Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
I shake my head.
“You mean, Elise or Christina?”
“Elise!” she screams. “Who else? The blonde one who shot me a pitying look when she realized who I was! I will never forgive you for that!”
Finally, I let go of her wrists and run a hand through my hair, ruffling the black strands.
“You didn’t hear me that day.”
“Oh, really,” Angela huffs sarcastically. “Do you think I’m stupid or something?”
“No, you’re not stupid, sweetheart.” I shake my head. “You just haven’t had the pleasure of meeting my brother, Mr. Bruce Wilshire, who also happens to work for the Wilshire Hotel. I told you I have a brother, right? And that this is a family-owned company? Unfortunately, Bruce is very much the type to be banging some slutty-ass hooch during his lunch break. I’m going to have to talk with him.”
With that, Angie’s mouth gapes.
“Wait … so that wasn’t you?”
I shake my head ruefully.
“Nope. Bruce was working in Manhattan this week, and I think the day you visited, I got stuck going to Atlantic City to deal with a remodel for our VIP suite. It was a last-minute thing, but I made it in time back for dinner.”
“So when I asked for Mr. Wilshire…”
I nod. “I don’t think anyone realized because Bruce Wilshire is Mr. Wilshire. Elise is my brother’s secretary, and no one at the office has ever met you before. It’s sad, but I can totally see some cute girl going up and announcing that she’s his girlfriend, only to find Bruce screwing someone else.”
“But … but…!”
I shoot her a wry look.
“Elise is very well trained in the art of minding her own business, as well as that of her boss. If a woman comes in declaring this or that, she’s not going to pry. You asked for Mr. Wilshire and there was a Mr. Wilshire present, and it never crossed anyone’s mind that you might be looking for me.”
“But…!”
“Yeah.” I click my tongue. “Bruce and I are going to have a talk about his antics. Truthfully, he’s an ass, and he thinks chasing skirt and pulling stunts like having sex in the office is amusing, but we’re both getting too old for his games. It’s not good for company morale, and frankly, it’s fucking embarrassing. He acts like he’s fifteen when actually he’s thirty-five.” I shake my head. The last thing I expected when I headed over here was to be explaining my brother’s sexcapades, but it is what it is. Then, I smile at Angie while tucking a stray curl behind one ear. “Besides, I can’t have my dumbass brother scaring off my girl.”
She pauses, inhaling a long, shaky breath.
“Your girl?” Her voice sounds frail like she doesn’t believe what she’s saying.
Taking a hold of her wrists, I lift her arms and place them around my neck. Then I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her curvy form close before gazing into those chocolate eyes. “Of course you’re my girl, sweetheart. I love you.”
She sucks in a sharp breath and blinks fast. “You do?”
“God, yes. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you the minute you opened your mouth and told off those pricks at City Girls. You’ve never been an escort to me, baby. Not even that first night together. You’ve always been my girl.”
Tears spill over onto her cheeks and I take her face in my hands and wipe her tears away with my thumbs.
“I love you, too,” she stammers, emotion making her voice thick. “I’ve loved you for so long, Peter.”
That’s all I need to hear. I claim her mouth, kissing her like I haven’t seen her in months instead of a few days, and then I drop my forehead to hers. “Say it again.”
She smiles. “I love you, Peter Wilshire.”
“Mmm. That’s better. But one thing, honey: next time you think there’s a problem between us, make sure you see and talk to me before you run off? I’d hate for my asshole brother to screw things up again, and god knows, Bruce will.”
She lets out a small hiccup and smiles.
“I promise,” she says. “We’ll talk first.”
Then, she lifts her head and meets my eyes, and a her smile drops for a moment, worry flickering in her gaze.
“Is something wrong?” I ask, gently cupping a soft cheek. “Did something else happen? I swear, I’ll beat Bruce to a pulp the next time I see him.”
She takes a deep breath. “Well, actually, there’s another reason why I came by that day. Shoot,” she pauses. “This is hard.”
I cup that lovely face between my big palms, looking down sincerely.
“You know you can tell me anything, honey.”
She takes another big breath before those brown eyes flick up to meet mine.
“I’ve been nauseous a lot lately, especially in the mornings. My sense of smell has been in high gear, and I’m craving some pretty weird food combinations, like bagels with Nutella.”