Free What He Hides (What He Wants, Book Seven) (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) by Hannah Ford

 
 
 
    WHAT
HE HIDES (What He Wants, Book Seven)
    By
Hannah Ford

 
    Copyright 2015, Hannah Ford, all rights
reserved.   This book is a work of fiction
and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

 
 
    CHARLOTTE

 
    I stood outside Noah’s office, my hand
frozen on the doorknob.   I thought
about going back inside.   What was
I thinking, demanding to go to Force just because I got some crazy phone
call?   I knew nothing about who was
calling, knew nothing about this Audi James person I was supposed to find,
nothing about who he was or how he might help me.
    You should go back in and tell
Noah, I told myself.   You
should tell him what happened, you should confide in him.   You say you trust him, so prove it.
    Aside from anything personal that was
happening between Noah and I, he was my client, or at least, I was working on
his case.   He had the right to know
exactly what was happening.
    But if I told him, he wasn’t going to
take me to Force.   And if I told
Professor Worthington, the same thing would happen.   They would insist I not go.   Noah was already reluctant to take me, saying I wasn’t
ready, that I wasn’t prepared for the kind of things that happened there.  
    But I was ready.   I wanted to go to Force with Noah, not just because of the
case, but for our relationship. The idea of officially
becoming his submissive, of him teaching me and testing me…
it sent a warm thrill through my entire body.
    My head was spinning, my thoughts
swirling around, knotting themselves into a confused tangle.  
    “Can I help you?” a voice asked.   I turned around to see a smartly
dressed woman in a grey suit standing next to me in the hallway.   She looked down at my hand, which was
still on Noah’s door, and frowned.   “Are you here to see Mr. Cutler?”
    “No.”   I shook my head.   “No, I just… I was just leaving.”
    I made my way down the hall.
    If I didn’t hurry, I was going to be late
for class.

 
    ***

 
    When I got outside the building, Noah’s
car was parked against the curb, ready and waiting to take me to campus.
    I hesitated.   I wanted to be able to use my iPad to google Audi James. And
something about doing that while Noah’s driver sat a couple of feet away from
me felt like a risk.  
    So I turned away from the car and began
walking toward the subway.   I was
clutching my phone in my hand, almost afraid to put it in my bag in case my
anonymous caller called back.
    Sure enough, as soon as I got onto the train
platform, my phone rang.  
    My heart leapt into my throat as I
checked the caller ID.
    But it wasn’t Anonymous.
    It was Noah.
    “Hi,” I said.
    There was a long pause.   “Charlotte,” Noah said, his voice
careful and even. “Jared tells me you didn’t take the car.”
    “Um, no,” I said. “I didn’t.   I’m taking the subway.”
    “The subway is not an acceptable mode of
transportation for you, Charlotte.   I thought I’d made that perfectly clear.”
    “You did, but…I don’t know, that car is
too stuffy.   It’s nice out, I felt
like it would be nice to walk to the station.”
    “If the car is too uncomfortable for you,
we can replace it.”
    “No, it’s not the car.   It’s just… I don’t know , I just felt like being normal for once.”
    “You’re not normal, Charlotte.   You’re extraordinary, and I need to
protect you at all costs.   Do you
understand?”
    “Yes.   I’m sorry, Noah.”   My pulse quickened at the tone in his voice – stern and
admonishing, the kind of tone that made me wonder if he was thinking about punishing
me.  
    “Defying me needs to be paid for,” he
said, his voice husky and dark.   “There will be consequences for your behavior, Charlotte.”
    “I understand.”   Heat flew through my body in short little bursts that almost
seemed to move in time with my heartbeat.   They settled in between my legs, and I felt myself getting wet.
    “When