Chapter 2 CARL

CARL I had never fallen asleep beside a stranger before. That was the first thing I thought when I woke up. The second was that I hadn't slept that well in a very long time. No woman had come up to my Spinningfields penthouse since Ashley, my supermodel ex, who had cheated on me and taught me a lesson I paid for dearly. That was almost two years ago. I swore off women after that. I didn't even allow myself flings, because I was too busy making sure The Williams Group stayed at the top of the industry. I, Carl Williams Parker, had built a reputation in business and with women, and it was meant to stay that way. Until last night. She was still asleep beside me, and I watched her for longer than I would admit to anyone. She looked peaceful. She was beautiful, truly, and there was something sweet about her that the tequila hadn't managed to hide. I knew her first name, because she had said it enough times, and that was all I knew. I wanted to find out everything else, but the Williams Group had meetings lined up today, and as CEO and founder I wasn't going to miss any of them, no matter who was lying in my bed. I slipped out as quietly as I could, showered, and changed into one of my navy suits. It was going to be a long day, and I needed to be comfortable. I layered my perfumes carefully, because I'm a man who loves scents, ruffled my hair, and went back into the room for my phone. She was awake by then. I had planned to say something kind. Instead, I heard myself say, "Last night was one night, Bella. Don't go looking for me." I watched the hurt cross her face, and I walked out before she could see mine. I don't know why I said it. Maybe I was protecting myself. Either way, it was a stupid thing to say to a woman who had spent the night showing me what I'd been missing. Downstairs, Mrs Trina, my housekeeper, had already made sure the chef finished breakfast. "Good morning, Mr Carl," she said politely. "The table is set." "Good morning, Trina. Why are you so formal today? Since when am I not just Carl?" "I would call you Carl, but madam might be unhappy if she heard me." Her eyes were dancing. I laughed. "If she's still here, give her whatever she wants and have the chef serve her breakfast upstairs." "Oh, so she's staying for breakfast now? Last time I checked, we were sending her off with Nathaniel." "Trina." "I'm only repeating what I heard through the door, Boss." I looked at her. "I meant what I said." "Understood, Boss," she said in a funny voice, and we both laughed. I sat down to eat. Mrs Trina had worked for me for years. She was funny, kind, and fiercely loyal, and she ran the penthouse, from the chef to the gardener to the cleaners, so well that I never had to worry about anything in my own house. My breakfast was sausages, bacon, fried eggs, and plain toast, with a cup of coffee. Nathaniel walked in as I started, and we exchanged pleasantries over the food. Nathaniel had been with me the longest. He was my right-hand man, my confidant and my best friend. We had grown up together in the same orphanage until Mr Edward Parker and Mrs Charlotte Elise Parker adopted me and made me their only son. I had cried so hard when we were separated that my foster parents brought Nathaniel home too. We had been sons of the Parker family ever since. "You look different," Nathaniel said, buttering his toast. "Almost human." "I always look like this." "No, you usually look like you're about to fire someone." He raised an eyebrow. I said nothing and drank my coffee instead. I had been the heir to the Williams Group until my foster father passed and left everything to Charlotte, my mom, and me. I had managed the company for five years alongside her. The newest division, Veyra Technologies, a clean and renewable energy company, was my major business. The Williams Property Group and Williams Energy had belonged to my father, so now I ran all three under the umbrella of The Williams Group. It had been a huge responsibility, but the shareholders, the investors, and my father's trusted staff had made it easier over the years, once I had fished out the few bad ones. "Good morning, Mr Carl," Felicity called as she hurried behind me into the office. "Morning, Felicity. What's my schedule for today?" She was half walking, half running behind me like a headless chicken. Felicity Brian had been my secretary for three years. She was smart, kept to time, and was one of the few people who could stand up to me and call me out on my nonsense. Most people in the office called me a mean boss. I preferred to be feared rather than loved, so I never corrected them. "Sir, you have a board meeting at ten, then a lunch meeting with the manager of Verity Estate. He wants to discuss a possible collaboration with the Williams Property Group. At four-thirty you meet the marketing and media team. And finally, dinner with Mrs Charlotte, your mother." She glanced up at me. "She has called me twice to remind you, Sir. Twice. I think she believes I'm hiding you." "Tell her I'll be there." "I told her you would be. She said, and I quote, He says that about everything.'" I didn't answer. It would be nearly impossible to look for her today. She had crossed my mind a dozen times since I left the penthouse, and I kept having flashbacks of last night: her laugh, her hands in my hair, the way she bit her lip. "Mr Carl, are you listening?" One of the board members had called me back into the meeting I was already sitting in. I was distracted again, and the matter on the table was a little dicey. I couldn't afford this. The girl can wait, I told myself, and sat straighter. We went through our KPIs, our performance over the last six months, and the revenue generated so far. When it ended at noon, I walked out of the boardroom like lightning. Nathaniel and I went straight to the lunch meeting with the manager of Verity Estate. We talked through the possible structures of the collaboration and signed the deal on paper. The four-thirty meeting went just as smoothly. By the time it was done, I was headed home to get ready for dinner with my mom. I loved Charlotte too much to ever stand her up. At the penthouse, I went straight to the room where we had spent the night. It was empty and perfectly cleaned, the bed made as though no one had ever been in it. Part of me had wished she'd still be there, waiting. But she was gone, just as I had told her to be. It served me right. Dinner with my mom was always splendid. The Beaumont Residence was a short drive away, and she was already seated when I came in. "Welcome, my love," she said. I went around the table and kissed her on the forehead, the way I always did. Since my foster father died, I had treated her like a queen, a princess, and a little girl all at once. Charlotte had a peculiar strength and a sharp business mind. She had built the Williams Group alongside my father, and now she supported me in every decision. These people were not my birth parents, but they had done far more for me than the ones who dumped me in an orphanage. I would never turn my back on her, especially now that we only had each other. "How are you, Mom? When did you get discharged? You didn't wait for me to pick you up?" I asked, smiling to soften it. "Too many questions at once, Son. I didn't want to bother you, so I had my driver pick me up. It's just a minor fever. I'm well rested now, and I love to see you smile." "The doctor said three more days." "The doctor says a lot of things. He also said I was lovely company, and yet here I am, at home." She waved her hand. "I only regret leaving before you met my nurse. A very kind girl. She looked after me better than anyone. But she's travelling to see her family this weekend." "Hm," I said, and nodded, though my mind had already wandered back to a sky-blue shirt and a girl who bit her lip. I missed most of what she said next. Mrs Margaret served the meal while I told my mom about a few things at the company. She had been our housekeeper since I was adopted, and she was like a second mom to me. She insisted on dishing the food herself, even with the younger chef standing right there. My mom cut the work talk short. "When are you getting married, Carl? I'd like to stop being a wife to you." She said it jokingly, but her eyes didn't. "I will, Mom. When I find the right girl." "And how will you know the right girl when you don't spend time with any?" Mrs Margaret teased from the corner of the staircase. My mom and Mrs Margaret burst into laughter, and it made me smile too. My friends could see me laugh, my family too, and that was about the extent of the people allowed to see me smile. I was truly happy at home. It was one of the safest and most peaceful places I knew. I stayed longer than I planned, and it was well past midnight when I finally drove back. I turned into the parking lot of my building at exactly 12:30 a.m. And she was standing there.