“You’re welcome.” He slid his hand into mine, linking our fingers, the delicious warmth traveling up my arm and through my whole body. Even our fingers touching had me three heartbeats from pouncing. Maybe we’d both get lucky today.
“Is this okay?” he asked.
“More than okay.” I gave his hand a small squeeze, and he grinned. His dimples made him look like an excited kid who’d just been told they could get a puppy. And to think it was because of me.
When we got to his apartment, he took me through to the kitchen, which had an open-plan layout. Dark wood-look cabinets set off the large Carrera marble island and benchtops. It was all super sleek and elegant. In the middle of the six-seater, oval dining table was a sight to behold.
Curtis held his arm out as if presenting a new car on a gameshow. “Ta da!”
“Oh my word, you didn’t!”
He smiled proudly. “I did. It’s only fair since I said you’d work directly for me under the same conditions.”
I bit my lip as I perused the offerings. “Can I have one now?”
Footsteps sounded in the hallway outside. Then a slim forty-something woman wearing a white shirt and black pants came in. Her dark hair was pulled into a tight bun. She must’ve been about five three, but her voice filled the space like a woman twice her size. She gave a nod to Curtis. “Mr. Knight.” She looked at me. “Welcome! You must be Faith.”
“Hi.” I gave a small wave and smiled.
Curtis said, “Faith, this is Isabella, my house manager. You can thank her for the pastries.”
I hadn’t met her before, but he had mentioned someone came in four days a week to organize his chef, housekeeper, and book anything else that needed doing. She also carried out tasks liketaking things to the dry cleaner when his PA was too busy. “Lovely to meet you, Isabella. And thank you so much. I can’t wait to eat some.”
Her warm, genuine smile put me at ease. “You’re very welcome. If you need anything while you’re here, please let me know.” She looked at Curtis. “Arnold will be here soon. The lunch and dinner menus are in the folder. If you want any changes, just let him know when he arrives.”
“Thank you, Isabella. Faith and I will be working in my office most of the day, so if you need me, just buzz.”
“Yes, sir.” She went to a built-in coffee machine, like the ones you saw in Italian-style cafes. No drip filter here. “Would you like a coffee, Faith?”
“Yes, please.”
“Espresso, cappuccino, macchiato?”
Ooh, this was so exciting. Free special coffee and pastries. This was almost like winning the lottery. Maybe I was overreacting, but only a couple of months ago, I was worried about spending money on something as basic as food. And honestly, that day at Café Nero, the hot chocolate and donut had been the only things stopping me from having a mental breakdown. And maybe seeing Curtis for the first time, too, had soothed my feminine nerves just a tad.
“Cappuccino, please.”
“Take whatever pastries you want, and I’ll bring the coffees into your office.” She hadn’t asked Curtis what he wanted, but she probably already knew—double-shot latte with one sugar.
We worked until two, stopped for a delicious lunch of pumpkin soup followed by chicken Caesar salad. Even though I’d been working hard, with all the extras, it was like being on vacation. Not cooking was awesome. Poor Amy was going to have to fend for herself for the next week, although she wouldn’t mind. She had her favorite takeouts and the money to buy them.
Hours later, we’d finished brainstorming, and I was putting the finishing touches on the script so Curtis could go over it before the end of the night. His phone dinged with a message. He read it and looked at me. “Dinner’s ready. You hungry?” My stomach grumbled. He chuckled. “That would be a yes.”
“Say the magic words, and she wakes up.” I smiled. “I’ve been so engrossed in the work.” I looked at my phone. “Oh gosh. It’s after seven already. When I’m in the groove, hours feel like minutes.”
He ran a hand through his thick hair and leaned back, arching his spine. “I know the feeling. I need a stretch.” He stood. “We’re really getting somewhere. We make a good team.” I was surely reading too much into the fuzzy look he was giving me. His eyes were probably tired after concentrating for so long.
“We do. I’ve really enjoyed today.” It had been hard to concentrate at first because the most gorgeous man in the universe was just across the table, but I soon managed to put it to the back of my mind. What we needed to do was too important to let my hormones distract me.
“Let’s eat.”
I followed him and the delicious scent of expertly cooked food to the kitchen dining table, which was set for two. A tall, slim man, his short brown hair graying at the temples, stood next to the table. “Good evening, Mr. Knight.” Hmm, interesting accent. Curtis had a French chef. How… rich of him.
Curtis smiled. “Good evening, Arnold. This looks delicious.”
I inhaled through my nose again. “It smells amazing.” I smiled. “Hi, I’m Faith.”
“Lovely to meet you, Miss Faith. I hope you enjoy the dinner. It’s medium-rare filet minion with béarnaise sauce on the side, twice-roasted duck-fat potatoes, and asparagus with a Champagne citrus vinaigrette.”
