When she notices I’m in nothing but a towel, she stops walking. Her eyes go to my face, then drop to my chest, before coming back up. Drops of water fall from my hair and run down my body. The whole sequence takes about three seconds, which is just long enough for me to notice. Her lips part, and her grip tightens on the tray before she sets the food and coffee down on the desk beside the balcony doors.
“Do you need privacy? To get dressed?” she asks, not glancing in my direction.
“No.” I move closer, picking up the steaming mug, blowing across the top.
“Have it your way.” She turns her back to me, then goes to the bed to strip it.
“Is there something more you wanted to say?” I ask, reading her like a book.
“No thanks.” She strips the pillowcases.
“You’re lying.”
Wendy looks over at me. “If I speak freely, you’ll be offended, and I can’t have that.”
She yanks the fitted sheet off the mattress and tosses everything onthe floor before grabbing the new one. At one point, she tucks it so hard that the fabric snaps. She’s annoyed.
I take a bite of toast. “You believe I’m easily offended.”
“I’ve met your type.” She smooths the fabric down with a speed that tells me she’s done this a thousand times.
My type.She said it like she already sorted me into a box, filed it away, and sealed it shut.
I want to ask questions, but I don’t. Can’t stand this awkward phase of getting to know someone.
She reaches for the flat sheet and spreads it across the far side. As she bends over to tuck the far corner, her polo rides up her back. A strip of tan skin is on full display. When I realize I’m staring, I force myself to stop.
I’ve sat across from models at charity galas and heiresses at fundraisers, and each of them had me running for the hills. Not Wendy. She doesn’t give a shit about me, which only intrigues me further.
“I’d like a fresh comforter as well,” I say, not quite wanting her to go yet.
She pauses, brushing loose strands of dark hair from her face. “Daily?”
“Yes. And since you’re taking requests, I’d like a rug for the bathroom.”
Wendy blinks at me a few times, her eyes zeroed in on mine. Her jaw clenches tight, and I think she might lose her shit. “Anything else?”
“A bottle of tequila and chocolate.”
She tilts her head. “I’m not your personal shopper, Mr. Banks.”
“No problem. I’ll contact Gale, and I’m sure she’ll take care of it for me. She did say if I neededanythingat all to ring her.”
Wendy grits her teeth harder. “Fine.”
I move to the dresser, grab my wallet, and pull out five hundred dollars.
She blinks down, taking a hundred and handing the other four bills back. “You’re so out of touch.”
I narrow my eyes, not taking the money. “Excuse me? I want the best of everything. Grab the most expensive bottle of tequila they have.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive,” I say.
“Okay. I’ll be right back with a new comforter.” She’s direct and straight to the point.
When she’s gone, I drag my hand over my face.Get it together.
