Where the Lotus Flowers Grow (29 page)

I didn’t entertain the poisoned dart of doubt she threw in my direction, although it hurt just the same. Not because I believed her, but because I couldn’t understand why she was being so cruel. “Can you call him and tell him I’m here waiting?”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Why can’t you call him? Surely, his girlfriend has his phone number.” She thought I was a fraud…an imposter.

“Will you just ring him, please?”

She gave me a cold smile. “No, I won’t. However, if you don’t leave, I might just call the police.”

I’d simmered all day until this boiling point. I stood. She was taller than me, but I met her eyes. “All you have to do is call him for confirmation of who I am. Do you really want to risk embarrassment with simple assumption on your part? Please understand when I’m speaking about embarrassment, I’m speaking of yours, not mine. Now, please call him.”

She took a moment to consider it. “Wait here.”

It felt as if all I’d done today was wait. This time, though, it only took two minutes until she hurried back to me, a huge smile on her face. “Miss Costa, I apologize for the misunderstanding. One can’t be too careful these days.” Before I could respond, she helped me up. “Let me take your coat.” She took it without my response. “He requested I bring you upstairs. Mr. Montgomery is rushing back to the office at this very moment.” Even as she made the statement, I could hear the inflection in her own voice like it surprised her. “Can I get you something? Coffee, tea, perhaps some wine?”

“No, thank you.” We walked past the guard’s station and slipped into one of the six lifts.

She pushed the button for the top floor. “I hope you understand where I was coming from earlier.”

Yes, from the land of bitchdom
. “Of course.”

The lift opened into a plush room of creams and beige. She gestured toward a sofa. “His office is down the hall if you’d rather wait there.”

“I’ll be fine here.”

She nodded and took the seat opposite me. She began chatting about the weather and upcoming holidays. This I didn’t need. “I’d prefer to wait alone.”

“Of course.”

After she left, I stood and stretched. It was warm, so I took off Liam’s sweater. I walked along the corridor. I told myself it was just to stretch. I was curious, though, and I went deeper until I reached another a set of ornate desks outside of two doors. Neither of them was marked, but one was ajar. I pushed it open. It didn’t make any sound. The carpet was so thick my feet sank. I wanted to take off my shoes and run across it in my bare feet. There was a bank of windows here, too. All the lights and chaos of the city bounced inside, conflicting with the calm space. I sank into the large leather chair, its surface as smooth and soft as butter. Leaning my head back, I swiveled a few times until I got dizzy. All the photos on Liam’s desk were promotional shots of the hotels he owned.

I picked them up, one by one, and studied them. The picture in the last frame was off-center. There was another snapshot behind it, peeking out. Really, I shouldn’t have opened it. This was trespass on my part, but I found myself prying the clips on the back. Under the picture of the hotel was a photo of a gorgeous woman with hair the color of ripe strawberries. She was in a sundress on the beach and smiling at whomever took the photo. The kind of smile you reserved for a lover.

Was this Melanie?

“Well, well, you sure don’t look like Goldilocks, so what are you doing sitting in my chair?”

I spun around, dropping the frame and picture. It hit the edge of the table where the glass cracked.

“Sorry,” I said. “Who are you?”

He had broad shoulders, blond hair, blue eyes, and a smug expression.

“That’s my question, sweetheart. I asked the agency to send a redhead. Looks like they messed up again. Don’t get me wrong, you’re nice to look at, but I have my preferences. I’m pretty set on it.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t negotiate.” He came around the desk and looked at the shattered glass on the floor. “Jesus, what did you do?”

“I’m sorry.” I shifted to the floor and began picking up the pieces of glass.

He picked up the picture and ran his hand over it, almost reverently. Tiny bits of glass fell on the carpet. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I thought this was Liam’s office.”

“It’s not. Are you illiterate? Did you not read the sign outside the door that said Stephen Wilshire in big bold letters?”

“There is no sign.”

He scratched his head. “There’s not?”

“No.”

He walked out the door and came back in. “Well, whatdaya know? I guess we’ll have to fix that.” I felt his eyes on me as I continued to gather the shards of glass, many of them embedded into the thick carpet. His polished black shoes were right next to my face. “Who the hell are you?”

“Mary Costa.”

He got on the floor, but he didn’t help me. Instead, he grabbed my wrist. “Mary Costa…the nurse? Wait, no…you’re the maid. Prabhat told me you’d left with Liam, but what the hell are you doing here? If he’s looking for a new maid, surely he didn’t have to outsource.”

“Liam…” I said, unsure how to finish that sentence under the cold glare of his blazing eyes.

He laughed. “Seriously, you are talented. How does a maid in a third-world country nab a billionaire? What is your secret? You could make a killing marketing your program.”

I pried my wrist away, but he held on. His eyes narrowed in on my scar. In my haste to leave the flat, I had forgotten my bracelet.

No. No. No.

He stared at my scar, his hand curling around my wrist. “Get him to feel sorry for you, did you?”

“Shut up. You don’t know anything about us.”

He pulled my wrist down, almost painfully. His eyes searched my face as if he could find the answers to his questions there.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Your brother’s girlfriend. Let go of me.”

He did. I scrambled to stand and backed away from him.

“What the hell is going on?” Liam’s voice boomed from the doorway.

Stephen stood. He smirked at me, then turned to Liam, his smile widening. “Just getting acquainted with your girl. Why didn’t you tell me about her, bro?”

Liam crossed the room in two seconds. He grabbed Stephen’s shirt. “Because it’s none of your business.”

“Were you embarrassed?”

“Yes,” he seethed. “Of you.”

“Liam,” I whispered. He ignored me. The chiseled lines of his face all hardened. “Liam, please.” I placed my hands around the crook of his arm and tugged. “It’s okay. Let’s go.”

Liam pulled Stephen closer. I thought I misheard at first, but Stephen’s laugh was unmistakable. “Just like old times, eh?”

Liam slammed Stephen against the desk with each of his statement. “You don’t look at her. You don’t talk to her. You don’t even think about her. Understand me?”

“I didn’t invite Goldilocks into the bear cave. She came in here all on her own.”

“I swear to God, Stephen, I will not stop at your jaw this time.”

“Please, Liam.” My voice sounded small and distant. I repeated it, hoping it would anchor Liam before the waves of rage took over.

Liam let go. I reached for his hand. He pulled me through the door, and then into the second office. It was identical to Stephen’s.

He slammed the door and turned to me, rage still on his face. Except this time, it was plainly aimed at me. “Where the bloody hell have you been all day?”

“I was…out.”

The vein in his neck pulsed. “Out?” he asked as if he’d never heard of the concept.

“Liam, are you all right?”

“No, I’m not fucking all right. I’ve been calling the house all day. Miss Jenkins said you went out. Then Clawson said you left to get tea and never returned. I’ve been going mad with worry. Clawson went to the fucking café to look for you. Anderson was out searching for you as well. Finally, I couldn’t take anymore so I canceled my afternoon meetings and joined the search. It never occurred to me you might come here. Why the fuck didn’t you call?”

Guilt pricked at me for wasting everyone’s time. “I did, but they said you were in meetings.”

He dragged his fingers through his hair. “Where did you go?”

“It’s a long story. I’d love to tell you, but not when you’re yelling at me. I’m sorry I worried you. I’ve never had to answer to anyone before.”

“Jesus, Mary, I’m not your boss. You don’t answer to me. You tell me where you are so I don’t worry. That’s all. It’s what being in a relationship is about.”

He took off his jacket and flung it to the couch by the door before slumping in his office chair. I saw his real emotion when the mask of his anger fell away. It was fear. I padded over to him. “I’m so sorry, Liam.”

“I’ll have Anderson take you home. I’m behind schedule now. We’ll talk later.”

Behind him on the credenza was a picture of me standing in front of the massive pillar at Elephanta Cave wearing his navy blue cap. He must have had it printed today. Doubts had crept through me all day, aided by Miss Jenkins, Liam’s assistant, and most of all Stephen. I feared he might be embarrassed of us…of me. But there I was, front and center in his life. When I turned back to him, I knew, although unintentionally, I’d hurt him.

I bent to caress his cheek. “Look at me, Liam. Please.”

He pulled me onto his lap and held me tight. His heartbeat had the rhythm of a war drum.

“I can’t explain myself rationally,” he whispered against my hair.

“You don’t have to.”

He grasped my waist and sat me on his massive desk. In one swift move of his arm, all the contents spilled to the floor. His body pressed against mine, his mouth hungry as it devoured me in passionate kisses. The flush of heat wrapped around my body. He pushed my shirt up. His teeth slid across the cup of my bra, biting the fabric, tugging it lower. His tongue swirled around my breast. Tangling my hands in his hair, I moaned. He went lower, punctuating each increment with hard presses and nips and bites. Somewhere I heard the familiar rip of a condom. He gripped my hips so hard I was sure his fingers would leave marks. The first thrust was swift and deep.

“Tell me you’re mine.” Although he said it in a low voice, the command was urgent.

“I’m yours, Liam. Only yours.”

His eyes blazed with a raw energy that captured me. He lowered his head to watch himself entering me. I did the same. Each thrust was more urgent than the last. Every muscle in my body vibrated with his movements. I bit my lower lip to keep from screaming out my ecstasy. He tugged it free with his own mouth. He swallowed my moans as I released. Heat filled between my legs. When we regained our breath, he kissed me. Not the rough kiss of claim or the passionate kiss of lust. This was a soft kiss against my lips…pure and sincere.

He went into another room of his office, which I assumed was a bathroom. He brought a damp washcloth and cleaned me. Then he leaned back on the desk. We stared at the ceiling for a while.

“I was going out of mind.” He reached for my hand. “Don’t ever do that again. I know you can take care of yourself, but you’re in a new city. A new country. A million things passed through my mind today. None of them good. You have no idea all the horrible things I imagined these last few hours.”

“I promise I won’t worry you again.”

He stroked my hair. “I’m sorry too, Mary. I should have made sure you had a cell phone. I was going to have Anderson get one for you today. I didn’t think you’d be going out. I shouldn’t have gone all starkers on you. I saw you in there with him…and something snapped.”

I turned on my side to face him. “Liam, you don’t have to keep asking me. You asked once if I trusted you, and I do. But you need to trust me, too. I love you.”

He twisted a strand of my hair around his finger. “Next time have Anderson drive you.”

“I didn’t plan it this way. It just happened.”

He kissed my head. “Tell me about your day, sweetheart. What did you do?”

It seemed a bit silly to have this conversation lying naked on his desk. But yet, it was completely normal, too. I told him everything—from the beignets at the bank to my first friend, Chetan.

“Should I be jealous?”

I laughed. “You’re probably more his type than me.”

“I would have helped you with the bank thing. You know you don’t have to spend your money. I’d rather you spend mine.”

“Liam, you’re paying for everything. I can at least purchase for my own coffee.” Even as I said it, I did the mental calculations and realized I couldn’t pay for my own coffee for long.

“Have it your way.”

“Thank you.”

“You rode the subway?”

“Yeah, it was fun.”

He kissed my forehead before standing. “Shall we go?”

“Don’t you have work to do?”

“I can finish up at home. Besides, I want to take my girl to dinner. I can hear your stomach rumbling.”

On cue, it complained again. The beignet, as sweet as it was, had become a distant memory, and I was starving.

We walked to the lift. A gorgeous, tall woman with red hair walked out. She smiled at Liam. He didn’t react, but I squeezed his hand as she headed toward Stephen’s office. “Is she from…the agency?”

“Stephen has always preferred company he can pay for. Let’s not waste any more time talking about him.”

I wondered how I had missed Liam exiting the lobby. As it turned out, he didn’t go through the lobby but an underground parking garage. The lights of a flashy red car turned on as we approached. He opened the door for me.

“This is your car?”

“One of them. Get in and buckle up.”

The inside gleamed. He drove it through the city, shifting gears, weaving us in and out of traffic in an almost graceful way.

He took me to a small Italian restaurant. I discovered lasagna…possibly the most addictive dish in the world. The layers of cheese melted in my mouth. So many kinds of cheese living in harmony in one dish. Surely, this was a delicious metaphor for the world.

“How did you get along with Miss Jenkins?” Liam asked, cutting into his steak.

I thought about my reply. If I told him I didn’t care for her, he might fire her. Everyone was entitled to a bad day. Besides, if I really wanted to maintain my own independence, I’d have to learn to fight my own battles. “Fine.”