Page 78 of Caught Up In You (Indigo Royal Resort)
“What did you say to Leona this morning?”
“Who?”
“The blonde who came to my rooms, after you had broken in and made yourself comfortable. Even after I asked you to leave.”
Felicity’s face flushed slightly at the reminder of her behavior earlier in the day. It obviously was not something that would have been approved by her father, who was now looking at her with an expression that demanded an answer.
“I simply told her that I was there to pick you up. Escort you to Atlanta to start the next chapter of your life,” she responded, her voice calm and sweet-sounding.
“And that she’s just a cleaning lady?”
“She is just a cleaning lady,” Felicity retorted.
“No, she’s not,” he growled.
“Mr. Cruz,” Jonah jumped in, looking at Felicity like he couldn't believe he had to rescue her in this conversation. “Who you choose to…warm your bed, so to speak, while you are on vacation is not any of our business. I apologize if you feel that my colleague's tactics were rude. If you want to take up with the help—”
“The help?” Cullen cut him off. He’d had enough of this passive-aggressive bullshit. “She might not understand how to be a human being, but you, mate, you have crossed a line,” he shouted, pointing first at Felicity and then at Jonah. “Do not ever refer to those members of your team who are keeping this place running as ‘the help.’ Do you understand me?”
He stood up and turned to face the older Dalton Sutherland, not bothering to watch the reactions of the two across the table from him. “Mr. Sutherland, my sincerest apologies for wasting your time, but I cannot accept this position.”
“Now, now, Mr. Cruz. No need to be hasty,” the older man said, remaining in his seat. “I know these two…knuckleheads…come across a little overeager and unable to control their mouths, but I promise you this is not a reflection of my company. They will be dealt with, I can assure you.”
“They are only confirming something I knew in my gut, that my brain refused to listen to. My heart isn’t in this. I’m sure I could manage just fine, but I’d be miserable. And I have had enough miserable managers in my time as a player to know that doesn’t translate well on the pitch. I can give you the name of someone else who might be a good fit. In fact, he’s another former teammate of mine and Callahan’s. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got somewhere I need to get to.”
He walked out of the office and past Sutherland’s assistant without another word. Once he was in the elevator, he pulled out his cell phone and pulled up Oliver’s contact info. He started to type out a text message and then thought better of it and hit the call button. Oliver picked up just as the elevator doors opened to the massive lobby on the ground floor.
“Oliver, new plan. About those contracts...”
Chapter Thirty-One
The hum of the fan on Leona’s computer was just loud enough to drown out the music coming from the speakers. As tempted as she was to turn up her music, she knew that if she wasn’t careful she’d keep turning it up until it was loud enough to be heard in the lobby. That would only bring visitors to her door, which was exactly what she was trying to avoid right now. With the door fully closed, she was able to be as melancholy as she wanted and avoid answering questions about her sour mood. She’d at least been able to channel some of that sour mood into her work, getting caught up on all the little things she had allowed to slip over the last couple of weeks.
But even through all that productivity, she wasn’t able to completely take her mind off of him. No matter what she did, every so often her mind would slip into thoughts of his arms around her and the taste of his kisses. The memory of how his hands felt on her skin as they ran up her thighs that night in the town car and how he knew exactly how to touch her to make her fall apart. If she closed her eyes long enough, she could still feel the cool tile from the shower against her back or the bubbles from the hot tub surrounding her as he lavished her breasts with openmouthed kisses.
Maybe it’s not just the green ones that make you horny, she thought, pushing the bowl of M&Ms away from her immediate reach.
In this moment she might have been craving an orgasm of his making—after all, he was the bringer of some serious, earth-shattering orgasms—but there was more to it. She missed his presence. She missed how he made her feel—important, smart, loved. How she was able to be her complete, real self with him, and no matter what, he still wanted to be there with her. It had been a long time since she’d met someone who understood her on such a level. Actually, now that she thought about it, maybe she hadn’t ever actually met someone who got her like he did. All those around her who knew her like that were her family and Drea, who had been around her entire life. Cullen was the first person she had purposely allowed in.
The office door opened without there being a knock first, causing Leona to startle a little in her seat. She expected to see Vaughn or Grayson due to the lack of knocking, so she was a little bit surprised when Dalton walked through the door.
“How about a walk, sugar?” he drawled.
“Hello to you too! Thank you for knocking. Please, come in,” she remarked sarcastically.
“If I had knocked, you would have just pretended not to be here,” he pointed out.
“What if I was busy? On the phone?” she asked, a little annoyed that he knew her so well. “What if I had been naked?”
“I’ve seen you naked, Lee,” he responded as if it was no big deal.
"Bite me,” she snarked, trying to turn back to her computer.
“Been there, done that, too, sugar,” he said with a wink.
“What do you want?” She knew she was being meaner than she should—this was just Dalton after all. He was here to check up on her, like the good friend he was. Even if his ways were often a little annoying.
“Take a walk with me,” he said. It was more of a statement than a question.
