Page 68 of Room Service
I still have no words as I scan the next page, my coffee forgotten on the table.
“I need to go to another hotel this morning, so I’ll leave you to look over that and then we can talk later, if you need to,” he says, getting up from the table and coming round to give me a kiss before he’s taking off without another word.
Who the fuck is this guy? He seems to think of everything, and I’m not going to lie, it’s all a little overwhelming. I mean, I’ve gone from not being given a fuck about, to feeling like I’m pretty much the centre of someone else’s world, even though we haven’t discussed anything about what happens when I leave here and return to Celeste’s, or how he expects things to work if I keep working here, especially if I take the manager role.
Oh lord. I need to offload all of this on someone, because my brain hurts. My first thought goes to Celeste, but I know she’ll be busy working, and as much as she’d bunk off to come and help me sort through my muddled thoughts, I also know that she can’t afford to do that, and I wouldn’t expect her to. So, without thinking too much about it, I dial Chantel, who gave me her number yesterday before she left.
“Hey, Elise,” she answers brightly.
“Hi, um, I was wondering if you were busy today?”
“I don’t have any plans as such, but I have a feeling I’m about to,” she says with a chuckle.
“Do you wanna maybe grab some lunch?” I suggest.
“Sure, want me to come to the penthouse?”
“No, I’m sick of being stuck in here. I thought we could go to the restaurant downstairs, maybe sit out on the patio, so I don’t have everyone staring at me the whole time,” I say, because the thought of them wondering why I’m having lunch instead of working fills me with dread, but I need to get out of this place, even if it is just to go downstairs.
“Leave it with me and I’ll get it booked. I’ll meet you by the lifts at twelve.”
“Sounds good. See you soon.”
“Looking forward to it,” she chirps before we hang up. I’m well aware that the bruises are still on my face and neck, but I’ll cover them up as much as possible. I can’t keep hiding out in here, and I’ll be returning to work soon anyway, to see the looks on everyone’s faces when they see me and wonder where I’ve been. Might as well let them gossip before I return.
* * *
“So, what’s going on?” Chantel says as we take a seat at a secluded table on the patio outside. The waiter hands us the menus and then disappears, saying he’ll be back in a few minutes. I didn’t fail to notice the looks some of the staff gave me as I walked by, but I knew that was going to happen, so I was kind of prepared for it.
“Dorien.”
“Oh boy, what’s he done now?”
“Well, he’s only gone and offered me a job working here as the hotel manager, because he fired the previous one yesterday. And then he pulls out divorce papers for me this morning, which he said were a rough draft, and then he told me that his legal team are basically at my disposal.”
Her eyebrows shoot up a little as the waiter returns and we quickly scan the menu to order food. I choose the chicken salad with extra fries, and Chantel picks the same. I pour myself a glass of water as the waiter takes the menus away and leaves us on our own again.
“You know, Elise, I’ve seen Dorien in all types of situations, but never this one, with you. And as much as this may be a little overboard, this is how he is. A powerful man who would absolutely put his life on the line for those he—”
“Don’t say it,” I interrupt, but she ignores me.
“Loves.”
“He doesn’t love me, Chantel.”
“He so fucking does. He may not have said it, and he may not be great with voicing his feelings, but he does, whether you want to hear it or not.”
I groan, because this isn’t how any of this was supposed to go. I was supposed to leave Derrick and find myself, not fall in love with a man who would move heaven and earth for me.
“And you love him,” she finishes.
“Fuck.” I sit back and blow out a breath. I can’t even deny it. I do fucking love him. But I also know I’ve jumped from the frying pan into the fire. I also know there is an age difference. I also know that I am going to be accused of sleeping my way to the top. And I also know that I can’t fucking fight how I feel any longer. I don’t have the energy to stop myself from being consumed by Dorien Dukes.
“One thing at a time, Elise, you don’t have to conquer the world in a day,” Chantel says gently, as the waiter brings over our food, our conversation paused until he’s disappeared.
“I feel so out of my depth here,” I admit.
“And sometimes that’s not a bad thing. Feeling out of our depth pushes us to do things we wouldn’t have the guts to do normally. It forces our hand and makes us do things we never thought possible. I know you’ve got a lot of shit to sort out, but ask yourself this question… is he worth it? If the answer is yes, then everything else will fall into place.”
