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The front door of the bookshop opens and the manager I hired for her steps out. “Ms. Bright?”
“Yes?” Isabelle’s voice sounds dazed.
“I’ve been expecting you.” The older woman gives her a warm smile. She is the most experienced bookstore manager I could find in the entire country, and I gave her a generous signing bonus to make this happen as quickly as it did. “Would you like to come inside?”
“What is this?” Isabelle asks. Not to me. I’m just the beast who can’t keep his hands off her, his cock out of her. She asks the question of the manager.
“This is your bookstore, miss. We’re so glad you could finally come and see it. Your generous seed investment has allowed us to do some wonderful things. Shall we start with the discovery wall?”
“The what inves?—?”
I clear my throat. “Ms. Bright, may I have a moment?”
She turns her head and frowns at me. “No.” Then she twists back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
“Penny Thatcher, miss.”
“Ms. Thatcher, so lovely to meet you. Please show me the discovery wall. It sounds delightful.”
Penny leads her inside, and I count to ten before following.
No matter what happens inside, I’m going to keep my hands to myself. I have to. My entire future with Isabelle is riding it.
Chapter 13
Isabelle
This is so much worsethan simply being rejected. I’m being bought off.
With a bookstore.
Granted, if there is anything that could make me ignore the fact that I’m not for sale, it’s a bookstore.
But I am not for sale. My body is not for sale. Mybabyis not for?—
“Ahead on the right is the discovery wall,” Penny says, dragging my attention back to the present.
The front half of the store has normal height ceilings. But in the middle of the building there is an open staircase to the second floor, and as we move past that, the store opens up, the ceiling vaulting extra tall.
And along the wall on the right is a long set of bookcases, with ladders attached to a rail three-quarters of the way up the wall.
It’s Belle’s library from Beauty and the Beast. It’s my profile picture on social media. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted…and Mack is giving it to me instead of giving me himself.
I hate it.
Penny doesn’t notice. She describes the function of the wall, books not only having staff recommendation notes stuck to them, but also telling customers where else in the bookstore to find more books just like that.
Grudgingly, I have to admit that’s a very good idea.
She beams.
The front door opens and a bell jingles. “Welcome to Bright Books,” Penny calls out in chorus with a clerk working at the front.
But the customer is only Mack, looking big and fierce, like a wolf.
Or like the Beast.
“Could I have a minute alone with Mr. Emerson, please?” I give Penny a polite smile.
