Mastered(71)

If she hadn’t been so raw from reliving that night all over again, the look on Drake’s face would have terrified her. He was coldly furious, his eyes flat and his jaw clenched so tight that it had to be painful.

“None of that will happen tonight,” he said in a soft voice that held a hint of menace. “All of my employees know your status and that you are to be given whatever you request and that you are to be treated with the utmost respect. My men will be close at all times, and rest assured, if anyone disrespects you in any way, they will be dealt with and it won’t be pretty. Furthermore, if anyone crosses the line with you or so much as looks at you wrong, I want to know about it immediately. I want your word, Evangeline. You will tell one of my men so they can notify me and the issue will be resolved swiftly. I will not tolerate any disrespect directed at you.”

“Okay,” she said in a shaky voice, having learned that Drake wanted words, not gestures or nods.

His voice gentled, as did his expression and his eyes. “I want you to have a good time tonight, Angel. I’m not such an asshole that I would set you up for embarrassment, nor would I ever put you in a position where you would be uncomfortable or awkward. I have a surprise planned for you and I think it’s one you will like and as such, I think you’ll forget all about the first time you came to Impulse.”#p#分页标题#e#

She sank into the sumptuous leather chair as she processed his cryptic statement and cast a curious glance his way.

He smiled. “I want you to have fun tonight, Angel. From all I’ve gathered you’ve not had much fun in your life. You’ve been too busy working and providing for others.”

Her heart skipped a beat and she couldn’t help the smile or the warmth that suddenly invaded her chest at the sweet gesture.

“And speaking of which, I still need the name of your parents’ bank and their account number as well as the routing number. I’ll have my assistant call and get wiring instructions tomorrow morning. But first, I thought you’d like to call them and apprise them of the situation so the deposit doesn’t come as a surprise.”

Panic immediately replaced the euphoria she’d just experienced.

“Oh my God, Drake. What do I tell them? How do I suddenly explain a wire transfer that obviously didn’t come from me? What will they think? It will look suspicious, not to mention it will put all kinds of questions into their minds about me and what I’m doing or what I’ve done to warrant such a sudden influx of money.”

She could feel the heat invading her cheeks. Shame. How to explain Drake and her relationship with a man she’d known for just a few days?

“What if they think I’m a drug dealer or a prostitute?” she asked in horror.

In her tiny hometown, if someone suddenly came into money under mysterious circumstances, the gossip mill would be in full force, and that was the last thing she wanted for her parents. If it were only she who would suffer, she wouldn’t care. But she did care about how her parents were treated and what was said about them. And she did care what her parents thought of her.

“What am I exactly?” Evangeline whispered as she continued to stare at Drake in complete meltdown. “Your mistress? A paid companion?”

Then she stopped and buried her face in her hands, uncaring of the fact that she’d have to do a serious retouch of her makeup.

“This is not me,” she choked out. “This is not the person I am, letting someone else, let alone someone I barely know, step in and take care of my problems for me. I could take hating myself or even being ashamed, because there is nothing I wouldn’t do for my mother and father, but I do care if they are disappointed or ashamed of me, because they would never want me to do anything that goes against the way I was brought up in order to help them.”

She expected anger, even fury etched into Drake’s features and sparking in his eyes when she finally summoned the courage to remove her hands from her face. But she saw none of those things. In that moment, an inexplicable bond formed between them. One of understanding. And pride.

Neither spoke, both aware of the connection, not on a physical level, but on an emotional level. They might live in completely different worlds, but things like pride and a sense of self-worth were universal, and in that area they were on common ground. Just two people with something in common. No financial or social divide. People. Just people. Experiencing and respecting things that had no barriers.

“Would you prefer I call them and explain, Angel?” he asked softly.

It was tempting. God, it was so tempting. She hated conflict, avoided it at all costs because it ate at her for days, even weeks, after the conflict had subsided. But she had to retain control over some part of her life, having lost every other aspect of it in her brief acquaintance with Drake. And she was many things, self-admittedly a coward and one who kept her head solidly buried in the sand, but she’d be forever shamed if she was too afraid to face the two most important people in her life.#p#分页标题#e#