Page 12 of Seductive Desires

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It wasn’t a bad plan.When I called his assistant, she said he was pretty busy during the week and tried to offer me a time on the weekend. No, absolutely not. I am not going to that man’s house by myself on the weekend. I couldn’t seem to rely on my self control around him. Instead, I scheduled it for Friday morning. His assistant mentioned he’d be busy but I told her that was fine, we would just send him the rest of the paperwork later.

So on Friday morning, I found myself tucked into the front of a taxi with Carlos’s painting sitting in the back, taking up most of the seat. He had wrapped it in a huge amount of brown paper, worried it would get ruined before I could arrive, but the ride was uneventful other than the driver’s incessant chatter. I wasn’t fully listening, too nervous about the delivery. When we pulled up in front of a luxury hotel, I frowned.

“This is the address I gave you?”

“Yep. I plugged it into the GPS. Fancy place.”

Did this asshole really invite me to a hotel to give him his painting?! Fury whipped through me. I handed the driver his fare, startling hard when a man with white gloves opened my door for me. When I went to grab the painting, another man hustled over.

“Allow me, miss.”

“Oh, no. You don’t have to do that. I can handle it.”

It wasn’t so big a painting where I couldn’t handle it but the man didn’t seem inclined to listen. He slid the painting out carefully and held it gently in his gloved hands. Well, alright then.

“I, uh… I’m here to deliver this to Mr. Ramirez.”

The man who helped me out of the car nodded, ushering me inside. “He’s been expecting you. Tina will escort you upstairs.”

A young woman stepped up to me, her smile pleasant. She wore a pencil skirt and a nice top instead of a uniform like the other two who were following me inside. She was Mateo’s assistant. I recognized her name from when I called earlier in the week.

“Miss Cortes, right on time. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you upstairs.”

“Upstairs? Like to his room?”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “Yes, of course. He is waiting.”

Say again? “I thought he was busy this morning?”

She pressed the button to the fancy gold elevator, turning to me with a smile. “We got lucky, a free period opened up this morning.”

Great. Just great. I tried my best not to scowl. Instead, I looked around at the lobby. Just pulling up in front had been an experience. I had never been to a hotel with a fancy overhang and doormen before. The whole main lobby was all windows, making the room incredibly bright. The light bounced off the white marble flooring, nearly blinding me, only broken up by swirls of black. Everyone who worked here wore a pristine uniform that looked like it had been pressed just that morning.

We passed a couple seating areas on the way here, separated by a large set of glass doors. They were mostly filled with people in suits, leaning close as they spoke to one another. I wonder what you would meet for in the lobby of a hotel.

Even the elevators were fancy, all mirrors with designs swirled around the edges. I could see my own reflection, my wild curly hair already falling out of the low bun I had swept it into this morning. Windy city for the win. I kept my appearance simple, constantly reminding myself that I wasn’t dressing up for this man, and he wouldn’t be there anyway.

I tried wearing jeans and a nice top but Carlos shot it down and sent me home to change. He wanted me to look as professional as possible. He reminded me six times over not to offend the man until after the transaction was complete. The payment already went through but he still fretted. So instead of being comfortable, I was wearing a basic cream dress with a belt and a nice navy blue cardigan. Combined with ankle boots and dangle earrings, I looked professional without looking like I was trying to show off.

Tina ushered me into Mateo’s room, leading me to the living room on the left. Seriously. A living room. In a hotel. There were hardwood floors, a giant TV over the fireplace, curved gold couches big enough to fit at least ten people each, and even a piano in the corner. The view was amazing, overlooking the river. You could see Lake Michigan from here.

Mateo was seated at a desk just past the couches, his focus on the paperwork in front of him but he smiled when I came in.

“Thank you, Tina.”

She nodded once, pointing the man who was carrying the painting to the left, where a long dining table sat behind the TV. He placed it gently down before they both scurried out of the room. I hesitated. I knew I was supposed to let him check over the painting to make sure it was what he wanted but I felt the urge to run. He saw me so, technically, I delivered it in person even if I don’t speak to him.

“Have you decided yet?”

“On what?”

“Whether or not you’re going to run again?”

ChapterSeven

I scowled at him. “Shut up.”

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