Page 8 of Scottish Seducer
Chapter 3
Stephanie
It never occurredto me that there might be sexy men in Scotland. I’d never seen muscular legs in a kilt before today. I should stay in my room and forget him. Heartbreak wasn’t good for me, and the guy downstairs was seriously a panty-melting seducer.
I tossed my bag on the floor and found some lotion in the bathroom to make myself smell a little better. No time for a shower, but I used my toothbrush. Smelling nice could land me a kiss.
One kiss from whoever he was might make my knees melt like in those old movies, so I shuffled a little dance while I brushed my teeth.
As I finished, my phone rang. I glanced at it, and my boss’s name appeared. She never called after hours. I washed out my brush for later and answered her. “Margot, you’re calling late.”
She had children screaming in the background as she said, “I just got an email from my boss. Mr. Grannd’s car is parked about two kilometers from your inn. Go and get it, tonight.”
I frowned and asked, “Tonight?”
I heard one of Margot’s girls shout “Mom” in the background. I put my boss on speaker as I checked myself in the mirror.I should probably toss this shirt.
Margot only said, “It’s not dark yet.”
If I left, then I’d never get another chance to find out what a kiss from that Scottish guy downstairs might be like. So I argued, “It will have to wait a few minutes.”
She sighed, and I knew that sigh. It meantStop bothering me, Stephanie. You won’t get what you want.I shrugged and didn’t wait for the usual discussion, instead simply asking, “How will I know which direction to scurry off to?”
Another child screamed and I winced. She said, “Read the papers I gave you. The tracking information is listed. Plug it in your phone.”
Right. I grabbed the paper and was about to say goodbye, then noticed the picture of a sporty-looking, slick black sedan.
It was the guy downstairs’ car. I swallowed and said, “Really!”
Charlie Grannd was the man waiting downstairs for me. I typed in the numbers to my tracker, and sure enough, the blue dot was right where I’d met him.
Margot asked, “What’s the problem?”
“Nothing,” I said with a sigh. I’d said “no” to the ride to protect myself from a stranger and the danger of getting in a car without knowing the driver. My lips needed to stop tingling for something that would never ever happen now.
Charlie Grannd was out to save or create a whole new world, and I wanted nothing more than to escape into the past and live in my fantasy version. Charlie would never be mine, and I refused to lose my job on top of losing my roommate and boyfriend.
I kept that to myself and said, “I literally passed this car twenty minutes ago.”
“Good, then I’ll see you Monday morning,” she said, and hung up.
My heart pounded fast. He had more money than anyone, and I’d just babbled on at him about Jane Austen and my stupid ex. Kissing would get me fired, and I’d end up having nothing. Forget changing into the one other shirt I’d packed.
I grabbed my wallet and the keys and headed down the stairs.
If I could make it to the car without seeing my boss, I’d be happy. For a second, I thought I’d tiptoe right through, but as I neared the door, there he was leaning against the wall. Goose bumps swept my neck, shoulders and arms. He straightened the second he saw me.Oh, no.My body hummed with desire still.
He came closer and said, “There you are.”
I sucked in my lips and ignored the longing to be kissed. It wouldn’t happen. I swallowed and said, “Look, I’ll be another twenty minutes. It seems duty calls tonight.”
His eyes narrowed. My gut twisted, I was so sure he’d already figured me out, but then he said, “Interesting. May I join you?”
I reached to my neck and held my necklace as heat raced to my face. “You want to walk with me?”
He opened the door for me. “Sure. We’ll have a beer when we get back.”
A CEO and the file clerk who moonlights as a chauffeur didn’t make sense. He’d cancel soon. Near him, my skin had goosebumps, but I ignored the sinking feeling in my belly at the thought of what would happen when he realized who I was and took a step forward. Hopefully, I would figure out what I should say to keep my job.
