Enticed Read online

  “Miss Dennehy,” he greeted with a warm smile. “It is so good to see you. You had a safe trip, I presume?”

  I nodded as I stood, again without knowing why. I reached for his outstretched hand for a friendly shake. “It was long but uneventful.”

  “It wasn’t too boring, I hope.”

  “Rule number one,” Jonathan piped up. “We never get bored.”

  I chuckled as I mussed his hair. “And that, sir, is why you are my number one, A-plus student.”

  He scowled playfully. “I’m your only student.”

  Drew watched our interaction with a satisfied grin. He turned back to me. “Are you all settled in? Is there anything you need?”

  “If so, I can take care of it,” I assured him. “But thank you for the welcome baskets. That was a sweet gesture.”

  He waved a hand. “It was the least I could do. Sort of a peace offering for the next couple of weeks. I’m going to London tomorrow morning.”

  This was such great news I nearly breathed a sigh of relief. I could tell his glittering eyes missed nothing. “Jonathan and I have plenty to keep us busy, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

  He nodded and then glanced down at Jonathan. “Could you excuse us moment, Jonathan?”

  Jonathan nodded and walked toward the house, using the excuse to snag another plate of cookies. Drew turned toward me. “I do need to speak with you privately before I go, to discuss some of the changes around the house since you’ve been gone. Tonight would be best, if you’re not too tired.”

  Standing in his presence had unsettled me more than I had wanted to admit. Seeing him in person was quite different than the safe, two-dimensional image I had grown used to over the past few months. In fact, though it had buried itself deep within my subconscious, remnants of the sexy dream awoke from their sleeping place to whisper in my ear every time our eyes met. Again I looked away. I truly needed to get this under control if I wanted to keep working for this man.

  Though I already knew he wasn’t likely to pounce on me the minute he got me alone, all the feelings from that buried dream bubbled up and nearly chocked my reply. “That sounds fine,” I managed.

  He gave a curt nod. “I’ll be in my study late. Meet with me after you put Jonathan to bed.”

  I said nothing as he turned back toward the house. For a moment I was thrown by his instruction. I was Jonathan’s teacher, not his nursemaid. Why was I in charge of putting him to bed?

  Maybe these were part of the changes he wanted to discuss. None of it made me feel any better as I walked on shaking legs to the study an hour and a half later.

  Drew had discarded his jacket over the back of his chair. His shirt was opened by yet another button. This revealed hints of the fine dark hair smattered lightly on his chest as he leaned on his elbows to pore over documents scattered across the monstrous mahogany desk. His light eyes swept over my casual attire as I stood frozen in the doorway. “Thank you for seeing me,” he said as he stood briefly to beckon me inside. “May I pour you a drink?”

  I was almost panicked as I shook my head. I opted to sit in the chair across from his desk than on that leather sofa looming large against the opposite wall. “I’m fine,” I assured.

  He wore a sardonic smirk as we both sat. “You probably won’t be after I tell you what I have to tell you.” He took a deep breath. “As you are aware, Elise has supervised visits with Jonathan now. An hour or so, once a week. They aren’t here at the house, obviously. Since Elise and her new companion live in Venice, they prefer to meet at the Santa Monica pier. Harrison drives him there and back. It’s just easier for everyone if Elise and I don’t see each other.”

  I nodded. “What does this have to do with me?”

  He leaned back in his chair, his hands linked in his lap. “Jonathan hasn’t been responding well to the visits. They are understandably awkward for everyone involved, and I believe Jonathan feels responsible.”

  “I can tell you right now that he does. Many kids of divorce shoulder some of the responsibility for the breakup of the marriage, rightly or wrongly. When you two don’t get along, he feels compelled to make it right for the both of you. Or, to put it more bluntly, when the adults act like kids, the kids feel the need to step into adult roles way before they are ready.”

  Instead of being chastised or offended, he nodded. “That’s why I need you to help him process this in a healthy way. He listens to you. He trusts you.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to get in the middle of your family business. It’s not my place. It’s not my job. And it’s not fair to any of you.”

  “I’m afraid that’s the other reason I wanted to talk to you. We need to discuss Alex.”

  “What does your brother have to do with me?”

  Drew rose from the chair and stepped around the desk to perch on the corner right in front of me. “He’s going to try to railroad you. That’s what he does. No doubt he’ll be over here more than once while I’m gone. He’ll try to bully you and manipulate you until you finally relent and let him take Jonathan from the house. Obviously Harrison and Cleo have already learned how to handle him. In his mind, that makes you the weak link to get what he wants.”

  If he was determined to put me in the middle of his family drama, I felt I earned the right to ask some questions. “Why is he getting involved with all this?” I asked. “Why is it so important to the admitted black sheep of the family?”

  “My brother and my mother were very close. He was what some might say a ‘mama’s boy.’ He was softer as a result. He doesn’t have a head for business, can’t stomach competition. In fact he didn’t care to get involved in the family business mostly because my mother had convinced him it would make him hard and bitter, just like our father… and, I suspect, even me. It put us all in enemy camps from the time we were kids. Like our mother, he sees money and power as an inherent evil, something that drove most of the conflicts when we were growing up. When Elise and I separated, I think he saw it as a second chance to save another child from the same Fullerton family fate. He doesn’t see how destructive that would be for Jonathan. Elise is not like our mother, not by a long shot. But he’s so blinded by this idealistic image of motherhood he can’t see it.”

  “And why do you put up with it?”

  “That’s the crux of the problem, Miss Dennehy. There’s no getting rid of him. Despite his spurning the family business, my mother gave him controlling stock in the company in her will. Maybe she was trying to keep us bonded in some way, since she knew we had nothing else in common. And sadly, it’s working. I see more of him now than I did when my mother was alive and he had to come to the house to visit her. That means he knows when and where to strike. And he’s not backing down.”

  “And he thinks he can strike an easy blow with me here and you gone.” Drew nodded in response. I took a deep breath. “Then I guess I’ll have to set some boundaries early.”

  “There’s just one caveat,” Drew interjected as he walked back around his desk to sit in his chair. “You can’t tell Alex any details about what you do for the family.”

  My brow creased. “Why not?”

  “Forgive any hyperbole, but this fight with my brother and my ex-wife is a war with my son at stake. I’m going to do whatever I can to win it. Alex is rooted deep within Fullerton Enterprises International. He knows how to get all the information on what I do and where I go. I don’t need him getting any further information on how I live. What happens under this roof is none of his business.”

  “If I don’t tell him what I do, he’ll fill in the blanks with whatever he wants,” I informed him. “He’s already made it clear he thinks I’m some kind of opportunist.”

  “Let him,” Drew shrugged. “You don’t have to defend yourself to the likes of him. Believe me, he’s no saint… though he’d like to convince everyone else otherwise.”

  “But won’t that hurt your custody case if people think I’m some sort of grifter?”

 
“You let me worry about that,” he said as he leaned back into his chair. “I need your focus on minimizing any damage with Jonathan. For some reason he idolizes Alex. They share a bond I’ve never been able to break. Honestly I think Jonathan feels like he has to fix that relationship, too. By bringing you into the home to teach him exclusively, my hope is that you can divert his attention onto something more positive so he will spend less time obsessing over the behavior of others he can’t change. He can only control himself. I need you to help me dive that message home.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” I promised. “But I would prefer to keep interactions with your brother at a minimum.”

  “Ditto,” he grumbled. “If you can make that happen, you’ll go from being a teacher to a miracle worker.”

  I chuckled softly before I had to suppress a yawn. “Is that all, Mr. Fullerton?” I asked.

  He leaned across his desk. “No,” he said. “I wanted also to thank you for taking this position. I know this is outside your comfort zone, and I do appreciate your taking a risk with us. I can already see significant changes in Jonathan’s behavior, and I know I owe that all to you.”

  I shook my head. “I’m just the teacher. Your son is doing the hard work. He deserves all the credit.”

  Drew smiled. “You are much too humble for your own good, Miss Dennehy. This further proves what a rare woman you are.” He stood and so did I. “You should probably get some sleep. I anticipate the next couple of weeks will be busy ones.”

  He rounded the desk and walked me to the door. He braced himself against the doorframe with one powerful bicep as he looked down at me. “Goodnight, Miss Dennehy.”

  I sputtered for a moment. I was standing too close to his strong, solid body to think straight. It reminded me of my dream, which made my brain misfire. He had never behaved inappropriately, yet my subconscious mind tried to convince me otherwise. In my dream it had felt entirely too real.

  When his eyes landed on my mouth, I nearly choked on my own spit. It felt all too familiar, like an intimacy already established between us. Since I hadn’t felt this way for many years, quite frankly didn’t know what to make of it. Maybe it was nothing at all and I was just innocently misconstruing the entire situation. I was definitely playing in a new league now, with all the new rules that came with it. I simply gave a slight nod of my head and escaped down the hall to the stairs.

  What the hell was wrong with me? I had been so composed before, so in control. Three months apart and one stupid dream and all of a sudden I’m like a fan girl struck mute when she meets the object of her affection for the first time.

  I couldn’t seem to stop myself from replaying that dream kiss over and over in my head. Damn that Nancy. She had corrupted my entire thought process when it came to Drew. Everything she had done to warn me away from Drew ultimately planted thoughts in my head that didn’t belong there. Because of her, I was thinking about him as a man instead of as my boss.

  Granted he was rich and powerful. Granted he was one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. But I had no need for any of the fancy trappings. I was here to teach his son, and by God that was what I was going to do.

  For the second time that night, I breathed a sigh of relief that he’d be gone for the next two weeks. That was just enough time to whip myself into shape and get rid of these thoughts once and for all.

  Chapter Ten

  Drew was gone by eight o’clock that following morning, leaving Jonathan and me to begin with his studies in earnest. We designated a portion of my office as his workstation, making the space “our” office, since it was certainly big enough to accommodate the both of us. It had a window seat looking out onto the back lawn, which made an excellent reading spot. One entire wall had been dedicated to built-in bookshelves, with a big-screen TV suspended right in the middle. The opposite wall had a fireplace, and our desks were on either side of the window. This particular morning, he had sprawled out in the window seat with his tablet, ready for my instruction. I already knew from several placement exams I had given him over the previous three months that he was ready for seventh grade material, so that was where we started. We were knee-deep in a spelling assignment when Cleo paged me on my private line.

  “Deprive,” I said to Jonathan, offering another word for his list, before I picked up the phone. “This is Rachel.”

  “Alex Fullerton is here,” she said in a quiet but tense voice.

  “Of course he is,” I said under my breath. “I’ll be right there.” I turned back to Jonathan.

  “D-e-p-r-i-v-e. Deprive. It means to deny access.”

  I grinned at the irony. “Very good,” I said. He had correctly spelled and defined the first ten of my twenty vocabulary words. “I have to tend to some household business. Here’s the second half of the list. I’ll quiz you when I get back.”

  Jonathan’s eyes met mine. Like his father, he missed nothing. “Uncle Alex is here, isn’t he?”

  “Yes,” I answered. I decided not to lie to him. He needed to know there was an adult he could trust.

  Jonathan nodded and looked down at his spelling homework. “Are you going to send him away?”

  It was my turn to nod. “These are your father’s rules. And this is your father’s house.”

  His eyes met mine. He wasn’t happy about it, but he seemed resigned. “I’ll stay here. It’ll make it easier.”

  I touched his arm slightly. This poor kid carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. It broke my heart every time I thought about it.

  “Next word,” I said as I pointed at the list. “Connecticut. Bonus if you can tell me the capital city by the time I get back.”

  “I can tell you now,” he said with a cheeky grin. “It’s Hartford.”

  I gave him a playful scowl. “Then tell me what’s on the state flag, wise guy. And tell me what the motto and state flower are, too.”

  He made a face at me before he turned back to his computer. I used that opportunity to slip from my office and head down the hall to the foyer. I found Alex in the living room, standing in front of the family portrait. He seemed lost in the image, so much so I had to clear my throat to get his attention. “Mr. Fullerton,” I said as I stepped into the room.

  He turned around to face me. “Rachel,” he greeted. “Can’t say I’m surprised you came back, but after everything Jonathan told us about you, I can honestly say I’m disappointed.”

  “Is that why you summoned me? To chastise me for accepting a job in my chosen profession?”

  His brow furrowed. “This isn’t some teaching job and you know it. You can’t be that naïve, no matter where you’re from.”

  I bit back a sigh. “So I take it I’ve graduated from gold-digging tramp to ignorant hick?”

  He sent a snarky smirk in my direction. “Who says you can’t be all four? You look like a multi-tasker to me.”

  “Is there a point to this little meeting?” I asked. I crossed my arms over my chest as I stared at him.

  “Since you are now living full-time with my nephew, his mother and I want to make sure that you are both qualified to teach him and emotionally equipped to handle the changes that are going to happen in the near future.”

  My eyebrow arched. “And who exactly is fit to judge me for either?”

  “Is there anyone who is better to decide this than a child’s mother? Clearly she would want to meet with you, to see if your motives truly are sincere.”

  “If I wasn’t sincere, I doubt very much Drew would have hired me,” I said. This made Alex chuckle.

  “Seems you’ve gotten a little chummier than the last time we spoke,” he pointed out. “First name basis and all that. What exactly is your title again?”

  I smiled sweetly. “Take it up with my boss,” I directed before I spun to leave.

  Only this time he was on my heels before I could make it to the stairs. “What’s the matter, Rachel?” he asked as he spun back around with one hand. “Afraid you’ll open your mouth and
a bone will fall out? There are no skeletons in your closet this family doesn’t already possess. You can be honest with me.”

  “I can be,” I agreed. “I just don’t want to be. Frankly, it’s none of your business what I do or don’t do. You’re not Jonathan’s father.”

  “I also don’t have a $28-million dollar mansion in Beverly Hills,” he returned.

  “You really think that’s what this is about, don’t you?”

  He shrugged. “Not the first time. Doubt it will be the last.”

  I yanked my arm from his grasp. “Like I said, take it up with your brother.”

  “He’ll never love you, you know,” Alex called out to me as I rounded the corner toward my office. Everything in my fiber demanded I stalk back to where he stood and give him a good tongue-lashing. Who did he think he was?

  I owed him nothing, not even an explanation.

  But I was still fuming by the time I got back to the office I shared with Jonathan, who was brimming with the information I had requested and pounced on me the moment I crossed over the threshold.

  “The Connecticut state flag is a white baroque shield on a backdrop of azure blue. The shield itself features three grapevines, and the banner below contains the state motto: ‘He who transplanted still sustains,’ in Latin.”

  I landed in my chair with a thud. I was still fit to be tied. “And what is the motto in Latin?”

  “I don’t know,” Jonathan admitted. “I don’t know Latin.”

  “No time like the present to start,” I quipped as I turned to the computer.

  Jonathan was crestfallen. He had done what I asked and yet I was still dissatisfied. Instead of taking responsibility for that, like I feared, he said quietly, “You and Uncle Alex had a fight, didn’t you?”

  I sighed as I slumped in my chair. “It doesn’t matter,” I said with a forced smile. “That’s adult stuff and you don’t have to worry about that in here. You did great research, Jonathan. Really.”