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“I’m the one that needs to apologize. Again, the fault belongs to my cousin who has had more than enough to drink.” The man stared at her intently with his piercing blue eyes as he had when she first awoke. Clara lifted her head and studied him clearly for the first time. A light of recognition brightened his eyes, “You saved me at the airport. I meant to thank you properly, but treated you like an arse. I had misplaced my wallet and my security team thought it would be funny to watch me struggle. I was in a right state and?… you don’t need to hear about my struggles.”
Clara closed her eyes and rolled her shoulders. “I like hearing you speak. Your voice is very soothing. Did I just say that?” Clara was not fully in control of her own mind as she slowly tried to process the blue-eyed, sandy-haired, tall vision in front of her. He looked even more handsome without his overcoat and suit jacket, in just his white dress shirt and tie. He had a broad chest and muscular arms. Yet, it was the slightly messy hair and glasses that really drew Clara in.How did I ever think he was boring?
The gentleman in front of her frowned. His hand gently released the napkin pressed against her forehead, and she saw the flow of blood had stilled, but in taking inventory of her body, noted her sandal had come off her foot. A blotch of purple and green marked where the drunk man had stepped on her foot. Clara looked down at her most valuable assets, her feet, in dismay.Well, that definitely doesn’t look too good.
“You shouldn’t bruise so quickly. It’s a good thing Evans has been called.” The man turned to one of the suits behind him and asked, “George, has Evans indicated he’s on his way? This beautiful young lady and my cousin both will need to be seen as soon as possible.”
Turning to Clara, he asked, “Are you staying here?”
Clara was slow on the uptake. “I’m not sure yet. What did I do to your shoes… oh no…”
The man glanced down at the mess of vomit on the shoes and shrugged. “Don’t worry about the shoes. They can be salvaged. More importantly, you need medical attention. How about we take you up to your room to lie down for a bit?” the soft-spoken voice asked again, clearly amused and worried at the same time. This was the voice she remembered dreaming about.
“I never take men back to my room right after meeting them.” Clara winced at the way that came out.I’m officially done for today. All I want is food and my bed.Clara was offered, and gratefully took, a strong, soothing cup of tea. “I promise I’m not usually this much of a mess. I need to eat something light. It’s been hours. Do you think you can work some magic and maybe procure a crumpet? I’ve heard those are good.”
The navy-suited man laughed. The humor reached his eyes and shone brightly, making him appear much younger. Perhaps it was all of the stress from work that made him so uptight.
“I’m sure that can be arranged. You can’t just have a crumpet. You need to have a few other proper items to go with the crumpet. You know, I never got your name, Miss…”
“No more miss. My name is Clara Little.”
“Clara, nice to meet you. I’m David Leeds.” David extended his hand to Clara and they shook. Clara experienced a moment of pure bliss she felt in his presence. They stared into each other’s eyes a moment longer before being interrupted by a flustered, young clerk who approached the party. He hunched, making his body appear smaller than normal. He kept his head down and mumbled something, making him difficult to understand.
“Sir, I’m sorry to bother you,” one of David’s suited men said. “This gent insisted he had an important message for the young lady here. I’ve also been handed this plate of tea goodies for you two.”
“Go ahead,” David took the plate from the suited man’s hands and pushed it in front of Clara. “What did you need to pass along to Miss Little?” David asked. His tone made it clear the clerk should make his business known and to the point. David appeared taller. His chest stuck out more as he crossed his arms.
“Ms. Little, I’ve been looking for you. You shouldn’t be in here. This area was reserved for our VIP clients…” The clerk trailed off and mopped his brow. He attempted to get his words out.
“Annunciate, man, and speak up. We can’t clearly understand a word you are saying.” David moved in front of Clara as if protecting her from the clerk. “Never mind the Private Party nonsense. Get on with it, man,” David snapped.
David almost looked like a fierce lion. He was right. The clerk certainly wasn’t easy to understand. Clara wished he would just speak up.
David must be important if he had his own security detail. Wait a moment, was he the VVIP from the plane? Was he royalty?
The clerk winced in response and took a step back. He stuttered and struggled to get the words out at first. “Please accept my apologies for taking so much time. There appears to have been a computer glitch, Ms. Little. Your reservation was never actually cancelled. The room was left unoccupied and vacant yesterday. As the reservation was never checked in, the room was given away. I want you to know that I’ve spoken to my colleague over at our sister property in Kensington. We are able to accommodate you there.”
Clara visibly deflated and sunk into the back of the chair.There goes my dream for a nap.She remained silent in contemplation. Her thoughts were becoming more cohesive as she finished her desired crumpet and tea sandwiches.I really needed the food.Clara closed her eyes to try and clear her mind and recall what she was forgetting after the incident with the drunk man.
David frowned at the clerk. “Thank you for informing Ms. Little. She will, however, not be requiring your services during her stay in London and will be taken care of by my family after today’s incident. If you could have Stephen inform Myles what the bill for our entertainment was, including the collateral damage, he will go ahead and settle my account.”
Clara’s morning rushed back into her mind. The showcase! The cancelled room! How could she forget? The dull throb of her foot brought her back to reality. She needed to be at the Royal Opera House by 3:00 p.m. Forget the fight for a room. She’d take what she could get. She needed to get going.Come on, Clara. You got this! Focus!Clara breathed in and out.“Thank you very much, but that is unnecessary, David.” She swayed as she tried to stand. A gentle hand on her shoulder kept her in place. “I don’t know you, and I really wouldn’t feel comfortable accepting assistance from a stranger I just met.” Turning toward the shocked-looking clerk, she continued, “I have no problem staying at your sister property. Just direct me to a taxi.”
David’s eyes crinkled as if he was in the midst of a joke. “I assure you, there are no strings attached. You assisted me at the airport, and I was rather rude when it came to my manners. This is a small way for me to repay your kindness and make up for my cousin’s mess. If you are worried about being with a stranger, my staff is more than capable of vouching for me. We are acquainted, if that is what you are concerned about. We met in Los Angeles. I am not a stranger.”
Clara’s heart told her to shut up and accept the offer, yet her brain said to be cautious. Is this what millionaires did? He did seem genuinely willing to help her and not just throw money at the problem. Shewasin a tight situation.Clara, you have principles. Is your stubborn side going to win?Internally, she weighed the pros and cons. “Look, I really appreciate the offer, but all I did was buy you a coffee and some other random snacks. You owe me nothing.”
“That is precisely why I want to assist you. I also want to ask you to dinner, but I have never taken advantage of a lady when she’s been injured.”
Clara bit her lip. “I’m not sure what to say. I do want to get to know you a little better, but this is so new for me. I’ve never been asked out by a handsome stranger before. It’s always been people I work with. I mean, I usually get to know the person and see what their personality is like before I give them an answer. I don’t really know anything about you other than your name and that you appear to be a workaholic. Can you promise me that if I agree to have dinner with you, the phone will stay behind?” she asked.
“I understand, perfectly. I can promise the phone would stay with my security team. I’ve never asked a young woman out on the spot before without having her vetted. We’ll consider this a non-date. It can be a dinner among two friends,” David insisted. David ran his hand through his hair and stared down at his shoes.
Clara enjoyed having him squirm and wait for a response. Just what had he meant when he said,having her vetted?Did he do background checks on women he was interested in because he was worried about them taking his money?Clara answered,“When you put it like that, dinner sounds lovely. Just not tonight. I’m expected elsewhere. You should know I’m not impressed with anything flashy. Speaking of getting going, I need to go.” Clara’s voice stuttered when she realized it was 1:00 p.m. Her breathing quickened.
David smiled. “I’ll take that raincheck.”
3
