Page 7 of (Un)Expected

When his cobalt eyes captured mine again, I completely forgot what I was doing.

Unfortunately for me, the same couldn’t be said about the man standing next to him. While my mind was solely focused on Adam, he hadn’t missed a beat, prepared to shoot an arrow through my awestruckbubble.

He shook his head, nudging Adam out of the way. “Listen, I know you’ve got that whole star-struck thing going on, but we were told you could help us out.” He ran a hand over his face. “All I want is a good place to go fishing, and then you can get back to your drooling.”

“Excuse me?”

“I get it,” he continued, not caring about the glare I leveled at him. “Trust me, you’re not the first girl to lose her shit over my buddy, and you sure as hell won’t be the last. I was promised that this trip wouldn’t be a gigantic waste of time, so if you could do your job and help us out, I’d appreciate it.”

“Cole…” Adam warned.

What the ever-loving fuck? Listen, I’d had my fair share of rude guests. I’d been called more names than I cared to mention, and really, nothing this guy said wasthatbad. However, on top of the day I’d already had, this smug son of a bitch was the last thing I wanted to deal with.

My hands clasped the edge of the desk. “What did you say to me?”

“Fish-ing,” he said, over-pronouncing the syllables. “Do your damn job already.”

My eyes narrowed at him, hating that my knuckles were blanched white under the strain of my grip.Hold the fuck up. Who the hell did this guy think he was?Maybe on an average day, I would smile, ignore his comments, and move on.

But today, I’d had enough.

Leaning forward, I nodded my head to the side. “Sir, if you would?”

He followed me to the other end of the desk. As soon as we were out of sight of the other guests, I lowered my voice but kept my sugary sweet grin firmly in place. “Listen here, you condescending prick. If you want my help, you’re going to stop with the juvenile digs and talk to me with a hint of respect, or I promise you’ll get the itchiest bedsheets every single night of your stay. Understood?”

He stared at me, trying to make me squirm under the weight of it.

Not likely, asshole.

However, instead of the annoyed scowl I expected, he broke into a smirk. “Do you talk to all your guests this way? If so, you might be in the wrong line of work.”

“Just the few who manage toroyallypiss me off.”

“Honored to be a part of that club, sweetheart.”

I saw red. “Listen to me, you arrogant son of a b?—-”

“How is everything going?”

A high pitched voice crashed through the tension, probably saving this asshole’s life. But when I met Diane’s stare, I knew I was in deep shit. Her eyes were darting between the two of us, her lips tightly pursed, unimpressed by my behavior. I needed to get it together quickly. Scooting back behind my computer, I plastered on my phoniest smile, pulling a pamphlet from one of my drawers.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Winters. I was assisting Mr. Rice and…”This asshole? Probably not going to help my case. My nose crinkled as I forced out the words. “Hisfriendwith some places to fish.” I placed the map on my desk, showcasing the designated fishing spots nearby. “If you would like, I can set up transportation for you.”

“That would be great.” Adam smiled, elbowing Cole when he didn’t bother to say anything.

“Yeah, thanks,” he muttered, a sly grin playing at the corners of his mouth. “And it’s Campbell. Cole Campbell. Nothisfriend.”

Dick.

Diane glared at me while Adam and Cole looked over the map, sending all her venom in my direction. But I kept up my false sunny persona, mentally calculating the minutes until I was free.

Unfortunately, when Diane approached Adam, freedom was the last thing on my mind. I’d seen that look before, and it never meant anything good for me.

She touched his forearm. “Mr. Rice, I had a wonderful idea. Since you are one of our most important guests, you shouldn’t have to wait for service.” Diane’s eyes met mine with a sinister smile I knewwell.Don’t do it. Don’t you dare say it.“Alex will be your personal concierge for the remainder of your stay.”

Fuck.

Bile rose in the back of my throat as my gaze widened. This couldn’t be happening. My eyes jumped up to find Cole's lips pursed together, barely containing his laughter. The pretentious prick was probably getting off on this. When another guest snagged Diane’s attention, I itched the side of my ear with my middle finger, hoping he saw it.

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