Page 40 of Body

“Nice to meet you. So nice,” Carson says and turns to follow Chase out of the kitchen.

Thank God!One more minute suffering this man’s stare would undo me. I scurry out of the room, holding the dress shirt firmly to my bum just in case he turns around. I don’t want the shirt to float up in my hasty retreat. Carson doesn’t need another show. Internally I groan, wondering how much of my bare ass he probably saw.

Several bags and boxes are strewn across the king-sized bed when I get there. What did he do, buy out Macy’s? No such luck. Every piece of apparel is designer. Gucci, Prada, Channel, Marc Jacobs, Guess, Versace…shit. I can’t accept these. I fall to the bed like an elephant and put my head into my hands. Why is he buying me these things? Does he think that will make me happy? Adding up the price tags, there are over ten thousand dollars worth of clothes here, not to mention one long evening gown made by Valentino.Forty-eight hundred dollars.For one dress. Tingles of anxiety skitter along my nerve endings.Breathe.Deep calming breaths.

I look over the side of the bed and see a plethora of shoe boxes all in my size. How his assistant knew my sizes is beyond me. Maybe he owns a private investigator firm as well as his many other large enterprises. Am I one of his large enterprises? Does he think he needs to buy me expensive things to possess me? The thought makes my stomach lurch and churn.Whore.We are going to discuss this later. He’s waiting with his most trusted confidant, besidesDanamy jealous mind supplies unhelpfully. The redhead comment threw me for a loop. I make a mental note to bring that question up when I broach my discomfort with the money he’s spending on clothes and shoes for me.

Quickly, I pull out a pair of Guess jeans and a tan cashmere Marc Jacob sweater. Probably the most affordable items of the bunch. The jeans are a size six and fit perfectly. They encase my ass snugly and the length hits perfectly on my foot. It will be ideal for a nice bootie with a two or three inch heel.

I make my way back to the kitchen barefoot and hear the men conversing. I wait behind the entryway wall to eavesdrop.

“Chase! Dude, when was the last time you brought a girl home?”

Chase laughs and I press my ear as close to the entrance as possible.

“I’ve never brought a woman here. You know that. I’m bringing her to the function tonight, too.”

“Seriously? Wow! You like her. You like her a lot!”

I can’t hear Chase’s reply. Dammit. He speaks too softly.

“Aunt Coleen is going to be there. The rest of the family too.”

“I know.”Chase’s voice is strained. “I want Gillian by my side.”

“Cooper will be there,”Carson warns.

“I don’t want her anywhere near that fucker!”

Whoa. He’s got some serious issues with his cousin Cooper. I knew from the conversation at dinner last week that there was something there but this gets more interesting by the minute.

“She’s a redhead.”I hear Carson mutter in a hushed tone.

“I noticed.”Chase says and that’s when I decide to make my entrance.

“You noticed what?” I ask as I saunter in completely dressed, pretending I didn’t hear a thing.

“How beautiful you are,” Chase says without missing a beat. Nice save. I blush knowing that’s not what they were saying. I appreciate his compliment anyway. “I was just telling Carson that I was bringing you to the Houses for Humanity charity event this evening. The San Francisco Chapter is hosting quite the posh event to raise money.”

“That sounds wonderful, I’m happy to attend. It’s always great when I can attend a charity event and make mental notes of how they organized it, what they offered in way of food, how the presentation was done and such.” Both men smirk at me.

“Gillian, this is not work. This is you going as my significant other. You will be meeting my family.” Chase shocks me with that. His significant other. I hadn’t realized we reached an official status. I don’t really know how to respond.

“Why would you take notes at a boring ass charity event?” Carson asks. It reminds me that he doesn’t know what I do for a living or anything about me really.

“Gillian works for the Safe Haven Foundation. She’s the Contributions Manager there. She makes us a great deal of money.” Chase beams with pride. “Her campaigns have been incredibly successful.”

“You work for Safe Haven?” Carson clarifies and I nod. “So…Chase is your boss?”

“You could say that.” I answer honestly then hang my head. My hair falls in front of my face, hiding my embarrassment.

“Dude, that’s, well, I didn’t know you had it in you to break rules like that.” He laughs. “Damn, you’re smitten!” He chuckles.

“Shut up, you bastard.” Chase laughs, too.

Bentley makes his appearance, rushing in with a pretty young blonde in tow. Must be his assistant. Are all the women around Chase blonde and beautiful? It’s enough to give any woman a complex, especially being a redhead, against a sea of shiny, perfect, blondes.

“So, I don’t need that extra seat at the event tonight.” Carson picks at a piece of invisible lint on his shirt.

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