Page 51 of Inarticulate

“A package has arrived for you. Would you like me to arrange for someone to bring it up?”

A package? Her heart sank. There was no excitement over the delivery, only a slowly dawning dread working its way from her feet to her chest. Life was becoming ridiculous when your initial reaction was to envisage your cousin sending a severed cow’s head or sheep’s heart in the mail. “No. I can come and get it. Do you know who it’s from?”

“It doesn’t say on the box, but there’s a card. Want me to open it?”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll be there in a minute.” She hung up the receiver and pulled on her shoes before leaving her room. When she entered the lobby, Grant and Kelly were on the customer side of the reception desk, both peering down at the counter that held a silver box adorned with ribbon. The package was at least a foot long, marginally shorter in width and around eight inches in height.

Too small for a severed head. Too big for a sheep’s heart.Winner.

“Is this it?” she asked as she approached.

“Yep. It was delivered by courier.” Kelly greeted her with a smile. “And it sure looks pretty.”

“Thanks.” She lifted the box, surprised at the light weight. “I’ll be back down later to get a coffee and check the occupancy reports.”

“You’re not going to open it here?” Grant asked.

She eyed the package. “No, I didn’t plan on it.”

“Come on.” There was no nervousness in his features, no twitch to his hands. “We need something to brighten our day.”

“I’m not sure the contents of this box will help with that.” She shook the package and nothing clunked. Whatever lay inside was soft. Come to think of it, it was probably a box full of bubble-wrap, with compliments from Spencer who liked to waste her time and the company’s money on stupid shit like this.

“Just open it,” he chastised.

“Pushy much?” She glared and placed the box back on the counter. Kelly and Grant encroached, both hovering over her shoulders as she pulled at the pink ribbon and lifted the lid an inch. Silver tissue paper stared back at her, the contents hidden from view.

“Here, let me hold that.” Kelly snatched the lid away.

“Slow down.” Savannah looked at them in turn. “With the settlement being temperamental, I don’t want to rush into opening unmarked packages.”

Kelly took a step back. “What do you think is in there?”

“I don’t know.” She slid her hand under the layers of tissue paper and relaxed at the soft texture under her fingertips. She grasped something that felt like lace and lifted. Bright purple material came into view. Black stitching was woven around the edges, more and more of it becoming visible as she slowly raised her hand.

“Is that…” Grant’s voice drifted off.

Oh, shit. Scorching heat flooded her cheeks. She shoved the tiny sliver of underwear back into the box and snatched the lid from Kelly’s grip. “I think it’s best if I open this in private.” She slid the package off the counter and clutched it to her chest. “The card?”

Kelly scooted around the desk and lifted a white envelope from her keyboard. “Was that lingerie?”

“I don’t know.”Liar, liar, libido on fire.“But it’s definitely not work related, so I’ll take this back to my room.”

She ignored the twitch of Grant’s lips and swiveled toward the elevator. She ignored their laughter, too, and walked at a clipped pace, fleeing the lobby and ascending to her room with adrenaline flowing through her veins.

She pushed her front door open with her hip and ran for her bed, dropping the box down immediately and throwing away the lid. She unfolded the tissue paper and stared in shock at the numerous pieces of matching lingerie.

One by one, she lifted the items—red satin bra and matching panties, purple lace bra and matching G-string, bright pink, see-through camisole with a tiny string of material that could not be described as underwear.

She checked the tags, all of them displaying the same name of an expensive women’s lingerie company along with the notification of her size.Hersize. The size that nobody else in the world should know except her.

She reached for the envelope, tore the side, and pulled out a pearl white piece of cardboard.

Rumor has it that you left a souvenir in the penthouse pool. I hope these make up for your loss.

Keenan.

That overwhelming heat flooded her cheeks again, and a torturous, undeniable double-tap thumped in her chest. She pivoted, snatched her cell from the small desk and began typing with fingers that were overdosing on adrenaline.

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