Chapter 5

chapter five

N icola was relieved that she had been alone working until late afternoon. She’d ignored Jensen’s mother and the five messages she had left. After dealing with Jensen, she wasn’t in the mood to handle his mother. One of the things Nicola had learned during her tenure with the Wulf family was to have rules of engagement. Talking to Lillian Wulf, when Nicola was still frazzled by her son, was not a good idea. His mother would definitely know there was something going on.

When her phone showed that Julienne was calling, Nicola grabbed her phone.

“Hey, Jules. How are you doing?”

“I guess you heard.”

“Yes, your brother told me.”

A long sigh filtered over the phone. “Really? I thought Mother would get to you first.”

“She’s been calling, but I had my phone turned off to work.”

Jules chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “And you’ve been avoiding social media.”

“I find that to be a good thing if I have no reason to pay attention.”

“So, you think there is nothing to worry about?”

Nic rubbed her temple. She didn’t want a headache, not when she was going to spend time with Serenity.

“There’s going to be gossip. You know there’s no way to avoid it, but I have a feeling that it won’t be particularly bad. It’s not like either of you were in the rags much.”

There was a long moment of silence, which worried Nicola. The rest of the Wulfs always seemed to think that Jules could handle anything. That her silence meant she was okay with the good girl role. Nicola wasn’t so sure Jules was happy.

“Do you think I made a mistake breaking off my engagement?”

Nicola didn’t answer right away. She hadn’t really liked Gregor. True, she didn’t dislike him, but…he was boring. Still, doing something so abrupt was out of character for Jules. She didn’t cross the street without two alternate routes. Ending their engagement after three years was not something Nicola thought Jules would ever do.

“Nic?”

“Sorry. What happened? What made you decide to break it off?”

“There I was on the morning of our three-year anniversary and six months from our wedding, and it hit me.”

“What hit you?”

“I stared at him across the table at breakfast about a week ago and I thought, ‘Jesus, what a bloody bore.’”

Nicola stifled a chuckle. Most people thought of Julienne as some kind of super human with no emotions. Nicola knew differently. She felt more deeply, but being the youngest and the only girl, somehow made her more acceptable as part of the Wulf Industries family. So, if she felt something, people rarely knew it. Nicola did, though. She had spent years doing the same thing, until it had almost been too late. Julienne also had a fantastic sense of humor. She hid it from a lot of people, and it was so dry most people didn’t know if she was joking or being mean.

“Has it hit the press?”

“Of course it has. For someone so boring, Gregor sure did want to raise a ruckus about this. I didn’t think he would have his feelings hurt so badly.”

Nicola thought of it differently. Gregor was a lawyer with political ambitions and losing Julienne would damage his credibility. She would never say that to Julienne, though.

“Have you talked to your brother?”

“Which one?”

“Either, both?”

“I talked to Jakob. He gave me a thumbs up, so that tells you how far we went on that conversation. I’ve been avoiding Jensen’s calls.”

As if on cue, there was a knock on her bedroom door just before it opened. Jensen popped his head in.

“Have you had time to figure out what to do about Jules?”

“First, your intrusion is rude. Next time wait for me to answer.”

He rolled his eyes. “Okay. Now, do you have an answer for me?”

She shook her head.

“Is that her on the phone?”

“Oh, bloody hell, don’t tell him it’s me,” Jules said.

Again, she shook her head. “No. It’s Jeffy.”

“You are a horrible liar,” he muttered as he marched across the tiled floor. It was then she realized he was shoeless. Jensen rarely went without shoes or socks, but in Hawaii, he went with the Hawaiian tradition of removing his shoes while indoors. Why it seemed to mesmerize her now, she had no idea.

“What?” he said.

She blinked and looked up at him. “Nothing.”

“What’s going on?” Jules asked. Before Nicola could answer her, Jensen took the phone from her hand.

“What the bloody hell are you doing calling Nicola?”

He was quiet for a long time while his sister answered him. His face told Nicola that Jules was not in the mood for her brother’s judgment.

“Jules…”

More ranting from his sister. Jules was quiet, and she always did the right thing in public, but she didn’t take any crap off her brothers.

“Fine,” he said. He held her phone out to her. “She wants to talk to you.”

Nicola took the phone. Instead of leaving like she thought he would, Jensen wandered around her room, then out to her balcony.

“So, I guess you didn’t want to talk to Jensen?”

Julienne laughed, although, it came out a little hard and brittle for her. “Yes, well, you know Jensen. Ever since he got clean, he has gotten a little holier than thou about things.”

“Did you want me to handle the media?”

“No. I have my assistant dealing with it. You work for Jensen, not me. I’m just doing the no comment thing right now. Although, I think David will want to run whatever we come up with by you first.”

“Really?”

“Of course. The man is in awe of your press-handling abilities. In fact, he wanted me to call you before it was announced.”

“That would have been nice.”

“No, he felt that I should get your approval about breaking it off. He is positively batty about you. Not as bad as Jensen is, but pretty bad.”

“What do you mean by that?” she asked as she glanced in Jensen’s direction. He was paying no attention to her while looking out at the ocean.

“Come on. We all know that you are his binky.”

She blinked. “What?”

“Um, I thought you knew he had become a little dependent on you. If I didn’t know better, I would have said he was smitten with you.”

She sighed. “Don’t speak such foolishness.” Inwardly she cringed. When she was defensive, she often talked like a reject from an Austen novel. “My advice to you is avoid everything. Take the rest of the week off, and maybe the following week. At least work from home. That way you don’t have to deal with the press. Also, tell David I’m going to shoot him an email with your favorite chocolates?—”

“He’s already got that covered.”

“Well, he doesn’t need my help then.”

“I’m telling him you said that. Thanks for the support.”

“No problem. And, just for the record, I thought he was a little boring too.”

Jules laughed, this time sounding lighter than she had earlier. “Brilliant. Now can you talk our mother down?”

“I’ll call her tomorrow. I have a feeling your mother is in bed.”

“Oh, bloody hell, I didn’t even see the time. That is one good thing about you being in Hawaii.”

As if a time issue would ever stop a Wulf from calling and waking her up. “You need to come over here. You know I don’t like warm weather all that much and I love it here.”

“Sure, sure. Night, Nic.”

“Night, Jules.”

She clicked off her phone.

“So, you thought he was boring, also.”

She glanced at Jensen. “God, yes. I told you that before.”

“But you never said anything to Jules.”

She shrugged. “Whenever Gregor talked to me, I always felt like I was a passenger on the movie Airplane with Robert Hayes telling me his life story.”

“You never showed it.”

“I was supporting your sister then, as I will now.”

“But wouldn’t it be better if you just told her how much you didn’t like him?”

“First, I’ve learned not to get in the way of any Wulf and what they want. Secondly, I didn’t dislike him. I just felt he was too staid for her. Plus, he was interested in politics, which instantly made me suspicious of him.”

He smiled. “True. Now, when are we meeting Serenity?”

“We’re supposed to meet them in town at about seven. The guys had a job today and they need time to clean up.”

“What is it that they do again?”

She knew he knew. It was his way of putting people in their place. While everyone else let him get away with it, she wouldn’t.

“They perform in a sex circus.”

He blinked. “What?”

“You know very well what they do. They work security, mostly for Conner Dillon. I want you to behave tonight.”

“You are the only woman who says that to me.”

“Outside of your mother.”

He shook his head. “Be ready by quarter of.”

“Oh, that’s rich.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You are rarely on time because you tend to primp.”

“I do not.”

Not in the mood for a fight, she shooed him away. “Go on. I have a few people I can contact about this to make sure the press is handling it okay.”

“You know Jules has her own personal assistant.”

“One that is out of his league with something like this. He doesn’t have the contacts.”

“You’re mine, not hers.”

It was her turn to blink. There was a thread of absolute ownership in his voice that shocked her. “What?”

“You’re my assistant. Not hers.”

“Yes, but if I teach David how to handle this stuff, he’ll be a master at it. Then, he can handle it on his own.”

“Fine.”

She knew from his tone that it was anything but fine. She just didn’t have the time to deal with him today.

“Go on. I have work to do and I don’t want to be late.”

“Be that way,” he said almost playfully.

Once he was gone, she grabbed her phone again and started dialing. She didn’t trust Gregor to be discreet. He was boring and bland, but he wanted to be a big boy in politics. She just had to be sure he didn’t hurt Jules in his march to fame and fortune.

With that in mind, she clicked her phone on, then called one of her contacts in New York. It was never good to let the press get out in front of your story. They liked to rip their favorite playthings to shreds. She had learned that from her own personal fiasco.

* * *

Jensen stared out over the lawn of their house to the ocean that lay beyond it. The last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon, and he drew in a breath of the sweet night air. He had been all over the world, and he truly loved to travel. Hawaii was one of his favorite places to come, not only for the beaches, but also the serenity he found here. There was no rush to get ahead for most Hawaiians. Instead, they were laidback, in love with their culture, and always seemed to be happier than many places he had visited. Nighttime was the best in his opinion. Sure, the beaches and scenery were beautiful, but at night, Hawaii seemed like a dream.

“Day dreaming?” Nicola asked from behind him.

He had been trying to deal with the impact she had on him for four years. First, it had been irritation, then amusement, now…well, he didn’t know what to call it.

“Jensen?”

He turned slowly, but it didn’t matter. She always seemed to knock the breath out of him these days. Worse, she had no idea. She stood there with a simple smile curving her lips, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. She definitely didn’t know how much he really wanted to bend her over his knee and spank her. He fought against the shiver that threaded through his blood.

“Are you all right?”

He nodded as he inwardly ordered his body under control.

“It’s not day time,” was all he could come up with in response.

She wasn’t dressed up. Nicola didn’t do that on the islands. Instead, she was wearing what was a deceptively simple dress. Dark blue, with large white flowers on it, it was tropical in feeling but not exactly Hawaiian. The dress was long to her ankles, but there was nothing formal about it. It was a sundress made of gauzy material. Worse, she wore her hair down. She rarely did, but when she did, he had to resist the urge to touch.

“What?”

“What, what?”

She rolled her eyes. “Now I see why we have John driving us tonight. I have to give you kudos though for getting ready before me.”

He cleared his throat and tried to get his wits collected. “I think the jet lag is hitting me this time.”

“You are getting older.”

He heard the playfulness in her tone and knew it was just their regular banter. Why he wanted it to be more, he really wasn’t sure.

“You are a mean woman.”

“I never said I was nice. Ready?”

He nodded and waved his hands indicating he would follow her. As he did, he reminded himself that she was off limits, and worse, didn’t live the lifestyle.

But she would make the best kind of sub.

No, she wouldn’t. She liked to be in control, and that was something he could not give up in the bedroom.

He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the present. “So, where is it that we are going?”

“Side Street Inn. It’s a local favorite.”

She stepped outside, and a slight breeze caught her hair. He curled his fingers into the palms of his hands. He would not touch it no matter how much he wanted to feel the way the silky strands slid through his fingers.

“Good.”

“And they have kimchi rice.”

Nicola knew his favorites, knew almost everything about him. “Definitely good.”

“Hello, John. You know where we are going, right?” Nicola asked.

“Nicola, Mr. Wulf,” John said, as he nodded.

Nicola slid across the seat and Jensen followed her. Once the door was closed, she said, “That is one thing we have in common.”

“What?”

“Adventurous eating.”

“Ah. When I first met you, I worried about that. I thought you would be a dainty eater.”

She threw her head back and laughed. It was one of the things he loved about her. Her laugh was always loud and filled with joy. You never had to wonder if she was laughing to please your ego.

“Never. In fact, I ate more when I was competing. All those calories I burned in workouts and practice. My mother would often lament that I would make them go bankrupt with our food bill each month.”

“Both men will be there?”

She nodded as she opened up her purse and retrieved lipstick and a mirror. “Are you going to behave? There’s no reason to be so nasty to the two of them. They really are excited about seeing you again.”

He slanted her a look. He knew the men were bisexual. In fact, he had seen them perform at Rough ’n Ready, along with Serenity as their sub, last time they were on the island.

“I don’t go that way.”

She smiled. “Not that way, even if both of them have gone on and on about your cheekbones.”

“Yeah?”

“The word Adonis was mentioned.”

He could feel heat creep up from his neck into his face. Maybe in the darkened car, she would never notice. He had no such luck. After applying her lipstick, she closed it and tossed it back in her purse. Then, she looked at him.

“Jensen, are you blushing?”

“No,” he said as he felt his face grow hotter.

“Oh, my. How interesting, but don’t worry, they won’t hit on you. They both have their hands full.”

He said nothing about that, because he knew it was the truth. It was the fact that she’d heard the two men talk about him that embarrassed him. Worse, he wondered if she shared their opinion.

Knowing those were dangerous thoughts, he decided to steer the conversation to something more neutral.

“Anything new on the Jules front?”

A look of disgust spread over her face. “It seems Gregor has been peddling a story that she was cheating on him. Saying she’s some kind of nymphomaniac.”

Anger rose so fast it almost choked him. “Where?”

“Nowhere yet,” she answered. “I’ve quashed it all and talked to David. It seems that Gregor is making a play for a higher position in the minister’s cabinet. Breaking off an engagement makes him look bad, or so he says. Don’t worry. I’ll make him regret even trying to peddle that crap.”

He smiled at her. “That is one thing I love about you.”

“What?”

“Your mercenary heart.”

She snorted as she looked out the window. “This is nothing compared to skating. Besides, he did the one thing that will lead to his destruction.”

“And that is?”

She turned away from the window to look at him. Her gaze steady and there was no humor in her expression.

“You mess with someone I love, I will ruin you.”

She said it with no malice or anger. Just as fact.

“I would expect nothing less.”

She offered him a small smile, then turned to look out the window again.

He felt free to study her then. These moments didn’t happen very often. Nic kept herself busy most days, but in the few times he saw her like this, she seemed so solitary. It was something he could understand. He might have the support of his family, but they would never understand what hell he had been through. In that, he always felt the two of them shared a kinship. Leaving skating had been hard on Nicola. She never talked about it, at least not to him or in his presence. She shouldered her pain and never let it show. But he knew it was there. The fact that she never let anyone see it was awe-inspiring. And sexy. A strong woman who could submit…

Dammit. He had to quit thinking of her in that way. She was not a sub, and she would never submit to him. And, besides that, he could never give her up as his assistant. He wasn’t sure he could run the business without her by his side.

He had failed his family once, and he would never do it again.