Chapter Four

HEATHER DIDN"T KNOWwhether to apologize or play dumb after seeing what just happened. She was already inside Valerian"s office when she saw Poppy heading their way, and Heather couldn"t recall feeling a more acute case of secondhand embarrassment when the penny dropped for the younger woman.

Heather was prepared for Poppy to break down at any point after that, but the girl"s resilience was simply remarkable. By the time Poppy joined them at Valerian"s office, she was her usual quietly efficient self.

"You remember how I like it trimmed?" Valerian asked.

"Yes, Mr. Rossfield."

Heather couldn"t help raising a brow when Camelia suddenly insisted on sitting on the billionaire"s lap while Poppy was still trimming his hair. Valerian"s girlfriend had never been the showy and affectionate type. So why was this woman suddenly acting out of character?

Poppy used all of her might to focus her attention solely on her job. She was her to give her client a trim. That was it. The fact that the woman her client loved was sitting on his lap had nothing to do with her.

So stop feeling hurt, Poppy!

That is so not the way to act accordingly!

Don"t you remember that he"s TAKEN?!

Poppy nearly breathed a sigh of relief after snipping away the last stubborn hint of curls that dared to graze over the collar of Valerian"s shirt. A part of her already felt empty at the thought of having to leave, now that she had done her job. But since the billionaire"s girlfriend was now busy pawing him while gushing about how she super-oh-so-loved his hair super-oh-so-short, Poppy was more than ready to go, in more ways than one.

Heather could barely keep herself from gagging at the way Camelia was acting around Valerian. It was practically indecent, and when Heather was more than relieved to see the couple leave for a charity ball they had to attend.

What in the world was wrong with that woman?

Poppy waited until the billionaire and his girlfriend were out of the office before turning to Heather. "Um...if you"re not too busy, I was hoping I could ask you about something?"

"Of course, Poppy." Heather already had a feeling she knew what the girl was about to say as she invited the latter to her office, and Poppy"s next words confirmed her suspicions.

"I was wondering if perhaps there"s someone more suitable—-"

"There"s none."

Poppy"s eyes widened at the speed at which Heather answered her. "But I"m just a j-junior stylist—-"

"It"s not your skills alone that make you suitable, Ms. Cortez, but a matter of security as well. A few years back, a male hair stylist had almost succeeded in slitting his throat with a razor. His depression had caused him to harbor the delusion that his girlfriend was cheating on him with Valerian."

Poppy bit her lip hard. The thought of Valerian Rossfield almost being killed hurt. But that was only more reason to leave this job.

"The incident scared the board so much they actually demanded that a new clause be inserted in his contract. Any personal service that Valerian required must only be provided by women and only in environments where we can fully guarantee his safety."

"Then maybe another woman—-"

"No other woman is like you."

Poppy looked at Heather in bewilderment, and Heather had to pause for several moments as she picked her words with care. "The public tends to paint black-or-white pictures of people like Mr. Rossfield. Because they see him skydiving and doing all those other crazy sports that he loves, they"ve assumed he"s just as reckless all around. But he"s not. Mr. Rossfield is a man of very rigid principles, and so he"ll never be the type to stray. Most other women, however, refuse to accept this."

Heather looked at the younger woman meaningfully. "And that"s how you aren"t like other women, Ms. Cortez. You alone have done your very best to act accordingly—-"

"But that"s exactly my problem." Poppy"s face was already flaming at the thought of what she was about to confess. "I"m really trying my best to, um, act and even think accordingly, but I don"t think...I don"t think I can keep it up."

Heather had to fight back a smile at the way Poppy"s voice kept getting smaller until it was barely audible by the end. This young woman was so adorably pure, she almost seemed too good to be true.

"Trying is the operative word here," Heather said gently. "You"re the only one who tried. Everyone else didn"t."

Poppy shook her head. "I just don"t think..."

"May I ask you something personal, Ms. Cortez?"

Poppy nodded warily.

"You"re earning a lot more than you usually do since you took Mr. Rossfield as a client, haven"t you?"

Poppy nodded.

"And has this extra money been of great use?"

Poppy could only nod again since the "extra" money Heather spoke of had been life-changing. She had been able to pay off a huge chunk of her college loan, and she was likely to be debt-free before the year"s end...if she kept the billionaire as her client. But at what cost?

"You"re weighing your options," Heather observed, "and that"s good enough for me. Your mind was clearly made up earlier, but now..."

"I want to keep Mr. Rossfield as a client," Poppy admitted, "and even my boss wouldn"t hear of having me replaced. But..."

"But?"

"I don"t think it"s the right thing to do," Poppy said helplessly, "with how I feel about...things," she ended lamely.

Heather could only shake her head at just how pure Poppy was...but that was even more reason for her to prevent the younger woman from quitting.

"How about we make a deal?" Heather suggested at a whim. "You keep us a client, and I"ll make sure you"ll never cross the line with Mr. Rossfield. Shall we give it a try?"