8. Ro
Chapter 8
Ro
S ipping my red wine, I looked out the window. Night had fallen over Windward. Outside, a winding walking path was illuminated by lights and still carried lots of people heading into town for late dinners, or more likely, back to their hotels and rentals.
I leaned back in my chair, glancing at the table littered with now empty plates. This private dining table had an excellent view and was separated from the main dining room by an intricate wooden screen. It had mountains carved onto it.
“The menu is pretty standard.” Piper sipped her wine. “My chicken was good but uninspired.”
I agreed. The restaurant had some good options, but no pizzazz.
“My steak was overcooked,” Caden said.
“The staff are good.” I sipped my wine again. “Well-trained.”
Piper nodded. “Agreed.”
“Tomorrow, Tessa will be giving me a full tour.”
“Tessa?” Piper cocked a brow. “You’re on a first-name basis with the woman who’d like to run you out of here.”
I astutely did not mention the reason Tessa and I were on a first-name basis.
Now, you take me. You slide this inside me.
God, yes. More.
My cock hardened and I bit back a growl. It was bad enough I’d fucked my hotel manager, but at least I hadn’t known who she was.
Now, I did. Now, there was no way I would get intimately involved with someone on my payroll. I was not my fucking father and ruled by my cock.
I would get this under control.
“I still vote to knock the place down,” Piper said.
“I vote to keep it.” Caden turned his glass on the white tablecloth. “I like the hotel, even if security needs a huge overhaul.”
“We’ll see.” The headache that had sprung up with a vengeance during my afternoon meetings had dulled. I still had a few more calls tonight. “Shall we call it a night?”
Piper stifled a yawn. “Yes, please.”
“You didn’t even need your hiking boots today,” I said.
She shot me a killer look. “There will be no hiking. And definitely no hiking boots. I’ll stick to my Jimmy Choos.” She held out one leg, flexing an ankle and showing off her strappy black heels.
I nodded at the server hovering nearby. “We’ve finished, thank you.” I pulled out my wallet and left a tip on the table. “Add the rest of the bill to my account.”
“Yes, Mr. Langston.” The woman nodded her head.
We headed out.
The lobby was quiet now. People were either out or back to their rooms. I heard the murmur of several voices from the bar. It looked like it was busy in there.
Piper wrinkled her nose. “I guess the place has a certain sort of charm.”
Ahead, an area of the floor had been cordoned off and there was a maintenance warning sign. That was good. It was better to do this sort of work at night when there were fewer guests around.
Ever curious, Piper frowned and strode over, her heels clicking on the wood floor. She bypassed the maintenance sign, staring down at the wet area on the floor. A second later, her heel slipped, and she toppled with a cry.
Shit . Caden and I lunged forward, but we were too far away.
A man appeared from nowhere and caught her. He was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt.
“Careful there,” he said in a deep voice.
I watched Piper and the man stare at each other for a long beat. I’d seen his photo in the staff files. Everett Murray. The head of maintenance.
He set Piper upright. “I guess you didn’t see the sign. We’re fixing a water leak.” His gaze dropped. “But maybe those ridiculous shoes were a factor.”
“Ridiculous? Do you know that these are Jimmy Choos? Expensive and stylish.”
He smiled. “If you say so.”
Piper bristled. “Do you work here?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Get this floor fixed before a guest hurts themselves. And don’t call me ma’am.”
“That’s exactly what I was doing before you walked past the warning sign.”
Her chin lifted. “I was inspecting the work.”
I glanced at Caden, who was watching with cool-eyed interest.
Everett smiled again. “Have a good night…ma’am. And watch your step on those ankle breakers.” He swiveled and sauntered over to a toolbox.
Beside me, Caden hid his smile with a cough. I held back my own amusement. Not many people could go toe-to-toe with Piper.
We headed toward the conference room.
“Seriously, who wears flannel?” Piper muttered. “That’s not a uniform. I’ll talk to the head of maintenance tomorrow.”
“You just did,” I told her.
“What?” She frowned.
“Everett Murray is the head of maintenance.”
“Oh.” Her brow creased.
“I’m going to do a lap of the hotel and check in with the night guards before turning in.” Caden gave us a chin lift. “Good night.”
Piper gathered her laptop and files off the conference room table. “I’m heading to my room. On my ankle breakers.” She stalked off like a model on a catwalk. She could probably play basketball in those heels and not break a sweat.
Shaking my head, I made my way down the hall to my office. I was almost there when a body barreled out a side door and collided with me.
I grabbed the woman, and found myself with an armful of Tessa Ashford.
“Oh.” She blinked those big, dark eyes. “Sorry.”
I held onto her. The scent of apples hit me. I wondered if it was a perfume or her shampoo?
She pressed a hand to my chest and blinked. A strand of her dark hair had escaped her braid, flirting with her cheek. My fingers itched to tuck it back behind her ear.
Then she quickly stepped backward. “Sorry. Um, you’re working late.”
“We just finished dinner. I needed to grab a few things from the office and then I have a few more calls tonight.”
“No rest for busy hoteliers. How was your meal?”
“Fine, even if the menu was a little underwhelming.”
She stiffened. “Our chef knows the seasonal local produce very well, and what our guests like.”
I held up a hand. “It was fine. Decent choices. Your wait staff is excellent.”
She relaxed a fraction, but still looked at me suspiciously.
Why did I like that? “You’re here late. I thought you’d finished a few hours ago.”
“I had a few things to deal with, and I was planning Day One of our tour.”
“Good. I’ll—” My cellphone rang and I pulled it out without looking. “Langston.”
“Ambrose. It’s taken me a great deal of effort to get a hold of you.”
Crap . My father’s voice made my eye twitch. “Father. I hope you’re well. I really don’t have time to talk right now.”
“Never any time for your old man, especially since you stole my company out from under me.”
“I didn’t steal the company from you.”
“You did. Now you’re wasting money increasing training and benefits. Or throwing money at flashy new acquisitions.”
“Increasing training and benefits for our staff is not a waste of money, Father. Nor are strategic new properties.” I shook my head. I wouldn’t let him draw me into an argument. “You’re retired now, so focus on that, and the fact that you still own a healthy chunk of stock.” Which helped pay for his lifestyle and girlfriends.
“I’ve met someone.”
I felt my jaw lock. “I’m sure you’ll be very happy.”
“I want you to meet her.”
“Father, I have absolutely no interest in meeting your latest girlfriend. I really have to go.” I ended the call and sucked in a deep breath.
Tessa stood watching me and I saw some sympathy on her face. Rubbing my temple, I walked into my office.
She stayed in the doorway. “Family can be complicated.”
“Family can be a pain in the ass,” I snapped.
“At least you have him.”
I looked up, detecting something in her voice.
She tucked that errant strand of hair behind her ear. “My parents died when I was young. I’d give anything to get a call from my father. Even an annoying one.”
I didn’t know what to say.
“Good night, Ro. See you in the morning, bright and early.”
I watched her go. I’d pegged Tessa Ashford as having a happy, idyllic childhood in a small town. No bumps, no detours. All roses and woodland animals. I shook my head. She didn’t know what it was like to have a man like my father constantly poking at me and everything I did, and me having to clean up his messes.
I grabbed my gear and stalked out, heading for the penthouse.
There was no fault with the penthouse at the Windward. It was spacious, and managed to blend modern and rustic. The modern gray furniture contrasted with the wood floor and the rustic wood framing the windows. A modern-style antler chandelier hung over the table I was using as a desk.
I dropped my things and stripped my shirt off. My punching bag rested on the floor, and I really wished I’d had it installed. I took it everywhere with me. I wanted to hit something. Talking to my father always made me feel like that.
A session with the punching bag was the one thing guaranteed to clear my head.
Tomorrow, I’d ask one of Everett’s people to install it. I strode into the bedroom, my body vibrating with tension. I could still smell green apples.
I ignored the king-sized bed with a wooden headboard, and the stone-accented fireplace. In the bathroom, I flicked on the shower. In here, there were cream tiles and wooden beams overhead. More rustic modern.
Then I pulled the scrap of black lace from my pocket. I sucked in a breath, hot lust flooding through me.
Fuck . I could hear Tessa’s husky cries in my head. She was under my skin, dammit. I stripped my clothes off and stepped into the shower. I wrapped that lace in my hand, then gripped my cock.
It was far too easy to imagine her here, naked and wet. I stroked myself, hard, rough. I wanted to see all that pale skin naked and flushed. I imaged her slim hand on my cock, pumping me. I groaned. I imagined her dropping to her knees, a sexy, teasing smile on her lips.
I kept stroking until my muscles locked. “ Tessa .” I came hard, spurting onto the tiles.
Groaning through the pleasure, I fought to stay upright. Heaving in air, I slapped a hand to the tiles and tipped my head under the hot water. Every muscle in my body was relaxed.
That . That’s what I needed.
My fingers curled around the wet lace. Too bad I couldn’t let myself have the real thing.