Page 119 of At His Beck & Call

I step aside to let him through and head back to my desk, only realizing when I get there and look into the small mirror in my drawer that my lipstick is smudged across my mouth, and there’s even some on my chin. I wipe it away as I glance at Adelaide, but she hasn’t looked up from the file she’s reading.

Chapter 41

Lissa

Thankfully, Bethany is available to come to the rescue yet again, and by the time I’ve been at her house for an hour, she’s done my hair and has dressed me in a gorgeous navy-blue dress and sky-high nude pumps.

She’s retouched my makeup and peppered me with questions about where I’m going. It’s the first time in our almost ten-year friendship that I’ve lied to her.

I know what she’ll say if I tell her I’m going out with Oliver. Bethany isn’t stupid, and she can read me like a book.

She has managed to find a little navy blazer for Henry from somewhere. He looks so cute and is positively buzzing with excitement when I tell him we’re going somewhere as a surprise.

Bethany is desperate to know what we’re doing, but she assumes it’s a celebration of Henry’s successful surgery and we’re going out for dinner together. I don’t tell her otherwise.

At seven o’clock, I text Oliver to pick me up about a block from Bethany’s place, and we’re standing out there, out of sight of her window, so she won’t know what I’m up to.

To my surprise, Oliver doesn’t arrive in his sleek black car, but in a sedan with a driver in the front. He opens the door for us and lets Henry climb in first.

The seats face one another in the back with a privacy screen behind the driver, so we’re relatively alone, and Oliver’s eyes run over me appreciatively as I sit beside him.

He’s in a charcoal suit, a collarless shirt beneath it, and no tie. He looks beautiful.

“Where’s Truman?” Henry asks innocently, and Oliver drags his eyes away from me to look at my son.

"He’s at home, Henry. I’m sorry I couldn’t bring him with me, but you’re welcome to come by and see him any time. You can also pick out some new books to bring home.”

My fingers tighten around my bag, looking out of the window.

As if that would actually happen.

“You look stunning,” he says quietly, as Henry babbles excitedly about the interior of the car. He’s always loved cars, and the rare times we’ve taken a cab together, he’s made friends with the driver in seconds.

“Thank you,” I say, crossing my legs. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“I don’t need to, we’re almost there.”

“Really?” I ask, looking around at the busy streets of New York. It’s still cold, and the pedestrians rush past, heads bowed as we glide through the streets, and in another few minutes, we pull up to a small black building with two security guards outside.

“Are you planning to kidnap us?” I ask, only half joking.

Oliver snorts. “It wouldn’t be very subtle if I were. Henry, do you see those two men on the outside of the doors?” Henry nods, looking unsure. “Could you go up to them and tell them Lissa and Henry Davenport and Oliver Heath have arrived, please?”

I stare at Oliver as Henry beams excitedly. We all get out of the car, Oliver saying something quietly to the driver as Henry stands beside me, looking up at the building.

Oliver steps up to us. “Ready?” he says to Henry, and my son nods enthusiastically. Oliver whispers the names again to make sure Henry has remembered them, and then I watch proudly as he walks up to the two huge men without any fear and says his line.

The security guards glance at Oliver with conspiratorial smiles as one of them pulls three lanyards from his pocket.

“Here you are, Henry, Davenport,” one of the guards says, handing Henry a lanyard as he whoops with excitement. “You’re VIPs tonight.”

Oliver offers me his arm, and I have no choice but to take it. My stomach flips as we walk inside. Henry hands me my lanyard solemnly, practically bouncing off the steps with excitement.

As we go through the doors, we’re met with a low black hallway, only about ten feet in length, and the noise from the street is deadened instantly.

We walk forward as I look at Oliver, a sense of trepidation thrumming through me as he reaches out a hand and opens a door ahead of us.

Inside is a large room filled with mirrors that run all the way along the walls.