Her voice is sultry as her eyes lower to my lap. My eyebrows draw together in confusion. Is she offering what I think she is? “Nothing else. I’ll see you in a few days. And I'll be in contact. Watch your emails, and help Ms. Sterling with any requests.”
She huffs annoyedly, crossing her arms over her small chest. But then, she grows bolder, dropping her hands to rest on my thighs as she leans forward. I can smell her sweet perfume as she gets in my face. “Are you sure I can’t do anything else for you while I'm here?”
“Gretchen . . .”
“It’s not like we haven’t before.”
Lust flickers in her eyes, and I look to the clock in my office seeing it’s ten o’clock. Lola is supposed to be here, although I'm sure she will be a little late just to test me. “That was a mistake.”
And it was. A moment of weakness months ago. I’ve been successful at such a young age because of my laser focus and never allowing myself to get distracted. Never mixing business with pleasure.
She lets whatever hurt she feels wash over her quickly and shakes her head. “It was a wonderful mistake.”
Fuck. This is not good. “Gretchen, I'm your boss, and I shouldn’t have done that.”
“I wanted you to. Let’s not pretend I wasn’t totally willing and thrilled when you kissed me,” her voice turns husky as her hands slide up my thighs, “when you fucked me.”
“Stop.”
She stands up in an angry huff, folding her arms yet again. “It’s because of her, isn’t it?”
“Who?”
She cocks her head to the side, angry and annoyed. “Lola Sterling. She wants to sink her claws in you, Hayden. You’re exactly what she needs.”
I nearly laugh in her face but decide against it. Lola Sterling doesn’t need anyone. She might need the contract, but she doesn’t need me. “This is a separate issue.”
“You should have heard her yesterday, Hayden. She practically told me she would fuck you. And you’re just going to go ahead and fall for it.”
I hear the doorbell and stand, looking over at the clock and seeing she’s only three minutes late today. I turn to Gretchen quickly, not able to fully process what she just said. Part of me doesn’t believe a word she’s saying. Lola looks at me like she’d love to kill me, not fuck me.
And she already has the contract. She’d never need to sleep her way into work because her reputation speaks volumes about her.
“You need to go.”
I gesture for her to walk ahead of me, and she drops her arms to her side. “I could stick around, take notes.”
“No.”
She’s angry, but I think she finally accepts the seriousness in my tone and grabs her purse, heading toward the front door.
She yanks it open before I can, and we’re both graced with Lola Sterling. The woman just screams class. She’s wearing a cap-sleeved, button-down white blouse with a gray pencil skirt, and her blond hair in a loose bun.
I can’t see her eyes because they’re covered in black sunglasses, but I can feel her heated gaze as she turns to Gretchen. “Decided to join us after all?”
Gretchen bristles with apparent anger, and I don’t think she gave me an accurate account of the meeting. “I’m heading out.”
Lola removes her sunglasses, her sights set on Gretchen. Obviously these women aren’t fans of each other. “That’s too bad.”
Gretchen practically growls as she pushes past her, her shoulder making contact with Lola’s on her way out of my house, but she spins around at the last minute to address me. “I’ll call you this evening to check in, Hayden.”
Something tells me that’s all for Lola’s benefit, and I won’t be part of their childish games. I ignore her and turn to head to my office, hoping Lola just takes the hint and follows. I’m not in the mood to walk her through anything.
Luckily, I hear the door close behind me and her heels clicking on the floor as I lead the way to my office. I take a seat behind my desk, and she wastes no time sitting in her own chair, the one Gretchen just left.
She pulls out an iPad and quickly gets to business. I can’t deny it, I like her style. “From the pictures I've seen of the hotel, I've started with the lower level first. The theater. There are no seats as of yet, correct?”
“Not yet.”
She turns the iPad toward me, showing me a fancy theater chair that seems more like a recliner than a typical chair. “I think this screams luxury.”
I nod my head in quick approval, barely offering a grunt, and she turns the tablet back to her, flipping to the next picture to show me. “For the spa, I really love the ancient Roman vibe.” For some reason, that makes my chest swell with pride. The spa has three private rooms, complete with a Roman bath house pool and area for private massage and steam. “So, for the towels, I think it would make sense to have plain white towels with gold trim.”
I nod again in approval. She then suggests lantern-type fixtures that would be placed around the pool, and I agree.
She flips to the next picture. “Now, on the main floor, the restaurant—the pictures showed it to be pretty bare.”
“That’s where you come in. Tables. Chairs. The bar. All up to you.”
She doesn’t seem overwhelmed at all. She just flicks to the next picture, and I can’t help but feel impressed. “I’m thinking mostly black but with white tealights throughout—luxury mixed with some romance.”
Normally, I'm hard to please. I like to challenge people. But I can’t find anything wrong with her designs yet, which is starting to nag me already. No one is this perfect.
“Alright, I didn’t get a feel for the rooms yet, but I will.”
“Would you like to see them?”
“Now?”
I nod, standing from my desk. “Yes. Now.”
She stands, collecting her purse and tablet. “Sure.”
I lead her to my garage and signal for her to climb in the passenger seat of my car, but she eyes me suspiciously. “I can drive myself.”
“The hotel is at least a thirty minute drive. Get in.”
I know she wants to fight me. The stubborn streak is a minor annoyance I hope will dissipate soon. She huffs and opens the door, sliding in.
Then again, maybe I don’t want that at all.
He is incredibly infuriating. I study him as he drives us to one of the three hotels across town. He is especially frustrating because he’s so damn beautiful. I swear, looking at him, I feel like I’m appraising a fine piece of art, carved from stone and painted with elegant perfection.
“From now on, I expect you to be on time. Not even a minute late. I got the ‘fuck you’ message loud and clear, but I will not wait around for you.”
And then, he speaks.
“Lola.”
His tone is stern, and even though his eyes are on the road, I can feel his irritation.
“Understood.”
I hate bowing down to his domineering attitude when everything inside me is screaming to rebel, but I can’t. I’ve already worked my ass off preparing for this project, and I won’t quit now.
We arrive at a black metal gate, and Hayden punches in a code before it swings open and allows us to drive up the path to a grand hotel that even from the outside screams class and style.