Chapter 13
Her cheeks are pink, her hair long and wavy and still damp, a million shades of red and gold, tipped with those white-blond curls that hang past her waist. She’s filling out her too-tight little black outfit—the same as last night’s but possibly one size smaller—like all the wildest fantasies I never imagined could be real have materialized into a living, breathing goddess created just for me.
Every fantasy detail, if I’d ever thought to make a list, consolidated into one perfect little … Amelie Thibodeaux.
Her lips are parted as she catches her breath. Her eyes look golden this morning, wide at the sight me. Her full breasts rise and fall, her nipples barely outlined. The outfit leaves little to the imagination and I am so fucked.
She’s wearing bright pink rubber gloves.
I get that ache in my chest again, like those sharp claws of my addiction just got a whole lot more lethal, slicing up my heart and soul and rearranging them into a mess of infatuation for this outrageously stunning girl. My blood feels feverish. I will my cock to behave but it thickens and throbs.
“Amelie,” I say, and my voice sounds low and husky, doing almost nothing to disguise the naked longing that’s rampaging through my bloodstream. “Good morning.”
She’s surprised to see me, but not wary.
She’s caught too off guard for her defenses.
She’s bright-eyed and might as well be made of unicorn magic.
“Good mornin’.” With her soft New Orleans twang.
She glances with light confusion at the sour-faced manager, who’s not at all pleased by what I just discussed with her in her office before she summoned Amelie. I wasn’t about to take no for answer.
“Mr. Wilder would like to take you out for lunch,” says the manager, whose name I’m struggling to remember, even though she told me minutes ago. I’m too distracted by the vision of golden and blinding perfection standing in front of me.
“Lunch?” Amelie asks. Like she’s never heard of it.
“Yes,” the manager—Ellen, I finally recall—confirms.
“Actually,” I clarify, “I’d like to take you out for the day, Amelie.
You told me you don’t get days off, so I’ve taken the liberty of stepping in and remedying that situation.
Everyone needs a day off every now and then.
In fact it’s required by law.” Something Ellen would know.
I don’t bother telling either of them I’ve never taken a day off either, until today.
“I’ve hired two experienced housekeepers, along with two experienced bartenders, who will fill in for you.
You were so busy and overworked last night I thought two might work better than one.
” Another dig at Ellen and she knows it.
And fucking deserves it. “That way, Ellen can be assured that the hotel will continue to run like clockwork in Amelie’s absence. ”
Amelie gives Ellen another glance. She’s still in shock but also cautiously … I imagine it to be eagerness, or at the very least, interest, as her gaze slides briefly to me. Ellen’s scowl tones down the spark in Amelie’s eyes, and this is something I simply can’t tolerate.
“There are a couple of hiring agencies that cater specifically to hotels,” I explain, in case Amelie was wondering.
She’s purely an employee at this point, but she’s still obviously very emotionally invested in the place.
“I made sure I contacted the one with the highest ratings and the most recommendations. The temps are all very experienced. In fact you could consider taking a few of them on more regularly. They’re due to arrive any minute now, Ellen, so we’ll leave you to it.
I’m sure you’ll want to get started and provide them with all the instructions they’ll need. Have a good one.”