Judith’s business was very successful, due mostly to her hands-on approach to customer service, so Chloe appreciated the significance of a cleared half hour. “I’ll make it work.”
Disconnecting, Chloe walked to the wall of the terrace and gazed at the Hudson River, the same view Trainor’s bedroom had. A sleek sailboat glided upriver, the white of its sails almost blinding in the brilliant autumn light.
“May I offer you lunch on the terrace? We won’t have many more days like this one.”
Chloe jumped and turned as Ed’s voice came from behind her. The butler stood a few feet away from her—his somber, tailored clothing looking out of place against the vivid fall flowers in the planters.
“I’m sorry if I startled you,” he said. “Even this high up, the street noise can cover the sound of footsteps.”
“I was lost in my own world,” Chloe admitted. “Lunch out here would be amazing, but I need to go see my boss at Flexitemps. Could you call a car for me?”
“Mr. Trainor has put his car and driver at your disposal.”
Chloe nearly rolled her eyes. Trainor just had to keep his hands on the reins.
Even without the eye roll, her exasperation must have shown on her face, because Ed said, “Mr. Trainor understands how unusual it is to ask you to work in his home, so he wishes to lessen the imposition in any way he can.”
Chloe stifled a snort. Mr. Trainor wanted to make sure she was at his beck and call. “I appreciate his thoughtfulness,” she said, an edge of sarcasm in her voice.
“I’ll have Oskar, the driver, take you down in the elevator to the garage,” Ed said.
Chloe shifted in the chrome-and-white-leather chair in front of Judith’s glass-topped desk as she finished describing her experience with Trainor’s lifestyle. “So the chauffeur—because he’s wearing a black suit and a hat so that makes him a chauffeur, not a driver—ushers me into this elevator all trimmed in fancy wood and we go down into a garage that only Trainor’s elevator has access to. It’s a separate area from the rest of the parking under the building with a gate that you have to swipe a card to open. It’s unbelievable. Then Oskar asks me which car I would like to use.”
Chloe twisted the cap off the bottle of water Judith had handed her and took a gulp. Her friend lounged in her executive chair behind the desk, her red hair pulled back into a businesslike ponytail, her signature pantsuit a dark-green wool over a tailored white blouse. Chloe didn’t think she’d ever seen Judith in anything other than trousers.
“Isn’t it interesting to see how the other half lives?” Judith asked.
“Trainor is not the other half. He must be in the top one-thousandth of one percent,” Chloe said. “There were six cars to choose from, including a Maserati and a Rolls-Royce.”
“Which one did you choose?”
Chloe grinned. “The Rolls-Royce.”
“So you’ve ridden in a helicopter, been driven by a chauffeur in a Rolls, and worked in an apartment bigger than most people’s houses,” Judith said. “What’s the problem?”
Chloe fiddled with the bottle cap. “It’s weird to work in his home.” She shook her head at herself. “No, it’s weird working in his bedroom. I mean, the man is lying in bed wearing pajamas while I’m reading him his e-mails.” The picture of Trainor’s shoulder muscles under his gray shirt flashed through her mind.
Judith sat forward. “Has he done anything that qualifies as sexual harassment?”
“No, no, nothing like that!” Chloe was appalled that Judith would think that’s what she meant about Trainor. For all her mixed feelings about his position and power, Chloe didn’t want to imply that he was sleazy. “I don’t think he even likes me much. I’m just convenient.”
Judith looked skeptical but let it pass. “So what is it that makes you uncomfortable?”
Chloe frowned, trying to put her finger on why she struggled with the situation. She should have been grateful to take the extra pay as long as it lasted. Instead, she found herself fighting against the sense that she was sliding down a dangerously slippery slope with every additional hour she spent with Trainor. “It’s supposed to be a professional relationship, but I’ve also sort of gotten involved with his physical well-being. When he was feverish, I could calm him. It was flattering.”
“Sweetie, you’re not falling for Nathan Trainor, are you? Not that anyone could blame you, but he’s out of your league.”