Chapter 4

chapter four

A fter their skirmish on the lanai, if one could even call it that, they settled into work without a problem. Nicola knew their one issue being there would be the hours. Their sleep patterns were off, and it left both of them cranky. She thought it might have more to do with Hawaii itself.

From the first time she had visited the islands, she had been in love. She could never live in the climate all the time. She still loved snow and cold weather, but there was something beyond special about Hawaii. Beauty surrounded you no matter if you were in the swankiest hotel or the humblest of homes. There was no denying that Hawaii had one of the most breathtaking vistas. It helped that her best friend in the world lived here.

“It’s not like you to stare off into space.”

She blinked and focused on Jensen. He’d behaved himself the rest of the morning, but that was how it went with him. She knew from his case history that he had acted out that way with drugs also. He’d get pissed and strike out, but the way he did it in those days was by getting high. Now he said inappropriate things. Most of the time he directed it toward other people, but lately, he’d increasingly zeroed that acerbic wit in her direction. And that led her to think about her future beyond the Wulfs.

“Nic?”

She shook her head. “Sorry. It’s Hawaii. It makes me want to just lay around.”

“Hmm, I can understand that. Something about the air I think. It’s heavy and sweet.”

She nodded. “So, you are ready for your meeting next Monday.”

“Tell me again why you aren’t coming?”

“Pool. Me. Not moving.”

He looked over his glasses at her, and she was sure most people would find the move condescending. Instead, it turned her on. Heading into his very late thirties, the bad boy turned into the very naughty professor with those glasses on. Like right now as he gave her a look of disappointment. It made her want to do all kinds of naughty things to him.

“Instead of spending time with me on Maui, you want to sit here by the pool?”

“I also have a friend coming in on Monday from my old days of skating.”

And, as soon as the words left her mouth, her phone vibrated on the table. She saw it was Jeff.

“Give me a sec.” He nodded. She clicked on the phone. “Why are you calling me?”

“I love you, too,” Jeff said.

“State your business or I’ll hang up.”

“I have to go back to the mainland, so I was wondering if we could meet up next weekend.”

“I think I can find the time for lunch, especially if you’re buying.”

“Always the mercenary. Okay. We’ll be there late Saturday. How about we do lunch on Sunday?”

“That sounds brilliant.”

“Watch yourself, cowgirl. You’re starting to sound British.”

“Oh, bite me. So, next Sunday, around one?”

“Sounds good. Text me a place to eat and I’ll meet you there.”

“Bye.”

When she clicked off her phone, she set it down again and looked up to find Jensen studying her.

“What?”

“Who was that?”

She wasn’t accustomed to Jensen being so nosey about her personal life. He usually went on his way, doing whatever, and left her alone. Lately, though, he had become interested in whatever she was doing. It was a bit unnerving.

“Jeff.”

“The bloke with the reality show?”

She nodded. “We were on the circuit at the same time. He was singles.”

“Ah. And he just called you out of the blue?”

“Why are you so interested in this?”

He gave her one of those shrugs that irritated her. But she would not fall for it. She wasn't going to get into another argument with him before he left the island.

“Just am. I thought it odd that you're hooking up with him and you're in Hawaii.”

“He and Ben are on Maui right now. They wanted to see me, but they have to make a trip back to the mainland for a bit, so we’ll be meeting up next weekend.”

He nodded but made no comment. Dammit. How did he do that? He could garner information from her even when she knew that was what he was doing.

“So, do you want to go over this family? I know that you like to have a background of everyone you're going to be dealing with.”

“Sounds like a good plan.”

Inwardly she sighed with relief. With a plan in place, she pulled up the information she had and started at the top of the family.

“First you have Robert. He's the patriarch and raised most of the people working in the leadership positions in the company.”

“So, a bit like ours. A family business.”

“Yes. And they are a tightknit family.”

“I know that's why Mother liked them. They take care of their employees.”

She nodded. Lillian Wulf might be considered upper class in English aristocracy now, but she had grown up poor. She had worked her way through college before gaining a position with Wulf Industries. She knew how important their employees were.

“Okay, tell me about the rest of them.”

“Are you sure you want all of them?”

“No. Just the ones I have to deal with.”

And that was what was important to him. Not that she faulted him for it. This wasn't a big merger in the whole scheme of things. In fact, it was one of their smaller ones. There was little money to be made, in fact. But for some reason, his mother was acutely focused on it, and Jensen was ready to make sure that she got what she wanted.

“Under Robert, his son Michael is Vice President. The two of them are very close. Then there is Lana. She is very important to the company, even if she doesn't have a big job title.”

“Like you.”

She glanced up at him. “Don't patronize me.”

“I'm not. You keep things running smooth and that is very important.”

“Well, thanks. Now, onto Sam. He's Michael's younger son. He's the manager of the resort.”

“The one to blame for the problems then.”

“Not really. His hands have been tied a bit. The family sustained some damage when Tropical Storm Gail came through last season. It was at a time when their funds were running low and they didn't have the capital to put up. Therefore, they had to borrow. Then they had a few problems here and there that caused even more issues.”

“Problems?”

“They had always been known for having the best workers on the island. Their staff was praised. The other resorts did not miss that fact.”

“They poached.”

“Yes. Sam is well-liked, but he is seen as kind of a follower.”

“And not good for running a company.”

“Exactly.”

“You said he was the younger son. Does that mean there is an older one still around?”

“Yes. Aleka.”

“Interesting he's not in charge.”

“He's not actually around. He left about thirteen years ago at the age of eighteen. There was a big blow up in the family, but I can't find out what it was about.”

He blinked “ You can't find out?”

“I know, right? I can usually find some kind of dirt. No one will talk about them. Sent someone in to investigate. All I know is that there was a disagreement, Aleka left and joined the military.”

“So, he left and went to war.”

“Yes. But it tells me the family is very well liked. If they weren't, people would be ready to gossip about them. Even with the offer of money, people refused.”

“Can you tell me what is going on inside the family that we need to worry about?”

She sighed. “Not much, but I do know that Michael and Robert do not want the merger. Sam does, but mainly because I think he wants out. The only bit of gossip I could get on the family is that Sam sunk a lot of his personal money into the resort.”

“Don't all of them have a financial tie?”

“Yes, but he hasn't been that good with his money. While the other family members have invested wisely, he hasn't. Which means he will want the money. Robert and Michael do not. They want to keep the resort in the family.”

“Which is exactly what we want.”

“I know, but whenever a big company like Wulf shows up on the islands, everyone freaks out. Rightly so. Your family has no ties to the islands. Just remember, the heritage of the Hawaiian people was stolen from them.”

“I'm not trying to steal anything.”

“Still, they aren’t going to believe you until they see an agreement. That's why your mother sent you and not your brother or sister.”

“Why?”

She rolled her eyes. “You can be charming if you want to be. So, charm them. Let them know that you don't want to steal their resort and then they might believe you.”

He sighed and shook his head. “I feel like a piece of meat. You still aren't going?”

She shook her head. “Alfie will be there.”

“I don't like Alfie.”

“He's your VP of acquisitions. Besides, I happen to know that you were best friends at Eaton.

“Are you still friends with any of your high school friends?”

She shrugged, relieved that they were finally finished with the work. “I didn't really go to school. I had tutors and took courses via correspondence.”

“Ah, yes, the training. But you had to have friends back then.”

“A few, but it was odd.”

“In what way?”

She hesitated for just a moment. This was not like Jensen at all. He knew her history, knew her life before this. But he had never asked specific questions. “We were all competing against each other.”

“It's like that in a way for all kids. Competing for sports, academics, all that.”

“Yes, but it was more life or death. Plus, the competition was played out on the world stage. So many of us just don't even keep in contact.”

“That's kind of sad.”

“I guess I should rephrase that. The others probably do. I sort of had a stigma attached to me, so everyone avoided me.”

“Jeff doesn't.”

“No, but we were both outcasts. He came out early in life when it wasn't as accepted as it is now.”

“You were both brave.”

She shook her head. “No. I mean, Jeff was, but I wasn't.”

“You walked away from a career you didn't want anymore. It would have been much easier to just stick around and get the endorsements.”

If he only knew that it was more about survival than anything else, he would be stunned. As would most people. The story behind her departure and her ex-partner's suicide was so much worse than anyone could even imagine. And if she were honest, she missed the ice as much now as she did when she walked away.

“I guess.”

He looked like he wanted to say more, so to divert his attention, Nicola decided to change the subject.

“What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“I'm going to go over these write ups you compiled about the family.”

“Okay. Just know that we have plans for dinner.”

“We do?”

“Yes, the guys and Serenity want to have dinner with us.”

He frowned.

“Stop. You like both of them and you admire them. I know you like watching their demonstrations at Rough ‘n Ready; although, they won't be doing any more of those for a while.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“With Serenity pregnant, they won't do many more of them.”

“Ah.”

“You don't approve?”

“No, it's their business. Not my job to approve or not.”

“But you wouldn’t do that?”

“Do what?”

“Give up that part of the lifestyle.”

“I don't see myself doing that, but I have never seen me settling down with one woman either.”

She didn't know why, but that made her feel incredibly sad.

“All right, you go over those dossiers and I'm going to start a little research on my own. I think once you lay it all out for them, they'll be okay with the merger.”

“I don't like showing all my cards.”

“Not normally, but there is nothing normal about this.”

He grumbled as she gathered up her stuff.

“What time is dinner?”

“It's at seven.”

“Good.”

She turned to leave, but he stopped her with a comment.

“Are you sure you don't want to go to Maui?”

She shook her head. “I have some research to do here.”

“And by research you mean...”

She sighed. “I don’t want to go.”

There, she said it.

“Why not?”

“I hate these things. I like the background research, and I don’t mind getting dirty to get the job done. But I hate being there as your subordinate.”

He looked at her over his glasses again, and she had to fight the little shiver that ran through her blood. Dammit, why was that so damned sexy to her?

“You hate reality?”

“Reality?”

“That I’m your superior.”

“You are not my superior. I just work for you.”

He rolled his eyes. “And?”

“No. It isn’t how you treat me. It’s how other men treat me.”

He frowned. “How do they treat you exactly?”

“Nothing overt, but they always question anything I say. Not all of them, but I would say about ninety-five percent.”

“Any other issues?”

Other people who didn’t know him better would say it was a simple question. She knew the tone though. Quiet, unassuming...prelude to an attack.

“No. I did have to deal with that Jerry Obenstein in Texas last time, though. He apparently thought it was okay to pat my ass and suggest he prove to me just how much bigger Texans were.”

Anger lit his expression. “What the fuck, Nic? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“First of all, I can take care of myself. A well-placed stiletto to his toe helped, along with my accidental knee to his groin.”

He blinked. “Accidental?”

“I played it that way. If he wouldn’t have backed off then, I would have told you.”

He grunted but didn’t say anything.

“He wasn’t too happy when I told him that contrary to his belief, from what I’d felt, not all things were bigger in Texas.”

He blinked, then burst out laughing. “You have always had an understated dark side that I love, Nic.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I’m going to grab a bite to eat and then make some calls. Do you need anything else?”

“No.”

She gathered up her laptop and planner and headed out the door. When she stepped out into the hall, she drew in a big breath, then released it slowly. Why was he getting to her now? She had always thought of him as attractive. Most people would. There was a reason he was constantly ranked as one of the most eligible bachelors in England…well, actually, the world. High cheekbones, slim, toned muscles, and a darkness that unfailingly seemed to lurk in the background, which invariably attracted women. A bad boy to the extreme.

Funny, she was never actually attracted to bad boys. When she and Oliver had met, he had been sweet, a little unsure of himself. It was when drugs had taken over, when he had lost all of that sweetness, that she realized she couldn’t love him anymore.

Walking up the stairs to her room, she thought about the differences between Oliver and Jensen. Both would be considered bad boys, but there was something to Jensen that Oliver either never had or lost somewhere along the way. It was one reason that she thought Oliver would never have made it through a program. His drug use had been about him. He wasn’t acting out, he felt as though he deserved to do what he wanted. If she had been in a similar situation with Jensen, he would have gone to treatment after she walked out. Not that she would ever be in a relationship other than their working one, but if Jensen loved someone enough, he would do everything he could to get her back. Oliver had used his last act on Earth to leave a note blaming her.

She stepped into her bedroom and sighed. She couldn’t get caught up with thinking about things she would never know the answers to. When she walked away, she had promised never to blame herself, and she wouldn’t start now.

* * *

Hours later, Jensen sat in his office going over the day. He wasn't really sure what was going on with Nicola. She seemed preoccupied, and that was the only reason he had become obsessed with her. Probably. Not really, but it sounded like the best excuse he could come up with—this week.

Still, there was something going on with her. The two of them couldn't get through a conversation without a skirmish. It was as if she were fed up with working for him.

Is that what that damned Jeff wanted? Was he trying to steal her away from him? Jensen knew the show had left him a millionaire with a cooking line, several bestselling books, and a new venture in gay travel. Or, at least that's the most he could find out about him over the last fifteen minutes of Internet searching.

Jeff wanted to meet up with Nic. Why? He could very well be looking for a PA to work for him. Nic might have started off as Jensen's sober companion, but she was now an important part of his work. The company would be hurt if she left. And he would be as well. He didn't know how to function without her around. He hated the two weeks she went on vacation. Oh, he had used a fill-in from his sister, and the woman had been fantastic. But she hadn't been Nic. And that had been when he started to act like such an ass. It was when he realized he didn't like being without her.

It had almost made him run to the nearest dealer. That scared the bloody hell out of him. He couldn’t go down that hole again. The fact that Nic had become so damned vital to him, to his way of life, petrified him. When had she become so damned important to him?

Before he could get too morose, his phone rang. He looked at the number and cringed. His mother.

The day just kept getting better and better.

He clicked it on. He didn’t have a choice. No one did when his mother called.

“Mother.”

“Jensen. How are things in Hawaii?”

“Fine. Nicola and I just finished going over some information, and she’s doing a little bit of digging on the family who owns the resort. How is England?”

She paused, and that wasn’t at all like his mother. His father had always compared her to an admiral. Full steam ahead and never stopping until she got what she wanted.

“We have an issue.”

“An issue?”

“Julienne broke off her engagement.”

It was his turn to be silent. His sister was the good girl, the one that always seemed to do exactly as expected.

“She what?”

“She broke off her engagement from Gregor.”

“When did this happen?”

“Last night. Nothing has hit the rags, but you know that isn’t far behind.”

He rubbed his temple. “Bloody hell. Did she give a reason?”

“No, and that’s what worries me the most. She doesn’t seem to care that they broke up.”

“Are you sure? You know what she’s like.”

His sister was a competent businesswoman. Jensen never doubted that she would pull her weight. Emotions, though, were not as easy for her. It had been like that since their father died.

“I asked, and she answered.”

“Mother.”

“I know, I know. She hides a lot from us but pushing now would be a mistake.”

“You’re probably right,” Jensen said. For all of his mother’s failings, knowing her children was not on that list. She knew what made them all tick. That’s why she was so good at controlling them. Or she had been.

“Do you need me to come back home?”

“I have been handling my children for thirty-five years.”

Handling . Yes, his mother was very good at that.

“Right-o. But be sure to call and let me know what is going on.”

“So, you are headed over to Maui next week?”

Subject changed, no use trying to get his mother to talk any more about his sister right now.

“Yes. I take it you talked to Nicola?”

“No, but she keeps an updated calendar we all can see. Are you sure you’re all right, Jensen?”

He hated the concern in her voice. It was the same tone she used during his intervention.

“Yes, I am. The time change is still hard to overcome here.”

“Of course. Well, is there anything we need to cover about the merger?”

“No. Nicola has it all ready for me.”

“I saw that she rented one suite for the two of you.”

“She’s staying on Oahu. She said she had some meeting set up with locals, trying to ensure we have some support there.”

“Hmm.”

Again, the tone. Even when she didn’t use full sentences or words, she could cut him to the quick with just a hum.

“I’ll be fine, Mother. Is there anything else?”

“No, nothing. But a warning. Your brother is talking about jumping over there. He’s in Los Angeles meeting with his agent and some producer right now, and he’s been keen to see Hawaii again.”

Bloody hell. “Okay. I’ll warn Nicola since Jakob has a habit of just popping in at all hours of the day and night.”

“Take care, Jensen. And call your sister in a day or two.”

“Yes, mother.”

“Goodbye.

He clicked off his phone and tossed it on the desk. This was going to be a bloody mess. He had made the Wulf’s a household name with his antics. He’d been on every damned rag in England and America. Hell, he’d made a few rags in Japan even. And now, they followed the family’s every move. This was going to be a mess.

“Was that your mother?”

“Yes,” he answered, not bothering to look over his shoulder. He used to love to talk things over with her. Now it all felt awkward. No. Not felt—it was awkward. He didn’t know what had shifted in the last couple of months, but somehow, he couldn’t be in the same vicinity as Nicola without fantasizing about her.

“Is there anything wrong?”

“Julienne cut it off.”

“Cut what off? Her hair? Surely, your mother isn’t worried about that.”

He turned to face her and felt the inevitable rush of excitement that came over him whenever he saw her. Damn. He liked the way Hawaii seemed to leave her skin dewy. Or was that his imagination? It didn’t matter. All it made him want to do was lick her flesh.

Bloody hell.

“No. Her engagement.”

Her face went blank for a moment, then her eyes widened, and she grinned. It was the grin he rarely saw, one that was filled with happiness and a carefreeness she rarely showed him—or anyone for that matter.

“Thank God for that. That’s a bloody relief.”

“You’re not upset?”

“First of all, she’s not my problem. You are. And secondly, I would hate to see her marry Gregor. Wet rags have more personality than he does.”

“True.”

“I felt she was marrying him because she thought she should.”

“What do you mean by that?”

She shrugged and approached him, stopping in front of his desk. “You and Jakob always get to do what you want. But there are more expectations on her.”

“What the bloody hell does that mean?”

She sighed. “Just forget it.”

“No. Tell me.” He softened the demand with, “Please.”

“Your sister plays the role of the twentieth century English noblewoman even though we are a quarter of the way through the next century. She knows she’s expected to marry well, even though your family doesn’t need the money.”

“Bullocks.”

Her lips curved. “I know that. You know that. Julienne does not. She’s always been the one who did what was expected of her.”

“What about Jakob?”

“Yes, he makes your mother happy, but he’s doing what he wants. I mean how many people get to be an actor, a board member of one of the biggest corporations in the world, and related to British royalty. If he wanted to do something else, he would do it without a thought of how the family would react. Your sister is not built that way. She takes being a good girl to an extreme even I can’t understand.”

“You count yourself as a good girl?” he asked, unable to hide his amusement.

“I was. On the circuit.”

The fact that she mentioned her former life as a skater was enough to intrigue him. She rarely spoke of those years, even though he knew she snuck away to skate every now and then.

“Yes, but you weren’t, correct?”

“I was, then I wasn’t. That’s a heavy responsibility, which could even drive a nun to sin.”

Pain always tinged the edges of her self-depreciating humor. He always wanted to dig more, to know more about that time in her life. Something told him that his inquiry would not be welcomed—especially now.

“You are saying she was marrying to make everyone happy?”

She nodded. “Everyone but her. Although, I don’t know if she really understood how unhappy she’s been these past eighteen months.”

He cocked his head to the side and studied her. “But you have? Why?”

“I’m not family.”

He shook his head. “It’s more than that.”

She sighed and sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. “I can identify with being thoroughly unhappy. The last two years of my skating career, I was probably heading into major depression.”

“That’s why you left skating?”

“One of many reasons,” she said in that same voice she had always used for the subject. Four years, and she had yet to ever tell him about it; why the little girl from Colorado walked away from a definite medal at the Olympics. And, he wanted to know. He wanted to know everything about her.

Before he could ask, her phone buzzed. She looked at the caller ID and rolled her eyes. “The press.”

“I thought you said it wasn’t a problem for you.”

“It’s not,” she said rising from the chair. “This is where I get to be rude to tabloid writers. I don’t get to do that enough these days.”

She clicked on the phone. “Marty, I thought I told you to lose my number.”

Jensen watched her walk out of his office, and he fought the urge to follow her. He knew it wouldn’t lead to anything. It couldn’t. His life was perfectly structured and if he took Nicola to bed, that structure would be shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.

That was something he could not do again. It would lead to losing control, which meant drugs.

Jensen knew if he tumbled into that hole, he wouldn’t escape alive.