There’s a perfunctory nod. I get the sense he’s analyzing me, working me out. Wondering what my intentions are. Based on the descriptions of the women that came before me, I don’t think any were in the hotel industry, none of them driven by the same goals or challenges as me.
“Do you have a dress for New Year’s Eve?”
He’s not forgotten our earlier conversation. “I do. It’s getting dry-cleaned.” In the hotel laundry. But I’ll pay for it, getting it added to my staff tab.
“Your own?”
I frown. “Yes.”
He tucks away a smile, pushing the elevator call button for me. “I believe Reuben and Luca are minutes away.”
“Yes. I’ll see them tomorrow,” I state, grateful that the doors immediately open. “Good night.”
“Good night,” he says as I step inside, twisting to look at him. Our eyes bind as the doors close, my pulse skyrocketing. As the car descends I realize I’ve been taking shallow, infrequent breaths ever since his formidable arrival.
I have a lot of respect for the Wolfford family. For Balthazar. There’s a lot I could learn from him. So, when I enter my room, alone, it’s with a smile on my face.
CHAPTERFOUR
Reuben
“Hurry the fuck up!Winter’ll be here in two minutes!” Brecken hollers outside my door.
My focus falters, the bow tie I’ve been fiddling with for the past seven minutes, unraveling. I stalk to the door and throw it open, catching sight of Brecken’s back as he disappears into the living room at the end of the hall. “Thanks dickhead. I nearly had it.”
He spins, his gaze going straight to my hands that are failing miserably at what should be a simple task. “I don’t know why you bother with a real one. Just fake it and buy a clip-on.”
“It’s cheating.”
“Pretending you have an eight-inch dick when at best it’s three, is cheating.”
“Fuck off,” I throw back, raising a smile instead of a frown. “No one’s dick is that small.”
“Except yours,” he returns, grinning at how un-fucking-funny he is. And I can hear Luca, the bastard, chuckling somewhere in the kitchen.
Deciding to provoke my youngest brother, I say, “Winter sure likes riding it.”
Brecken scoffs, his lips lifting as he surveys me with mild, yet frustrated, amusement. The fact that he can take a joke about his abstinence is a positive sign.
“Where’s my beer?” I shout towards Balzer as I enter the kitchen. Even now, he’s answering emails. Throwing his phone to the counter, he heads for the fridge, pulling out three beers. Abandoning my tie until Winter arrives, Luca twists off a top and drops it to the marble before passing me the bottle.
Forming a circle, we slam them together. “Cheers.”
“Technically, this is your fault,” I say, eyeing them both over the end of my bottle as I take a long sip. “Dragging your arses, procrastinating over every small detail about the plans.”
We’re all excited about the renovations for the tower. Work starts in four days, and I’ve given the contractor ten working days to get it Winter-ready. The timings are tight, but with a crew of seven, it’s doable. I can’t wait to see her face when she steps inside, climbing the spiral staircase to see what I’ve designed for her.
“We were rescuing you,” Brecken reminds me. “You’d been studying those plans every minute you’ve got, making sure it was perfect.”
“Yeah, like you haven’t been stressing about Winter’s dress, making her try a dozen options you got delivered for her.” Not to mention the shoes. “How’d that go by the way?”
Again, Luca chuckles.
Brecken checks his mobile, pretending it was all fine, but I know there was a stand-off between them. I know she complained about beingdressed by her boyfriend.Ultimately she agreed, Brecken winning her over, but she’s going to have to get used to his controlling ways.
“Did you tell her why you wanted to dress her?”
“No.”