Page 90 of Claimed By my Father's Enemies
I tell them about my day. It’s easy. Natural.
After a while the hills outside start to look familiar. "Are we going to the Vale Hotel?"
Adrian glances back over his shoulder. "Maybe."
William squeezes my hand once, firm. "Enough mystery. Yes. We're going to the Vale."
I wonder why we are going there. It hasn’t opened yet. The inauguration party is in three weeks.
I guess I’m going to find out soon enough because Carter just parked in front of the hotel entrance.
I look at William questioningly but he just shrugs and says “Let’s go.”
Carter comes around and opens my door. He takes my hand to help me step down.
Inside the hotel, the lobby seems ready, only waiting for the guests. The ceiling is high, pale stone floor, wood paneling with a deep grain that the last of the evening light is moving across in long warm lines. Everywhere there is a touch of understated luxury.
I am standing in the middle of it in dirty boots with dried mulch on my shirt. I am aware, very specifically, of what I look like right now. But, when I turn, the men are not looking at the room. They're all looking at me and I can feel myself blush.
I hear someone clear their throat and when I turn I see a woman in spa whites is waiting near the corridor entrance. She comes forward.
"Hi. My name is Monica. I'll be your spa therapist this evening."
Adrian steps forward and says, "We want you to have a moment for yourself and be pampered." He says. "For the next two hours we want you to indulge."
I’m at a loss for words. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the gesture. I do. And I would like a massage. A lot. But I also want to spend time with them.
My lack of enthusiasm must reflect on my face because William asks "You don't like—"
"No." I interrupt. "I do. Thank you. It's just—" and then I lower my voice so only they can hear me, "I was hoping to spend some time with you."
Carter comes closer and kisses me. Slow, certain. His palms are warm against my jaw.
He keeps his forehead against mine after, not letting go yet.
"You will," he says. "The spa is just the beginning."
34
SIENNA
The dress moves differently from anything I own.
I can feel it with every step, the fabric sliding against the inside of my knees. My back is completely bare. The corridor air moves across my spine and I feel every degree of it.
The corridor is quiet. The specific silence of a building that hasn't been used yet. My heels make a sound on the floor that seems too loud. I feel like I'm being announced.
I look down at my hands. The raw spot at the base of my right thumb from the rake handle is still there. The polish Monica put on my nails is deep blue, almost black. I keep looking at my own hands like they belong to someone else. Two hours ago I was loading a spade into a truck bed with soil under my nails and perspiration at my hairline. Now, I’m here.
I find the right door. Orchard Suite. Gold lettering on a deep mahogany door.
I barely knock before it opens.
All three of them are on the other side.
They are wearing tuxedos.
Carter and William's tuxedo are black with white shirts underneath. The contrast of it severe and perfectly manly.
