by T L Dasha
“If he's giving you to me, he either really hates you...” He cornered me, placing a hand against the wall on one side of me, and letting the other slide across my cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. His smile made my heart race and my skin crawl in the same breath.
“Or he trusts you. And if he trusts you this much, and you're not sleeping with him, doesn't that make you want to ruffle his feathers a little? You know, just to see how he reacts?” He let his hand slide down to my chin, resting his thumb on my lower lip. “Have you ever seen his stupid, perfect little face disoriented and embarrassed? It's my favorite expression.”
“No, that's--”
His lips brushed over mine, cutting my protests short. Almost on instinct, I immediately stomped down on his foot, driving my heel into his expensive leather dress shoes. He pulled away just long enough for me to get the elevator started again. A bell chimed, and the door slid open with myself having fallen to the floor, and Trevor staring at me from just a couple feet away.
Then he laughed. A sound that seemed so oddly unthreatening for how sinister his eyes were. Was this some kind of game to him?
“Let's do this again sometime.” He put out a hand to help me to my feet. I hesitated for a moment before accepting the offer. “Maybe this week is going to be way more entertaining than I thought.” His tone was so nonchalant, I found myself just staring at him, speechless. In less than ten minutes, it was as if every line a person could cross with me had been crossed.
He stepped out into the hallway, and the doors closed on an oddly friendly wave of his hand.
I straightened out my shirt and let out a long held breath as the elevator took me back to the lobby. My fingertips traced my lips as I played everything back in my head, the taste of Trevor Craig still dominating my mouth.
What kind of person had I just gotten myself mixed up with?
Chapter 2
Liz sat next to me on the park bench in the hotel courtyard, digging for food from her lunch box.
“Got any weekend plans?” She handed me half of her sandwich. Having been way too nervous to eat breakfast that morning, I’m sure I looked like a starved puppy as I shoved entirely too much of it into my mouth. Though I always ate Liz’s bread with at least that much fervor. She was a baker and a half.
“Work, work, and more work.” I muttered between chewing.
“Since when do you work weekends?”
“Since Aaron’s brother got to town. I thought I was just going to be a guide, but it feels more like I’m some kind of babysitter or something.”
Liz frowned. “What’s he like? Is he as much of a tyrant as his brother?”
“Worse! I’ll be amazed if I make it through this week without getting fired. I mean, Aaron is kind of a jerk, but Trevor is… He’s…. “ My face flushed, just thinking about him. His breath intermingling with mine. His body pressing me into the wall…
“What did he do?” Liz’s voice sounded clearly angry. Ugh. Why am I always so transparent?
“It was nothing. Just work stuff. Anyways, I’ve gotta get back. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Of course.” She stood up, then gave me a brief smile. “The Jake I know doesn’t let people push her around. Maybe he needs to know that Jake, too.” Liz headed off to the shop, not pressing me further. Although I could see the worry in her expression. She was right. She always was. But it was so much easier to stick up for myself in theory than it was in execution.
I returned to my desk at the front of the hotel, and logged into my computer. Trevor would be preoccupied by meetings for most of the day, so I at least had time to collect myself. A lack of work had me scrolling through my phone, staring at vacation destinations I’d never get to and pictures of Anna’s fairytale honeymoon. She must have posted a million selfies in front of that waterfall. No one cares about your perfect life, Anna.
Okay, that’s not true. I cared a lot about my sister’s perfect life. But it wasn’t making me feel better about my own right now.
As the clock ticked past four o’clock, Trevor approached my desk. I swallowed my dread, seeing Aaron wasn’t around to help keep him in line.
“Do you want to get out of here?” He leaned on my desk with a curiously soft expression on his face as if nothing had happened. I chose not to give him the satisfaction of eye contact. I’ve already lost a battle to that gaze once.
I took a deep breath, trapping my fear in the bottom of my lungs. I was going to need my insecurities to step aside for a moment.
“No, I think I’ve seen enough of how you work. I’ll find a suitable replacement for you from our concierge.” I don’t know if I actually had the authority to do that, assuming I wanted to keep my job, but I certainly wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of having that much power over me. Liz was right. You give a guy like this an inch, and he’ll always take a mile.
“Am I that bad a kisser?”
“Yes.”
“Geez, it was a joke. I didn’t want to be stuck with another boring robot. Think of it like an interview. And you passed! Congratulations!” He motioned with his hands as if he was exploding a ball of confetti. Lucky me.
“Are you going to apologize?”
“Apologize?” He was practically laughing as he twirled the word around his tongue.
“Oh, did your mother never teach you about that? That’s a shame.” I looked up from my computer, deadpan, just long enough for him to fully absorb how little I was going to bend, then returned to my screen. I wasn't giving him any additional attention until he figured it out.
We existed in silence for what must have been several minutes. The rules were clear. The first person to speak would be the loser.
“I’m sorry for the elevator thing.” Ah, there it is.
“And.”
“I’d like to take you to dinner to show you I’m serious?”
“Like this one?” I slid a paper over the desk, detailing a full schedule of Trevor's meetings and expected appearances. I had highlighted a shareholder dinner, starting at six o'clock in the hotel's nicest restaurant.
“That's...” His brows flattened. I held a stern expression, noting his disdain but making it clear he needed to choose his next couple words very carefully. He took the hint. “… That's exactly how I was going to spend my evening.”
“Excellent. I’ll meet you at 5:30, then.” I added.
“5:30?! That's half an hour early!”
“Oh, so you can count, too? You’re just full of surprises.”
His lips slipped into a smile for a fraction of a second. He leaned back, settling his hands in his pockets.
“Whatever you say, boss.” His tone was unexpectedly agreeable.
I nodded, accepting his compliance, then stood up from my desk and grabbed my things. He didn’t receive so much as a final glance as I walked past him. The corner of my eye gave me enough information to know I now had the upper hand.
As I slipped into the employee breakroom, I exhaled, releasing all of that pent up sheer-and-utter-terror I had been hiding.
Holy shit. I can’t believe that worked.
I had half expected him to mock me and make everything difficult, but giving him a good shove was apparently all it took to get him to listen to me. If I had talked to Aaron like that, I’d be looking for a new job, but Trevor had already set a different precedence. Being a pushover doesn’t get you anywhere when your opponent is a billionaire.
That hour and a half rolled by quickly. I rummaged through my day bag for a change of clothes, having expected I might have to attend a couple formal events this week. I buttoned on a white shirt, slipped a tie through my collar, and shrugged on a sport coat. After double checking for toilet paper on my shoe, I gave my reflection a final nod of approval then returned to my station.
I waited at the front desk, keeping the restaurant in sight as each of the shareholders arrived, one after the other. Since it was my job to be Trevor's escort, I didn't want to join the table until he w
as with me. Fifteen minutes passed and there was still no sight of him. We're still early. It's okay.
Five more minutes passed, and my confidence was starting to waver.
“Conner.”
I jumped at the sound of my name, following with a sigh of relief. My whole body relaxed as I turned to face--
Aaron. Not Trevor. Where the hell is Trevor?
“Mr. Craig. Good to see you.”
“And you. You look flawless.” His surprise alone was almost enough to make me blush. The last thing I was expecting was a compliment. “And yet, you're alone. Why don't you have Trevor with you?”
That's more like it. Aaron Craig is still in there after all.
“He was supposed to meet me here about 20 minutes ago. But he--”
“I wasn't asking for you to come up with an excuse.” His voice grew harsher as he interrupted. He tilted back his chin, looking down on me from a position of self-importance. “Fetch him. Don't be late.”
“Of course, sir.”
I bowed my head as he turned toward the restaurant, then bee lined for the elevator. Please, just be in the room.
The bell chimed for the 29th floor, and the doors slid open. The entire floor was dedicated to the VIP suite, so it was going to take some effort to find him even if he was there. The bedroom was empty. The shower wasn't running. The hot tub was drained, and the lounge area had been vacated.
“Trevor!”
I waited for a response, but there was no one there to return it. He wasn't here. He wasn't anywhere.
As I rushed back to the entrance, my mind was too panicked to even determine where I was going to search next. I drew in a sharp breath and my heart all but completely stopped as my foot caught on the rug in just the wrong way.
My run turned into a freefall, and fractions of a second later, I was barraged with the rough texture of a Persian rug, as I slid across the floor.
The chime of that accursed elevator filled the air one more time. And there I lay, shirt untucked, jacket torn open, stray buttons bouncing about, staring up at one Trevor Craig, dressed to the nines and holding a bouquet.
“Enough rolling around-- We're going to be late!”
And there was that laugh of his again. Never before has such a cheerful sound triggered so many of my violent urges.
I was too annoyed to remember to be embarrassed. Trevor helped me to my feet without any additional mockery. But my blood was still boiling when I looked at him, ready to give him a piece of my mind. I barely managed to open my mouth when he pulled a flower from his bouquet, gently cupped my chin, and slid it behind my ear.
“All better?” He grinned. Like that's all it’s going to take to fix this.
Trevor moved in closer, letting the welcoming scent of his cologne tickle my nose. He slid a hand through my hair, straightening out the mess around my face. Then he pulled away just slightly, eyes beaming as he admired his work. “You look perfect, Mr. Jake Conner.”
Okay, maybe that IS all it’s going to take to fix this.
“Thank you.” I took a step back on impulse, completely forgetting about my twisted ankle. I yelled as my balance failed me again, closing my eyes in preparation for another impact.
But instead of falling onto that hard rug, I fell onto a strong arm that hoisted me back up, and let me settle against his rock hard chest. Feeling his heart beating just a little faster made me feel a little better about my own. He rested his chin on my head and held me tightly. I could feel his expression pull into a smile above me.
“You're a little bit of a train wreck.”
“It's been a rough day...”
“Do you want some help with that?”
“You're the reason it's been a rough day!”
“Let me make it up to you.” He felt much less sinister now, as he looked down at me with an understanding softness. He helped me to the bed, then knelt down and gathered up my lost buttons. I shrugged out of my suit jacket, and handed it over, then proceeded to re-tuck my shirt.
“How old is this coat?” His light brown eyes danced with amusement as he examined my frayed threads.
“I know the life of a desk clerk seems glamorous, but I have to work with what I can afford.”
I watched as he opened his luggage and rummaged through a bag of various cords, duct tape, plastic wrap, and zip ties, eventually revealing a small sewing kit.
“Why do you have that…” My eyes held wide and unblinking. I was fairly certain the Craig family didn’t own a hardware store.
“You never know when you’ll encounter a damsel distress who needs something repaired. Or one who just has some kinky fantasies. I like to be prepared for whichever comes first.” His voice was so matter-of-fact, I almost found myself accepting that as a reasonable explanation.
Trevor stitched the button back into place, then leaned over me on the bed, supporting himself on a hand that was placed not an inch from my thigh. He draped the jacket around my shoulders, gave me a gentle kiss on the forehead, then he withdrew. I followed his eyes as he stood up straight, searching for that devious swagger I had become so accustomed to, but there wasn’t a trace of it left.
He looked at his watch.
“We’re only about twenty minutes late. That falls into fashionable, right?”
And the magic was gone. My whole body froze. I had one job. All I was supposed to do was get him to events on time, and on day one, I had already failed. Aaron is going to kill me.
“Ah, we have to go!” I got up with a start, and smoothed out my clothing. I tried not to notice the small tear in my slacks.
“It’ll be fine.” He waved dismissively, not taking this seriously at all.
“Why were you so late! I told you 5:30 for a reason!”
“Well, I wanted to get you some flowers to apologize for earlier.” He picked up the bouquet and handed it to me. I just stared at it, not even registering what I was looking at. “We would have been there with plenty of time if you hadn’t gotten into a wrestling match with my rug.”
“I… you’re right.” I couldn’t argue. I buried my face in the bouquet, trying to hide my bright red cheeks in the bright red roses. It was everything I could do to fight back my tears. If I hadn’t panicked and hadn’t been so clumsy, we would already be there.
“Whoa! Don’t cry. I was going to pick on you until we were late anyways. Really, all you did was help me out by making it easy.”
I don’t know why he thought that was reassuring.
“I’ll tell them all it was my fault. Let’s go.”
I nodded and followed, not wanting to delay us any further with my miniature mental break down. We got in the elevator, and he kept his distance this time, giving me time to collect myself as it gently set us down in the lobby. We walked to the restaurant together.
I sent a silent nod to Aaron, as we took our seats at an already full table, hoping he might understand. His expression didn’t return any obvious favor, but fortunately, most of the table was lost in conversation and didn’t seem to notice.
“How nice of you to join us, Trevor,” an older man across the table said. His eyes were dark, similar to Aaron’s, and his grey hair was neatly kept. There wasn’t even a shred of surprise or disappointment in his voice. He must have already expected the delay. “Who is this young man you’ve brought with you?”
Aaron interjected before Trevor could speak.
“His name is Jacob Conner. He’s been our dedicated and well-loved desk clerk here for the last 4 years, so I asked him to help me out by taking care of Trevor this week.”
I’m very well loved? I’m not sure which brother was throwing me off more right now. Aaron addressed me directly.
“Conner, this is our father, Alan Craig.” He nodded across the table. “Father, Conner.”
“Please to meet you, Mr. Craig.” My voice shook under my nerves. However powerful Aaron and Trevor may have been, Alan Craig owned everything. The unit about his business strategies in my economics class was the
whole reason I had chosen to work at a Craig Hotel in the first place. His demeanor was fitting of his rank.
“I see not even the most dedicated young man can keep my son in line.”
And I’ve already disappointed him.
“I’m sorry, it’s been a very eventful day.” I shrunk away from making eye contact as I spoke.
“I’m sure it has.” He nodded.
“You know how it is. If I’m going to be spending so much time with someone, I like to make sure they’re ‘Craig’ tested and approved.” Trevor rested his arm around the back of my chair.
My whole body went rigid. Aaron choked on his food. Mr. Craig seemed unfazed. I’m not sure he was reading the same implication that I was. Trevor chuckled, giving me a mocking wink. It didn’t take long for him to settle back into being an ass.
“No, I wouldn’t--”
Mr. Craig raised a hand to silence me, not interested in my defense.
“It never hurts to have a good wing man.” He chuckled. My admiration for the man was quickly dropping off. “Unlike Aaron, he might even give me a grandson one day.”
“This is hardly an appropriate conversation topic for dinner, father.” Aaron furrowed his brow, not looking Mr. Craig in the eye. I wasn’t used to seeing him so uncomfortable.
“I only see you boys once a year, and you’re both getting older. Nothing has changed since last time, so we had better address it at some point. I sacrificed a lot to build this empire, and I expect the two of you to keep it going.”
“I understand that.” Aaron scowled. “And we can address it in private.”
“Is this not within the interest of our shareholders?”
I didn’t like Alan Craig’s laugh. It had a taunting quality to it that made me feel small.
Trevor was leaning back in his chair as he watched the conversation unfold, looking especially pleased with himself. He was the kind of person who needed to come with his own trigger warning.
But Mr. Craig seemed to be amused. Knowing how hard Aaron was always working, I would have expected him to be the favorite son, but it was apparent that their father valued something other than quarterly earnings and punctuality.