Page 58 of The Perfect Pick Up

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THEA

Thea tapped her boot on the polished white floor. It turned out that Felix’s flagship hotel wasn’t just smart but more like next-level swanky. The minute a smiling porter had swept her through the reception to the marshmallow-like couch she now sat on, the jitters had started in her tummy.

She cast her eyes around the understated interior, admiring the imposing central atrium. Not one bright colour assaulted her eyes. All white and shiny and gold, she could be sitting in heaven. Exquisitely dressed people chatted over coffee or worked on laptops all around her. Nothing at The Sentinel bore any resemblance to her life in Tottenbridge. Nobody here was complaining about the mole hills on the cricket pitch or the spray painting of the cock and balls that appeared overnight on the side of the pavilion.

Already, she missed home, though. And oddly, Felix. He’d travelled down yesterday to attend some meeting and had left Lucas with his new nanny. Josh and Kitty were looking after Ammy. The corners of Thea’s mouth lifted. Her daughter had been predictably impressed with the limousine that Felix hadsent to bring her here. Had offered to lend Thea one of her plastic tiaras for the party.

But wherewasFelix? Not that she expected him to be waiting for her. To have vaulted over the reception desk, arms full of roses and sweet nothings on his lips. But he could have put in an appearance.

Their paths hadn’t crossed in person all week, either, only by text. He’d been in and out of town on business. They’d waved at each other across the car park at school twice, and he’d left her a cheeky note under her windscreen asking if she had any special demands for the weekend. She’d left a reply the next day requesting he install her very own chocolate fountain in his penthouse. From the burning look he’d given her at pick up, the following day, he’d got the message.

They’d even tried a little phone sex a few days ago, but Thea had ended up in fits of giggles when his car alarm kept going off outside his house. He’d since discovered a family of shrews had nested in the engine bay and had part-chewed through the sensor wire.

“Hello. Ms. Fox?” A soft voice interrupted Thea’s thoughts, and she looked up at a stylish young woman wearing a big smile. “I’m Gemma, Mr. Walsh‘s EA.”

Thea responded with an automatic and very vanilla smile that belied the churning of her gut. Felix had sent his EA to meet her? “Yes. That’s me. Ms. Fox.” Animal wrangler to the masses and disgruntled would-be hookup for Felix’s weekend delight. She refrained from adding the last part but couldn’t fight the narrowing of her eyes.

“Mr. Walsh wanted me to extend his apologies for not being here to greet you.”

Gemma’s gaze swept over Thea, coming to rest on her feet. She shifted on the couch, regretting wearing jeans and riding boots. She’d hoped to carry off an air ofVogue Country Livingbut had achieved something closer toBabe 2, Pig in the City.

“He’s stuck in a meeting. I’ll take you up to your suite while he finishes up.”

Felix had organised her a suite? Were they sleeping in separate rooms? They weren’t teenagers! She’d hoped that after last week’s entrée, this weekend would be a complete and hearty demolition of the entire menu. That he’d organised her a suite smacked of regret.

“Thank you,” said Thea, sipping the mineral water in front of her. She stood and followed Gemma to the lifts. Compared to the crisp clack of the EA’s heels, her boots ‘thumped’ against the shiny floor tiles.

They waited a few seconds before a mirrored lift arrived, carrying them up countless floors. Nobody else joined them in the car, and they stepped out when the doors opened onto an eerily quiet corridor.

Trailing along like a newly hatched duckling, Thea followed Gemma down the corridor. Devoid of furniture, not one picture hung on the walls, and her gut tugged as she thought of her wall full of photos at home. She missed Ammy and all the chaos that came with being mum to a crazy six-year-old.

After a short walk, they arrived at a bland, white door, and Gemma inserted a keycard. “This is you,” she said, holding the door open for Thea.

Thea stepped into a beautiful room. Soft white carpet cushioned her feet, tasteful damask drapes hung at the window, and a sumptuous couch and chairs beckoned her to sink into their depths. Apart from her tatty bag on the luggage rack, the room would have been perfect for any weary traveller, but that wasn’t what she was. And why did she think using a fabric tote as luggage was a good idea? She hadn’t had time to get anything new, and she quite liked its corn-on-the-cob pattern.

Felix had talked of his penthouse and told her all about its amazing view. She’d fantasised about him whisking her up tohis lair, ripping her clothes off and having his wicked way with her in front of his open fire on a fluffy rug. She didn’t know if he had a fire or even a rug, but in her version, its fibres had caressed her skin as he’d pummelled into her with wild abandon.

“Ms. Fox?” Gemma’s voice knocked cruelly at the door of her daydream.

“Sorry, what?”

“I was just saying that if you need anything, just dial two on the phone. It will put you straight through to me.” Thea swallowed. Why couldn’t she call Felix? Get a magic number to go straight through tohim? Was this a date by proxy? Like monarchs of old, had Felix sent his assistant to wine and dine her instead of himself? Her brow furrowed, but she checked herself. No. He was a busy man. He couldn’t just drop everything for her.

Just then, Gemma’s phone rang, and she answered the call discreetly, turning away. Thea explored the suite, finding a large bedroom and a cavernous bathroom. The tub alone could fit a tiny house inside.

At the knock of wood behind her, Thea turned to see Gemma. “Mr. Walsh has finished his meeting and asked me to bring you to his office.”

A shiver passed over Thea. He’d summoned her, and now she was off to see Felix in all his glory and territory. “Thank you. I wouldn’t mind freshening up first, but I need to grab my things. They’re in my bag.”

“I’ll get them,” said Gemma, bobbing around the corner to retrieve the tote. When she reappeared, she handed it to Thea, quirking a brow. “Nice bag.”

Thea’s cheeks heated. There was little point explaining away her luggage choices. One glance at Thea in her jeans and shirt already told Gemma how out of her depth she was.

Three applications of bronzer later,Thea followed Felix’s EA to yet another lift. But this time, when the doors opened, the scene was anything but comfortable serenity. Suited men and polished women buzzed around an open reception area, and a fierce-looking woman in a headset sat guard at a large desk that bore the words The Walsh Group in large gold letters.

Thea half expected to be wait-listed on one of the red leather couches, but Gemma beckoned her to follow with a brisk nod to the head-setted woman. They turned into an airy corridor with an enormous door at its end. To its side sat a desk covered in paperwork and folders. “If you ever need to find me, this is where I live.”

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