“What?” she asked.
“Would you get changed in your closet in the hallway?”
“Why?”
“Because I want you to.”
She frowned and then saw no use in arguing with him. “Fine, I’ll be a few minutes.” Simone walked to the closet. Once she removed all of her clothes, she pulled the dress over her head. The bra she wore pressed her breasts up, showing off the top part of each breast. She hated the feel of panties and never wore them unless she had to.
Leaving the closet, Cole was stood right next to the door holding the shoes in one hand.
Putting them on her feet, she placed a hand on his shoulder to keep herself upright.
“Are you ready to leave?”
“Yes.”
Cole took her hand, looped it through his arm then together they made their way down the stairs. The press were still outside waiting for them. “Smile. The moment you look like they don’t offend you, it will drive them away.”
She took Cole’s advice, smiling at the camera.
“Are you going to see Callum Gallagher?”
“Is your relationship exclusive?”
Simone ignored the questions, only smiling at each reporter. When Cole put her in the back seat and closed the door, she missed his contact. He’d helped her to feel stable. The press made her feel vulnerable.
He pulled away slowly. The press moved out of his way. When they were a good distance away, he slowed down so she could get into the front seat. “Thank you,” she said.
“You looked a little lost in the back.”
She fastened her seat belt, and then he was buzzing through the city.
Staring out of the window, she looked at the passing scenery.
“So you think this person or people who are stealing from you were unaware of my connection to Malcolm?” Simone asked.
“Your picture is not spread around the news, Simone. It is like you don’t exist in your father’s world.”
“You’ve got that right.”
“How can you not have existed? Even daughters of famous actors and billionaires make their way into the papers. How did you manage to stay hidden?” Cole asked.
She shrugged her shoulders. “After my parents’ divorce, my mom left the country for a few years. I spent a great deal of time in Europe, and when some time had passed, we came back here. No one wanted to go and find my mother. She wasn’t newsworthy.”
“How come? She married your father.”
“There is a lot you want to know. Why?”
“Curiosity.”
Simone glanced at him wondering if he was telling the truth. The image from her fantasy popped into her mind. She was curious about other parts of his anatomy.
“She was a nice girl. Never said a bad word about anyone. Her only downfall was the fact she fell in love with my father. Other than that, nothing. He made promises he couldn’t keep.”
“He must have cared about you both at some point,” Cole said.
“What makes you think he did?”
“He left her with plenty of money. If he despised her like you said then he’d have left her with nothing.”
She thought about what he said then shook his suggestion off. “There was no love between them. The only thing she got right was giving birth to my brother.”
“Do you and your brother get along?”
“Sometimes. He can be a little protective around me. My brother means well. Can we stop talking about me? What about you? What do you do for a living?” she asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I’m in business with Callum.”
“What did you do before that?” she asked.
He stayed quiet for several minutes. She saw he was tense in his seat. Simone looked out of the window deciding not to press for more details.
“I was in the armed forces and served in Iraq. That’s all I’m saying about it. I don’t want you to ask questions. I want it to be left alone in the past.”
She nodded her head seeing the pain on his face. Reaching out, she put a hand on his leg. “No problem.”
“You’re not going to ask me any personal questions or invasive ones?”
“Nope. You don’t want to talk about it, and I’ll respect it.”
He took a quick second to glance at her. “You’re up to something.”
“No. It just means that if I can’t talk to you about your past, then you can’t talk about my dad and all the crap associated with him.” She opened her hands in a scale motion. “Win, win for me.”
Cole chuckled once again.
“You’re a strange woman, Simone Allusifa.”
“I’m one of a kind, honey. One of a kind.”
They travelled along the city roads for several more miles in silence. Simone wasn’t uncomfortable. She was happy with the silence as it gave her more time to think. Cole rounded bends and stopped at lights. Her gaze kept straying to the strength in his hands. What pleasure could be gained from having those hands on her body?