The ring, p.8
The RIng, page 8
“Nah. She’s way out of my league. I’m sure she only dates rich asshole guys.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I think if you asked her out, she would say yes.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.” I smiled.
Chapter 20
Harrison
I had just gotten back from the clusterfuck at the hotel when Athena walked into my office.
“We’re taking Grandmother to dinner tonight. I made reservations for four.”
“Come on, Athena. Why tonight?”
“Because it’s been a while, and she’s free.”
“I really don’t want to have dinner with Mr. Clayton.”
“Who said anything about Mr. Clayton?”
“You said you made reservations for four.”
“Yes. The fourth person being Adalyn.”
I swallowed hard as I thought about last night.
“Why did you ask her to join us?”
“Because she’s our friend.” Her brows furrowed.
“She’s not my friend. She’s my employee.”
Athena let out a long sigh. “Are you joining us or not? Because if you’re not and Grandmother asks why, I’ll tell her you don’t dine with your employees.”
“Fine. I’ll join you.”
“Good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an interview scheduled in ten minutes.” She looked at her watch.
“It is for a personal assistant, right?”
“It is.” She smirked as she walked out the door.
Dinner would be good tonight. It would give me an excuse to drive Adalyn back to the hotel afterwards and fuck her again. I needed it bad after the day I’d had.
* * *
I was ten minutes late thanks to the New York traffic. When I walked into the restaurant and the hostess walked me over to the table, I nearly lost my breath when I saw Adalyn sitting there with her hair twisted up and bright red lips.
“Good evening, Grandmother.” I smiled as I kissed her cheek.
“Good evening, dear.”
“Athena.” I nodded. “Adalyn.”
I ordered a bottle of wine for the ladies while I had my usual scotch. After placing our dinner order, I glanced over at Adalyn.
“I was thinking I could drive you back to the hotel after dinner and you can talk to me about the events of today.”
“Sure. That’ll be fine.”
“Harrison, dear. You need not stress so much over the hotel. Athena filled me in on the issues.”
“Easier said than done, Grandmother. How did your interview go, Athena?”
“It went well. He’s very qualified, and we connected right away.”
“He?”
“I told you I wasn’t hiring any more women as long as you’re around.”
Adalyn glanced over at me. I could tell that comment made her uncomfortable, and that bothered me. Picking up my drink, I finished it. After we finished dinner, I kissed Athena and my grandmother goodbye. When we stepped outside, it was storming.
“Shit. They said nothing about storms tonight,” I spoke. “Ready to make a run for it?” I asked.
“As much as I’d love to run, I can’t.” She pointed to her foot.
“Shit. I forgot.”
I swooped her up in my arms and ran to the limo parked at the curb a few feet away from the restaurant.
“To the Infinity, Charles.”
“Yes, sir.”
When we arrived at the hotel, the doorman walked out holding an umbrella. Opening the door, he extended his hand to Adalyn.
“Thank you.” She smiled at him as he walked her inside.
I placed my hand on the small of her back as we entered the elevator. The moment we entered the suite, she turned to me, and I knew by the look in her eyes, she was horny.
“I need to get out of this dress. I’m soaked.”
“Allow me.” I smiled as my fingers slowly unzipped it.
Before I knew it, I was thrusting inside her. In and out, hard and deep. Pleasurable moans escaped her lips as I made her come for the second time. Her nails dug into the flesh of my back as her body tightened and the warmth I felt from her became unbearable. I tried to hold back but I couldn’t. One final thrust and I was done for. I collapsed on top of her, our hearts racing at the same speed, both of us trying to catch our breath. I pulled out of her and went into the bathroom. As I was disposing of the condom, I heard my phone ring. Walking over to my suit coat, I pulled it out of my pocket and noticed it was my apartment building.
“Harrison Grant.”
“Hello, Mr. Grant. It’s Clarence. I just wanted to let you know that the power to the building is out from the storm and it’s not expected to be back on until sometime tomorrow.”
“Thank you for letting me know. Damn it.”
“What’s wrong?” Adalyn asked.
“The power to my building is out and not expected to be back on until tomorrow.”
“You can always just spend the night here. It is your hotel.”
“Good idea.” I picked up my phone. “This is Mr. Grant calling. I need a room for the night. The power is out in my building. Thank you. Just bring the key up to the Penthouse Suite.”
Chapter 21
Adalyn
I stood in the middle of the bedroom in shock. I couldn’t believe he would rather stay in another room when he could have damn well stayed in mine. What the fuck is wrong with that man?
“Are you okay?” he asked as he slipped into his clothes.
“I’m fine. Why?”
“You looked like you were lost in your thoughts.”
“I was just thinking about the fixtures for the kitchen.” I waved my hand in front of my face. “And I really need you to schedule some time to come with me and pick out lighting for the house.”
“Fine. How about Saturday? I’ll skip the office and we can go together and get it over with. I can give you one day only. That’s all I have time for. I trust you, Adalyn. Far more than I did the others.”
A knock on the door interrupted our little moment. Harrison walked over, opened it, and took his room key.
“Thanks for tonight.” He smiled, still holding the door open.
“Thank you.” I gave him a simple nod.
I was all fired up. Fired up because he felt the need to get his own room. Fired up that I felt like nothing but a piece of meat for his enjoyment and fired up that I let myself get involved. I went into the bathroom and started the water for a bath. After pouring in a capful of vanilla & lavender bubble bath, I walked over to the bar, grabbed the bottle of white wine from the rack and drank half of it as I lay in the bubble-filled tub.
I carefully climbed out of the tub as not to slip and injure my foot even more. After drying off and slipping into my robe, I put my walking boot back on, laid across the bed with my phone in my hand and Facetimed Carly.
“Hey. Daniel and I were just talking about you.” Carly smiled. “What’s wrong, Adalyn?”
“I had sex with Harrison again. It’s storming terrible here and the power to his building went out. So instead of staying in my room with me, he got his own room for the night.”
“What the fuck? Ugh, Ad, I’m sorry. You don’t deserve this.”
“Don’t be. I HATE men! No offense, Daniel.”
“None taken.” He smiled as he stood behind Carly.
“I don’t blame you,” Carly spoke. “The breakup with Stephen is still an open wound and you need to heal from that on your own. Not in the arms of another man. Especially one who’s just out to use you for his own pleasure. Forget about Harrison Grant, and for the love of God, stop sleeping with him!”
“I am. The only thing I’m focusing on now is my job. Harrison can go find himself another woman to use and burn.”
I ended the call and fell asleep.
* * *
The next morning, as I was getting dressed, my phone dinged with a text message from Harrison.
“Good morning. How about some breakfast before we start our day?”
“Ha.” I laughed.
“No.”
“Why not?”
I set my phone down and didn’t reply. Fuck him. After running a brush through my hair and putting on my jacket, I grabbed my purse and took the elevator down to the lobby. When the elevator opened, I stepped out and was headed towards the lobby door when I heard a voice from behind. Shit.
“Excuse me.”
I stopped and turned around to see Harrison standing there with his arms folded.
“Hey. What’s up?”
“What’s up? You didn’t reply to my text message.”
“Yes. I did. I told you no.”
“And I asked you ‘why not’ and you didn’t reply.”
“Oh sorry. I was busy. Anyway, I have to run. Hope your power gets back on.” I gave him a fake smile as I dashed out of the hotel.
“Adalyn!” I heard him shout.
I climbed in the limo, took in a deep breath, and told Roberto to step on it. When I arrived at the townhouse, the cabinet salesman was already waiting for me, and the contractors had just arrived.
“I’m sorry I’m late. Traffic is awful.”
“No problem, Miss Banks.”
He measured the kitchen first, and we went over the designs as well for all eight bathrooms, the laundry room and the service kitchen.
“How long for the kitchen cabinets to come in?” I asked. “I need them here ASAP.”
“I’ll place the order today. I can put a rush on them, but there’s a ten percent rush fee.”
“That’s fine.” I smiled. “And by rush you mean—”
“I can have them delivered here by next Monday.”
“Perfect. In fact, put a rush on the entire order. What about the quartz countertops?”
“Those are no problem at all. I can have those ready at the same time.”
“You are amazing.” I smiled as I walked him to the door. “Mr. Grant is a very impatient man. He’ll be happy to hear how accommodating you are. I foresee his family and friends wanting to remodel their kitchen and bath when he tells them about you. Cha Ching.” I grinned.
Just as the cabinet guy walked out, the flooring guy walked in.
“Hey, Adalyn.”
“Hey, Jimmy. Come on in.”
He brought all his wood and tile samples and we went through every inch of the house and I picked exactly what I knew would be a perfect fit.
“Adalyn!” I heard Athena’s voice from the foyer.
“Good morning.” I smiled as I gave her a light hug. “What are you doing here?”
“Just checking on things.” She smirked.
“Things or someone.” I grinned.
“Maybe someone as well. Wow. It is so good to see that hideous red carpet gone. The place looks better already. I love the color you picked for the foyer. What’s it called?”
“Thank you. It’s Dove Gray. It was between this color and another shade of gray. I’m happy I chose this one.”
“It’s lovely. Is Pete here?”
“Yes.” I smiled. “He’s in the service kitchen. “I was just about to head over there to check on things. Would you like to join me?”
“I would love to. You can tell me what your plans are for the decorating.”
Chapter 22
Harrison
I was in a lousy mood thanks to Adalyn. As far as I was concerned, her behavior this morning was unacceptable. Who did she think she was speaking to me the way she did?
“Jeremy, get in here!” I loudly voiced through the intercom.
“Yes, Mr. Grant?”
“I asked you for the reports from the last quarter. These are from the first quarter. Can’t you read?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Grant. But when you walked in this morning, you specifically asked for the first quarter reports.”
“No. I didn’t!”
“Actually, you did. I will not get yelled at for your mistake. I apologize.”
What the hell was with people today?
“Jeremy, do you like your job?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think it’s appropriate to speak to me that way? Your boss? The one that signs your paycheck so you can live comfortably?”
“No. But sometimes you can be a bully and I have the right to stand up for myself.” He cleared his throat and stood tall.
“Excuse me? You have two seconds to get out of my sight before I fire you. Get me the last quarter reports now!” I commanded.
I threw my pen across the desk and turned my chair around, so I was facing the window. A bully? Was he serious? Within a few moments, he returned and set the reports on my desk.
“Jeremy, shut the door and take a seat.”
“If you’re going to fire me, I’d rather have you do it while I’m standing,” he nervously spoke.
Rolling my eyes, I turned my chair around, so I was facing him.
“I’m not going to fire you. Have a seat, please. I apologize for earlier. Perhaps I said the first quarter by mistake. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately with the townhouse and the new hotel. The power was out to my building last night because of the storm and I slept at the hotel. I sent Adalyn a text message this morning to meet me for breakfast and she flat out said no.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Grant. Maybe she wasn’t hungry?”
“No. She did it to spite me.”
“Why would she do that?”
“I have my suspicions. Thank you for the reports, Jeremy, and for letting me vent.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Grant. You can vent to me anytime.”
As soon as I finished going over the reports, I grabbed my suit coat and headed to the townhouse. Adalyn and I would have a little chat about this morning. When I arrived, I stood in the foyer and looked at the clusterfuck of a mess that surrounded me, but I liked the color of the walls. There was chaos and workers everywhere.
“Harrison? What are you doing here?” Adalyn asked as she hobbled into the foyer.
“This is my house.”
“Well, you better be careful, or you will get your expensive designer suit dirty.”
“We need to have a little chat about this morning and the reason you declined my breakfast offer and your attitude in the lobby.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand. I had every right to decline your breakfast invitation, and I didn’t have an attitude in the lobby. If I did, you would know it.”
“This is because of last night, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Adalyn, we need you in the service kitchen,” Rich, the tile guy spoke.
She began to walk away, and I followed her.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re all pissed off because I didn’t sleep in your suite last night.”
“Ha. Don’t be ridiculous, Harrison. I didn’t want you to sleep in my suite.”
“So where exactly are we tiling?” Rich asked.
“This entire wall. The accent tile will be the backsplash all along here.”
“Yes you did, and when I got my own room it pissed you off. I want to know why?”
“You’re hallucinating. What? You think because we slept together a couple times, I’m madly in love with you like all the other women you fucked?”
“Keep your voice down,” I spoke.
“Sorry. I can’t even hear myself talk over all the pounding. I know you’re probably used to women falling to their knees to please you until you’re done playing with them, but I am not like those other women, Mr. Grant.”
“No, you certainly are not, Miss Banks.”
My phone rang with a call that I’d been waiting for all day.
“I have to take this call. We’ll discuss this further later,” I spoke as I walked out the door.
* * *
Adalyn
I rolled my eyes, pulled out my ringing phone, and stepped onto the porch away from the noise.
“Hello.”
“Miss Banks?”
“Yes. This is she.”
“This is Anne-Marie calling regarding the apartment you inquired about. I’m happy to say that it is available and ready to move in.”
“Great. Can I stop by to see it?”
“When would you like to come?”
“Is thirty minutes too soon?”
“Not at all. I’ll see you then.”
As much as I loved my suite at the Infinity, it was time for me to move on. I didn’t feel right staying there for free. The apartment I found was based on a month-to-month lease, which was perfect, for I only needed it until I finished the townhouse.
“It’s perfect. I’ll take it,” I spoke with excitement.
“Excellent. Since it’s on a month-to-month basis, I won’t bother with a credit check. You work, right?”
“Yes. I work for Harrison Grant.”
“As in Harrison Grant of Infinity Hotels?”
“Yes. The one and only.” I rolled my eyes.
“Excellent. When would you like to move in?”
“How soon can I get the keys?”
“Now, if you’d like. All you have to do is sign the lease and pay the security deposit and the remaining rent for this month.”
I smiled as I picked up a pen and signed on the dotted line. On my way back to the hotel, I stopped at Mary’s place to tell her the news.
“Adalyn, I told you that you could stay for however long you would like. This has nothing to do with what Harrison said to you, does it?”
“No. Mary.” I took hold of her hand. “You have been so kind to me. But it’s time to move on and out of the Infinity.”
“I understand, dear.” She smiled. “How are things between you and my grandson? Is he giving you any trouble?”
“No. Not at all.” I lied.
I stayed and visited with her for a while and then I headed to the hotel, packed my bag and got settled in my new apartment. It was small. Way smaller than my apartment back in Seattle, but it was all I needed.
Chapter 23
