Protecting the Boss

by Beverly Long

  “Evening, Clarice,” he said. “My friend here was hoping that you’d have your bat wings fried in whale blubber on special tonight.”

  Megan kicked him under the table, making solid contact with his shin. He didn’t even flinch.

  “Uh...” Clarice stumbled. Nobody had prepared her for that question.

  “Please,” Megan said, delicately waving her hand. “Just ignore him. He just took his meds so things will get better.”

  “Right. Are you ready to order?” Clarice asked tentatively.

  Megan ordered her pasta and he got a sixteen-ounce New York strip. They both got salads.

  Once Clarice walked away, Megan leaned forward. “You know that she’s on her way back to the kitchen to talk about the weirdo in her station.”

  “And the chef will immediately look up bat wings fried in whale blubber to see if it’s the latest thing offered by places that really got it going on.”

  She looked around. “You don’t think the Purple Onion with the orange booths has it going on?”

  He shrugged. “The decor could use some work. But it smells good in here, it looks clean and there were a bunch of excellent reviews.”

  “I’m glad we stopped,” she said. “Fortunately, we can sleep in a little in the morning. The first event is a luncheon at noon with the Women’s Art Club. Then we do a fashion show.”

  “Fashion show, huh,” he said. “That sounds...great.” He reached for the cracker basket at the end of the table and offered her a breadstick.

  She took it. It was empty carbs, which she stayed away from, but tonight, sitting at this table with handsome Seth Pike, she felt as if she needed something to do. They were definitely not on a date—this was work for both of them. But still, he was funny and charming in an odd way and it made her realize that she was missing all that kind of interaction from her life.

  It was her own fault, of course. After her relationship with Logan ended, she’d had offers. Just hadn’t felt inclined to accept any. Had chosen to focus on raising Abigail. She’d never regretted it for a minute. Had also had to work very hard to learn her craft, to get to a point where it was a natural step for her to have her own stores, to offer her own designs.

  “If the fashion show isn’t exciting enough, in the evening, there’s a cocktail party for local officials, some of the neighbors, our employees, the contractors who worked on the store. Basically, everybody who has been involved.”

  “Black tie?”

  She shook her head. “Not until we reach Colorado Springs.”

  “So much to look forward to,” he said.

  She smiled. “You’re a liar. But that could come in handy the next day. A few appreciative looks from you and I see the potential for big sales. You manage a wow, you look terrific in that and I expect that we’ll exceed our sales goals substantially.”

  “This is worse than I imagined,” he said, his tone very serious.

  The waitress picked that moment to return with the salads. She set them down. “Can I get you anything else right now?”

  “This is fabulous,” Seth said. “You got them here so quickly, exactly what we wanted.”

  The server almost beamed. “Thanks,” she said.

  Megan could barely keep a straight face. “And I was worried.”

  They ate their salads. And then Clarice returned with their food, which looked really good. Megan so rarely took the time to eat a real dinner that this was luxury.

  “Did you enjoy it?” she asked, once he had finished.

  “Perfectly cooked,” he said. He glanced at her half-eaten pasta. “Did you like yours?”

  She nodded. “Just full,” she said. As good as it had been, she hadn’t wanted to overeat. They had a long drive still ahead of them. “I’ll get the check,” she said.

  “But...” He stopped. “I suppose that makes sense,” he said.

  It did. It was part of the contract. His meals were covered. If he paid for it, it would simply be billed to her later. It was a good reminder that as comfortable as she felt talking to him, this was still very much a business situation.

  Ten minutes later, they were back in the car. She pulled out of the parking lot and looked at the time. It was seven thirty. They still had a three-hour drive ahead of them.

  It went fairly quickly. They didn’t talk. She had thought he might close his eyes and rest but he stayed alert, watching the road. The terrain got hillier and the highway was a bunch of sharp twists and turns as they made their way into Sedona. She was grateful when she finally pulled in to the hotel’s parking lot.

  It was crazy. This was the first day and she was already tired.

  They unpacked the trunk and carried their luggage in. The lobby was brightly lit but empty with the exception of a lone man sitting on one of the couches, reading a newspaper. The woman behind the desk smiled at them. Her name tag said “Lana” in big letters and “Anderson” underneath it, in smaller type. “Good evening,” she said. “Checking in?”

  “Yes,” Megan said. “Two rooms. One for Megan North and one for Seth Pike. I’ll be paying for both with this.” She slid her credit card across the counter.

  “How many keys for each room?” the clerk asked.

  “Just one,” Megan said, before Seth could pipe up.

  He didn’t correct her. But he did step up to the counter. “We need the rooms to be connecting,” he said.

  “Of course, Mr. Pike,” Lana said. The tone of her voice had been pleasant with Megan but it had warmed when addressing Seth. Oh, please, thought Megan. She gave Seth a look to see if he’d noticed but he seemed oblivious.

  “In town on business or pleasure, Mr. Pike?” Lana asked, her fingers typing as she talked. She was probably twenty-five and she wasn’t wearing a diamond on any finger.

  “Little of both,” Seth said, noncommittal.

  Lana stared at him. Then picked a business card off the stack on the counter. “If you have any questions about Sedona while you’re here, don’t hesitate to ask.” She wrote a telephone number on the card. “Here’s my cell. That’s the easiest way to reach me.”

  Seconds later, she slid across two different key cards. “Ms. North, you’re in 402. Mr. Pike, 404,” she said. “Free continental breakfast is from six to nine in the space just to our left. If you need anything,” she said, looking at Seth, “just ask. I’ll be here all night.”

  Oh, good grief. “Thank you,” Megan said. She reached for both keys. When they were in the elevator, she handed him the one for room 404. “I hope Lana remembers who has which room. That way, she won’t wake me up later when she knocks on my door by mistake.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  He had to be lying. Lana hadn’t been subtle.

  “None of my business what you do,” she said. “As long as you’re available tomorrow.”

  He held up his key card. “Not to worry. As for tonight, I’m going to be sleeping. I didn’t get all that much last night.”

  She saw that their rooms were the first two to the left. “Well, good night.”

  “Can I take a quick look at your room?” he said.

  She was exhausted and really didn’t think she could stand up much longer. The drive, maybe because of the strange car or the strange road, had taken more out of her than she was willing to admit.

  “Sure,” she said, and handed him the key card when he reached for it.

  He opened the door and walked in. She followed. It was a basic hotel room. The bath off to the left, the closet to the right. Then there was one queen bed and a dresser with a flat-screen television on it. At the rear of the room, there was a desk and a chair and a door on the right side of the room, near the windows. The only thing perhaps a little unusual was that it didn’t have any of the standard cheap carpeting. There was wood flooring.

  And she rem
embered that downstairs, in the lobby, there hadn’t been carpet, either. Just lots of tile and wood. It was rather nice.

  Seth walked over and unlocked the connecting door. “Is this going to be a problem for you?”

  Seth was a little nosy, maybe a little opinionated, but he wasn’t a danger to her. She was confident of that. “No, that’s fine.”

  “You can keep it closed. Just don’t lock it,” he said.

  “Got it,” she said.

  “What time to you want to have breakfast?” he asked.

  “I don’t generally eat breakfast.”

  “That’s going to change,” he said. “Most important meal of the day, you know.”

  Her parents had loved breakfast. Loved making it for the family. “I don’t need a nutrition lecture,” she said.

  “Good, because that’s the extent of what I know.”

  “Fine. Let’s say eight.” She would be up way before that but could do some work on her computer in her room.

  “Okay. I’ll be outside your door then.”

  * * *

  Seth undressed for bed in the dark and slid into the tightly-tucked sheets wearing just his boxers. He stretched out. And thought about Megan doing exactly the same thing, just feet away. Wondered what she slept in.

  He suspected something silky and perfect, just like her. Even after what had been a long day, she’d still looked beautiful as he’d studied her under the harsh lighting in the hotel lobby. She’d been busy paying the bill and it had given him a chance to really examine her.

  She’d gotten her dig in about Lana. Was it even possible that she’d been...jealous?

  That was ridiculous.

  But not a bad idea to fall asleep on. He closed his eyes and breathed deep. He willed his muscles to relax.

  And didn’t wake up until he heard Megan’s scream.

  Chapter 6

  Seth rolled out of bed, grabbed the gun that he’d placed in the nightstand drawer and moved to the connecting door. He opened it, prepared for the worst.

  But still, when he saw her on the bed, jumping, one hand up to her mouth, the other pointing wildly toward the corner of the room, he wasn’t sure what to think.

  “Snake,” she said.

  He looked. Yep. She was right. About four feet long with dark brown stripes against a lighter cream background. Ugly skinny thing, with a triangular-looking head.

  “Shoot it,” she said.

  A gun going off in a hotel in the middle of the night was guaranteed to cause some commotion. He put his gun down on the night table. “I think we need another plan.”

  She’d stopped jumping but she was shaking so much, he was afraid she was going to fall off the bed and really hurt herself. Her arm wouldn’t be the only thing bruised. “Maybe you should sit down.”

  “No.”

  “Okay, then.” He glanced around the room. His eyes landed on the umbrella. It was leaning up against the wall, maybe four feet away from the snake.

  He judged the distance, the angle. Thought it was about right.

  He grabbed the handle of the umbrella and when he got close enough, slid the other end of the umbrella toward the middle of the snake. Got the two-inch nub at the top firmly under the snake’s middle and hefted his arm upward. The snake flew through the air, into the bathroom, landing in the bathtub. He closed the door fast and grabbed the damp towel that she’d left hanging on the closest door. He stuffed it under the bathroom door.

  “It’s not getting out of there,” he said. “You’re safe,” he said, turning to look at her.

  Now she had one hand up to her mouth. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  Her bathroom wasn’t an option. He grabbed the empty wastebasket from next to the dresser and took it to her. But she didn’t reach for it.

  She was scaring him a little. She was so pale. “Come on. You’re made of stronger stuff that that. Don’t be such a girl,” he goaded.

  Her head jerked up; color came back into her face.

  Yes, much better.

  “We’re leaving,” she said.

  “Right now? It’s the middle of the night.”

  “I don’t care. This place has snakes. We have to go now.”

  He walked over to the phone. “How about we talk to a manager. I’ll call down to the front desk.” He paused. “Maybe you should put a robe on.”

  Her pretty skin took on a pink hue and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. It was a little too late for that. He’d gotten a pretty good look and he’d been right about her pajamas. White. Silky. The ensemble hit her midthigh and was tight enough in all the right places. She didn’t sleep in a bra.

  She inclined her head toward the chair by the window. “My robe is over there,” she said.

  He picked it up and tossed it to her. She hurriedly put it on. When she was tying the belt, she said, “Maybe you should put some pants on.”

  “Tit for tat,” he said. The air in the room seemed to sizzle. “I will but let’s get you off the bed first,” he said.

  She shook her head.

  “You have to sit down, at least.”

  She did, stretching her long legs out in front of her. He suspected there was no way she was going to let them dangle over the side.

  He pressed a button on the phone. It was answered on the second ring. “Ms. North, what can we help you with?”

  “It’s Seth Pike calling. We need to see a manager up here. Pronto. Ms. North has a snake in her room. I’ve tossed it in the bathtub but we’re going to need somebody to do something else with it.” He hung up. “I’ll be right back,” he said.

  It took him just seconds to pull on pants and a shirt but when he came back, he got the idea that he hadn’t been fast enough, that any amount of time alone in the company of a snake was too long.

  “Can you check the closet?” she asked.

  He’d taken a quick look in her closet when he’d first inspected her room. But he was willing to do it again. “Sure.” He opened the sliding doors, first one direction, then the other. “All clear,” he said.

  “Could you look under the bed?”

  He got on his knees, lifted the bed skirt and looked down. Saw that the bed frame was solid and rested on the floor. But still, he dutifully looked on all four sides. “Clear,” he said.

  There was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” he said. He didn’t want her answering the door in the middle of the night. But he didn’t expect an argument. He wasn’t sure she was ever moving from the bed.

  He looked through the peephole. It was Lana. He opened the door.

  “Our night manager stepped out to get a bite to eat,” she said. “I’ve called him but I thought that I’d see what I could do.” She looked down at the towel on the floor, up against the bathroom door. “Is it in there?”

  He nodded.

  “I’m terribly sorry about this,” she said. “What happened?”

  He motioned with his hand. “You should probably ask Ms. North that,” he said.

  Megan didn’t wait for Lana to repeat the question. “I woke up and decided to use the bathroom. I turned on the lamp next to my bed and...and I saw the snake.”

  “I just can’t believe it,” Lana said. “I’ve worked here for four years and we’ve never had something like this happen.”

  “I’m not making it up.”

  “Of course you aren’t,” Lana said. “Do you mind if I take a look at it?” She seemed genuinely excited about the possibility. And she’d seemed to have lost all interest in flirting with Seth.

  “Maybe you should wait. I don’t want it to get out,” Megan said.

  “I’ll be careful.” Lana used her fist to knock on the door several times.

  Seth didn’t know much about snakes but a kid couldn’t grow up in the desert and not pick up a few things. He
’d always been told to stomp on the ground, that the vibration would scare the snake. He figured a knock on the door would achieve the same effect.

  When the desk clerk opened the door, he got close enough to see that the snake was still in the bathtub. He expected Lana to do a quick look. Instead, she studied the thing. Finally, she closed the door and put the towel back into place.

  “It’s a Sonoran lyre snake,” she said. “They’re called that because the markings on their head remind you of a lyre harp.”

  “I associate harps with something nice and peaceful. That’s not what it reminded me of,” Megan said.

  “It wouldn’t kill you,” Lana said. “I mean, you don’t want to get bit but its venom is not deadly. Probably would make you sick, though,” she added, almost as an afterthought.

  “How do you know so much about snakes?” Megan asked.

  “I’m a geology major. Rocks and snakes sort of go together.”

  “No wonder I hated science classes,” Megan said.

  “We’ll get it out of here,” Lana said.

  “I want a different room,” Megan said.

  “Yes, well, unfortunately, we’re sold out. Probably most of the hotels are. There’s a big festival this weekend.”

  That didn’t bode well for them easily finding another hotel. And he really didn’t want to sleep in the car. But he understood that Megan would be skittish about staying in the room. “How about we switch rooms. I’ll sleep here and you take the one next door.”

  “You could have a snake in your room, too,” she said.

  She wasn’t being totally reasonable but he understood. She’d woken up after just a few hours of sleep and had the pants scared off her. In a few hours, after a good night’s rest, this could even be funny. But not right now.

  He just wanted a solution that didn’t involve changing hotels. Plus, he didn’t want to have the conversation in front of Lana, who was looking way too interested.

  “Can you excuse us,” Seth said. “Maybe step out for just a second?”

  “Of course,” Lana said. “I’ll just be in the hall.”