AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’d spent the last twelve years holding onto power and control with a death grip.
“Wilson, dear.” Mrs. S put her hand over mine resting on the table. “Tomorrow if you have time I’d like to show you something.”
I bit back a groan.
We all indulged the old woman and her many conspiracy theories and alien sighting stories. Mainly because we adored her but also because one time one of those theories wasn’t so much conspiracy as it was an underground trafficking ring. One that Letty and River had been able to expose and shut down.
“What time?” I asked.
I heard Atlee make a choking sound.
“Good Lord, child, do you need Wilson to provide you with the Heimlich?”
“No!” Atlee damn near shouted. “Sorry, Gram. I mean, no thank you. I’m fine.”
Mrs. Simpson’s head slowly turned from her granddaughter to me then back to Atlee. I didn’t miss the smile.
“Let’s make it lunch. All you young people will need to sleep in after the reception. Which reminds me, Wilson, would you be a gentleman and give my Atlee a ride home after the party? Those Uber things can be dangerous.”
There was nothing gentlemanly about what I’d done with Atlee. That was if you didn’t consider making sure she took her pleasure before I’d taken mine.
“Gram, I’m going home with you.”
“Nonsense. I won’t make it to the cake cutting. River will drive me home early. You’ll stay and have fun.” Then without missing a beat Mrs. Simpson informed me of something I was very aware of. “She’s staying at the resort.”
“I thought I was—”
“My guest room isn’t as comfortable as the resort. And besides, you said that last night was perfect.”
“I said the room was perfect,” Atlee rushed to amend.
The room was nice, the mirrored wall behind the bed a bonus, but it wasn’t the room that had made last night perfect.
Without my confirmation Mrs. Simpson announced, “Wilson will take you home.”
Before I could come up with a plausible excuse as to why I wouldn’t be taking the very tempting Atlee home the waitress was there to take our orders.
“What just happened?” Asher leaned closer to quietly ask.
My worst nightmare was what just happened.
In all of the years I’d been working with my team I’d been careful never to mix business with pleasure. None of the men I worked with had ever seen me with a woman nor had they clapped eyes on a woman I’d spent time with.
This was by design.
My private life was just that—private.
Until Atlee.
I had a feeling this wasn’t going to end well.
FOUR
I paced my room wondering how everything had spiraled out of control so quickly. Since my grandmother had rescinded her invitation to stay with her while I was visiting, I was back at the resort. What I’d planned on being a quick stop to pick up the dress I’d left hanging in the closet during my hasty escape this morning turned into me checking back into the room I’d stayed in last night. Thankfully housekeeping had already cleaned the room, removing last night’s bedsheets.
I should call down to the lobby and tell them to double wash them in extra hot water. God knows we’d worked up a sweat—multiple times in those linens.
Stop.
