“I eat out about half of the time and usually because I’m traveling. When I’m not traveling, I like to stay at home as much as possible, which is probably the case with most people who have to travel a lot for work. You crave what you don’t have. Ann, my housekeeper slash cook, makes meals for me and freezes them with instructions, or if I tell her in advance, she’ll have something ready for me when I get home. Isaac is her husband, and they live in the same building on the floor below mine.”
The relationship was clear in my mind between Caleb and his staff. I saw it when he spoke to Nan. Respect. He didn’t see himself above Ann and Isaac, and seemed to appreciate their involvement in his world. I couldn’t help wonder if some of that had come from having Nan in his life. She was a strong woman, and although she would have known her place, she would have had a firm but loving hand with Caleb and his siblings. Of that I was certain. But I was curious now that I had access to this delectable man.
“What is your family like?”
He obliged me and seemed not to mind. I could tell Caleb loved his family with every word he spoke.
“My father was JW, John William, and he died of stomach cancer last year after a long battle.” I could see the strain in his expression as he held back his grief. I understood that all too well. “I took over his business interests when he got sick. My mother is Madelaine, formerly Lafarge, an old Boston family, before she married my dad. I’m the oldest, and I have two brothers and two sisters. My brothers are twenty months younger than me and identical twins: Wyatt and Lucas. Lucas is the one who lives here on the island year-round. He’s a game designer and created iInVidiosa, if that name rings a bell for you. He knew exactly who you were when I asked him who the girl named Brooke, living on the island with her grandmother, with an English accent, was.” He winked at me.
“Why does that not surprise me a bit? Your stalking tendencies at work.”
“His twin, Wyatt, lives in New York City and keeps pretty quiet about his activities. I think he doesn’t want our mom to know how he makes his money.”
“How does he make his money?” I asked.
“I suspect it might be in the video entertainment sector. Read that as soft porn, or the stuff they show in hotels. I can safely say he just owns the distribution companies, and is not involved in the production of films.” He drew one hand through his hair as if he was fidgeting. “I think. I’m not sure I really want to know.”
I laughed and agreed with him. “And your sisters?”
“Willow and Winter are also twins, but not identical. They don’t even look that much alike to me. Willow is blonde, but Winter’s hair is dark like the rest of us. They have the same eyes, though. Willow is a writer and she’s built up quite a following for her books. She’s even made the New York Times Best Seller list for her young-adult fantasy series, which is quite an achievement for someone at only twenty-four years old. She lives in Providence with her fiancé, Roger, who is a professor of history at Brown University.”
“W. R. Blackstone is her? I know the books, and I’ve read them all. She wrote The Empty Handed series. That’s so awesome, Caleb, you have a famous author in your family. I’d love to have her sign a book for me sometime.”
He smiled widely and I could tell he was very proud of her. As he should be. “I’ll tell her you’re a fan, and I’m sure she’ll send you some books. She interacts with her readers all the time.”
“I would be very honored.”
He took a sip of the wine I’d opened to go with my homemade pizza and seemed happy to be here with me. He should be happy, considering he’d been fucked and fed—and in that order. God, I was still tingly from the orgasm and wondered if he was thinking about it, too. He was so caring with me. I still couldn’t quite fathom how or why he kept pursuing me, but I realized now, it was good for me to do this with him. I’d needed some sexual healing, and Caleb was a very fine healer. I’d also needed emotional healing. Still . . .
After another smoldering look at me across the table, he continued, “Winter is finishing up her master’s in social work at Boston University, and I probably see her the most because she has an apartment in the same building as my penthouse. I’m sure the two of you will meet soon since you’ll be going over there for the renovation . . . and I hope just for the purposes of seeing me.”
Awww, the charm factor was back. “Of course I’d like to visit you there again, Caleb, and actually, I remember your sisters—Winter in particular.”