Free Seducing the Secret Heiress Page A

problem of my lack of funds and I really don’t think it would look good to have a contestant living with the director.’
    Gabe rubbed his chin and sat back in his chair. ‘You know what, I have never been so well looked after in my life.’ He pointed to the plate in front of him. ‘Cooked breakfast each morning, house immaculate and gourmet dinner each night. I have friends who pay a fortune for housekeepers who don’t do half the work you’ve been doing around here.’
    â€˜It’s the least I can do considering I’ve been staying in your house for over a month.’ She picked up his coffee cup and refilled it.
    â€˜So,’ he said slowly, ‘how about I pay you to be my housekeeper and then you’d be free to stay here and try out for the competition.’
    â€˜Wouldn’t that make me your employee? I’d be ineligible? And there’s still that little issue of me living here.’
    â€˜Mmm. Excellent point.’
    His fingers drummed the table. His face screwed up in concentration.
    â€˜All right,’ he said looking up suddenly, his eyes bright. ‘How about this? Emma’s been struggling since the chemo. It’s totally wiped her out. We were thinking of looking for someone to live in the cottage out the back rent-free and give her a hand. She’s been reluctant as she doesn’t want a stranger around the kids, especially as they are all feeling a little vulnerable, but the kids love you.’
    She should resist. She should go home and sort out the mess that was her life. But this! This might just be the big break she was looking for. Show all the doubters back at home that she could make something of herself. And if it all came to nothing, well, she would have spent more time with Gabe and that was not a hardship. It was a long shot but she’d vowed to take more risks, live life . . .
    â€˜It’s a deal.’
    Gabe pulled into the morning peak-hour traffic and drove towards his production office in Hammersmith. What was he doing inviting Charlie to be potentially part of the show? He’d barely managed to keep his hands off her and now he’d invited her into his work life.
    He was breaking his own rules. Since the Sophie episode, he’d become expert at keeping contestants at a distance. Now he’d invited the gorgeous, bewitching, sweet Charlie onto the set.
    He shifted in his seat and hit the accelerator a little too hard, forcing him to brake immediately. A horn blasted behind him. He looked in the rear-view mirror and waved his apology.
    At least he’d quashed the temptation of having her at home. But Charlie had insisted on keeping a key and planned to still manage his housekeeping. Then it struck him.
    He’d solved his problem without even realising it. Charlie was auditioning for First-Class Chef , which meant she was now ‘business’.
    So Charlie was off limits. Completely and absolutely. Never mix business and pleasure.
    He relaxed back into the leather seat, but the relief felt strangely hollow.

Chapter Six
    Charlie looked around the enormous exhibition space and knew instantly she didn’t have a chance. Hundreds of people milling about. No way would she make it onto the show. She spied a banner: First-Class Chef – Registration South-East England Regional Trials.
    She smiled to herself. At least it would be a bit of fun.
    A long queue stretched across the room. She joined it, the clamour and chatter engulfing her. But the closer she moved towards the registration desk, the more anxiety tightened its grip on her nerves.
    What if, by some crazy twist of fate, she were chosen for the show? Sure, it’d be a dream come true, but her father or Paul would be here in a flash to drag her home. If high-street clothes were ‘common’, she couldn’t imagine the expletives her parents would use if she appeared on reality television.
    She glimpsed Gabe across the