shiver of apprehension run down the length of her spine as she recalled how cold and merciless Lucien’s eyes had been in his office four days earlier, when she had told him what Lionel Jenkins had done to her.
Could this possibly be Lucien’s response? Was he really so powerful that he had been able to force the older man into not only selling his company, but as the article also stated, into ‘taking an early retirement and moving to his estate in Surrey?
Nicky thought back to when she and Lucien had dined completely alone together all those months ago. Because Lucien had made it happen. And if he could empty an exclusive restaurant like Petruccio’s just to satisfy his need for privacy, then she had no doubts that he was also capable of bringing enough pressure to bear on Lionel Jenkins to bring about the other man’s early retirement.
How scary was that?
Very, came the unequivocal answer.
And yet it was strangely arousing at the same time...
Nicky shifted uncomfortably on the barstool. What was wrong with her, that she could find the sort of power Lucien wielded arousing?
She just did , Nicky acknowledged with a pained wince. There was no rhyme or reason to it, she just did. She found it not only arousing, but also reassuring at the same time, because it demonstrated that Lucien was more than capable of taking care of what he considered to be his. And he had made it clear it was only a matter of time before that’s exactly what Nicky would become.
But was Lucien powerful enough to stand against someone like Jack Montgomery, if it should become necessary?
The boss of London’s underworld was a man few would ever want to oppose, let alone voluntarily go up against. Nicky and her brother had managed to stay off the man’s radar for six years now, but if that should change, if Montgomery should somehow discover who she was now and where she lived, would Lucien be able to protect her?
It wasn’t idle curiosity that made Nicky wonder that; she’d had a strange feeling, these past four days, that whenever she went out of her apartment she was being followed. It was just a feeling, and there was never anyone near who looked suspicious, or as if they might be following her, when she turned to look at the people around her. Nor had she seen the same face in the crowd two days in a row.
Yet the feeling persisted whenever Nicky stepped out of her apartment.
And yesterday, when she came back from visiting the job agency, she had even felt as if someone had been in her apartment while she was out. The lock wasn’t broken, there was nothing missing, and nothing seemed out of place. There had been no strange smell of aftershave or tobacco smoke. Nicky had just had a feeling as if someone had been in here.
No doubt she was allowing her imagination to run away with her. It was almost six years now since her father’s death, and Jack Montgomery hadn’t found her or Neil in that time, and there was no reason to suppose he ever would. Nor did she think having her followed was Jack Montgomery’s style; he was more likely to just have her dragged off the street and the answers beaten out of her, rather than having someone break into her apartment or instructed to follow her.
Even so, that feeling that someone had been in her apartment, combined with the one of being watched and followed, had filled her with a sense of unease.
As well as make her long to have someone take this burden from her shoulders, if only for a few days or weeks...
Lucien.
Could he do that? Would he want to do that?
Had he been responsible for Lionel Jenkins’ early retirement after buying the other man’s company?
And if so, was it possible it really had been because of her? Because the older man had tried to force her into having sex with him?
Lucien wasn’t a man who would ever need to use force or blackmail to have sex with any woman, and although he had been completely honest about what he wanted—her—on both occasions he had
Could this possibly be Lucien’s response? Was he really so powerful that he had been able to force the older man into not only selling his company, but as the article also stated, into ‘taking an early retirement and moving to his estate in Surrey?
Nicky thought back to when she and Lucien had dined completely alone together all those months ago. Because Lucien had made it happen. And if he could empty an exclusive restaurant like Petruccio’s just to satisfy his need for privacy, then she had no doubts that he was also capable of bringing enough pressure to bear on Lionel Jenkins to bring about the other man’s early retirement.
How scary was that?
Very, came the unequivocal answer.
And yet it was strangely arousing at the same time...
Nicky shifted uncomfortably on the barstool. What was wrong with her, that she could find the sort of power Lucien wielded arousing?
She just did , Nicky acknowledged with a pained wince. There was no rhyme or reason to it, she just did. She found it not only arousing, but also reassuring at the same time, because it demonstrated that Lucien was more than capable of taking care of what he considered to be his. And he had made it clear it was only a matter of time before that’s exactly what Nicky would become.
But was Lucien powerful enough to stand against someone like Jack Montgomery, if it should become necessary?
The boss of London’s underworld was a man few would ever want to oppose, let alone voluntarily go up against. Nicky and her brother had managed to stay off the man’s radar for six years now, but if that should change, if Montgomery should somehow discover who she was now and where she lived, would Lucien be able to protect her?
It wasn’t idle curiosity that made Nicky wonder that; she’d had a strange feeling, these past four days, that whenever she went out of her apartment she was being followed. It was just a feeling, and there was never anyone near who looked suspicious, or as if they might be following her, when she turned to look at the people around her. Nor had she seen the same face in the crowd two days in a row.
Yet the feeling persisted whenever Nicky stepped out of her apartment.
And yesterday, when she came back from visiting the job agency, she had even felt as if someone had been in her apartment while she was out. The lock wasn’t broken, there was nothing missing, and nothing seemed out of place. There had been no strange smell of aftershave or tobacco smoke. Nicky had just had a feeling as if someone had been in here.
No doubt she was allowing her imagination to run away with her. It was almost six years now since her father’s death, and Jack Montgomery hadn’t found her or Neil in that time, and there was no reason to suppose he ever would. Nor did she think having her followed was Jack Montgomery’s style; he was more likely to just have her dragged off the street and the answers beaten out of her, rather than having someone break into her apartment or instructed to follow her.
Even so, that feeling that someone had been in her apartment, combined with the one of being watched and followed, had filled her with a sense of unease.
As well as make her long to have someone take this burden from her shoulders, if only for a few days or weeks...
Lucien.
Could he do that? Would he want to do that?
Had he been responsible for Lionel Jenkins’ early retirement after buying the other man’s company?
And if so, was it possible it really had been because of her? Because the older man had tried to force her into having sex with him?
Lucien wasn’t a man who would ever need to use force or blackmail to have sex with any woman, and although he had been completely honest about what he wanted—her—on both occasions he had
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