Catherine’s POV
I was having a dream, a sweet and beautiful one. Julian was with me, and we were running; not away from something, but toward something. But then, the dream began to fray at the edges. A cold, grey light started bleeding through the darkness, and the warmth I was feeling vanished that minute.
My eyes flew open to see the first pale streaks of dawn creeping through the curtains. I turned around, feeling a pure, unadulterated bliss. Julian was still in bed with me and his arm was wrapped around me in a tight way like he didn’t want me to slip away from him.
He looked so breathtaking even in his sleep. I could swear that this was the best feeling ever, waking up with him in bed.
Then a faint sound came from the floorboards in the hallway. That was when it hit me that we were still in Richard’s house and could get into serious trouble if anyone saw Julian in my room.
"Julian," I whispered, shaking his shoulder. "Hey, Jules, wake up. It’s morning already."
He groaned, burying his face in my neck, his grip tightening. "Five more minutes, Wildcat. I am so tired, please."
He looked so cute begging for time but it wasn’t in my power.
"You can get more sleep but don’t blame anyone if Richard finds out about us and tears what we have apart," I hissed, trying to sound serious. "It’s still very early but you know how our staff are. They like to be punctual. Any of them could come in to check the laundry or Richard might even decide to play ’attentive father’ this morning. So get up!"
With a string of curses, Julian jumped out of bed. It was a bizarre, almost comical sight, the sophisticated, untouchable Julian Vaughn hopping on one foot as he tried to pull on his denim jeans in the dark.
He tripped over my dress, nearly face-planting into the vanity.
"Take it easy, Julian," I teased, trying not to laugh at him. I pulled on my silk robe and tied the sash. "Think of the optics."
"Shut up," he grumbled, finally finding his other sock. He looked a mess, his hair was a disaster, his shirt was wrinkled, and there was a faint smudge of my lipstick on his collar. He looked human. He looked like mine.
He walked over to me, grabbing my face in both hands. The humor vanished from his expression, replaced by an intense look. "Thank you for last night, I enjoyed every bit of it and would want to have more nights like this with you. I wonder why Richard had to return, he’s such a disaster," he added and I laughed in a low tone.
"Seems you woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," I muttered in between laughter.
He shrugged, "all thanks to Richard, I guess. At least I had you by my side."
I didn’t know if he was flirting or being serious but either way, I was enjoying it.
He gave me one last kiss before slipping to the door. He cracked it open, peering into the hallway like a thief in his own home. With a final wink, he vanished.
I stood in the center of the room, hoping and making a silent prayer that no one saw him leave my room. After a while, I headed for the shower, turning the water on.
After the bath, I chose a high-necked, cream-colored sweater and charcoal slacks. Something Modest, Professional and Invisible, then I brushed my hair until it was smooth, and applied just enough makeup to hide the fact that I’d only slept for three hours.
By the time I was done, I could already hear the footsteps. Everyone must be at the dining table.
I headed downstairs, eager to see mom and be sure that Richard didn’t physically hurt her.
My mother was already there, she was sitting at the breakfast bar, a cup of herbal tea in front of her. She looked very much okay.
I met out a deep breath that I had no idea I was holding, glad that nothing happened to her. "Hey, good Morning, Mom," I said, my voice sounding like it was coming from a long way off.
"Good morning, sweetheart," she said with a voice too high and bright. "Hope you slept well?"
"Yes, mom," I said, moving to the coffee machine. "What about you? Did you sleep well?"
"Yes darling, I slept well," she said, letting out a fluttering, nervous laugh. "Though I will still need to go back to sleep. Yesterday was hectic, I feel so drained and also have a bit of a migraine."
I looked around, no one was in sight, Richard wasn’t out yet, same with Gabriel and Julian. I placed my hand on hers and looked into her eyes with a focused concentration. "What did Richard do to you in that room?"
"Catherine?" Mom called out my name like I had just said the most abominable thing ever.
"What, mom? Answer me. Did he touch you?"
She looked around, her breathing suddenly fast. "Stop it, Richard is not that type of man. Be careful with the things you sa..."
Suddenly, the heavy double doors to the dining room swung open, shutting her up. Richard walked in, looking like a king returning from a successful crusade. He was dressed in impeccable suits, his eyes were bright, and he was carrying a stack of morning newspapers.
"Good morning, family!" his voice was high with excitement. He walked over to my mother and kissed the top of her head, like he hadn’t raised his voice on her the previous day.
"Have you seen the morning metrics? The Sterling endorsement is the lead story in three counties. We are the talk of the state."
Oh, no wonder. This was the reason behind his excitement.
He turned his gaze to me, his eyes calculating. "
"Catherine. You look refreshed. Clearly, the ’United Vaughn’ spirit suits you."
"Thank you, Richard"
"Gabriel! Join us!" Richard called out as Gabriel entered the kitchen.
"Morning, Father," he said, taking a seat at the end of the table. "I am dealing with a terrible hangover."
"Get the maid to prepare coffee for you and take an aspirin too. Anything to deal with that because we have a press conference at ten at the city hall," Richard said, snapping a napkin open. "I want us all there. By the way, where’s Julian?"
Julian? Right! Where was he? Probably still sleeping.