Page 20 of Possess Me

The girl was trying very hard not to laugh.

At my expense.

What the hell was wrong with me? I was never flustered around a man. Never.

Keeping my distance was a necessity and one I was happy to enforce.

There was no chance in hell I would indulge in anything carnal.

Not with him.

Not with anyone.

CHAPTER 7

Fallon

“Here you are, Ms. Zimmerman.”The girl from reception had personally guided us through the lavish gardens and thick greenery, and the twitter of birds along with the swell of waves hitting the rocky shoreline was perhaps the sweetest music I’d heard in a very long time.

The cottages were also of various sizes, most built of white siding, yet every one of them with gingerbread adornments and colorful accents.

While the fresh air had helped, I remained mortified.

The front door of the one I’d been assigned was a bright turquoise, flowers in pots in various shades of rose and fuchsia while hibiscus in yellow and orange flanked the short walkway.

“You’ll find a welcome basket with a few goodies. If you need additional coffee or water, please contact the front desk. There is limited room service and of course we have a small restaurant and outdoor bar for your convenience.”

“Thank you so much,” I said as I grasped the keycard.

“All charges will be placed on my account,” he told her, daring me to challenge him.

“Yes, sir,” she said with a chipper voice as he handed her a folded bill that I happened to notice was one hundred dollars. Big tipper.

Vissarian hadn’t given me the choice of bringing my own suitcase, eyeing me with continued amusement as he placed the case onto the stoop directly in front of the door. Where he remained after shoving his free hand into the pocket of his trousers.

He was entirely too close.

Was he expecting me to say something? I’d check the itinerary Jeffrey had provided, but I didn’t think I would officially be on duty again for two full days.

“Day after tomorrow, sir. I’ll be waiting for you at the airport when you’re ready to leave. If anything changes, I’ll be ready to leave within ten minutes.” My words were clipped, as professional as I could muster given my earlier embarrassment.

“Hopefully I’ll be seeing you much sooner than that, Fallon. In fact, I’d like you to have dinner with me tonight.”

I could tell instinctively that his question was just a typical command for him.

Command and conquer.

No, thank you.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll grab something from room service. I’ve had a difficult few days and would enjoy a long night of rest.” Whether or not he believed me just didn’t matter. If there was one thing I would adhere to, it was the rules I’d set for myself.

That had been the only way I’d kept my sanity.

He studied me in a way that felt as if he was dissecting me. Likely trying to determine if I was telling him another lie.

As he’d said, it was something he couldn’t tolerate. The bad girl inside of me almost wanted to tell him a series of lies to see how he’d handle it.

Remember, you’ve yet to be paid. You need the money.