Page 11 of The Debt

Chapter 7

The line went dead, which indicated the rapscallion had hung up on her. Mira switched the phone off with a smirk, knowing that Vasco would soon be calling to check up on her. She’d already taken a shower, but needed a change of clothes and breakfast.

Leaving the confines of the hotel room, she went down to the hotel boutique to pick up a few items. After selecting whatever she needed including a few outfits to last a few days, comfortable shoes and underwear, she requested that the items be charged to Vasco Black.

“Miss Barclay, there’s an open expense account for your room,” the clerk informed her. “We will add the items to it.”

“No, please charge them to Mr. Black’s account.”

“But ma’am our manager informed us that Mr. Dunbar has specifically asked that whatever you need be charged to this account. Unless you are paying cash, we must follow our manager’s instructions.”

“Okay.”

It was one thing being under the thumb of Vasco. But having Archer pay for her clothes didn’t feel right. She left the boutique with an uneasy feeling settling in her chest. How could she get from under Vasco’s control and become her own person? Could she risk leaving and never seeing her father again?

The thought completely shattered her core. Her father was all she had as her mother died during child birth. She had never known another parent because her father took care of her by himself, having never remarried all these years. Now she didn’t know where that bastard was hiding him or if he was still alive. A tear welled in the corner of her eye as she returned to her room.

Her despair was like a lance wedged deep inside her chest. Brushing away the rebellious tear which streamed down the corner of her eye, Mira changed into one of the outfits she got from the boutique. When she was satisfied with her make-up free appearance she went in search of Archer. She needed to have him cancel the open expense account he placed on her room so that she could charge the clothes to Vasco’s account.

Vasco was the one holding her prisoner, refusing to let her work and refusing to let her see her father. Vasco was the one asking her to extract information from unsuspecting businessmen in order to further his own business. He paying for her clothes and accessories was a small price to pay for the pain he was causing her. Moreover, Archer was the victim here and should not have to pay for being deceived.

When she reached his door she paused, trying to quell the erratic pace of her heart. During the last twelve or so hours since meeting this man, even the thought of his name would quicken her pulse. As she raised her hand to rap on the door, her skin flushed, her heartrate picking up speed. Hesitating, she lowered the hand, inhaling a few deep breaths. Satisfied that she was composed enough, she knocked the door and waited.

About a minute passed and no answer. She knocked a second time and waited for another thirty seconds. Mira was about to walk away when the door opened. Her eyes gorged at the sight of water glistening on his bare torso. His hair was wet and tousled, making her itch to run her fingers through it. Her eyes trailed along his defined pecs down to his washboards. A thin line of dark hair ran from his button navel and disappeared beneath the towel. Mira swallowed hard as her eyes glued to the bulge defined under the towel.

“Morning,” he greeted. “Sorry I took so long. I was in the shower.”

“Hi,” she breathed.

Slowly she raised her eyes, allowing them to cruise his broad shoulders and muscled biceps. She knew he was fine last night by the way his suit fitted him. She just didn’t know how gorgeous he was until now. Standing there looking at this man was like gazing into the blazing sun. Mira felt herself melting like butter in an overheated saucepan.

“What are you waiting for,” he said. “Come in.”

All she could do was nod as she moved one foot in front of the other, feeling her knees become jelly while her belly quivered. As she passed by him, she got a whiff of the soap he used to wash, mingled with his masculine scent. A gush of hot sticky substance rushed from her as she felt her pussy walls clench.

Why? Why of all the men she’d met was she attracted to the one Vasco commanded her to seduce? Why of all the men she'd encountered was Archer the one to make her feel things she’d only read about in her romance novels? This was so unfair. How could she concentrate on what Vasco wanted when she was around a man who made her want things she shouldn’t?

“I’ll be back in a second,” Archer said. “Order breakfast for both of us while I get dressed. Unless you’ve already eaten.”

“No, I haven’t.”

That smile caused her stomach to flutter and her body to overheat. For a minute, Mira forgot why she had come to see him as she watched mesmerized while he trotted from the living room of his suite to what she surmised was the bedroom. The door closed behind him and she was left fanning her cheeks. In fact, the cheeks that needed fanning weren’t the ones on her face.

Giving herself a mental slap, Mira walked over to the telephone on a side table against the left wall. While she placed her order for breakfast, her eyes watched the bedroom door. It was a one bedroom suite. Vasco would have taken the most expensive and largest suite in the hotel, even if he was staying by himself. The man was arrogant and loved to show-off. She wondered what Archer was like in that department. Did he like making his presence, or more accurately, his bank account known?

After placing the order of a continental breakfast, Mira took a seat in the sofa which sat in the middle of the room. Other than the sofa, the only other furniture were two chairs, an area rug, a small fridge and the side table with telephone.

Her eyes watched the door, anticipating the moment he should appear. It was a long ten minutes before the door opened and her heart fluttered. Mira was certain that the frequency of her palpitations and the speed at which her heart raced per second, she would soon end up having a cardiac arrest.

He was buttoning the cuffs of a burgundy shirt with the tails out over a beige slacks. Mira gulped, knowing she was acting like a girl who was seeing a sexy man for the first time. Archer’s eyes immediately settled on her as he entered the room and he strolled over, taking a seat beside her.

“So what are your plans for today?” he asked.

“I haven’t made any.’

“Good, because I cleared my schedule in order to spend the day with you and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think I can spend the entire day.”

“If you’re worried about Vasco, he said I could ask you out and that’s what I’m doing.”

“He said that?”

“Yes, he mentioned that you were your own person and could make up your own mind about it.”

So it came to this. Vasco expected her to spend as much time with Archer. Not only did it make little sense, it was deceptive. Playing with someone’s emotions like that was dangerous and she wanted no part of it. As far as she was concerned, Mira didn’t have to find out anything from Archer. She could tell Vasco that the man didn’t speak about work and that he would have to find some other means of finding his precious software.

On the other hand, she could relax and enjoy the time spent with Archer since she was certain that Vasco would punish her severely for failing and that she would never see Archer again. This was her one moment of happiness and she was going to make the most of it.

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