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“Thank you, Mrs. Evans,” Charles said, dismissing the housekeeper and turning back to Judd. “We keep regular hours here for mealtimes—my diabetes, you know.”
Charles rose to his feet, refusing Anna’s offer of assistance, and led the way through to the dining room. Each room Judd set foot in gave him a weird sense of déjà vu. Although his memories of living here were faded and sketchy, the old photos of Masters’ Rise that had been passed on by friends after the fire were imprinted in his mind. This house truly was a complete replica of his mother’s old home. No wonder she was so bitter about being made to leave.
He made a silent promise—Cynthia would return to triumph over all this again.
They’d been back one day short of a week. Anna sat at her desk, finding it nearly impossible to concentrate on the work ahead of her. Judd had traveled into the office with Charles this morning, and the two of them had been closeted together for a couple of hours now. Every time Nicole had ventured out from her office, she’d sent a baleful glare toward her father’s closed door and the atmosphere had become so tense it was almost palpable.
The arrival of the junior receptionist from downstairs, bearing the morning’s mail and courier deliveries, was a welcome distraction. Anna swiftly sorted the mail and then turned to the courier packages. One in particular, slimmer than the rest, stood out. She lifted it and checked the return address. Her stomach instantly knotted. Marked Private and Confidential and addressed to Charles, it had come from the lab he’d engaged to conduct the DNA testing.
She dropped it on the stack of mail she’d already opened for him, as if it burned her fingers. While he’d authorized her, long ago, to attend to all his correspondence, both personal and relating to the business, she had no doubt he’d want to open this particular item himself.
The door to Charles’s office opened and she jumped, feeling as if she’d been caught doing something wrong. Judd’s ever-intense gaze swept her body and, obviously noticing her reaction, one dark brow lifted slightly in query. She ignored him, something that she’d wished she’d become more capable of in the past few days. Back in Australia, she’d tried to resist her attraction to him because she’d worried about the backlash when he learned the truth. She’d never realized that there was part of the story that even she didn’t know—that Charles intended for Judd to take over the company. Once the DNA test results verified what they all already knew, Judd would become her boss.
That should make him absolutely off-limits. Her brain was sure of it. Her body, though, was much harder to convince.
Just thinking about him was enough to make her body heat with arousal. Being in the same room as him, even under the same roof, was absolute torture. For the past week, work had been her refuge away from him, but it looked like that wouldn’t be the case any longer.
“Anna, I want you to take Judd on a tour of our biggest Auckland stockists, introduce him to the store and chain managers. No need for appointments, hmm? Let’s catch them on the hop and see how we’re faring against the competition.”
“Wouldn’t you rather do that yourself?”
Anna couldn’t think of anything worse than having to spend the balance of the day solely in Judd’s company. While she hadn’t been able to fault his behavior toward her since their return to New Zealand, there was an undercurrent that remained ever present between them. An undercurrent that kept her nerves wound so tight she was beginning to wonder if she shouldn’t request a leave of absence and head away for a couple of weeks, just to be able to breathe again without constantly thinking of Judd Wilson.
“You know I can’t drive myself and we can hardly expect Judd to find his way around on his own just yet.”
“It’s okay,” Judd interceded smoothly. “I’m sure that with a GPS I’ll be fine.”
“No,” Charles insisted, his color rising slightly. “I’ve asked Anna to take you and she will. Everyone knows her already and it will make the introductions much smoother. Isn’t that right, Anna?”
Anna pushed her chair away from her desk and stood, gathering her handbag from the locked drawer at the bottom of her desk as she did so.
“Sure, Charles. Whatever you want.”
“Right, then, that’s settled.” Charles looked at the pile of newly opened mail on her desk. “Is that lot for me?”
“Yes, I was about to bring it through to you.”
She saw his eyes light on the courier package and the ruddy color that had begun to suffuse his cheeks faded rapidly.
“Charles? Are you okay?”
“Stop fussing, woman,” he blustered. “Of course I’m fine. You two had better get going. And take Judd somewhere nice for lunch, too. I don’t expect to see the two of you back here this afternoon. You have a lot of ground to cover.”
Resigning herself to Judd’s company for the rest of the day, she passed the mail to Charles and took her car keys from her handbag. She watched Charles head back into his office and slam the door closed behind him. So, they weren’t to discover the contents of the courier pack until he was ready to share it with them.
“You really don’t have to take me around today if you don’t want to,” Judd said from close by.
“No, it’s okay. Charles wants you to have personal introductions, I understand that.” I may not like it, but I do understand it, she amended silently.
“Do you always do exactly as he says?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” she answered, wondering where Judd was leading with his question.
“No reason, I just thought you might stand up to him a bit more.”
“He’d never ask me to do something I truly objected to, if that’s what you’re aiming at,” Anna said defensively.
“That’s good, then. You don’t object to being with me today. Shall we go?”
He smoothly reached out and placed a hand at the small of her back, guiding her toward the door. She felt its imprint as if she was naked and hastened to create some distance between them. As his hand fell away, her body instantly mourned his touch and she castigated herself soundly for her ridiculous reaction.
Judd didn’t speak again until they drove out from the underground staff car park in her shiny dark red Lexus IS 250 F-Sport.
“Nice car,” he commented.
“It’s a company car, it has four wheels and gets me where I need to go.”
“Kind of pricey for a company car for a P.A. You must be very good at your job.”
There was an insinuation that hung in the air between them that she really didn’t like. But she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of biting back.
“Charles likes to show his appreciation to all his valued staff,” she replied, choosing her words carefully.
“Some more than others, I imagine.”
Again that prick at her relationship with Charles. She knew many people didn’t understand it and she’d learned to shield herself from speculation and unkind comments. It was a skill she’d had to develop early when the children at the private school Charles had paid for had discovered she was his housekeeper/companion’s daughter.
Growing up with the stigma of her mother’s relationship with Charles hanging over her, and the sly innuendo that had accompanied it, had made her a great deal tougher than she looked. It didn’t mean that such comments didn’t hurt, not at all, but there was no way she would give the person inflicting it any satisfaction at all, nor would she divulge more information than she absolutely needed to. And never, ever would she let herself be a woman who got physically involved with her boss.
She started giving Judd a rundown on the major chains that Wilson Wines supplied with imported wines as she drove toward their head office. But he interrupted her almost immediately.
“Who is Wilson Wines’ greatest competition?”
“Jackson Importers. Why do you ask?”
“In any venture, it always pays to know who you’re up against. Tell me about them.”
“They were set up just over twenty-five years ago by Thomas Jackson. He died about a year ago and the company is now headed by Nate Hunter. He’s about your age and he’s been with Jackson since graduating with a business degree from Auckland Uni. That’s pretty much all we know about him. He’s been working out of one of their overseas offices for most of his career and has only recently come to New Zealand to take the reins from the interim CEO. No one’s really too sure what he’s like personally. What we do know is that he has a very competitive business head on his shoulders and he works hard to give us fierce competition. He’s run their European operations superbly for the past few years.”
“Thomas Jackson … I think I remember someone with that name from when I was a kid.”
“That would probably be right,” Anna commented. “Thomas Jackson and your father were business partners and best friends. They had a disagreement and Charles bought him out.”
“Must have been a helluva disagreement.”
“I wouldn’t know.” Anna shrugged, trying to keep her face expressionless. “It was before my time and my mother never spoke about it.” True, her mother hadn’t spoken about it, and neither had Charles—but Anna had drawn her own conclusions from the rumors that still persisted even years later, and it wasn’t difficult to do the math. Charles’s divorce from Cynthia and his falling-out with Thomas Jackson had happened at exactly the same time. Those incidents coupled with Charles’s insistence on Judd being DNA tested—well, the writing was very clearly on the wall.
Judd sat in his seat, a contemplative expression on his face. Anna wondered what on earth was going through his mind.
“Charles has never said anything to you about it?” he eventually said.
“Not a word, and it’s not really something I’d raise with him, anyway. If you want to know more, you’ll have to speak to him yourself,” she said a little sharply.
Judd chuckled. “And so I’m duly put firmly in my place.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t worry, Anna. You’re right. I should do my own background checks if I want to know things. And I will.”
His words made her nervous. Why was it so important for him to dig into the past? Surely it was enough that his father wanted to mend the broken bridges between them. She knew that the death of Thomas Jackson had hit Charles hard. She’d always thought Charles had thrived on the challenge and competition his past colleague presented to him on a regular basis, but now she wondered whether, once the heat and anger had died down, Charles hadn’t been suffering regret for the way their friendship had ended.
Either way, the topic wasn’t open for discussion as far as she was concerned. She swung her car into a space in the car park at the premises of Wilson Wines’ largest customer, grateful for the opportunity to put some space between them. Knowing his opinion of her had done nothing to calm her ever-present awareness of him—of the way her body warmed every time he was in the vicinity, of her hyperawareness of his alluring cologne as it wreathed her senses in forbidden enticement. She resolutely cleared her mind of anything else but what Charles had asked her to do today. She’d get through this, even if it was the last thing she wanted to do.
Six (#uc9ab4aae-680c-53b1-b0f7-ff35718ee751)
The minute they set foot back in the house Anna could sense something in the air. There was an energy thrumming through the place that hadn’t been there this morning and when she went through to the kitchen for a chilled glass of water, the cook and housekeeper were working flat out on what looked to be very elaborate meal preparations.
“Did I miss something?” she asked the cook, who was busily checking pots on the commercial-size stove top.
“No, dear. Just himself making requests for something very special for dinner tonight—says he has an important announcement to make, and he wants you all to dress up, too. Can you let Miss Nicole know when she gets in?”
Clearly the courier pack he’d received this morning had borne the news Charles had wanted so very much. A vague numbness permeated Anna’s body, leaving her confused about how she felt about the news. It was what Charles had wanted, there was no doubt about that. But she knew he hadn’t said a word yet to Nicole about his plans. If he had, she knew Nicole would have discussed it with her. Still, Nicole had been avoiding her lately, still stung, Anna was sure, over her not disclosing the reason for her trip to Adelaide. Worried she might miss Nicole, she sent her a text message.
Don’t be late tonight. Your dad wants us all dressed up for dinner. He has an announcement to make. —A.
Nicole was quick to reply; a series of question marks flashed across Anna’s screen. She swallowed against the knot of disloyalty that tightened in her throat as she texted back.
No idea what it’s about, sorry.
On the way to her room she passed by Charles’s suite, knocking softly on the door before letting herself in. He wasn’t in his private sitting room, so she figured he must be resting. It had become a regular habit of his after a half day at the office—late starts, early finishes and plenty of rest in between. She was reluctant to disturb his nap, but she needed to talk to him about Nicole. Deciding to wait until she heard him up and about in the bedroom, she settled on one of the comfortable sofas he had in the sitting room and popped her feet up beside her.
Some time later Anna stirred at the sound of running water coming from the other room. She blinked to clear her eyes, realizing it had grown full dark outside. She dragged a hand through her hair. It was sticking every which way. Darn, she knew she should have tied it up today. A quick glance at her watch revealed how close it was to the dinner hour. There was no way she’d be able to be ready and talk to Charles this side of dinner. As it was, she’d be pushing it to get ready on time.
She shrugged out of her jacket, tucking it under one arm, and untucked then started to unbutton her blouse as she headed for the door. She opened it and slipped outside into the hallway, only to come face-to-face with Judd. Her nostrils flared, taking in the freshly showered scent of him.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she said, trying to sidestep past him and get to her room, “I’m running late.”
Judd’s expression, usually distinctly unreadable, reflected a look of surprise, before a cold, calculating look appeared in his eyes.
“So I see,” he said, stepping to one side to let her by.
Understanding dawned with the drenching effect of sub-Antarctic waters. “It’s not—”
“Didn’t you say you were running late?” he reminded her with that arch to his brow that he used with such great effect.
Without another word she stalked past him to her room a little farther down the hall. She closed the door behind her and leaned against the solid wooden surface, realizing that she was shaking. There was no question that Judd thought he’d caught her in flagrante delicto. Anna pushed herself away from the door and forced herself to walk through to her en suite bathroom, peeling the rest of her clothes off on the way. What should it matter what Judd Wilson thought? It wasn’t the truth, so as far as she was concerned it shouldn’t matter one iota. Even so, as she stepped beneath the spray of her shower, she couldn’t help wishing she hadn’t put that look of disapproval on his face.
By the time she’d dressed, reapplied her makeup and swept her hair up into an elegant chignon, she’d missed predinner drinks. She joined Charles, Judd and Nicole as they walked through to the dining room. Despite her text to Nicole, her friend obviously hadn’t had time to change out of her work clothes—or perhaps had chosen not to, knowing it would rile her father.
“Sorry I’m late,” Anna said breathlessly as she entered the dining room.
“You’re here in time for the important news,” Charles said with a thread of emotion in his voice that put Anna’s nerves on edge.
She took her seat, opposite Judd, feeling the blue fire of his gaze upon her as she did so.
“What important news?” Nicole asked.
Anna felt her throat close and her chest tighten. This wasn’t going to be pretty. As dependable as Nicole was in a business setting, she wasn’t known for deliberation or contemplation when it came to her private affairs. Impulsiveness and impetuosity were more her mark in trade. She wasn’t going to take the news of her father’s plans happily. Especially not when she’d worked so hard at his side all these years, striving constantly to be everything he needed in business and in family.
Charles seemed oblivious to Anna’s distress and to the storm that was brewing. He was puffed up with pride. Anna hadn’t seen him this animated in some time. He picked up his glass and gestured in Judd’s direction.
“I’d like to propose a toast. To my son, Judd. Welcome home, where you truly belong.”
Anna hazarded a look at Judd, watching to see if this open declaration that he was definitely Charles’s son would have an effect on him at all. She was disappointed. He merely nodded toward his father and raised his own glass in response.
“Aren’t you repeating yourself, Dad?” Nicole asked. “Didn’t we already go through this last Friday when Judd arrived?”
“No, I’m not repeating things at all. It is a relief to an old man to be able to acknowledge his family, all his family, now that the results have come in. And to that end I have a small presentation to make.”
Charles patted a long, narrow envelope that sat on the tablecloth next to his place setting. He picked it up and handed it to Judd.
“You’ll find it all in there, son. Exactly as I promised.”
Even though he knew there had never been any doubt about his paternity, Judd felt a thrill of exhilaration surge through him. Here it was, the moment he’d been waiting for, for most of his adult life. His father handing him the tools with which to pay him back for what he’d done to Judd and his mother all those years ago. Tomorrow he would have a solicitor draw up the share-transfer papers in order for him to present Nate Hunter with an offer that the man could not refuse. The controlling interest in Wilson Wines for the princely sum of one dollar. Judd took the proffered envelope.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Oh, surely you don’t have to call me ‘sir,’” Charles blustered. “If you can’t call me Dad, then at least call me Charles.”
“Thank you, Charles.”
He saw the hope in his father’s eyes dim a little. There was no way he could call this man “Dad,” not after all these years. He scanned the two women at the table. Anna sat there, frozen, as if she was expecting something terrible to happen and she was totally helpless to prevent it. He began to get some understanding of the reason why when he saw his sister’s face.
Confusion battled with irritation across her features and it didn’t take long before she was demanding some clarity about what had just been passed over to him.
“What did you promise, Dad?” she asked, a fine tremor in her voice betraying her heightened nerves.
“Only what Judd has always been due, Nicole.”
She flung a dark-eyed glare at Judd. “And that would be?”
“The deed to the house and a controlling interest in Wilson Wines. The rest will go to you on my death, as you well know,” Charles interjected. “Now, shall we have another toast and get down to the business of enjoying the wonderful meal I know Mrs. Evans has prepared?”
“A controlling interest in Wilson Wines?” Nicole’s voice rose on a note of incredulity. “Dad, what are you doing? He doesn’t know the first thing about the business.”
“He has experience with the wine industry in Australia. And now that he’s home, he has time to learn how we do things here,” Charles said, as if that was the end of the matter.
“That’s not fair. I’ve given everything to Wilson Wines, to you. And you just go and give it all away, just like that. To a stranger?”
