Granted Wishes (The Granted Series Book 1)

by Tanya Vought

They go through some small talk while they eat. “I still need to do my laundry,” Gracelynn complains, thinking about the heaps of unwashed clothes she’s already collected.

  Kat smiles at her. “Girl, you’re in luck. Why don’t you bring all your items and your laundry, stay at my place and you can do it there if you’d like.”

  Gracelynn beams at Kat. “Thank you.” She pushes her plate away after finishing lunch. “Let’s go get the laundry started and then maybe we could have a girl’s night and rent a movie or something? It’s been a long time since I’ve done something like that.” Her smile fades and she realizes that she hasn’t thought about her beloved Angelo in a few days. She holds her necklace, worried that she’s starting to forget all about him.

  “Is everything okay?” Kat asks.

  Holly looks up and licks Gracelynn’s hand, trying to comfort her.

  Gracelynn nods. “I’m fine.” Because she is. She’s having a great time, but is saddened by not thinking of Angelo so much.

  They go back to the motel, gather Gracelynn’s items, pays at the front desk for her stay, and then head to Kat’s home.

  When Kat pulls up to the driveway of her home, Gracelynn is floored, her mouth gaping open. “Whoa! This is your home?”

  Kat laughs. “Yes, this is my home. I share it with my grandmother. Let’s get you settled, the laundry started and then we can do our nails and talk about girl things.” She winks at her.

  Gracelynn knows she means talk about her and Gio. She starts to wonder if it was such a good idea to be spending time with Gio’s sister.

  * * *

  Giovanni stumbles out of bed, grabs a cup of coffee and gets himself ready for the day. He looks at himself in the mirror and laughs. He would bet a ton of money that Gracelynn wouldn’t want anyone to see him naked like they discussed last night. He has no intention of anyone seeing him or her naked, unless they’re naked together of course. That would make him a very happy man.

  Why did she have to crash into the tree in front of the house and be my dead brother’s wife? What are the chances? He wonders about the odds while he gets dressed in a black, pin-striped suit, white shirt and silver tie with shiny black loafers.

  He decides to go downtown before his meeting to the little shopping area and purchase an up-to-date camera for Gracelynn. He hopes she’ll enjoy his little gift.

  After purchasing the camera, he goes back to the office, gathers his paperwork, grabs his laptop and heads into the conference room again. He still has a few more meetings he needs to go over. He’s early, so he takes out his phone and messages Gracelynn, hoping she’s doing well.

  Gio: I hope all is going well. I’ll return to town tomorrow evening. Can I take you to dinner?

  He twirls his pen in his fingers nervously. He’s never nervous but for some reason when he’s around her or thinks about her, his heart flutters and his palms sweat. How can he have it this bad already, and for his dead brother’s wife?

  A text comes in immediately.

  Gracelynn: Hello, Gio! We’re all doing well. Holly & I are at Kat’s place doing laundry. Dinner would be nice.

  He smiles and immediately responds back.

  Gio: You didn’t let Kat do your laundry, did you? I wouldn’t trust her with my clothes at all.

  She responds back immediately.

  Gracelynn: I just told Kat & she demands an apology. She states she’s an expert on laundry, thank you very much. LOL, teasing, I didn’t tell her. I’m doing my own laundry. When will Holly and I see you tomorrow?

  Gio: How about five thirty? Then we can take Holly somewhere too. I have a surprise for you after dinner, so wear something light with reasonable shoes and a jacket, please. Can’t wait to see you both. Give my love to Kat. X G.

  Gracelynn: Will do my best. Kat and Holly send their love. X Gracie

  Giovanni smiles at their texts. Never did he think that he’d be interested in another woman until this beauty got placed right in front of his feet.

  His staff enters and they begin to discuss a possible merger with another small hotel, going over the pros and cons and the like. By six thirty all of them are hungry and agree to go downstairs for a few drinks.

  Gio is having fun with the fellas. He doesn’t always drink but when socializing, he typically has a few. He takes a sip of his gin and tonic while he listens to the men discuss a variety of subjects. Then they get to the topic of women, and for some reason it makes him nervous.

  He runs his fingers through his hair and decides to mention his dilemma to the guys and try to figure out his mind and heart. Taking another sip of his drink, he goes for it.

  “Guys, I’ve met someone,” he states abruptly.

  “Way to go! We thought you lost interest in women,” Ryan tells him and Kendall chimes in. “About time you got on that horse again, boss.”

  He laughs at their jabs. “I still like women, smart ass. She’s smart, sexy, and sassy. And…. has a body to die for.” He opens his phone and finds the picture that Kat took of Gracelynn and shows the guys.

  “Hot damn, man. I would be all over that girl too. You sure do know how to pick em.” They all high five him around the bar.

  He enjoys listening to them agree his woman is hot and sexy, but doesn’t let them glare at her picture too long. He won’t let them ogle his woman.

  “Dude, what’s up? I know you better than this. If you bring something up to us, it’s pretty serious. Are you serious about this woman?” Kendall asks, sipping his own drink.

  “How do you know me so well?” He laughs and rubs his beard.

  “Gio, tell us. Don’t go all girly and shit, but lay out whatever is going on. We’ve not been out in a while and we know what you went through with Liz. Just give it to us.”

  “I’m just afraid this is too good to be true. You know what Liz did to me. And how I’ve dealt with it over the last few years.”

  “Dude, your heart was hurt in the past. That doesn’t mean this new hot chick will be the same. Give her the benefit of the doubt.”

  Gio nods his head in agreement with Kendall. Just as he is about to continue on with his conversation, he notices the men have all stopped looking at him and at something behind him.

  Mallory walks behind him, wearing another form-fitting, low-cut dress that hangs to her body seductively. She stops behind Gio. The men are all drooling over her, everyone but Kendall and Gio.

  Gio finds her behavior repulsive. Not one ounce of him is attracted to this woman. Besides, why is she here? She told him she was going on vacation.

  Clearing his throat, he tries to sound professional despite his inner anger towards her. “Excuse me, Mallory, but what are you doing here? I thought you were on vacation?” He glares at her, not once taking his eyes off her face. Her eyes move all over his body though, checking him out. “A friend of mine is staying at the hotel,” she says, sounding only slightly irritated. “Don’t get all defensive. It’s a coincidence we ran into each other, that’s all.” After saying that, she leaves again, ignoring the others.

  Seconds later, the other men start chatting again about sports, and then they go play darts and a round of pool at the side area of the bar.

  After a few rounds of pool, they bid each other good night and Gio heads to his room, alone. As he gets into the room, he loosens his tie from around his neck and throws it on the bed. Just as he’s about to unbutton his shirt, there’s a knock at the door.

  He opens the door and narrows his eyes, anger boiling up inside of him. Standing in front of him is Mallory, wearing a black robe with the front open, revealing a tight corset emphasizing her breasts, black underwear, garters and black stockings. He looks away from her body. He doesn’t want to see her in that attire – not now, not ever.

  “Mallory, what the hell are you doing? I’ve told you… I. Don’t. Want. You. You’re my assistant. Do you underst
and? My. Assistant.” He emphasizes through each word. Trying to make his point clearly made.

  Her face reddens at his outburst, but she stays silent.

  “I don’t buy it for one second that you’re here for a friend. Let me make myself clear. If you ever pull a stunt like this again you’ll be fired, do you understand me?” He can barely keep his voice from shaking, that’s how angry he is.

  She tries to speak, but he interrupts her. “I won’t tolerate this again. You’re on leave of absence until I say otherwise. Good night, Mallory.” He slams the door in her face, completely baffled with the outrageous stunt she just pulled.

  He gets undressed, lies in bed, and closes his eyes, trying to calm down. He tries to think of Gracelynn and how she’d react if she found out about this…

  Chapter 18

  THE SMELL OF FOOD wakes Gracelynn up. It smells so good her stomach growls. She hops out of the bed, leaves the bedroom and walks into the spacious, antique kitchen, shocked to find Anne washing dishes at the sink.

  “Hi, Gracelynn. I hope you slept well my dear. It’s eleven am. You girls did quite the number on yourselves, didn’t you?”

  Gracelynn is speechless. She didn’t realize that Anne is Kat’s grandmother. But…that means Anne is Gio’s grandmother too.

  “Hi, Anne,” she says, recovering from her initial shock. “Good morning. Kat and I had a wonderful night. We had some drinks, watched a few movies and hung out with Holly.” The memory of the evening brings a smile on her face.

  “Have some breakfast. I could use some company since Kat is still in bed.” Anne holds a plate for Gracelynn so she can help herself to some eggs, pancakes and bacon.

  “Thanks.” Gracelynn grabs some food, and then turns back toward Anne, nerves fluttering in her stomach. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Why sure, my dear, what can I do for you?”

  “I was wondering, are you Giovanni’s grandmother too?” She forks her pancakes in her mouth before she asks anymore crazy questions.

  Anne laughs. “Why yes, I am. He didn’t tell you?”

  “No, and neither did Kat. I told them I met you the other day but they didn’t mention you were their Grandmother. Don’t you find that odd?”

  Anne shrugs. “My dear, I’m sure they had their reasons to keep it to themselves.”

  Kat stumbles into the kitchen, her hair a complete mess. She looks at Anne and Gracelynn in shock, her eyes darting between them.

  “I’m sorry,” she says eventually, turning to Gracelynn. ”I should’ve told you Anne was my grandmother. I don’t know why I didn’t. I just wanted you to find out in your own way, I guess. Forgive me?”

  Gracelynn smiles at her. “I forgive you. I would’ve liked to know the other day though, considering how happy I was telling you about Anne and the items I found in her store. It’s water under the bridge now, but why didn’t Gio tell me either? What else are you hiding? You’re not vampires, are you?” She smirks, amused at her own jokes.

  “Well, as a matter of fact, we’re vampires,” Anne says in a dark tone, trying to impersonate a vampire. “You’re not our type though. You’re too cheerful, thankful and graceful. We only go for the mean, hateful bunch.”

  They enjoy the rest of the day together until it’s two thirty, and Gracelynn remembers she’s to meet Gio at five thirty at the motel. She informs Kat and her new friend helps her with the rest of the laundry. She even offers to dress Gracelynn up for the night and to do her makeup again.

  By four fortyish, Gracelynn and Holly leave, thanking Kat and Anne for their hospitality. Gracelynn gets in her car and drives over to the motel, since Gio stated that would be where they would meet.

  She reaches into her purse and realizes she’s forgotten her lavender oil inside the motel. She grunts, but that oil is something that helps calm her. So she decides she’ll have to go back inside the motel and grab it before Gio arrives.

  As she enters the motel, Xavier is working at the desk again. He rakes her with his eyes as if she’s a delicious meal. She tries to tell him she needs inside for just a moment, that’s she’s left something of hers behind by mistake yesterday. Xavier gives her the key but won’t leave her alone. She walks away from the lobby towards the back stairs, but Xavier runs toward her. Holly barks loudly, obviously not keen on the man either. As he approaches, Holly growls and snarls, but it doesn’t back him off. “Do you need help with searching for your lost item?” he asks.

  “No, thank you,” she snaps.

  His eyes narrow, and it’s obvious he didn’t expect, nor does he accept ‘no’ for an answer. He tries to grab her purse making Holly bark, and Xavier turns trying to slap the dog.

  Gracelynn tries to grab Xavier’s arm before he can hurt the dog. But he swings his hand and hits her in the face instead. She flies backwards, hitting her head off the wall near the steps.

  Gracelynn passes out for a few seconds, but when she wakes up; Xavier is beating and kicking Holly. The poor dog barks and moans, obviously in pain. Gracelynn remembers her phone and a can of pepper spray Angelo told her to always carry in her coat pocket. She reaches for the phone and dials Gio as fast as she can, then puts the phone in her pocket again and grabs for the pepper spray.

  Gracelynn sneaks up behind Xavier as he’s yelling profanities at Holly, who is now lying still. “Help me!” she yells. “Help me! Please, leave us alone!”

  Xavier turns around and she sprays him in the face. She misses his eyes though, and he immediately charges after her.

  He grabs her arm and drags her and the dog to her room. He starts hitting her as well now, bruising her face, her arms, everything. Gracelynn whimpers, tears appearing in her eyes, not just from pain, but from fear as well.

  Once they reach her room, Xavier uses the key and pushes her inside. He slaps her across the face, so hard she can taste blood in her mouth.

  “You know you want me, bitch. I was told you would be easy. You know you want this as badly as I do.”

  Gracelynn struggles trying to understand who would tell him such a thing and how he could even come to those conclusions.

  “I never wanted anything to do with you sexually, Xavier. Never. You seem like a nice guy, but I have a boyfriend. One who should be coming by here soon….” She tries to reason with him, but that answer only leads to her getting another smack in the face and blood dripping from her mouth.

  “Liar. You don’t have a boyfriend. You’re new to this town, on vacation and I have on good authority, you don’t have one. So stop the lies. Get undressed now. If you don’t do what I say, exactly how I say it, you will be dead. Do you understand me?”

  She watches as he pulls a knife from his pocket, showing her he means business.

  He comes towards her pulling her flush up against his body. She trembles against him. “I will slit your throat. Do you want that? Do you want Holly to die instead? I can kill her and watch you suffer! Yes. That would be a great idea.” He leaves her trembling body and goes towards Holly.

  “Stop. I will do what you say. Leave Holly alone.” She trembles, hoping to God that she will not die and someone will come and rescue them.

  He turns around nods his head, but not without kicking Holly once again to show that he’s the boss of this sick show.

  Taking her jacket off slowly, she tries to gain confidence and hopes this won’t turn out badly.

  “I thought I told you to take your clothes off,” he says. “Do it faster. I don’t like waiting on something I want. Do it faster, now.” His tone is darker now, as if he’s about to lose his cool.

  She stands still to remove the jacket when he knocks her to the floor with a severe slap to the face. She grunts in pain.

  “Your jeans. They need to come off,” he whispers in her ear. Before she can even try to do it herself, he tries to do so himself. However, Gracelynn is able to kick him in the crotch. S
he watches as he stumbles backwards in pain. She tries to scramble away from him but she’s not fast enough.

  She’s made him angry and he grabs her by the throat, pinning her to the floor.

  “You think you’re real brave, do you? You think kicking me in the crotch would deter me from getting what I want from you?” He glares at her, his eyes wide with menace and hatred.

  “You will lie here, be a good girl and do exactly what I say. I need photos to show that we’ve been together. After the photos are taken, we will get to the other fun stuff,” he states, pointing her gaze to his crotch.

  Xavier reaches for his phone, his face a mask of evil and cruelty.

  Gracelynn feels broken, lonely and scared. She wishes for someone—anyone—to come help her.

  * * *

  After his night out with his friends and colleagues—and then the awkward run in with Mallory, which he doesn’t want to think about—Gio wakes up feeling elated. He stretches and smiles from ear to ear. He can’t wait to get home and see Gracelynn. But first, he needs to get a few more things done with the staff here at the hotel.

  By one pm he finished going over the building and speaking to the staff. He feels quite good about what he’s accomplished over that last two days.

  His stomach starts to grumble, reminding him that he hasn’t eaten yet today. He decides to eat in the small restaurant in the building. The restaurant is one of his favorite rooms, elaborate with rich ivory pillars, gold in-laid borders, sculptures, fine china and a brilliant chandelier dangling from the ceiling.

  He asks Christa, the host, for some tea and the special of the day which is a chicken sandwich and fries. While he waits for his food, he realizes he’s happier than he’s been in a long time. For the first time in forever, he’s happy with his job and his employees. However, it doesn’t give him the true satisfaction and enjoyment that it should. He contemplates another career, just as Christa brings him his food. He thanks her as she leaves and then starts eating, enjoying the food prepared by his staff.

  Once he’s finished with his meal, he heads back up to his office and sits at his sleek, metallic desk. The desk is empty, without any pictures of himself, his ex or anyone else. He never thought about it before, but now it’s quite disturbing. He would love to be able to look at something other than paperwork on his desk all the time. A picture of Gracelynn on his desk would certainly bring a smile on his face. He leans back, relaxed, wondering how the desk would look like with Gracelynn’s picture on it, when a voice interrupts his thoughts.