by Swan, T L
I roll my eyes, and she pulls me up the six sandstone stairs into the swanky looking restaurant.
Seductive music is being piped through the speakers, and the decor is modern and eclectic. Large leather chairs are placed everywhere, with huge low-hanging lanterns over every table. The crowd seems trendy, and the atmosphere is fun.
I glance back out through the glass windows to see Wyatt and Anthony crossing the street towards the club.
I told them to get dinner and have drinks so that they don’t look suspicious. Sarah grabs my hand and pulls me through the crowd.
“Where are we going?” I shout over the noise.
“To the back… I can see them.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know what they look like?”
“I know what my date looks like. I’ve stalked him for years.” She cranes her neck to look over the crowd. “Oh, your date looks hot, too.”
I smile as relief hits me, and then we come into a clearing next to a table.
“Hi, I’m Sarah,” she says nervously before she turns to me. “And this is Lottie. Lottie, this is my date, Spencer Jones, and your date here is Richard Marlin.” She’s beaming with pride, waiting for me to react.
The blood drains from my face.
Her date.
Spencer? My Spencer is her fucking date.
Big blue eyes come to rest on mine, and Spencer raises an eyebrow in surprise, a mischievous smirk crossing his face. “Hello, Lottie.”
Oh. My. God.
6
Charlotte
“H-hi,” I croak.
Sarah shakes Richard’s hand, and then Spencer’s. “It’s so lovely to finally meet you.”
They both stand, moving around the table to shake my hand, with Richard reaching for me first.
“Hello, Lottie.” He smiles. He’s handsome with dark brown hair and big brown eyes.
Then Spencer turns to me and takes my hand in his. It’s hot and tingly, and I instantly remember the way it felt against my behind.
“Hello, Charlotte,” Spencer purrs in his oh-so-sexy voice.
I push out a forced smile and tear my hand from his grip. “Hi.” I fall into my seat.
“Her name is Lottie.” Sarah smiles. “Lottie Preston. She just started working with me in the mailroom this week.”
Spencer frowns, his eyes drifting back to mine with silent questions. Dear God, he’s going to blow my cover.
This was the stupidest idea I ever had.
“You work in the mailroom?” Spencer asks Sarah, casting her a quick glance.
“For now… while I look for something else.” Sarah smiles.
Spencer’s attention turns back to me. “And…you… work in the mailroom, too?”
“Uh-huh.” I fake a laugh, feeling my underarms beginning to perspire. “I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Yeah, me, too,” Spencer says fiercely.
I practically run to the front of the restaurant, and around the corner, but of course he follows me.
“What the fuck is going on?” he whispers angrily.
“Oh, Spencer,” I whimper in a fluster. “Don’t blow my cover. I’m pretending to be someone else.”
He scowls hard. “Why?”
“Because I don’t like being Charlotte Prescott.”
“What’s wrong with being Charlotte Prescott? I happen to like her.” He quickly looks around the corner to see if we have been caught talking. “And what the fuck are you wearing?” he hisses when he looks back down at me.
“Sure.” I huff. “You like Charlotte so much that you practically broke a leg when running away from her.”
“Actually, it was your fucking bodyguard who threw me out… at your insistence.”
“Because of the look of disgust on your face,” I whisper angrily. How dare he throw this back on me? I’ve felt like crap for two weeks over this.
His eyes pop, anger radiating from him. “Disgusted?”
“Yeah, in my virginity!” I snap. “I’m so sorry to have disappointed you,” I spit.
I don’t know why, but we are both fuming mad with each other.
He throws his head back in disgust. “You have got to be kidding me?”
Something snaps inside of me, and I don’t want to be sweet Charlotte Prescott for one moment longer.
“Well, you don’t need to worry about me anymore, Mr. Spencer.” I sneer, furious. “That situation has well and truly been taken care of.”
He stares at me for a moment, connecting the dots.
“You slept with someone?” he finally asks, like he’s been winded.
“Yep, and it was great.” I glance back to the table. Screw him having the upper hand all the time. I’m not giving him the satisfaction.
“Do we have a problem here?” Wyatt growls as he approaches us, making us both jump.
Spencer throws up his hand in the air. “You. Fuck. Right off… right now. I am not in the mood for your shit tonight.”
“Not a chance,” Wyatt replies calmly, getting up in Spencer’s face.
Good grief.
I roll my eyes. “Wyatt, can give us some privacy, please?”
Wyatt hesitates.
“Now!” I snap. “Don’t blow my cover.”
He glares at Spencer, and then he reluctantly walks off through the crowd, back to his table.
“Was it him?” Spencer growls.
“Huh? Was what him?”
“Did you sleep with fucking Wyatt? Because if you did, so help me God, Charlotte.”
My mouth falls open… because that is literally the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.
His eyes widen as he waits for me to answer. He comes closer to my face. “Are you fucking kidding me? It was him, wasn’t it?”
I put my hands on my hips and narrow my eyes. “I’m going back over there to my date, and I’m going to continue to be Lottie Preston for the rest of the night. And you…” I poke him hard in the chest, “are going to shut your big mouth and not blow my cover.”
He narrows his eyes and glares at me.
I turn to the back of the restaurant, inhale, and drop my shoulders before I walk back to the table with my heart hammering hard in my chest.
I find Sarah laughing out loud at something Richard has said, and I casually drop into my seat.
“So, Lottie…” Richard smiles. “Sarah was just telling me that you are new to London. What made you move down here?”
“Yes.” Spencer sneers as he slides into his seat. “Please share. I’m fascinated to hear all about it.” He steeples his fingers under his chin and smiles sarcastically.
I swallow the lump in my throat.
Oh God.
I fake a smile. “Well.” I glance over to my two bodyguards who are sitting at the front of the restaurant.
Thump, thump, thump goes my heart.
“Lottie worked at a nursery.” Sarah smiles proudly and pours me a glass of wine. “Didn’t you?”
The blood drains from my face. “Yeah.” I pick up the glass of wine and nearly drain it in one go.
“I do love maternal women.” Richard smiles and he places his hand over mine on the table.
Spencer frowns and looks down at our hands, and then he narrows his eyes at me, his fury palpable.
I wither and drain my glass dry.
Spencer turns to Sarah. “Sarah, your uncle has been wanting me to come on this date with you for years. I hit his parked car in the car park last week, and I felt so bad about it, that I finally conceded.” He smiles, and everyone chuckles. “However, had I known you were this beautiful, I would have come on this date a long time ago.”
She giggles into her wineglass nervously, and I find myself glaring at him.
Not funny, Spencer.
But it’s like that, is it?
Game on.
“Richard.” I smile. “Tell me all about you.” I squeeze his hand in mine.
Richard’s eyes light up. “Well, I work in the stock market, I’m t
hirty-two—”
“Thirty-two,” I gush, interrupting him. “That’s the perfect age, isn’t it? Not too old.”
Spencer looks at me, silently seething.
“How old are you, Spencer?” I smile sweetly. “I’m guessing around forty-five?”
He drains his wineglass, unimpressed, and I bite my bottom lip to stifle my smile.
“Spencer is the perfect age,” Sarah coos. “I can see it in your eyes, Spencer, that you are just waiting for the right woman to come along.”
He clenches his jaw. “Or just wanting to strangle one.”
Sarah and Richard laugh on cue, and Spencer and I glare at each other across the table.
He composes himself and falls back into his role. “So you two are new friends?” he asks.
“Just this week.” Sarah smiles. “Lottie came to work with me. I’m training her up.”
“What is it exactly that you two do?” he asks as he acts fascinated.
“We’re in the mailroom,” Sarah replies.
Spencer’s eyes hold mine, and Richard picks up my hand to kiss it. My eyes flicker over to Richard in shock.
What the hell? That’s… unexpected.
I fake a smile and pull my hand out of his grip.
God, this night is a complete disaster.
Spencer’s jaw ticks and he continues to glare at me.
What is he so angry about?
I guess it could be my fake cherry popping, the fact that I’m pretending to be someone else and working in the mailroom, my tight black dress, Wyatt kicking him out of my house two weeks ago, or Richard kissing my hand. There are plenty of options really.
I pour myself another glass of wine. Alcohol is the only remedy here, so I tip my head back and take a big gulp.
“Sarah.” Spencer smiles seductively at her from across the table. “Do you like to dance?”
Her eyes light up. “I love to dance, Spencer.”
“Me, too. I can’t wait for the real music to start.”
Okay, now it’s my turn to get angry. If he dirty dances with her, I swear to God.
“Do you like to dance, Lottie?” Richard asks.
I smile sweetly. “I do.” I sip my wine. “You can tell so much about a person by the way they dance.”
Richard grins like he’s winning me over. The poor fella thinks he’s getting in here. I kind of feel bad that he’s tied up in this mess. “I’m going to the bar to get another bottle of wine for us.” I stand before they can object, and I walk to the bar and wait in line.
What do I do? What do I do? Should I leave?
I don’t want to be here if Spencer is into Sarah. Watching him with her would be my worst nightmare.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Spencer whispers behind me.
“Washing my hair, what does it look like?”
“I don’t know what kind of bitch pills you’re on tonight, but fucking cut it out.”
I turn to him and thumb my chest. “Me?” I shake my head and turn my back on him. “How about you cut it out?”
“Let’s get out of here,” he says suddenly.
I frown and look over my shoulder. “What?’
“I don’t want to be on a date with her. I only ever intended on staying for an hour.” He pulls out his phone. “Sebastian is calling me in exactly twenty minutes with my get out of here plan. Let’s go somewhere, just the two of us.” He puts his hand on my hip bone, the contact unnoticeable to anyone else because we are covered by the crowd around us.
“Are you kidding me?” I whisper. “Sarah really likes you.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t like her.” He squeezes my behind. “I like you.”
I swat his hand away angrily. “You’re a pig, Spencer Jones, and you’re too late. You had a chance with me, and you blew it.”
“You fucking blew it, not me!”
I turn to him, and I swear, I have never been so infuriated in my life. “I… I blew it?” I stammer. “You have got to be joking?”
“You kicked me out and didn’t call me.”
I shake my head in disgust. “You are the most unromantic jerk I have ever met.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” He smirks and squeezes my hip bone. “Now, let’s leave. If Wyatt gets in my way, I’m punching his lights out. Prepare yourself for my attack.”
“Ha.” I huff. “I would like to see that. He would wipe the floor with your wimpy behind.”
“Yeah, we’ll see.”
I swat his hand away from my waist. “Stop touching me,” I whisper as I shuffle forward in the line.
He immediately pulls me back against him to show me who’s the boss here.
“I’m leaving in twenty minutes. Are you coming with me or not?”
“Not. She really likes you.”
“And this is why I’m leaving. She’s not my type. I have zero attraction to her.”
I glare at him, unresponsive. Spencer links our pinky fingers together and his eyes drop to my lips. “You’re my type,” he breathes.
“Next!” the barmaid calls. I break out of his grip and step forward.
“I’ll have a… erm...” My brain is completely fried from having him so close. “Can I have a…” Good grief, I can’t even string two sentences together. What is it with this man?
Spencer steps forward to rescue me. “She’ll have a bottle of Louis Roederer.” He smiles casually and leans down to whisper in my ear. “Give me your number.”
His hot breath tickles my neck and I feel goose bumps scatter my spine.
“What?” I frown and find myself staring at his big luscious lips.
“I don’t have your fucking phone number. Give it to me.”
My tingles instantly fade. “I don’t want you to call me. And stop swearing all the time.”
He rolls his eyes. “You can lie all you want about who you are to them, but don’t lie to me. Give me your number.”
The barmaid hands over the bottle and I pay her without thought. Without another word to Mr Spencer, I walk back to the table.
He’s such an asshole.
Moments later, he comes back to the table with another bottle of wine. He sits down and smiles calmly, placing his phone on the table.
My poor heart is hammering in my chest. This is devious behaviour at it’s very worst.
Sarah’s date wants me to leave with him, …and even worse than that is the fact that, I want to.
Spencer’s phone dances across the table, the name Sebastian lighting up the screen.
I roll my eyes. He has got to be kidding me.
“Hi, Seb,” he answers cheerfully. “Oh no.” His face falls as he pretends to listen. “Oh… really?”
I roll my eyes. Good grief. What next?
“Sure, yeah, I’ll come and get you now.” He listens and frowns at Sarah, shaking his head with fake annoyance.
I stare at him, deadpan. What a douche.
He ends the call. “Sarah, I am so sorry but I have to go. My friend Sebastian has driven into a ditch about half an hour out of the city, and his pregnant sister is in the car. I have to go and help them.”
Sarah’s face falls. “Oh no.”
“I’m so annoyed.” He sighs. “This was turning out to be such a great night, too.”
“What ditch?” I ask, raising my eyebrow.
“Dead Guard Ditch,” he replies without hesitation.
I sip my wine and stare at him. “Sounds creepy.”
He narrows his eyes. “It is.”
He turns his attention to Sarah. “I’m sorry, but Richard will have to take over the reins tonight.”
“That’s okay, Spence, I can handle it.” Richard smiles.
I roll my eyes yet again. It’s obvious that Richard knew all along that Spencer was leaving early.
“Will you call me?” Sarah asks Spencer.
My heart drops for her. Damn him.
“Of course. What’s your number?” he asks.
She smiles and reads it out t
o him, and he ‘apparently’ puts it into his phone.
“What about if I want to contact you at work?” he asks her. “Do you have a work email?”
“Yes.” She smiles excitedly. “It’s sarah@ conradmailroom.com.”
“Okay.” He stands and shakes Sarah’s hand. “Lovely to meet you. My apologies about tonight.”
“That’s okay.” She giggles. “Call me.”
Spencer shakes Richard’s hand, and then he moves closer to me.
“Goodbye, Mr Spencer. Have a nice life.” I tilt my chin to the ceiling.
He narrows his eyes at me again. “Have fun in that mailroom, Lottie.”
I smile sweetly. “I intend to.”
Our eyes are locked, and he raises his eyebrow in a This is your last chance to come with me way.
I wave. “Goodbye Spencer.” I sip my wine.
After a beat, he gives a subtle shake of his head and leaves the restaurant without looking back.
“Looks like I have two dancing partners tonight.” Richard smiles, jiggling in his seat.
Sarah and I laugh at his goofy moves. “You sure do.”
Spencer
I walk into another restaurant on a mission, riled up and severely pissed off.
She didn’t want to come with me. She wanted to stay with him.
Her fucking bodyguard.
I should have knocked that fucker out on her porch like I wanted to.
My skin prickles. I bet he made his move on her that night after I left, the fucking snake.
Masters gives me a quick wave from the table they are sitting at along the back wall. I double booked myself tonight. My first stop was with the date from Hell, followed by my second stop of dinner with my three best friends.
I storm over and see Bree, Masters, and Sebastian glancing at their menus.
“Hi,” I grunt and fall into my seat.
“How did the date go?” Seb asks without looking up.
“Fucking disaster.” I pick up his beer and drain it.
“Ease up.” He snatches it back from me. “Get your own.”
I raise my hand immediately to try and get the waitress’s attention.
Spencer and Seb smile, exchanging a knowing look. “What was such a disaster?” Master asks.