Strictly Taboo(70)

“Have Delilah sit in with you. She can be your liaison with him. You know how absent minded you are.”



“Yes, dear.”





Chapter Two



Delilah Anderson kept quiet about everything in her life. She dressed modestly and in muted colors. She did her hair in the same style she’d always used. She used makeup in diminished colors. She’d played third violin in her high school orchestra. Third violinists sit back in the body of the orchestra. No one pays attention to them unless they set themselves on fire.



In college, she made sure that no one noticed her by dressing exactly like everyone else. She played fourth violin in her college orchestra. She like administration and completed a degree in Administrative Development. She applied to one company and was hired by the wife of the owner who obviously thought she was no competition.



It was a shame. Delilah had a lovely face and a good body. Someone gave her some slanderously indecent underwear. She’d put it on just once and stood in front of the mirror. Before her insecurities kicked in, she gasped at the image. Suddenly, her breasts stood out in front of her, shouting for attention. Her thin waist accentuated her womanly hips and the panties cut across her hips at just the right level to make her figure flamboyant instead of non-existent. She took them off immediately and stored them in her lingerie drawer in the very back.



She got the call to go with Neville at ten in the morning. She dropped by the Ladies Room to check her personal appearance and was pleased by what she saw. Her top was blousy and non-descript. She wore no jewelry. Her beige skirt came down to the middle of her knees and her low heels didn’t attract attention.



She said, “Good morning, Mr. Chambers” when she saw him.



He said, “Good morning, Delilah.” He felt a little guilt. It was his custom to compliment his female work-staff on their appearance before a meeting. He wanted to give them confidence. He couldn’t bring himself to do it with Delilah. She’d know he was lying.



Neville sat opposite the new man and Delilah chose a chair further away from both men than usual in a business meeting.



Neville shook the man’s hand and introduced himself and Delilah. The other man, who impressed Delilah deeply, made the effort to walk over to her and shake her hand. He met her eyes and a small part of her, the part that forced her to notice men, involuntarily melted. She managed to smile.



She took notes and noticed, in detail, the other man. He looked like Chambers but with experience and a hint of unpleasant knowledge. He was Emil Beaudreaux. His clothes lacked the newness of his companion, as did he. The cloth was in fine shape and well cared for, but without the stiffness of something bought at Bergdorf Goodman’s last Tuesday. Beaudreaux had five years, four inches and forty-five pounds on Chambers.



The previous day, Delilah completed a report on Emil Beaudreaux. He’d served in the French Commandos Marine in Afghanistan and Iraq and owned a bodyguard service that had an excellent reputation.



She saw the muscles and control of a military man. Experience gives a man a direct kind of grace and a habit of meeting the eyes with unexpected ferocity. Beaudreaux’s face was typical of the French male; handsome beyond belief, calm and pleasant.



Neville said, “I have done my due diligence on you. Three of your former clients told me that you can keep a secret. I’m going to tell you something that you can use against me. Please don’t. I come to you in desperation.”



“I can promise that unless you’ve committed a felony involving violence, I will never tell anyone anything.”



“Good.” He cleared his throat. “Well, here it is. My wife and I had to get married. Our lawyer told me that my father put a clause in his will that says I can’t inherit until, I’m quoting now, ‘My son has put his life in order in the opinion of my lawyer, Anthony Gilbert.’. My father gave verbal instructions to Gilbert that I was to marry Madison Smith-Adams and stay married for a year. It expires a month from now.” Neville frowned. “It has been hellishly difficult. We are celibate, physically, emotionally and in every other aspect of a relationship.” Neville glanced up and suddenly stopped talking.



A woman walked inside the room. She sat in a chair closer to Emil than her husband and ignored Delilah. The woman turned to Neville. “Must you broadcast our relationship to everyone we meet?”



“It is relevant to this man if he is to get us past the deadline alive.”



Her head turned to look at Emil in uneven movements as if it were connected to her shoulders with a rusty swivel. “What is your name?”