Page 22 of Love Unspoken

"Actually, say: I'm sorry you're alone, I hope this makes up for it. And then the Happy Thanksgiving part."

"Will do, Mr. Westbrook. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"That will be all, Guillaume. Happy Thanksgiving."

I hung up and found Naya's address in the company directory. I texted it to Guillaume along with her cell number.

I dropped my towel on the floor and walked naked into my walk-in closet. How big was Naya's apartment? My closet, I knew, was the size of someone's studio.

I enjoyed my wealth. Granted I had a trust fund, and my family had a whole lot of money, but I'd earned my fortune, and I had no problem living a life of luxury. The circles I moved in, everyone was well off. Even though Nolan was having financial issues right now, he'd just bought an expensive house in a coveted area of Boston, so, it wasn't like he was destitute. Yet, he was leaving Naya to carry the burden of family debt. Could I help with that? Would she even let me? She'd gotten pretty prickly when I'd asked her why she couldn’t afford a car. So, I already knew handouts would not be appreciated.

"Amias?" Ann was standing at the doorway of the closet, a glass of wine in hand. She saw me standing still, staring into space. "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing." I shook my head and found some clothes.

"Your mother wanted to talk about Christmas," she continued as I got dressed.

I put on jeans and a navy blue cashmere sweater. The housekeeper had already packed my suitcase. She knew what I needed when I traveled.

"What about Christmas?"

"Your parents are renting a chalet in the Swiss Alps. She wanted to make sure we didn't have other plans."

I wondered what Naya would do for Christmas. Would she be alone? Fucking hell! Why was I spending so much time thinking about her? She was an employee, a friend's sister…she meant nothing to me.

And, yet, I remembered her small smile as she presented, that quiet elegance with which she answered questions. She never got rattled. Ethan had said as much to me when he'd told me was going to promote her.

"No matter what's thrown at her, she keeps her cool. You should see her with her team. She's compassionate and they love her."

"I don't need people to love their manager, Ethan."

"But it helps tremendously."

"Whatever. She reports to you. She fucks up, it’s on you."

"I still can't understand why you have a problem with her?"

"I don't," I snapped. "She's on your team, do what you want with her."

Why the hell had I had such animosity towards her?

"Amias?" Ann prodded.

"What?" I asked as I put on my watch and looked for appropriate footwear.

"Christmas?"

Fuck! I wasn't even sure if Ann and I would be together at that time. I was starting to feel more and more that this relationship wasn't working. I didn't want to be with someone who was cruel to others like Ann was to Naya. She wasn't normally like that. She had a whole lot of friends who liked her and most of my friends, except for Hayes, adored her and thought she was one hell of a catch, and I was one lucky son of a bitch.

"I don't know, Ann."

"What's to know? They're chartering a plane, and we can fly with them. It's just for a week. You know I love skiing in Switzerland."

"Fine," I muttered. It wasn't worth getting into an argument about. It was a whole month away. I'd figure it out, eventually.

She went on tiptoe and kissed me. Her arms went around me and her familiar scent, Good Girl Gone Bad by Kilian filled my nose. I knew what perfume she used because I bought her those as gifts. They retailed at a thousand dollars for 250 ml. I never gave it a second thought. I spent more on jewelry and bags for her; this was pocket change. I wondered how Naya would feel about getting such a perfume.

What did she smell like?