Page 84 of The Penalty

“Hands on,” Hannah finished.

Bennet whispered something in her ear that made her cheeks turn crimson before kissing her.

“Victoria.” He greeted me with a smile.

“God of thunder.”

“That never gets old for you, does it?”

“Nope. And it never will.”

Bennet’s amber eyes danced with amusement. “Alex will see to it that your belongings get to the hotel. You ladies are coming with me.” His statement sounded pretty final but I wasn’t about to be bossed around so soon after deplaning.

“I’d rather go to the room and shower, if that’s okay with the lord of the manor.” I stifled a smile, knowing this nickname ruffled his feathers.

Before Bennet could react, Hannah put her two cents in. “Same for me. There’s nothing worse than sitting on an airplane all night and not freshening up. Especially after being in the Miami humidity before we left.”

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. He’s been on the receiving end of my defiance, or whatever his definition of it is, but probably not Hannah’s. Then again, judging by the look on her face maybe my secretly kinky friend enjoyed pushing her Dom’s buttons.

“Seems I’m outnumbered by the Americans.” He turned to Alex. “I’ll meet you all at the hotel.”

“Sir.” Alex nodded and motioned for us to follow him toward the exit.

Deciding to come to France, at least for me, was driven solely by my desire to see Xavier. Otherwise, I’d be laser focused on the upcoming football season. It starts in less than three weeks. We lost our preseason game in Miami last night. Plus, the rumors and speculation surrounding Noah’s future with the team ramped up again.

Word leaked that no movement has been made yet to extend his contract. It expires at the end of next season, but negotiations have been on-going all summer. I half-wished the fake photos of his house regained traction.

I sank into the comfort of our car and enjoyed the views on the way to the hotel. Hannah took care of booking the room so I had no idea where we were staying. She sat quietly next to me, tapping on her phone.

“Um,” she hesitated. “There’s been a slight change.”

“What do you mean?”

She frowned. “Bennet changed our reservations. We’re each getting a penthouse suite at the Four Seasons.”

“He did what?” My jaw dropped. “No. No way. Tell him that’s not necessary.”

Hannah’s have-you-met-Bennet-Logan look said it all.

Over the course of my life and career I’ve been around all different types of alpha males. CEOs, politicians, international sports stars, celebrities. The list goes on. None of them, and I do mean none, hold a candle to the level of influence Bennet has over any situation. He is quite honestly the most controlling man I’ve ever met and I don’t know how Hannah can spend more than five minutes in his presence without wanting to pull her hair out.

“Why do I get the feeling he’s going to intrude on our brunch and eat all my croissants?” I pouted.

“He knows not to interfere in our plans. He just wanted to pamper us.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell her changing our hotel reservations was interfering in our plans but she looked so glowy and happy and smitten.

Shaking my head in amusement, I settled into the seat and relaxed. Once we arrived at the hotel, we were ushered inside like royalty.

Alex escorted us to our respective suites. Hannah’s door was at the end of the hallway in one corner, mine on the opposite end. We were basically neighbors for the night.

First thing I did when I got inside was text Xavier.

Me: Bonjour

Mildly Hot: You’re here?

Me: Yep. At the hotel.

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