Chapter 5 #2
Getting to the end of Falls Lane, I turned left, following the directions on the dashboard screen.
After a short drive, a sign proclaiming “Ridgeview Bed & Breakfast” appeared on the right-hand side of the road.
I turned and followed the winding drive upward, toward the large Victorian house set far back from the road.
“I just pulled up to the house,” I mentioned as a way to start concluding the call.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I’m sure the pictures don’t do it justice,” Grandmother stated.
If a person could draw up the perfect Victorian, this would be it.
A huge wraparound porch extended in both directions from the main door.
Rounded corners and a requisite turret, all painted in a deep green with white trim.
It had promise from the outside and should attract its fair share of guests.
However, that’s not what my team discovered, so the empty parking lot did not surprise me. They survived, but they didn’t thrive.
Did Reese want to thrive?
Now you sound like your father. I could practically hear Grandmother in my head. She would seize on any in she saw, but my focus could only be on the company as a whole. Not some individual spoke in a wheel. “I have to go now.”
“Clayton, just promise me you’ll keep an open mind. About everything.”
There was no way I could give her that promise, not without knowing I was lying to her, something I refused to do.
“I’ll be in touch soon.” I ended the call and stepped out of the car.
Stretching after a long drive, I looked up at the house.
This house was the start of my future. Finally.
Of getting my hands on Montgomery, which was exactly what I wanted.
If I could somehow help them in the long run, all the better.
Fortuitous.
Grandmother’s voice played in my head as if trying to tell me something else.
I shook it off. There was no time for anything else.
Pocketing my keys, I pushed through the door and entered a serviceable reception area, even if the room was a little dark. Windows lined the exterior, but none of them led to this room. Adding some light would make it much more welcoming.
Not here for that. Stay focused.
Given the way Grandmother’s words and ideas were circulating in my head, I had a feeling I would need to be telling myself that often. The possibilities existing here were of no importance to me.
I was about to call out a greeting when a disgruntled groan from the adjoining room grabbed my attention. Making my way to the door, I stopped on a dime at the view in front of me.
“Fuck. You’d think after all these years, I would have learned not to fiddle with Grams’ ring.”
Oh, I’d know that voice anywhere, but the image of Reese Henley on her hands and knees under her desk, with only her backside, legs, and high heels visible, would stick with me the rest of my days.
I leaned against the doorframe, crossing my arms over my chest. “Well, well. This is quite the view, Ms. Henley.”
Reese ceased moving. By the stillness of her body, I had to wonder if she even took a breath.
Of course, my own breaths were hard to come by as I stared at the vision before me.
Somewhere in my brain the thought to divert my gaze should be firing.
However, it wasn’t. Not even close. Instead, all I could see was her naked and on a bed, in the same position, ready and waiting for me.
My hands twitched, wanting to run along what had to be silky skin.
“I should have stayed in bed,” came from under the desk, and I forced myself not to smile. She shimmied backward on a wiggle and now it was my turn to groan. Sucking in a deep breath, she went to stand.
I took a step toward her, reaching and calling out. “Watch your he—”
“Motherf—,” she exclaimed as she smacked her head on the edge of the desk. Bracing one hand on the desk and rubbing her head with the other, she gingerly stood on somewhat shaky stilettos. My eyes never left her as she composed herself, taking several deep breaths before turning around to face me.
Sweet baby Jesus.
Pictures on social media hadn’t done her justice. She was fucking stunning. This was not good. Not good at all.
Blonde hair cut in a short bob framed her face perfectly, and what a perfect face it was.
Her bright blue eyes sparkled as they did their own assessment of me.
Those pink lips looked shiny, making me want to taste them and take whatever gloss she wore right off.
Her simple blue sundress showed off her arms and molded to the curves of her breasts, as if it were made for her body.
Her very short body.
If the woman reached my chin, I’d be surprised, despite the extra height her heels gave her.
The longer we stared at each other, the thicker the air became in the room. Heat and tension, both sexual and antagonistic, bubbled around us. It honestly shouldn’t have surprised me, given the way her voice had set me reeling.
It had been barely a week since our first call, and something within me felt different.
Giving myself a mental shake, I dispelled the thought and feeling. There was no time for that and no way it should even enter my mind.
Opening my mouth to speak, I closed it as Reese’s eyes narrowed.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Are you okay?” I asked as she rubbed the top of her head. “This is not exactly the warm Southern welcome I’d been expecting, Ms. Henley.” I hadn’t been expecting anything of the sort given our call, but pushing her buttons fell into the “new favorite pastime” category for me, so I went with it.
“I’ll be fine, though I feel a headache coming on.
” The way she stared me down told me it would be as much from me as it would be from hitting her head.
“Maybe you would have gotten one if I had been expecting you. Which I wasn’t, Mr. Montgomery.
” She propped her hands on hips and looked ready to take on the world.
Or at least me.
“I told you I’d be in touch.” I glanced around the room, taking in the decor and space. Similar to the reception foyer, serviceable but nothing to stand out as special. “This is me getting in touch.”
“I’d like to touch you,” she muttered under her breath as she brushed past me into the foyer, “with a slap.” A subtle fruity scent lingered behind as I followed her.
She pivoted so quickly I almost ran into her.
It took everything in me not to reach out to steady her, unsure of what exactly I’d do if I got my hands on her. “Why are you following me?”
Similar to the phone call, this was the most excitement I’d had in forever.
“Well, considering I came all this way to talk with you, I need to be near you to do that.” Being near her in other ways, ways that lacked clothing, tried to take over my brain, but I pushed them aside. This was not the woman or the time for that.
My inner voice promised myself I’d find someone after the deal was done and I was home in New York.
But I want this someone.
My inner voice was fucking stupid.
“Besides,” I continued as she simply stared my way, “this is the reception area, and I need a room.”
Her jaw dropped.
“Something wrong?” I couldn’t help it. Getting her ruffled felt oddly exhilarating.
“Oh, you better believe it.” Reese rounded the desk, and I highly doubted it was to use the computer to secure a room for me. I had the feeling it was a mode of protection. The more space between us, the less magnetic the pull.
I could tell her it was not going to work.
“First,” she started, “you don’t have a reservation. How do you know we have room?” Tilting my head toward the empty lot, I let the gesture speak for itself. “Everyone could be out, you know. People come here to hike and hit the wineries and little towns, not hunker in a B&B all day.”
She could make the claim all she wanted, but I highly doubted there was no room for me at this particular inn tonight. Not that it mattered, I’d find somewhere else if need be and come back tomorrow. I was on a mission, and one little ball of trouble would not derail it.
“So, you don’t have a room?”
“That’s not the point, Clay.”
“It’s Clayton.”
She rolled her eyes. “Clayton’s so, I don’t know, stuffy.
” Her gaze gave me the once-over, taking in my suit.
I’d slipped the jacket off to drive, but donned it again when I came in.
“Yeah, I guess that fits. Rich people are probably stuffy.” My lips quirked up in an approximation of a smile, but stopped when she glared my way.
“Back to the situation at hand. Second, you can’t just show up out of the blue.
Third…” With a pause, she looked around, as if waiting for inspiration to strike.
“You know, I don’t have a third, but I’m sure I could come up with one. ”
Reese Henley’s attitude reminded me of my sister. Sofia gave as good as she got in the sarcasm department and didn’t take shit from anyone, including her brothers. Maybe I’d prepared my whole life to deal with someone just like my sister, which was an oddly terrifying thought.
If I stayed silent too long, Reese would think she had won, which I had no intention of letting happen.
“I absolutely can just show up, especially when a business deal is on the line.”
Just like that, her expression changed. Gone was the playfulness of moments before, and in its place was the look of a warrior protecting what was hers.
“There is no business deal if you want our property, Clayton.” She said my name with no small amount of derision. “You’re not getting it. If you think you are, you can leave.”
My lips curled.
I had a feeling this was going to be the strangest, yet most entertaining negotiation of my life. One I was more than ready for, because in the end I would get everything I wanted.