14. Emerson

Igot out of my car and smoothed a hand over my tie. It was black satin, with the same luster as Roland's eyes. I'd actually showered this morning, which was a step up from yesterday. Halfway down the street to the hotel, I was shocked to find myself whistling. And I was even more pleased when Sandy actually stepped forward and held the door open for me.

Roland was back at work, and all was forgiven with the staff.

I probably shouldn't have been so happy that Roland was back. It put him right where Eva would notice him, but it soothed me to know I could keep an eye on him this way. I was fully aware how selfish I was being, but I couldn't seem to stay away from him, not even for a full week. Even though he wasn't technically mine, he was still my responsibility, and I took that job very seriously. I had made it my goal to keep him safe no matter the cost—in this case, rearranging the staff schedule. Even if he hadn't demanded to be put on day shift, I would've done it anyway. I had zero chance of sleeping at night knowing he was at work and unprotected. I really wished I had the budget to add security to the payroll to watch those cameras. For now, this would have to do.

Roland hadn't started work yet, but I stopped by the desk to say good morning to Mercy. She nodded wordlessly in reply.

I looked around the lobby. Although it would be quiet until after breakfast, Mercy shouldn't have been by herself. "Emily didn't leave already, did she?" I knew she wouldn't be happy about being put back on the night shift, but she hadn't said a word to me in complaint.

Mercy's brow furrowed, and she nibbled on her bottom lip, her eyes skittering away. "No," she said softly, refusing to meet my gaze. Why did it feel like she was lying?

"Mercy?" I drawled, stepping to the left to catch her eye. "Where's Emily?"

She hummed and looked back the other way. "Um, on break?"

"For the last 15 minutes of her shift?"

Mercy shrugged. While she may have been a horrible liar, she was loyal to a fault. I would just have to track down Emily on my own.

This felt like déjà vu. The laundry was quiet, housekeeping empty, and sure enough, when I approached the kitchen, there was a buzz of voices.

I approached slowly, trying to catch what was being said. I immediately recognized Roland's voice, and it set my body on fire. "…to spread the word. Call around to see who's on board and get back to me right away. We have to move fast. We don't have much time."

My breath caught. What was he talking about? I shoved through the door, determined to demand answers, and every person in the room turned to look at me. Caught in the act of something, obviously… but what?

Why did it feel like they were having a staff meeting without me? Wasn't I the boss?! Oh gods, I couldn't believe this was happening again. Roland was back; what more did they want? What worried me more was that Roland seemed to be the leader of this little meeting. What the hell was he trying to do?

"Am I interrupting something?" I asked suspiciously, trying to act casual.

"Nope, not a thing," Roland said without missing a beat. "I was just grabbing a cup of coffee before work."

"Uh, me too," Patrick said before sidling past me out the door.

"Yeah, what they said," Emily agreed, lying smoothly, "except at the end of my shift. Have a good day, everybody. I'm off to bed." She waved over her shoulder on her way out.

The kitchen staff all turned their backs on me and started getting breakfast prep started as if nothing had happened, and the employees who didn't belong in the kitchen scattered like the roaches in my apartment when I turned on the light. Roland tried to walk past me, his scent overwhelming my senses and clouding my judgment.

Before I could stop myself, I snapped a hand out and grabbed Roland's arm. "What the hell are you up to, Roland?" I hissed.

He rounded on me, his eyes like fire as he ripped his arm out of my grip. "No touching, remember? You wouldn't want me to quit again, would you?"

"No, no!" I sighed, closing my eyes and forcing myself to calm down. "It's just… whatever it is you think you're doing, you have to stop. Please."

He shifted awkwardly. "I don't know what you're talking about. We were just having coffee and—"

"Roland," I hissed sharply. "Cut the bullshit." I was far too aware of all the eyes on us right now. The entire staff seemed to think they had a right to butt into our lives. Instead of dragging Roland out of the kitchen like I so very badly wanted to, I simply nodded toward the door with my chin. He followed me warily out into the hallway.

As soon as the door swung closed behind us, he took a step back to put some distance between us. "What do you want, Emerson? This had better be work related. I said we should never be alone together."

"I know, and I'm sorry. Making you uncomfortable is the last thing I want. It's just…" I blew out a long breath. I could feel a headache coming on—there would probably be plenty more in my future. "I've done everything I could to protect what's mine… I mean, the hotel, of course," I said, my words stilted. "But there are outside factors at play… dangerous factors. It would be best for everyone if you stayed out of it. Do you understand?" I would never tell him the full story, but he had to get it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to him. "Please, Roland."

The angry mask he'd been wearing slipped a little, and he took just one step closer, a softness sneaking into his voice. "I know you truly believe that, but you're wrong."

As he spun and walked away from me, I was desperate for him to stay, for even one more minute in his presence. "Roland?" I called. When he looked back at me, I said, "Thank you for coming back to work. I was pretty sure the staff were about to come after me with torches and pitchforks if you didn't."

He huffed a little laugh. "I'm sure that's not true."

"Oh, it is," I assured him. "Painfully true. I still don't trust the staff at Crave not to spit in my coffee."

He smiled and nodded, before turning and heading back to work. It seemed we had called a temporary truce. Even then, I had an awful feeling percolating in my gut. If he didn't leave things alone, he would end up getting himself killed.

It felt like my whole world was crumbling around me. I'd come so close to losing everything, including my freedom—but at least I didn't have to lose the hotel, right? I would marry Eva, and she would own half of everything, but the doors would stay open. Roland was destined to remain out of reach forever, but at least I could see him. Maybe one day we could even be friends. It would be no more torturous than every day since I first hired him, right? …Ignoring the fact that I could remember in vivid detail what it felt like to be buried inside him. He was ingrained on my very soul.

Fuck, I was so wrecked.

Roland disappeared into the staff room, presumably to grab his work blazer from his locker. I hated having him out of my sight even for that short period of time, but I couldn't allow myself to become a stalker. I was being unreasonable. There was obviously no threat in there. He was fine, safe.

Going against my instinctive alpha protectiveness to head toward my office, instead of standing outside the room and waiting for him, was like dragging my feet through wet cement. It certainly didn't help matters when I emerged in the lobby to see Eva through the plate-glass windows, strolling toward the hotel. For a brief second, I thought Sandy would let her open the door herself, but at the last moment, they did their job, but it was done grudgingly and without a smile.

Wow. For someone as personable and charming as the mayor, she really did seem to be making enemies here at the hotel.

Eva was wearing a slim pantsuit today, her billowing coat long enough that it could be concealing anything—even a weapon. It was hard to imagine someone so poised being that level of dangerous, but appearances could be deceiving. Like a fuzzy slow loris, all cuddly cute but lethally toxic.

I reminded myself to tread lightly, even as my temper reared its head. "What do you want?" I snapped under my breath as she approached me.

"Now, now, is that any way to greet your future wife?" she said, her voice laced with saccharine poison. She leaned in, her perfume cloying, and I held my breath to keep from suffocating on it. I locked my body down so I didn't cringe away as she kissed me on the cheek. "Whoops," she tittered, wiping the lipstick off my face. "Wouldn't want people to get the wrong impression, now, would we? They might think we've been up to something naughty."

I was quite certain that she was in constant control of the impression she wanted to make. It was like a game of chess, and she was always one step ahead of me.

She was too close to me, but if I backed away, I felt like I would be showing weakness. Forcing my words through gritted teeth, I repeated, "What do you want, Eva?"

She pretended to pout at my gruff attitude. "I was just in the neighborhood for a meeting early this morning and afterward wanted to stop by to see if you'd had a chance to look over the paperwork yet." She walked her fingers up my tie, and it made my skin crawl to have her touching me. Before she could reach my neck, I grabbed her by the wrist and forcibly removed her hand from my body.

"Nope," I said, popping the P with satisfaction, hoping to needle at her in any way I could. "I'm afraid you've wasted your time. And just so you don't feel the need to come back all this way again for nothing, my lawyer won't get the chance to go over it until Monday."

She sighed dramatically, seemingly unperturbed. "Oh well, that's too bad. Good thing I came by with some binders for wedding planning instead. Hope you're not busy, we have a lot to discuss. Color palettes and theme, flower arrangements, decorations, the guest list. Oh, and ring designs—I'm thinking a matching his-and-hers set. What do you think?"

I actually snarled, which only seemed to amuse her further. She didn't actually care about the wedding except for the outward appearance of it. And while hiring a wedding planner to take care of the whole damn thing was more her style, Eva was using this opportunity to make herself a nuisance until I gave her what she wanted.

Well, two could play at that game. I wrestled my mouth into a semblance of a smile. "Sure thing, dear. I have nothing but time for you. Let's talk flowers. You'd better cancel all your appointments; I could do this all day."

She narrowed her eyes. If she thought I would give in so easily to avoid spending time in her presence, then she had severely underestimated me. It would be good practice for the lifetime I would have to spend at her side.

Movement from behind me caught her eye, and as she glanced over, her expression shifted to triumph. I looked over my shoulder to see what had caught her interest, and my insides turned to ice. Roland was about to start his shift.

I could sense her intention even before her eyes flicked back to mine briefly, mischief and malintent gleaming. She started to walk in his direction. "Mr. Stohl, so good to see you again," she purred.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him stiffen, his breath catching. It was a prey instinct. Maybe he'd sensed enough to know she was more dangerous than she first seemed.

Before she could get to the desk, I darted between them, making myself a physical barrier. It was exactly what she'd expected me to do. "That's enough," I muttered under my breath.

"Oh, I'm just getting started." Her full, painted lips widened, her canines flashing in a predatory grin. "So, about that paperwork…"

She knew exactly which of my strings to pull to get what she wanted. "Fine. Let's step into my office."

I had stalled all I could. My time was officially up. I had no choice but to sign.