Dirty Little Secret by S.E. Law

6

Patty

The lunch was very pleasant actually. Martha Montgomery is effusive and kind, and James? Well, Luke tells me his brother is always like that: surly, with a suspicious look in his eye. Although the two men resemble one another with their dark good looks, I can hardly believe they’re related because their personalities are polar opposites.

Now, Martha hugs me tight as we leave.

“Come again, soon,” she burbles. “And we’ll have to make plans to have a girls’ lunch, just you and me,” she winks.

I laugh and hug her back, and as Luke leads me out of the apartment, I smile shyly at him.

“That wasn’t so bad, right?” Luke asks as we enter his car.

I shake my head. “No, it was totally fine, except your brother is a strange one.”

Luke shoots me a wry smile.

“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry though, James has always been like that. Even when I was in high school, he was always competitive, even going so far as to dating the same women that I did.”

I gasp. “Really?”

Luke nods.

“He didn’t really date them, but he certainly tried. It’s lame right? I was a senior and he was a sophomore, and yet he really wanted to score with Katie Walsh, the head cheerleader, even though she was clearly with me. It was insane, and a little pathetic, to tell you the truth.”

I merely shake my head.

“I don’t even want to know.”

That elicits a chuckle from the gorgeous man.

“Yeah, it was pretty bad. But tell me: did you have a good time today?”

I nod. “The food was delicious, and your mom is absolutely adorable. She reminds me of the pixie queens in the fairytales I read as a kid, and I’d love to hang out with her again. But I definitely won’t be taking her to Jamie’s. You have to tell her not to come!”

“What’s wrong with Jamie’s?” Luke’s tone is amused. “I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with a piano bar, and Martha enjoys music.”

I sigh. “I mean, Jamie’s is fine if you don’t mind creepy patrons and tuna melts, but it’s definitely not the kind of place where I’d ever expect to see someone from your family.”

He chuckles. “We’ll figure something out. Martha is patrician by blood and marriage, but you’d be surprised. She even likes McDonald’s once in a while.”

Something in his voice makes me turn to him in suspicion. “You weren’t being serious about buying me a piano, were you?” I ask. He doesn’t respond. “Luke?”

He merely shrugs. “We’ll see.”

I relax into the seat as relief washes over me. “Good because you know pianos are expensive and I don’t want to put you out. It’s not necessary.”

One of his black brows raises. “You don’t? Well, that’s good to hear. But you should know, honey: I plan on keeping you as close to me as possible for the next few months, and if you need a piano to keep your skills up, then there’s no shame in saying so. I don’t mind buying one, and again, the cost is nothing to me.”

I turn my face toward the window so he won’t see me blush, but in my chest, my heart pounds with excitement. Is this man for real? Luke Montgomery seems too good to be true.

The rest of the drive to his penthouse is quiet, but then we pull onto his street, and there’s a moving van idling in the fire lane right in front of his building. Curious, I squint and sure enough, “Steinway” is printed on the side of the truck in black, blocky letters. Steinway makes the best pianos in the world and I gasp. My eyes widen as I look at Luke.

“You didn’t,” I say.

He puts on a look of surprise as we pull into the basement garage of his building, but I can see by the dimple in his cheek that it’s an act. “Didn’t what?” he asks in an innocent tone.

“You said you weren’t going to buy me a piano!”

He grins now.

“I said I wouldn’t get you something you don’t want.” He shrugs. “But honey, you do want one right? And I want to treat you, so why not?” he reasons.

I sputter.

“But we were only talking about a piano at lunch half an hour ago!”

My fiancé merely grins, pulling the luxury sedan into a space by the elevator.

“No, it’s fine, honey. I belong to a special concierge service for the ultra-wealthy. The sole purpose of the service is procurement in the blink of an eye, so when I texted them inquiring about a piano, they said they could do it. And sure enough, they have. I’ll have to give them a nice tip.”

With that, I swivel in the buttery leather car seat to stare at Luke.

“Are you serious?” I whisper.

He merely grins at me as the car shuts off.

“One hundred percent.”

At that, I jump out and rush to the elevator. Luke’s chuckling as we’re whisked to the penthouse, and when the elevator door opens, sure enough, a huge grand piano is being moved in. The bulky object is still covered in blankets, but the building concierge bows as we come close.

“Sir,” he says. “I believe you have a delivery from Steinway?”

Luke chuckles again as I cover my mouth with both hands and watch as the burly delivery guys carefully maneuver the instrument inside. I take a step back and bump into my man’s chest, and he wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head.

“Do you like it?” he whispers in my ear.

I push out of his arms and jab my finger in his chest. “This is going too far, Luke Montgomery.”

“What do you mean?” he grins.

I wave my hand at the piano, unable to bring myself to look at it again. “I thought this was just supposed to be an act, but that is a two hundred thousand dollar instrument! You weren’t joking at lunch!”

He whistles low under his breath, eyeing the massive bundle. “Well, it’s big that’s for sure. It is taking up a ton of space, even in my giant apartment.”

I stamp my foot, too frustrated to do anything else. “That’s not the point, Luke.”

He chuckles and pulls me into his strong arms again. For some reason, I let him, and even melt a bit against that huge form. “It’s not a big deal, Patty. Two hundred G’s isn’t a lot of money to me, and besides, I think it looks quite good in my living room. Don’t you agree?”

“Of course it looks good,” I grumble, wiggling out of his arms. “Because everything looks good in your penthouse.”

He merely grins again.

“Come on, honey. Why don’t I give you a tour while they finish up? Then you can play me something to show me your skills.”

Still reeling, I allow him to tug me away from the expensive gift and show me around the place I’m going to be staying for the next six months. When I agreed to this job, I was expecting some luxuries because what client doesn’t pamper a girl in his care? But still, this takes things to another level. Two hundred thousand is no small thing. That’s the equivalent of an expensive luxury sports car.

I follow him in a daze as he shows me through the apartment, opening door after door. There must be at least six bedrooms and seven baths. There’s even a solarium off to one side, and an office nook that Luke says will be my private sitting room. Then, we return to the living room, and before us stands the gorgeous grand piano wiped clear of fingerprints and dust. It’s a beautiful, gleaming behemoth and I choke a bit, the breath catching in my throat. Luke turns.

“Is something wrong, sweetheart?” he asks.

“Why are you doing all of this?” I ask hoarsely.

“What do you mean?” he asks, black brows drawing together.

I cross my arms over my chest and take a deep breath because he’s not talking his way out of this one. I pin him with a look. “I’m not a fool, Luke. I’ve had a lot of jobs working for City Girls, but none like this one. You didn’t have to buy the piano. Hell, I can’t even take it with me once the job is over, so I don’t understand why. What are your true motivations?”

He throws me a contemplative look before stuffing his hands into his pockets and resting one hip against the piano. How can he be so casual when I feel like I’m losing my mind?

“I want this to be believable, Patty, you know that.”

I nod sharply. “Yeah, I mean, I get that, but buying me a piano, and having me stay over 24/7? Isn’t that a little over the top?”

He tilts his head at me, the ghost of a frown tugging the corners of his mouth. “You don’t like it?”

“Luke,” I start to run a frustrated hand through my hair, and then I remember it’s tied up in a bun and settle for scratching at a fake itch at the back of my head. “That’s not the point. Of course I love all of this. You’ve given me access to luxuries that I’ve never dreamed of, and you know your penthouse looks like it’s out of Architectural Digest. It’s just that …” I wrap my arms around myself, unable to continue.

“But what?” His voice is soft, inviting. “Tell me, sweetheart.”

I look up at him, and his gaze is uncharacteristically gentle. I want to tell him about my fears. I want to tell him that I don’t want this dream to end. I want to trust him and to throw myself into his arms. But Simona’s warning echoes in my head: Don’t go there, Patty.That’s not for girls like us, and you know it. I shake my head and let my shoulders fall with defeat.

“And I don’t know,” I mumble, my eyes suddenly hot. “It just feels over the top, that’s all.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” he growls while pulling me into his arms. “Don’t worry about that, please.” He pulls me into his arms. “You deserve it. You’re doing a fantastic job, and I can tell my mother already loves you. You’re helping me more than you know, honey, and you’re worth every penny.”

I take a deep, shuddering breath. “Okay.”

With that, Luke kisses the top of my head. “Speaking of which, why don’t you play me something? You were going to play me something at the Soho Grand, remember, but never got the chance.”

I blink and take another deep breath before looking at the piano. Its smooth, ebony surface shimmers in the light from the window and I send a silent “sorry” to Scrappy in my head because even from here, I know the Steinway will blow Scrappy out of the water. Even more, I’ll be the first person to touch this instrument, and despite all of my reservations about Luke, this is a once in a lifetime chance that I have to experience.

“Okay,” I say softly before easing out of his arms. Then, I sit on the bench and lift the fall-board from the keys. The white and black keys glimmer, the rectangles geometric and eye-catching. In my head, I name this piano Marguerite as my hands hover above the keys. Then, they descend slowly and I begin to play “Mass” by Zwera, a soothing, gentle melody that reminds me of lovers meeting for the first time. My body sways as the music flows from my fingers and into the body of Marguerite.

Luke sits down on the piano bench next to me, careful not to disturb my movements, and I welcome the solid warmth of him pressing against my left arm. The apartment is quiet and peaceful as I continue to play, and my stress and doubt begin to ease out of me the longer I go. When the song ends, I let my hands fall from the keys and merely contemplate my existence. Could things be more perfect than this?

Then, the man next to me speaks.

“Patty, that was beautiful,” Luke says in a low voice. “I’ve never heard anything so perfect.”

With that, my heart lurches as I stare into that sincere blue gaze. Of their own accord, my hands lock around his neck and he brings his lips to mine. It’s a devastating kiss, one that I feel all the way down to my toes, and I wrap my arms tightly about his shoulders and kiss him back. Simona’s words continue to echo warnings in my mind, but I push them away. Right now, there’s only Luke Montgomery, and he makes me happy.