A DEAL WITH MY BEST FRIEND'S HUSBAND

Chapter8

Nathalie.

“Nathalie, I’ve known Nathaniel since we were kids. We are just not close to each other, but I’m in this circle of wealthy society. So when I say you are not his type, then you are really not his type, and you can never be his type.”

Her words made me freeze. “Caroline, just because you are in that wealthy circle doesn’t mean you can dictate Nathaniel’s type. I’m very sure that if I wasn’t his type, he wouldn't be head over heels for me.”

She laughed nervously. “You know I’m just looking out for you. If he really loves you, then why are you guys always meeting at the club? Nathalie, those are red flags. I’m just protecting you.”

I dropped the dinner tray onto the nightstand close to the bed. “Well, don't get yourself too worried. I’m spending the night at his place.”

“What do you mean? Like, you are at Nathaniel’s penthouse inside the Harrington mansion?!” Her voice dropped significantly lower.

“Yes. I’m in Nathaniel’s room right now, eating dinner,” I pouted.

“Put it on a video call,” she demanded. I did exactly as she said, assuming she would just be extra surprised and happy for my new relationship.

“See? We both totally misunderstood him,” I shrugged, smiling at her through the screen. As her eyes drifted to the background behind me, a tight smile crossed her face.

“Nathalie, you know I just don’t want you to get hurt by any man!” she murmured. “Just... don’t let him be intimate with you. He might just want your body.”

“What?” I shook my head in disbelief. “Caroline, stop assuming the worst things about him.”

“I’m not assuming, I know him very well, Nathalie. Just promise me you will take things slowly. I really believe in you.” She squinted her eyes at the camera.

“Alright. But if I fall into his temptation, don't blame me. He is just so sexy!” I squealed playfully.

“I know, but—”

“Nathalie.” Nathaniel’s deep voice suddenly cut Caroline off. Through the screen, she seemed to freeze instantly.

I raised my head, seeing him standing right in front of the door. “Hi... I was just speaking to my best frie—” My words cut off as I looked down at my phone screen, realizing Caroline had abruptly hung up the call.

“Are you okay?!” Nathaniel asked, pulling off his shirt. I swallowed hard, my eyes automatically tracing the lines of his muscled chest.

“Ye-yeah.” Goodness. I cleared my throat quickly, pulling the sheets up to my chest and laying my head back down on the pillow.

“Sleepy?” he asked softly.

I nodded, turning onto my side and closing my eyes tightly.

I didn't realize how truly exhausted I was until I fell asleep almost immediately. Hours later, the sharp clink of a belt buckle woke me up. My hands moved to rub the sleep from my eyes.

Nathaniel was already fully dressed in a crisp, three-piece tuxedo. His intense eyes were locked directly on me as he adjusted his wristwatch.

“Good morning, Nathy.”

“Mmh. Good morning,” I said, sitting straight up. “Where are you off to this early?!”

The corner of his lips tugged into a slow smile. “Work. It’s eight in the morning. I’m pretty sure you are supposed to be in your office right now, too.”

“f**k!” I cursed out loud, scrambling quickly down from the mattress. “I completely forgot! I need to go home—”

Nathaniel held my arms gently, pulling me back onto the bed as I tried to run past him. “Your dress and everything a lady needs is already on the couch,” he said, gesturing to the side before fixing his gaze back on me.

“Oh. Thank you,” I purred. Our eyes locked, and a sudden, electric vibration passed through my body. Maybe he felt it too, because his hands tightened securely around my waist.

His gaze dropped down to my lips, and my mouth parted on its own accord. My head went on a complete roller-coaster. I just leaned in, and he did the exact same thing, our lips standing just inches apart. His hot breath made the tiny hairs on my face rise. In a swift second, our lips finally met.

A rush of intense heat and hunger surged through me. I kissed him back with matching force, my hands moving around his neck to pull him even closer to me. His grip tightened around my waist as he kissed my lips deeply, giving them little bites at the same time.

Suddenly, his phone started ringing loudly on the nightstand, but we both ignored it. It just wouldn't stop ringing.

“Mmh... Na—” My words were completely mumbled against his lips. I tapped his chest lightly, and he finally stopped.

“What?!” he asked, his blue eyes filled with absolute care and desire.

“Your phone,” I pointed.

“That is not more important than you,” he huffed in pure annoyance.

“It might be importa—ah!” My hands flew to cover my ears as a piercing, incredibly loud alarm suddenly echoed through the entire penthouse. Surprisingly, Nathaniel didn't look shocked at all.

“Hey, calm down. I guess my grandfather is just trying to reach out to me.”

****

After the shocking experience I had that morning, I was left seriously wondering just how stoic and intense Nathaniel’s grandfather actually was. Who on earth installs a loud building alarm inside someone’s private penthouse just to reach them if they don’t pick up their phone?!

“Ma’am, these are the files we need to submit to Arthur Harrington,” Charlotte said, pushing a thick folder toward me and cutting off my running thoughts.

“I already reviewed them, Charlotte. You can proceed,” I replied calmly, though the formal term “ma’am” still sounded way too awkward to my ears.

“You are the one assigned for the submission. You are the manager,” she said, giving me a firm, “it’s your job” look.

“Oh,” I murmured, nervously scratching the back of my neck.

Later that afternoon, I found myself standing inside Arthur Harrington’s private office elevator, my feet anxiously tapping against the floor. I can do this, I kept repeating the words in my head like a mantra.

The elevator doors chimed open, and eight pairs of intense eyes instantly turned to look at me. My heart stopped beating for a brief second. However, I managed to mask my fear the moment I spotted Caroline sitting comfortably right next to Arthur Harrington himself.

“Good aft—”

“The new manager at H Bakes?!” Arthur Harrington’s stoic, gravelly voice cut me off short.

“Yes, sir,” I nodded, keeping my posture straight.

“You are late,” he said flatly, shaking his head in disappointment. “C’mon. Give us an overview of the numbers.”

“The bakery sales increased by twenty percent this week. We need new French chefs—”

“Ugh. You just started, and you are already making demands?” Caroline’s voice loudly cut my shaky words off.

I blinked my eyes in absolute confusion and shock, but I forced myself to continue speaking. After the brief overview was done, I quickly left the penthouse floor, walking out toward the car that had been assigned to drive me back.

“Nathalie!” I heard Caroline calling my name from behind, but I refused to answer her.

I stopped by the passenger side of the car, about to pull the door open, when she tapped my shoulder. “Hey. I’m calling you.”

“Why?!” I blurted out, turning around to face her fully. “After how you just treated me in there? You acted like you never even knew me, and you made me feel completely unimportant!”

She squinted her eyes at me. “No. You totally misunderstood me, Nathalie. I can’t let them know that we are friends. This way, I can actually give you inside information about what they really think about you.”

“And who says I even want to know their thoughts about me? They have no idea that Nathaniel and I are actually dating yet.”

“Do you really think I would ever hurt you, Nathalie?! We are literally best friends!” she deadpanned. My heart softened slightly at her words, but the anger was still surging inside my chest. “Look, you might not care, but I care. I care about you, so I’ll use my leverage of being close to them to find out their true intentions for you.”

“You don’t really need to do all of this, Caroline,” my voice finally softened.

“I need to. That’s the exact reason I came out here, just to let you know that I don’t mean any bad for you.” She gave me a small, reassuring smile. “I really need to get going now.”

I waved her goodbye and slid into the back seat of the car. Suddenly, my breath caught completely in my throat as a large, rough hand clamped down tightly over my mouth.