“Well, while you’re down there,” he teases.
Asshole.
I snap my hand back and quickly get up off the floor. “I’m sorry,” I tell him once more, glaring in his direction before heading towards the door, keeping my eyes open this time.
As I step out into the hall, Alison opens the door in front of me, holding none other than my hairdryer. Her eyes are round as saucers as she stares behind me, no doubt at the good-looking arsehole. Hopefully he used his head and picked up a freaking towel.
I stomp over to her, snatching the hairdryer. Then with one last glare in her direction, I stomp back to my room, not saying a word. I’d probably just make the entire situation a whole lot worse by opening my mouth, and I don’t need any further embarrassment.
“Hi, I’m Alison.”
Just as I get to my door, I hear his rumbling, rough voice and feel his eyes on me, the tingling at the back of my neck a warning that I’m totally fucked.
“Drake.”
Yep, I’m royally fucking screwed.
*** *** ***
I meet Alison outside her room, hoping the stranger in the next one isn’t there as we carry on down the hallway.
I try not to look at his door, I really do, but my eyes flicker in that direction more than once.
My face is still hot, and no doubt red from embarrassment. I pride myself on appearance and presentation, so when I fuck up the way I did earlier, I want to kick myself.
How I get myself into those situations is beyond me, but when they happen, they really suck.
“What was that earlier?” Alison whispers when we reach the main staircase. An older gentleman wearing a navy-blue suit is waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He greets us with a smile, his eyes bright and practically beaming with happiness.
“It was nothing,” I whisper back, then turn to the man with a smile.
“Hello, we didn’t get to formally meet last night. I’m Jeff, the house butler of sorts and gardener. I’m to escort you to Mr and Mrs Donovan in the garden room.”
“Hello, Jeff. I’m Pagan and this is Alison,” I reply polity, then turn to Alison and mouth, “Garden room.”
She shrugs and together we follow Jeff into another hallway before turning left into a large room.
“Oh my,” I whisper in amazement. The whole room is made up of glass, with roses and wild flowers surrounding the room. It’s extraordinary.
“We’re glad you like it. This is my favourite room in the house,” Pam says as she walks up to greet us. Instead of taking my hand like I expected her to, she pulls me in for a hug before doing the same to Alison. “I hope you both rested well?”
“Best night’s sleep in ages,” I gush before I can stop myself.
She laughs. “I’m glad.”
“She’s right. I slept like a princess.” Alison smiles.
“Come join us. We thought we could have breakfast in here today since it’s such a lovely day. Come, sit.”
“Hello, ladies,” Adam greets as he walks into the room dressed impeccably. He strolls up to his wife, pulling her in for a kiss, and I smile, watching how loved up they are. They remind me of my parents. “Sit, sit.”
We sit down and I look around, my eyes never once focusing on one thing. Everything looks incredible. I’m about to compliment Pam on the room when the door behind us opens.
“Son, we heard you arrived late last night. I hope everything is well?”
“Hi, Dad. Everything is perfect, especially after my wake-up call this morning.”
The deep rumbling voice belongs to the sexy stranger I met this morning. My eyes bug out, my cheeks heating.
Oh my God, he’s their son!
I’m gonna die.
Someone kill me, please.
I don’t turn around, scared my face will give everything away. What’s up with all this ‘wake-up call’ bullshit? Is he trying to get me fired?
“Wake-up call? Was everything okay?” Pam asks, a worried frown on her face.
“Everything was fine, Mum. I’m just teasing. And who are these fine women?” he asks, taking the seat next to me. I try to shift away but there’s nowhere to go.
Why is he acting like he hasn’t met either of us? Hell, he introduced himself to Alison in the hall.
Not that I gave him a chance to introduce himself to me or anything, what with my hand on his dick and all.
“This is Pagan Salvatore, and here is Alison Mills. They’re from Salvatore Events. They’re here to organise Jesse and Amelia’s wedding.”
“Is that so,” he says.
I feel his eyes burning into the side of me, but I don’t turn to confirm it, keeping my expression blank as I stare ahead. Alison’s ‘what the fuck’ look catches my attention from across the table. I just glare, inwardly pouting. Can’t she leave me to wallow in my own misery?
“Yes. Isn’t it wonderful that they could come for the entire three weeks?”
“Yes, it is. I’m Drake, by the way,” he says, his arm brushing against mine as he leans over to shake Alison’s hand. She grins widely, shaking his hand with much enthusiasm.
I’m so gonna fire her arse.
When he turns, my face heats further, hating all his focus on me. “It’s nice to meet you.” The amusement in his voice is thick as he holds his hand out.
I take his hand with a firm grip, and bolts of electricity shoot up my arm. I pull away quickly, my mouth agape at the sensations running through my body.
“You too.” I swallow hard, looking away.
“We had our chef cook up a full English breakfast. We weren’t sure what you’d like, so we asked for a bit of everything,” Pam says just as an older lady walks in pushing a tray of food. My mouth waters as if it knows it’s going to be fed.
“How many sausages would you like, miss?” the lady asks, standing next to me.
I open my mouth, but Drake answers for me. “She’ll have the biggest sausages you have, Emily. Something tells me she loves her sausages.”
My glare is fierce when I turn around to face him, wondering if they’ll fire me if I happen to slip and punch him in his arrogant, handsome face.
“She really loves her sausages, but she hasn’t had any in ages,” Alison speaks up, and my glare turns her way at the innuendo. Her lips twitch, looking everywhere but at me.
“Thank you.” My attention turns back to Emily as she places other yummy treats on my plate. I’m so hungry and focused on my food, I don’t hear my phone beeping until a slight nudge to my right has me jumping.
“Your phone,” Drake whispers against my ear, and a shiver runs down my neck.
“Yes, um, excuse me,” I tell the table, hoping they can’t see my blush.
Seeing my office number for here in London, I answer, “Hello, this is Pagan.”
“Hi, Pagan, it’s Jessica. We have a problem.”
My sigh is loud and I turn to face the table, giving them an assuring smile. I hold my finger up, letting them know I’ll be a minute before turning my back to them. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“No. The British Army fundraiser was being held at the Metropolitan, but they’ve had a kitchen fire that spread, so all events held there have been cancelled. I’ve called around everywhere that hires a hall big enough to hold three hundred guests and have nowhere. We’re coming up blank.”
“Oh no,” I whisper, my face paling. The British Army fundraiser is one of our biggest. We raise money for not only the families of our fallen, but for soldiers who need long-term medical treatment or any renovations that need to be done to their homes. “I… leave it with me. I’ll get back to you within a few hours.”
“Okay, Pagan. I’m sorry to throw this at you. We called Catherine and she said you were out of the office and actually in London. With the office being new, we’re stuck on what the protocol is.”
“No, I totally understand and it’s fine. I’ll sort it. We only have a few things to check up on here, so we’re pretty much free.”
“Okay. Thank you again. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye.” I hang up and sigh, wondering what on earth I did this morning to wake up to such a shitty day. And it’s hardly even begun.
“Everything okay?” Alison asks when I sit back down, my appetite now gone.
“No. The hall booked for the fundraiser for the British Army has fallen through. They had a fire that spread, and Jessica’s called around for last-minute halls and can’t find anything. We need to do a wider search.”
“Have it here,” Pam blurts out before Alison can answer.
I turn, shocked at her offer. That’s over three hundred guests in her home that she doesn’t even know.
“We couldn’t―”
“You can. When is it?”
“It’s tomorrow night,” I answer suspiciously.
“Well, that’s settled. I’m guessing you have caterers and whatnot already booked, so it’s literally just the hall. We have a bar in the main ballroom, but it isn’t stocked at the moment. However, we know a company that will be able to supply us at short notice.”
I mull it over, but as much as I think about it, it doesn’t seem right. These are my clients.
“I’d just nod and agree. Otherwise she’ll just call whoever you were on the phone to and make arrangements through them,” Drake says. I gaze over at him, his eyes so beautiful I stop breathing for a second.
“But―”
“So it’s settled,” Pam gushes before turning to her husband. “I knew hiring them was going to be life-changing. Oh, it feels good to have a house full.”
“I’ll let housekeeping know. If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask,” Adam says.
My mouth is agape, looking back and forth between the two, wondering when the hell I agreed to hold the party here.
“Pagan, breathe. It’s all going to be okay,” Pam assures me.
I nod, hoping like hell she’s right. “Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure. Will it be okay for us and some of the wedding party who are arriving tomorrow to attend? I’d like to donate if I can,” Pam asks.
“Pam’s grandfather was in the army,” Adam explains.
“Of course. This is your house, after all. The more the merrier. I know Jessica will be thrilled to hear you’re hosting. She’s new and opened the office here in London six months ago, so she’s still getting used to everything.”
“Whenever you need a place to hold an event, you’re more than welcome here,” Adam says.
“This place would be great.” Alison smiles widely. She would get excited; she’s the one who goes and scouts for new places to hold events, negotiating prices with the owners. She’s amazing at her job.
“Have the day off today. Go see what London has to offer. We have to go pick my mother up from the airport, but there’s always someone here to let you in or out.”
“You didn’t tell me Grams was going to be here. I thought she couldn’t make the wedding because she was on a singles cruise?” Drake says nervously from beside me, but Pam ignores him, waiting for my reply.
“Okay. We were hoping to go over the plans for the family dinner on Sunday,” I tell her.
“Oh dear, it’s Tuesday. We have plenty of time to go over all that. You and Alison can go out and sightsee for a bit, go out on the town.”
My lips twitch at her usage of ‘out on the town’. It seems so foreign coming from someone so impeccably well-mannered and dressed.
“We do have the best tourist attractions,” Drake muses. “Maybe I could show you around?”
I wish he’d stop flirting. It makes me nervous.
“Um, no. Thank you, but we’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure, dear? My Drake knows his way around,” Pam says.
“I bet he does,” I mumble under my breath.
“What was that?” he asks, a smirk lighting up his face.
“I’m sure you do.” My eyes stay locked on his, my back straighter.
“Well then, that’s settled. You two go enjoy your day, and Pam and I will inform the staff about tomorrow. If you can get Jessica to call my personal line, we’ll help coordinate,” Adam tells me.
“Thank you so much for helping us out with this. It’s very kind of you.”
“It’s our pleasure. Plus, we’ll owe you once you meet my mother.” Pam giggles and Adam laughs, throwing his arm around her.
Why does everyone seem to be on edge about her mum? Even Alison mentioned the nan being nuts.
I look to Alison for help, knowing she’s spoken to them a lot over the past few weeks, but she just shrugs, looking as baffled as I feel.
“May God bless our souls,” Drake whispers before getting up and leaving the table.
Now I’m wondering just who the hell her mother is.
CHAPTER FOUR
My feet are killing me, and I’m pretty sure that, even after using factor 50, I’ve caught the sun. My skin is stinging and as the sun sets, my body is starting to shiver from the light breeze.
“Never again am I going sightseeing with you.” I curse as we step out of the car, glaring over the roof at my friend.
“Hey, you had the best experience of your life,” Alison mutters as she hands the keys over to the guy we met last night.
“I’m pretty sure you were out to kill me, Alison. In the worst possible way.”
“Oh come on, that sushi place was something you had on your bucket list,” she argues, but she seems pretty distracted.
“Yeah, whilst I’m in Japan, not in London. I don’t even like sushi.” I’m so grateful I decided to skip and just watch Alison stuff her face.
“I feel sick,” she grumbles.
“I did tell you not to eat it, but you didn’t listen. I’ve heard stories about sushi,” I scold, shuddering as we step inside.
“You had it on your bucket list, Pagan.”
“Yeah, because having boring stuff that I’ve already done sounds lame. I also had ‘eat snails in France’ on that list. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna do it.”
“I think I’m gonna be sick.” She holds her hand over her mouth, looking rather green for someone who’s been out in the sun all day.
“Are you okay?” Pam asks as she walks into the main foyer, accompanied by a sweet old lady. I’m guessing this must be Ada, Pam’s mother.
She doesn’t seem so scary.
“She looks like she’s about to spew,” the old lady comments, grinning. It takes me by surprise because the smile looks downright terrifying.
“Let’s get you to bed,” I tell Alison before turning to Pam. “She had bad sushi.”
Alison makes a gagging noise and quicker than I thought anyone could move, let alone a small old lady, Ada grabs a bronze vase from the table. She tips the flowers and water out all over the floor and rushes over to Alison, holding it in front her face. Within seconds of holding the vase, Alison is throwing up.
I gag, looking away from Alison and breathing through my mouth so I don’t have to smell it.
“Wow, you had the rice sushi? That sucks to throw back up,” Ada mutters. Alison groans in agreement, throwing up more.
Who is this woman?
“Mother,” Pam scolds.
“Oh shush, Pammy. I got this. Come on, dear, let’s get you upstairs. I’ve got something to make you feel all better.”
“Do not go giving her that godawful drink, Mother.”
“What drink?” I ask, looking between Pam and Ada.
“It’s not even a drink. It’s a bunch of expensive alcohol mixed together. Grams drinks it like it’s pop, but to the rest of us, it makes us vomit,” Drake says, walking out of the kitchen.
“It’s better she gets it all out of her system.” Ada defends. “Now why don’t you and Pagan here go watch a movie in the theatre?”
“Theatre?” I ask, then remember the cinema room down the hall from the kitchen on the tour this morning.
“Please,” Alison groans between puking and gagging.<
br />
“Come along. Just don’t go getting any on me. Now that expensive rug outside your room—go for it. Ugly thing.” Ada shudders, helping Alison up the stairs.
“Mother,” Pam shouts, shaking her head.
“Is she going to be okay?” I ask, my eyes following Alison and Ada.
“It’s probably food poisoning, which might take a few days to get over,” Drake says, looking down at me.
Wow, I didn’t realise how tall he is.
“I meant Ada with Alison. Will she be okay to look after her?”
“Oh.” He chuckles, turning to his mum for an answer.
“I’ll go hide her stash of alcohol,” she mutters before rushing off.
“So would you like to go watch a film?” Drake asks, turning back to face me.
Shifting on my feet, I look away. “I should go check on Alison.”
“She’ll be fine with Grams. Plus Grams will only send you away. Come on, I’m sure we’ve got some movie you like.”
I don’t get a chance to refuse as he takes my hand and drags me up the tall staircase.
“I thought the cinema room was downstairs?” I ask, breathless as we turn right on the staircase.
This side of the house seems more like a maze than a home. There are so many corridors, stairs and doors.
“It is. I’m taking you to my old room. It’s been turned into a games room now. I got fed up of going up and down to get to the gym when I couldn’t sleep.”
“Oh.” We hit another flight of stairs, these thinner and longer. He places his hand on my back, letting me go first. Cautiously I do, noting the paintings on the walls instead of family pictures.
My mum and dad’s house is filled with family photos. Hell, the reception lodge is filled with photos of us with guests who are regulars. But one thing I’ve noticed in this huge home is that they don’t have many family portraits hanging, unless you count the mammoth-sized photo above the grand fireplace in the main room.
Drake sees where I’m looking and speaks up. “Mum has a fascination with famous artists. The house is filled with various works and antiques, as you can see, but her love of art will forever adorn these walls.”
“They’re beautiful. I can’t help but compare it to my parents’ home is all. Theirs is full of family photos hanging on the walls. We have a few paintings, but more for decorative reasons.”
Wishing For A Happily Ever After (I Wish Book 2) Page 3