Page 11 of His Human Librarian

“Thank you.” And then he guides me up a set of majestic stairs. His large, claw-tipped hand is on the small of my back and I don’t even mind. In fact, it feels good.

It feels right.

What is wrong with me? This male basically hates me and wants me gone and yet the more time I spend with him, the more intrigued I become. Usually, I’m good about knowing when I’m not wanted and moving on. But all I want is more time with Sten Sandstone.

Because I can’t keep my eyes off his ass. For some reason the flick of his barbed tail is doing it for me.

I am attracted to my boss. The male who hates me and wants me gone. And I don’t know if I exactly like his personality either. At first, I thought it was truly puzzling that this rude Hyrrokin with a crooked nose was considered the most eligible bachelor in the county. But I’m beginning to understand the attraction. He seems to be stuck on the idea that I’m human and therefore not good enough, which is highly offensive. And yet during our drive I kept glancing at his muscular arms and those perfect lips. Am I losing my mind?

And he was sneaking glances at me too. I’m certain of it. Although I’m not certain if it meant he was attracted to me, or just couldn’t keep his eyes off how different I look from the other Hyrrokin.

I don’t know.

We reach the next landing and walk together quietly down a long hallway with doors and lighted sconces on one side anddark windows on the other. Finally, we pause in front of two doors at the end of the hall.

Gray smoke wafts from his nostrils. “This is your room. I have placed it close to mine because this home is large. This way you can find me if you are in trouble.” He waves a hand at the correct door and leaves behind my suitcase and then strides straight for his own room and shuts the door behind him.

And now I’m alone.

Oh. How rude. This is the second time today he’s dropped me off without a backward glance.

I purse my lips and open the door and step inside my own room, pulling my red suitcase behind me. I’m instantly charmed by what I see. At first the room is pitch black, with only a bit of moonlight peeking through the closed curtains from the windows, but in a moment accent lights automatically flick on, allowing me to see the whole room.

A smile widens across my face. The guest room is a delight. I admit, I love this place. This planet, while having inhabitants that scare the living daylights out of me, also appears to be a paradise. And I even enjoy the décor of this enormous, rambling ranch house. I was having a hard time acting normal downstairs because the entry way was stunning. There were dragon heads and flames carved into the staircase. Lots of natural wood, stone and ebony. Fireplaces in every room. Tall, beamed ceilings. And I got all of that from a fast glimpse of the downstairs.

I rush over to the enormous four-poster iron bed, with satiny black bedding, and climb up on it to sit for a moment and check the softness.

Then I’m inside a small walk-in closet, opening my suitcase, but decide to not fully take everything out and move in. I have no idea how long I’ll be at the Sandstone ranch. It’s possible that I might leave after another diurnal, or I might need to stay a week,or a month. It’s all very open-ended and depends on what I find in that cave.

For this mission I brought nicer clothes, because I wanted to look professional. I'm even wearing new glasses I purchased only a few days ago. It's true that I could get my eyes fixed in a med lab, but I like how they look, so I wear them. I basically did my best to dress in the latest fashion from the original planet where my species resides.

There’s a full length mirror in the closet and I glance at my image.

I pluck at my shirt, which is a little clingy against a roll in my stomach now that it’s lost its original bounce. Yes, I’m overweight, but this doesn’t mean I’m not cute. Because I’m damn cute. And sexy.

I'm in the room right next door to Sten and I should be calling him Mr. Sandstone, or sir, because he is my boss, but he told me to call him Sten. I don't think he even likes me. In fact, I'm certain he doesn't like me. My boss thinks I'm a lowly human, and I'm too young, and that a Hyrrokin should be doing this job. I mean, I’ve come across this many times in this line of work. I should be ready for it, and yet, here I am irritated all over again, but the best way out is to go forward and show him that I've got this.

On the other hand, why was he staring too long at my legs and standing so close to me? Why did he have his hand on the small of my back as we went up the stairs? Amongst humans and even Gravians, this would be considered flirtation. But maybe it’s different with Hyrrokin and it meant nothing?

I’m excited at the thought of going back downstairs and being allowed a bit of a tour and having dinner in the dining room. I’m certain it’s going to be fancy. I bet the two of us are in our rooms to change into nicer clothes for dinner. Isn’t that what rich beings do?

Didn’tRoda say that dinner was in an hour and we were going to eat downstairs in the formal dining room? I glance at the wall clock and see that I don’t have all that much time left.

I hop into the cleansing unit, trying to get ready fast, which is easy with the blow out setting.

Finally, I’m dressed again, this time in a pink tube top I found in a drawer in the closet and another dark pencil skirt I brought. The tube top has a built-in bra that fits my chest perfectly. It’s a very comfortable and yet stylish piece of clothing. I manage to fix my black kitten heels with a safety pin that isn’t noticeable.

Then I pause to apply more makeup and some lipstick. I take a turn in front of the full-length mirror, liking what I see. I never wear shirts like this that expose my arms because normally I think they’re too thick, but…I turn again and look at my back and the curve of my ass…not too bad.

Then there’s a knock on my door. My heart skips a beat. What if that’s Sten, arriving to walk me down to dinner?

I skip a bit too quickly to the door and open it to find Roda, the housekeeper, with a grim expression on her gruesome features. She’s holding a tray of food. “Good evening, Taylor Dumas,” she grunts. “Sten said to tell you he’s not having dinner in the dining room with you. He doesn’t want to say this to you himself so he’s making me do his dirty work. I’m here to bring you your dinner.”

“Oh.”

She steps forward and I step back to give her room to come inside.

Roda is taller than me and her red skin has an almost burgundy glow in the warm lights of the room. “The good thing is that you’re in the guest room that was basically part of the owner’s suite, which is bigger than the other bedrooms. You can simply have your dinner here, at the table.”

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