly. “And then I’m going to cut off Erik’s trust account so he can’t afford an apartment until he finds a job.”

Charlie dropped her weary body into a chair. “Oh, you are a rat.”

“It was a joke, Charlie.”

“I know. But you would if you could.”

“You’re right,” he admitted with no shame at all. If he had his way, she’d never leave.

Every day she got stronger. The prison wall she’d built around herself was crumbling, freeing a passionate, giving woman. He only prayed that when she was truly free, she wouldn’t want to leave.

* * * *

To keep from being swept out the door with the flow of people exiting at the Times Square station, Charlie held onto the overhead strap. After completing her first week of work, she had settled into a comfortable commuting routine. She’d had a huge argument with Damian when she insisted on taking the subway to work. How could she keep a low profile if she arrived at work every morning with the boss?

The doors closed and the train began to move down the tracks. She didn’t have to worry about losing her balance. Jammed in the hot car, like a two-legged sardine, she was supported on all sides.

Charlie didn’t let it bother her. She considered inconvenience the price of independence. Finally, she had stood her ground against Damian and won. An amazing feat when she thought about the Svengali-like power he had to make her do what she swore she wouldn’t. She hadn’t wanted to like him. She hadn’t wanted to date him. She had never imagined that she would fall in love with him either, but that seemed to be right where she was heading. She had thought the few days he would be traveling on business this week would give her time and space to put things in perspective. The only conclusion she had come to was that she missed him desperately when he was away.

In less than ten minutes she exited the station and stayed with the large crowd of passengers until she was on the street again. A three-block sprint had her safely back in the apartment. She snuggled into the leather sofa and pulled a blanket across her legs. The air-conditioning felt uncomfortably cold. When Damian was home she barely noticed the temperature. It always rose twenty degrees when he touched her.

With Damian away she decided to read through her parents’ papers. She wasn’t sure what she would find, but she wanted to be able to come to terms with any emotional jolts before sharing it with him. Her feelings for Damian were still too fragile.