the revealing dress, even as he fought to control the turbulence of passion that raged within him.
He forced his mind to clear. “This is a beautiful place you have. You’ve done wonders with it.”
Noelle’s tapered eyebrows arched. “You’re familiar with the villa, monsieur?”
“Actually,” he replied in a confidential tone, “I was with Jordan when he purchased it almost ten years ago. He always had intentions of working on it, but…” His sentence drifted off. “I’m glad to see that his very beautiful wife decided to take it over.”
His dark eyes held hers a moment too long and Noelle felt lightheaded. It must be the champagne.
She cleared her throat. “It seems that you know a great deal about me, monsieur…?”
“Noelle! Noelle!”
Noelle turned around to see Braxton and Tempest coming toward her. Her face lit up when she saw Braxton approach. It had been months since she’d last seen him. After the completion of the interior architecture and the landscaping, he’d had to fly off to Morocco.
Now that both of the honored guests were present the official opening of Liaisons could commence.
Braxton embraced her in a warm hug. “It’s good to see you again, Noelle. I’m sorry to be so late, but my plane…” He gave her that smile that had imprisoned Tempest’s heart for life.
Noelle looked at her relieved girlfriend. “I told you,” Noelle admonished. She took Braxton’s arm and turned back to make introductions.
He was gone. All that remained was his erotic scent that seemed to have seeped into Noelle’s pores.
“Oh…” she muttered, a bit confused and somewhat embarrassed, looking over the heads of her guests.
“Is something wrong?” Braxton asked.
“No…I was just talking with…” She expelled a breath. “Never mind.” She smiled brightly. “Now that you’re here, I can make the announcement to open the house for the tour. That’s what’s important.”
For the next hour, Noelle, Tempest and Braxton were bombarded with congratulations and enthusiastic approval of the three-story villa.
Noelle’s jaws began to ache from the continual smile that she had carved on her mouth. But her thoughts were elsewhere. In every free moment, she subtly tried to locate the man whose image she couldn’t get off of her mind. He seemed to have vanished, and she didn’t even know his name.
“You’re completely distracted,” Tempest said, surprising Noelle with her nearness.
She laughed, embarrassed. “Is it that obvious?”
“Very.” Tempest followed Noelle’s gaze. “You’re looking for him aren’t you?”
Noelle’s shoulders slumped. “I am transparent, aren’t I?”
“Only to those that know you. So—who is he?”
Noelle turned her palms upward. “I still don’t know.”
“Excuse me? You mean that the two of you were practically undressing each other on the lawn and you don’t know who he is? You’re losing your touch.”
An underlying sadness scored her voice. “I’ve had no reason to be interested in a man in a very long time.”
“Yes, I know,” Tempest said softly, placing a comforting hand on Noelle’s bare shoulder, “but you’re a healthy, vibrant, beautiful woman. You can’t stay in hibernation forever. And you can’t use Liaisons to shield yourself from the world.”
Noelle’s voice quivered. “He’s only been gone a year. I…I just couldn’t…He was my life, my world. He…”
“He was just a man, Noelle,” Tempest said gently. “Just a man. Not the god that everyone, including you, made him out to be. I can’t believe that Jordan would want you to remain alone for the rest of your life. He groomed you to be a part of the world, not just the world that he created.”
Noelle lowered her eyes, struggling to fight back the tears that burned her eyes and seared her throat.
Her life had changed irrevocably. It was due to Jordan. Everything that she had, what she was, what she thought, was because of Jordan. He’d rescued her, brought new meaning to her life, gave her reason to want to get up everyday.
He’d turned her life around and now he was gone. He’d left her to deal with this evil, hungry world alone. To face his enemies that would just as soon help her as stab her in the back.
Five years ago, sweating in her aunt Chantal’s tiny café, darting the grubby hands of the male customers she would have never imagined that her life could have ever been any different. Not until the moment that Jordan Maxwell walked into her life. Since that day nothing in her life had ever been the same.
Forever would she recall the way he looked at her when he walked through those doors….
Chapter 2
“Noelle! Stop daydreaming,” her aunt Chantal ordered. “We have customers.”
Chantal wiped her hands on the once-white apron, and shook her head in annoyance.
“For a woman of eighteen, you sometimes act like an enfant,” she sputtered, tossing up her hands. “Get your head out of the clouds. There’s no knight waiting to rescue a poor orphan girl like you. This is your life, chère.”
Chantal marched off toward the kitchen, demanding and instructing all who came in her path.
Noelle sighed deeply, knowing all too well that her aunt was right. This was her life. Here in the bayou of New Orleans, forever at the disposal of someone else.
She knew her aunt meant well, even when her words were harsh. Chantal had immediately taken in Noelle when her mother, Vivian, had died. And Chantal had given her a home. With her father’s whereabouts unknown, Chantal became the only family Noelle had. Being Vivian’s older sister, Chantal felt it her duty to take in her niece. But not without a price.
Noelle had to drop out of school in order to work in Chantal’s café. Her aunt felt that an education was a waste of time. Once a person knew how to add, subtract and read the alphabet, school was useless. Common sense and a strong back would be how Noelle would make her way in the world.
Noelle had missed her school years. She missed her friends, she missed her youth. She felt doomed to a life of hard work and poverty.
Many nights she’d lie awake imagining beautiful clothes, a house that didn’t always smell of gumbo, and a wonderful husband who adored her. Dreams. But her aunt was right. Who would want her? She had nothing and would never be anything more than a poor, orphaned waitress.
She pulled her shoulder-length hair behind her ears and walked out of the supply room into the small café.
As usual, the dinner crowd had packed the café. Although, Chantal’s was on the outskirts of the city, patrons came from far and wide to sample the renowned cuisine.
Noelle put on her trained smile and began her routine of checking on customers and seating the incoming diners.
After seating one of her regular customers, she returned to her station at the door, and there stood Jordan Maxwell.
Immediately she knew that this man was different from all of the others. His clothing spoke of wealth, his posture indicated confidence and his smile was warm and inviting, not like the leers that she was used to.
“Bon soir, monsieur. May I help you?”
“I hope so,” he answered in a voice that vibrated through her like currents on the shore.
She felt suddenly nervous, and childlike under his steady gaze. She lowered her eyes, focusing them on her notepad.