The Cost Of The Forbidden

Just in case.

‘Okay, can you cancel my morning?’ Sev said. ‘Actually, just cancel the rest of my day. I’ll be back on board tomorrow.’

Oh, no!

Now she understood the odd question about the time. He wasn’t even in the same time zone.

‘Sev, where are you?’

‘On my way back.’

‘But from where? You’re supposed to be meeting Sheikh Allem at eleven and then we’re having dinner tonight with him and his wife. It’s been booked in for ages, it’s taken weeks to arrange.’

‘I know all that.’

‘So you have to be here.’

‘What’s the flying time from Rome to New York?’ Sev asked.

Forget the time zone, Naomi thought. He wasn’t even on the same continent. ‘Just over eight hours,’ Naomi sighed.

‘So you see it’s not possible.’

She could almost envisage him shrugging.

‘Sev,’ Naomi appealed. ‘Allem rang last night to say how much he and his wife are looking forward to this visit. He’s been so patient.’

Sheikh Allem had been. He had asked Sev to come to Dubai to review his hotel’s security system yet Sev had been putting the visit off. Now he had flown with his wife to visit him.

They were friends more than business associates but Sev didn’t need friends—he wanted Allem and his wife to back off.

They refused to get the message.

‘Okay, okay,’ Sev snapped. ‘I’m on my way to the airport. When I get to the plane I’ll ask the pilot to put his foot down or whatever it is they do. Look, I haven’t a hope of getting there before three.’

‘What should I say to him?’

‘That’s what I pay you to sort out,’ Sev said. ‘Just use your charm, Naomi.’

‘It’s all used up.’

‘I have noticed,’ Sev responded. ‘You’ve been very...’

‘Testy?’ Naomi offered.

‘I don’t know what that word means.’

‘Bad-tempered, irritable.’

‘Yes, you have been very testy of late.’

‘Because my boss keeps disappearing on me. Just what exactly are you doing in Rome?’ Hell, she ran his diary, booked his flights, arranged his schedule and, Naomi knew damn well that he wasn’t supposed to be there.

‘You want to know exactly?’ Sev checked.

Naomi closed her eyes. She knew, of course, that it would be about a woman.

And that was why she was being so testy. Naomi, more than anything, loathed confrontation, or rather she could not stand to be the one who brought things to the boil. In fact, she actually wanted Sev to fire her. It would be better than having to resign later today.

‘I mean, why are you in Rome?’ Naomi said. ‘I’m just trying to work out what to tell Sheikh Allem.’

‘Well, I guess it just seemed a good idea at the time.’

‘And I guess that time was Saturday night.’

‘You know me so well. I was at a party and—’

‘I’ve changed my mind,’ Naomi snapped. ‘I don’t need to know. I’ll come up with something for Allem.’

‘You’re sounding very English,’ Sev said. ‘Work something out. Oh, and can you organise some flowers from me?’

Naomi closed her eyes.

‘If you can send two dozen white roses...’

He really didn’t need to tell her that—it was always the same routine with Sev.

On a Monday Naomi would arrange flowers for whoever he had seen over the weekend. Around Wednesday he might ask her to organise a hotel for the following one.

The next Monday it might be a case of more flowers but generally he’d lost interest by then.

‘What’s her name?’ Naomi asked, as she reached for her pen. ‘And what message do you want?’

‘Actually,’ Sev said, ‘don’t worry about the flowers. Apart from Allem, am I missing out on anything else?’

‘Just a scheduled beginning-of-the-month meeting with me.’ She had been going to tell him then that she was resigning.

Sev was silent.

‘It’s November,’ Naomi said.

‘I know that.’

‘I’m just checking that you do.’

‘Anything else?’

‘No, everything was cleared for Allem.’

‘I’ll be there as soon as I can. Tell Allem...’ He thought for a moment. ‘Just tell him what you have to and if he acts up remind him he’s the one who wants to see me.’

He didn’t say goodbye, he simply rang off, and, no, Naomi thought, she wouldn’t miss this part of the job—reorganising his schedule at a moment’s notice and letting people down. At least that was how it felt to her. His clients didn’t seem to mind in the least. That he was unattainable made him all the more desirable. The more elusive he was the more in demand he became.

‘Bloody Sev,’ Naomi grumbled, then sank back on her pillows to enjoy a rare lie-in.

There was no need to rush in now. She could work here for a couple of hours, so she lay back and waited for sunrise and thought about what she was about to do.

Most would say she was mad to give up such an amazing job and all the perks that came with it.

For the past three months Naomi had been telling herself the same.

Yet she was fast learning that location, location didn’t equate to happiness. A designer wardrobe and manicured nails and a fabulous haircut didn’t magically put the world to rights.

On sight she had fallen for Sev.

Hard.

And, like her many predecessors, Naomi knew how futile hoping for anything other than the briefest of flings with him would be.

She should get out before she succumbed, Naomi had decided. She was already conflicted enough, trying to forge some sort of relationship with her father as well as ending things with Andrew.

A temporary fling with Sev she certainly didn’t need, for though it might be temporary for him, an encounter of the sexual kind, Naomi knew, would add a permanent tattoo to her heart.

He wasn’t cold at all. In fact, sometimes it felt as if he had been put on this earth with the sole reason to make her smile.

Which he did.

A lot.

He was inappropriate, yes.

But he was no more inappropriate than her own thoughts.

The chair in his office still felt battery operated.

His voice made her stomach curl.

And as for emotionless...

Whether he was or he wasn’t, he brought out all of her emotions effortlessly.

The morning was arriving and it looked crisp and clear from the warmth of bed. Somebody must have been out with a paintbrush last night for Central Park was a rich palette of burnt reds and oranges and she wondered what it might look like to lie in bed in winter with the bedroom fire lit, looking out at the trees stripped bare and heavy with snow.

She wasn’t going to be here to find out.

And she would tell him so today.

CHAPTER TWO

THE VIEW WAS just as impressive on Sev’s part of the planet.

Not that he saw much of it.

He wore dark glasses and the tinted windows of the hotel’s black Mercedes blocked out the midday sun as he called Naomi while being driven to his plane.

Sev looked out briefly at the sights of Rome as he was driven through the busy streets. He’d possibly get there quicker if he jumped on a moped but, though cross with himself for sleeping in and thus being so late for Allem, he wasn’t about to go to such extremes.

Instead he had pulled out his phone and decided that Naomi would just have to fix things.

She wasn’t best pleased with him but a moody PA he did not need so he snapped off the phone, relieved as his car pulled onto the tarmac near his waiting plane. What the hell had possessed him to call out his crew on a Saturday night to fly here when now he couldn’t even remember her name?

It wasn’t as if it was for sex that he’d gone to such extremes. Sex had been taken care of long before they’d boarded.

And it hadn’t been about conversation—he wasn’t particularly fluent in Italian.

Sev wasn’t feeling very good about another reckless night and he certainly didn’t need Reverend Sister Naomi’s silent tsk tsk of disapproval.

Shannon, his flight attendant, greeted him and knew him well enough to wait and ask how he wanted his coffee before making it.

It varied.

‘Long and black,’ Sev said, taking off his jacket. ‘With one sugar.’ He took a seat but by the time he had Sev had already changed his mind and called Shannon back.

‘A strong latte, two sugars.’

Maybe the milk would help his stomach but Sev knew he was, thanks to Naomi, suffering from a rare spasm of guilt.

He liked Allem and his wife and knew that they were in New York primarily to catch up with him as, thanks to the excuse of work commitments, Sev had declined their last two invitations to visit them in Dubai.

It had been Allem who had given him his first break.

Sev’s past should mean he lived on the streets but he never had.

His grades at school had been outstanding and had meant he had received a scholarship to a very good school and then an internship.

It had been cell phones that Sev had been into then and he had come up with the design that Allem had run with.

Yes, Sev’s cynical voice reminded him, that design had meant that Allem had made an absolute fortune out of his idea.

Yet Allem had then bankrolled Sev, allowing him to delve deeply into the cyber world. Now his genius sat in a range of one step behind or two steps ahead of the bad boys. This meant his services were in expensive demand from governments to law enforcement, airlines, royalty and show business. Sev fought his virtual enemies with talent and respect.

It was an endless, relentless game and one, more often than not, he won.

His success wasn’t down to Allem—he owed him nothing, Sev thought, draining his coffee, as Jason, the captain, spoke and told him he was hoping to catch a tail wind and they should arrive just before three.

Shannon came to take his cup and any moment now they’d be on their way.

‘Do you want me to fix lunch after take-off?’ she offered, but Sev shook his head.

‘I don’t want anything to eat, I’m just going to go to bed. Don’t wake me unless the plane is going down,’ Sev said. ‘Actually, don’t wake me even if it is.’

He opened up his book, the one he always read during take-off, but not even that could distract him today.

Sev avoided friendships, he avoided getting close to anyone, yet Allem insisted on sticking around.

As soon as he was able to he made his way to the bedroom.

He stripped, had a quick shower and then got into bed but sleep eluded him.

That needle of guilt was still there so he called Naomi again.

‘I can’t sleep,’ Sev admitted.

‘Where are you now?’

‘An hour out of Rome. Have you spoken to Allem?’

‘Not yet. I’ve sent an email telling him that you’ve been delayed,’ Naomi said. ‘I’ll call him closer to nine when I’ve worked out a reason why.’

There was a slightly tart edge to her voice.

‘Go into my bureau,’ Sev said. He had actually bought a gift for Jamal and Allem. ‘There should be a polished box there you could wrap for me. You could give it to him as a little sweetener until I arrive.’

‘Okay.’

‘Is it there?’ Sev asked, wondering if he might have left it in his apartment.

‘I’ll look when I get to the office.’

‘You’re not in yet?’

‘No,’ Naomi said. ‘Caught.’

‘Caught what?’

‘Having a lie-in.’ Naomi said, but then hurriedly added, ‘I’m up now, though.’

‘Liar.’

‘You trained me well,’ Naomi responded. They were both in bed and both knew it.

‘Go up to my apartment before you head into work. It might be in my desk there. If not, then it’s in the bureau at work. It’s got a statue in it.’

‘Okay. So what lie do you want me to feed Allem?’

But Sev’s mind was on other things.

Yes, he’d been feeling bad about Allem but knowing that Naomi was in bed, hopefully as naked as he, was, well, a bit of a turn-on.

She drove him crazy.

He could not read her.

It was like a weather report telling you it was sultry and hot and then stepping out to sleet and ice.

‘Can I ask you something?’

‘No,’ Naomi answered. ‘About Allem. What am I to tell him?’

Oh, that was right. The reason for his call.

‘Just tell him there was a family emergency that I had to attend to. He’s big on family. Tell him that my mother was taken ill and I’m on my way back from Russia.’

‘Sev, is your mother alive?’

‘Yes?’

‘Is she sick?’

‘She could be.’

He heard a slight noise as she sucked in her breath. ‘You don’t like the idea.’

‘It’s not for me to judge...’

‘Oh, but, baby, you do,’ Sev snapped. ‘Over and over you do. And do you know what? I don’t need it. I’m warning you—’

‘Officially?’ Naomi checked, more than happy for him to fire her now, even the dark rise of his voice turned her on.

‘Unofficially,’ Sev said.

God, but he even liked rowing with her.

Sev didn’t row. Usually he simply couldn’t be bothered to.

They both lay in tense angry silence but neither ended the call and then Sev said it again but his voice wasn’t angry now.

‘Can I ask you something?’ No, he wasn’t angry. His voice had that low edge to it that had her pull up her knees.

‘Go ahead.’ Naomi sighed.

‘It’s personal.’

She had guessed that it might be.

‘I’m just curious about something.’

Somehow he didn’t offend her.

Naomi was curious about him too.

She just lay there naked in bed, trying to imagine how that low voice might sound while making love to her, and she was terribly, terribly tempted to find out.

To just finally give in to the suggestive air they created.

‘Ask away.’

‘Well, I’m assuming, if you’re engaged, that you must love your fiancé.’

She didn’t answer.

‘And fancy him.’

Naomi said nothing.

‘So how do you...?’

‘How do I what, Sev?’

‘You’ve been in New York for three months and in that time I can’t recall him coming over to see you.’

‘He hasn’t.’

‘So,’ Sev asked, ‘how do you manage?’

Manage!

Oh, it was as basic as that to Sev, Naomi thought. An itch to be scratched, a line on his to-do list to be regularly ticked off.

‘Sev,’ Naomi crisply replied, when she would far rather dive under the covers and prolong the call, ‘I’m giving you an official warning now.’

She hung up on him. Sev tossed the phone down in frustration.

Bloody Naomi, Sev thought as he lay there. He was hard for her and had been left hanging. And then he remembered why he’d come to Rome.

She had been brunette.

It was as simple and as messed up as that.

He was over Naomi and her moods.

Sev didn’t need some sanctimonious PA sitting on her moral throne. She was there to run his life, not have him account for it.

Who cared what she thought?

He cared about no one.

Only that wasn’t quite right.

God, but he hated this month already.

Sev hated November.

He always had and he always would.

In Russia it was Mother’s Day at the end of November.

At school, the ‘home kids’, as he and his friends had called the students who’d had families, would sit and make cards for their mothers as the ‘detsky dom’ kids stuck rice onto paper for, well, no one in particular.

There had been four at his table, they had been together since nursery school.

Sevastyan had always been the nerdy one, Nikolai had liked ships and then there had been the twins, Roman and Daniil, who were going to be famous boxers one day.

Some day.

Never.

‘If you don’t have a mother then make a card for someone you care about,’ the teacher had suggested each year.

The ‘detsky dom’ kids’ cards had never got made.

A few years back Sevastyan had found out that he did have a mother, but he now knew that she wouldn’t have appreciated a card with stuck-on rice anyway.

He’d send flowers, of course, but rather than rely on Naomi he would try to work out himself what to put in the note.

Each year it became harder to work out what to write.

Thanks for being there?

She hadn’t been.

With love to you on this special day?

It wasn’t a special day to her.

And there was no love.

November also meant that it was his niece’s birthday.

Her eighteenth! Sev suddenly remembered.

He’d stop at Tiffany on the way to the office Sev thought, then decided not to bother.

Whatever he sent would just end up being pawned or put up on some auction site.

Yes, for so many reasons he hated November.

Sev closed his eyes but he still could not sleep.

He stared into the dark and could remember as if it were yesterday, rather than half a lifetime ago, hearing his friend quietly crying in the night.

These had been boys who had stopped crying from the cradle and so Sev had not known whether his friend would appreciate that he knew that he was.

‘What’s wrong?’ Sev had asked. ‘Nikolai, what has happened?’

‘Nothing.’

‘It doesn’t sound like nothing.’

‘Leave it.’

He had.

To Sev’s utter, utter regret, he had.

In the morning Nikolai had been gone.

A week later his body had washed up and Sergio had come back with his bag, in it a ship Nikolai had been making out of matches.

Sev lay there and thought of his friend and his sad end.

And the thought of the others he still missed to this day.

On the twelfth of November, the day Nikolai had run away, Sev would be in London for yet another futile attempt to meet with his past.

He might give it a miss, Sev thought, but he was as superstitious as he was Russian.

If he didn’t go, of course it would be the one year that Daniil showed up.

CHAPTER THREE

SHEIKH ALLEM WAS extremely gracious about the change in plans.

In fact, when Naomi had called him at nine he hadn’t seemed in the least surprised. He’d told Naomi that he would come to the office at four but in the meantime, would she mind taking Jamal shopping?

‘Of course.’

Naomi had dressed in a navy shift dress and flat ballet pumps and she headed up to Sev’s apartment to check if the gift he had bought for Allem was there.

His apartment took up the entire floor.

She was often in there, packing his case, doing little jobs, showing through a designer because he’d decided he had changed his mind about a wall or a light or whatever it was that he might suddenly decide that he wanted changed. She basically took care of many details of Sev’s life so that he didn’t have to.

His maid was in there, changing the flowers and making sure everything was perfect for his return.

Naomi said hi and went through to Sev’s study.

There was no polished wooden box that she could see in any of the drawers.

She looked on top of the desk.

There was no box there either, just a rather scruffy little ship.

It was odd, Naomi thought, picking it up and examining it. It was old and poorly put together, unlike anything else in the apartment.

She put it down again and then headed into his bedroom, deciding to take the opportunity to take a couple of fresh shirts to the office.

His bedroom was her favourite room.

Not because of him.

Well, maybe.

But it kind of fascinated Naomi.

The mahogany door she opened didn’t close as the same thing.

Bored with the trimmings, he had made a few alterations to a heritage building and the other side of the door was ebony.

As were the rest of the trimmings.

Another maid was in there, changing the bedding on his big black wooden bed.

It was beautiful.

The view was amazing and the curtains were black on ivory with a dash of pistachio-green—the only dart of colour in the entire room, apart from the view.

Because it was the beginning of the month, Naomi took out her tablet and made a quick inventory.

He had one woman who shopped for his clothing, who Naomi liaised with. He had another who dealt with food and beverages.

His PA dealt with personal items.

She went to his dressing table and saw the cologne she had ordered last month from Paris. The container was still half-full but she made a note and then, joy, went to his bedside table and made another note of items that needed to be replenished!

She would not miss this part of her job in the least. In fact, she was so annoyed that she forgot to go through to the bathroom and instead took the shirts and headed into work.

Sure enough, in the bureau in his office was a gleaming wooden box and Naomi had a peek inside and frowned.

He’d bought it in Mali, she remembered.

And she’d wondered why at the time.

It was a fertility statue.

Naomi considered whether she should call Sev and tell him that this might not be the best gift to give the sheikh but what the hell, it was his faux pas and she was still cross with him and not in the mood for another little chat with a naked Sev.

Naomi wrapped the gift and decided that Sev could give it to him and deal with the consequences and she placed it back in the bureau. She then went to meet Jamal and spent a few hours shopping and chatting before Naomi saw her back to her hotel. She got a call from Sev’s driver to say that his plane had landed but she came back to an office still devoid of Sev.

Damn.

Allem would be here soon.

She felt terrible, lying for Sev. Till today she hadn’t even known that Sev had a mother. She knew everything and nothing about him.

He never spoke about family.

She was never asked to send presents or flowers for anyone other than girlfriends.

Naomi pulled up his account at the florist and looked at May.

No, judging by the messages sent that month, a Mother’s Day bouquet hadn’t been sent.

It was none of her business, Naomi told herself.

She just wanted to know some more.

She was alerted that Allem had arrived and Naomi greeted him. He was robed and wearing a kafeya and just so polished and well mannered she wondered if he was royal.

‘His plane has just landed,’ Naomi said, and fired Sev a text as they waited.

And waited.

Allem didn’t seem to mind in the least.

‘How long have you been working for Sevastyan?’ Allem asked, as Naomi poured tea.

‘Three months.’

And with her notice served it would be three months and two weeks. Naomi had absolutely decided that she was going to do it.

Finally Sev appeared, as rumpled as if he had flown economy to get here rather than on his luxury private jet.

Still beautiful, Naomi thought, but though she smiled a greeting it didn’t quite meet her eyes.

His neck was a mess from his weekend of passion and she knew now why it had taken so long for him to get from the airport—from the bag he was carrying it was clear that he had stopped off at Tiffany.

Not for a second did she presume he’d stopped to buy something for her.

‘I’m very sorry to hear about your mother,’ Allem offered. ‘How is she?’

‘Touch and go,’ Sev replied, and jiggled his hand. No, he didn’t say sorry for being seven hours late. ‘Let’s go through to my office.’ He led Allem through and as he closed the door he gave Naomi a smile of thanks.

No doubt he thought he had got away with it and Allem believed that his mother was sick—didn’t he get it that Allem was just too polite to mention the bite marks on his neck?

Naomi was completely over this job.

No, she wasn’t burnt out.

It was far more than that.

He’d lie about his own mother.

Sev was a bastard.

Felicity had told her that at her first interview.

Even Sev had warned her that he was on her very first day.