Донна Хилл – Temptation (страница 10)

“Please don’t patronize me, Joseph. You know perfectly well what I mean. Where was this letter? And why am I just receiving it from your office?”

Joseph pursed his thin, pale lips, placing his index finger thoughtfully across them.

“I had instructions,” he said simply. “I was to have this envelope delivered to you, one day after the official opening of Liaisons.”

“What? Jordan didn’t even know that I would go through with it.”

“Perhaps. But, if and when you did, you were to receive this letter.”

Noelle exhaled heavily. “Is there anything else I should know, Joseph?”

The pain in her voice almost touched him, but he pushed it away. He was no longer obligated to her. The last retainer check had been cashed upon delivery of the letter. But why did she have to look at him with those eyes so full of anguish? Something inside of his chest twisted.

He cleared his throat. “There is a codicil to your late husband’s will.”

“What are you talking about? I was there when it was read.”

Joseph nodded indulgently. “Yes and according to my instructions, the codicil was only to be read by Trent Dixon.”

Her head began to pound.

“I see.” She stood up. “And I suppose I’m not to be privy to that either?”

“I’m afraid not. My instructions were quite clear.”

“Thank you for your time, Joseph,” she tossed at him, more annoyed at herself for having thought that their encounter could have been any different.

He rounded the desk, reaching the door a step before her.

“I wish there was something else I could tell you, Noelle,” he said with as much sincerity as he could summon.

Noelle only nodded as she crossed the threshold.

Joseph had a rare attack of conscience as he watched her leave.

“Maybe Mr. Dixon would be willing to tell you. I understand he’s here in Los Angeles.”

Noelle halted her step and turned around. “How do you know?” Her heart thundered.

“I called the headquarters in Sudan yesterday. I was told he’d come to California two days ago.”

Trent finished the last of his paperwork. Languidly he stretched his tight muscles. He had to get out of this room. Hours on the phone and behind the computer had left him numb. A long flight around the countryside would be ideal about now. But what he really wanted to do was return to Liaisons and see Noelle. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. She seemed to creep into his thoughts at the most inopportune times. Like now.

The throbbing between his thighs was almost unbearable. Maybe what he really needed was a cold shower.

He switched off the humming machines, grabbed his denim jacket and headed out of the door.

Noelle exited the building and proceeded to walk, oblivious to the rows of boutiques and the flow of human traffic.

Trent Dixon was somewhere in Los Angeles. He was the only one who had the answers to her questions. The thought of his proximity unnerved her. Why was he here? Had he come to spy on her? He could be anywhere, walking right beside her and she wouldn’t know it. That fact raised her blood pressure. She didn’t have the faintest notion of what he looked like. He’d never accompanied Jordan on his trips to the U.S., since he was responsible for operations in Jordan’s absence. Trent Dixon could run her over with a Mack truck, right this minute, and she wouldn’t know it was him. Her temper rose as her thoughts ran in circles.

The head-on collision knocked her purse from her hand.

“Noelle?” Trent instinctively grabbed her shoulders to steady her, then reached down to retrieve her purse. “Are you okay?”

“Y-es,” she stammered, surprised and embarrassed to see Cole Richards in the middle of Los Angeles. “I’m fine. Sorry. I guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“You must be deep in thought.”

She gave him a weak smile. “Something like that.” She took a quick look around, observing her surroundings for the first time. The large marquee of the hotel loomed above her head and her thoughts scurried off in a dangerous direction.

He was probably there to meet someone, she thought. Did he spend the night here after he’d left her weak from his kisses?

An unfamiliar wave of jealousy swept through her. Her body tensed.

“Did you think about my request?” she asked in a tight voice.

Confusion registered on Trent’s face with the swift change in Noelle’s mood.

“Is something bothering you, Noelle?”

“What else could be bothering me?” she almost snapped. She looked away unable to meet the questioning gaze.

Trent avoided answering the question, by posing one of his own. “I was going to get something to eat. I’d like it very much if you’d join me. Then we can talk. Would you?”

When she dared to look back at him, she was, once again, consumed by those onyx eyes that had haunted her nights, by the lips that she longed to taste again and by the captivating scent that heated her blood.

He’d begun to think that she hadn’t heard him or had chosen not to respond—when she finally answered.

“Do you know your way around?” she asked in that sexy faint accent that drove him crazy.

“Maybe you can give me the tour again,” he replied, his tone intentionally intimate.

Noelle cleared her throat. “There’s a great outdoor café about a block down. I’m sure you’d like it.”

“With you, I’m sure I would.”

For a brief moment they both stared at each other, the busy world around them going totally unnoticed.

“We’re going to cause a scene in a minute,” Trent said, his smile teasing. “People are beginning to stare.”

Self-consciously Noelle looked around, feeling that everyone could see what was going on inside of her.

Her voice was slightly tremulous. “Then I guess we should be going.”

Trent slipped her arm through the curve of his. “Lead the way.”

Lunch was brief, almost strained. Both of them were harboring their own thoughts and skirting the real issues that bubbled like molten lava beneath their composed surfaces.

“You were right about this place,” Trent offered, breaking the rather long train of silence. “The food here is great.” He smiled. “But they can’t touch Liaisons’s with a stick.”

“I hope that everyone who comes will feel the same way.” She fiddled with her napkin to avoid looking at him.

Trent reached across the table to still her fingers. He covered her hand with his. The immediate warmth spread through her.

“I thought about your request to…find out what happened.”

She looked directly at him and his stomach lurched with longing.

“And?”

“And I’ve decided to help you.”

The brilliant smile that he received was worth all the deceit.

“Thank you. I’ll make it worth your while. Whatever the price.”

His brows creased both in disbelief and guilt. “I couldn’t possibly take any money from you.” His voice rose in agitation. “I’m not doing this for the money.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you, but I think it would only be fair. In fact, I insist.”

Trent’s jaw clenched. He looked away. How could he possibly accept money from her knowing that the person she was looking for was sitting right in front of her and that he would have to do whatever was necessary to keep that information from her until the time was right.

His gaze returned to her. “I won’t accept anything from you until after the job is done. That’s the only way,” he added firmly.

Noelle considered for a moment. “If that’s the only way you’ll agree, then I guess I don’t have a choice.”

“Then it’s settled.”