Page 33 of Arrogant Heir
He catches my arm and gently pulls me back towards the lift. ‘I’ve got a surprise for you.’ When the lift pings its arrival, he takes my arm and steers me out, saying, ‘Now close your eyes.’
My heart’s racing and I do not know what to expect. The heady scent of his aftershave teases my nose and I feel a pang of desire as the smell envelops me.
Then I hear his deep voice. ‘Open,’ he says.
My eyes flutter open, and I see rows and rows of beautiful designer shoes in front of me. ‘What are we doing?’ I turn to him, confused. ‘I thought we were about to leave.’
‘Can’t have you leaving Rochesters, hobbling in agony,’ he says. ‘Your shoes are pretty, but they’re not made for walking, that’s for sure. Choose as many as you want. My only request is that at least one pair is comfortable, so you can wear them now.’
Anticipation hums through me and I pace the rows to find shoes I love. This is most women’s fantasy, and I can’t believe he’s doing this for me. I’m hesitant at first and only choose one pair of flats to meet his comfy criteria, but he points to various pairs to get me in the mood.
‘What about these? Anything you fancy,’ he says, and then asks the hovering assistant to help me find exactly what I want. I enter a trance and try on loads of shoes.
At one point, Damian looks up from his phone and says, ‘Don’t look at the prices. Any you like are yours. You deserve it.’
It reminds me of that iconic scene inPretty Womanwhen Richard Gere takes Julia Roberts shopping. This day really is getting more and more like a fairy tale, and it’s surreal.
I throw myself into trying on more shoes and boots. My feet are small, and the assistant combs the shelves for designs that come in my petite size.
Finally, I’m ready and I leave the department wearing my new sparkly designer pumps after thanking the assistant profusely for her help. The other boxes will be delivered to Greystone, Damian tells me as I follow him into the lift, high on shopping with an unlimited budget. I’ve experienced nothing like this before.
We’re about to call it a day, and Damian is talking to the store manager while we wait for the Range Rover to pull up. A young woman hurries towards us and asks for a minute of Damian’s time. ‘I have to thank you for saving my son’s life,’ she blurts out.
Damian looks confused and stares at her, his eyes inquisitive.
She introduces herself as a member of staff. ‘Eight years ago, when you worked here, my son was on the critical list and needed a kidney donor. I was desperate, but when you heard about his plight, you stepped in and helped us find a matching kidney and you used the Rochesters Children’s Fund to pay for his operation in a private hospital so he wouldn’t have to wait.’ Tears stream down the woman’s face as she speaks, and she reaches for his hand.
Damian looks embarrassed as he shakes her hand and pats her shoulder. He extracts a crisp Rochester monogrammed handkerchief from his pocket and offers it to her. She dabs her eyes, gasps for air, and continues telling him how grateful she is. She looks at me, and says, ‘If it wasn’t for Mr Rochester’s generous heart, I doubt my boy would be alive today.’
The store manager approaches and coughs before saying the car is waiting. We say goodbye to the flushed employee and swiftly exit the store.
‘Gosh, that was emotional,’ I say. ‘Who knew you’re such a champion of the common people?’
He shoots me a sardonic look as he signals to the driver and opens the car door for me himself. ‘There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Jackson.’
We enter the privacy of the Range Rover, and I sink back into the comfort of the leather seat.
I could get used to this…
CHAPTER22
Damian
I’ve never got such a kick out of taking a girl shopping before. The girls I’ve dated to the point where I’d treat them in one of our stores have always been the type of girls who expect the most expensive designer items. Either they were from wealthy families, and it was nothing new for them, or they were society gold-digger types, who were with me for all they could get.
The surprise shoe shop thrilled Jamie, and I could tell she was nervous about overstepping the mark. She didn’t take it for granted and there’s an innocence about her I’ve never encountered. It was all I could do to get her to choose more than a couple of pairs.
I realise I’ve led quite a sheltered life in terms of who I date. No regular girls for a Rochester. The stakes are too high. Going to all-boys’ private schools, and only mixing with my kind at university, hasn’t exposed me to other types of girls. Stephanie’s face looms in my mind and I think about my university years when we were so in love. I thought we’d marry and be together forever.
How naïve and gullible I was!
I glance at Jamie’s flushed face and sparkling eyes surreptitiously over my phone and wonder what her fiancé does for a living and why she’s not more used to being given the moon. She deserves it. She’s taking up space in my head more and more, and I’m trying to contain my feelings for her, but it’s a struggle. I haven’t thought about a woman like this all the time, for years. I thought I’d closed myself off from these feelings, but they poke through my protective shield and wring at my tender heart.
When she said she’s never been to the flagship store and would love to visit, I couldn’t resist whisking her away. What’s the point of being a billionaire if you can’t do spontaneous things and make people’s dreams come true?
I’ve let that softer side of my nature disappear beneath the responsibilities of being the heir.
‘Did you have a good time?’ I ask her.