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Once I’m done taking it all in, while Chris waits patiently behind me, I turn to the right and there are indeed two doors to our rooms. I wave shyly at Chris before heading into my room where a king-size canopy bed awaits me. There’s a TV in here, too, but it isn’t as large as the one in the first room.
I find my suitcase by the door, silently thanking the attendant who brought our luggage up. I hurl it onto the bed and pick out the things I need to use in the bathroom. Then, I open the bathroom door.
Somehow, it’s even more sophisticated than the other rooms. I bet that the extra wide claw-foot tub can easily take two or more people. I draw myself a bath in that tub then dip myself into the clean, scented and foamy water with a sigh and marvel at the immediate loosening of the knots in my body. I almost want to tell Chris to have our dinner brought up just so I can spend more time in the bath, but I don’t. Instead, I make a promise to myself to spend more time in the tub when we return from the restaurant.
I exit the tub and return to the bedroom to get dressed. I pick out a nice, yellow halter neck dress that stops above my knees and pair it with the pair of nude designer slippers that Ava got me for my birthday last year. I pack my hair to the side and hold the strands together with a hairpin.
My self-consciousness at accompanying a man like Christopher Young to dinner kicks in, so I apply a bit of makeup on my already smooth face. It’s not something I do often or at all in fact, but it has already been established that when it comes to Chris, all of my sense of reasoning is thrown out of the window.
A few seconds later, there’s a knock on my door and I open it to see Chris dressed in a suit, as usual, and looking as handsome as ever. His eyes roam my body, taking it all in inch by inch until they return to my face.
It’s subtle, but I can see anger simmering beneath his eyes and I wonder what put it there. “You look beautiful.” It’s meant to be a compliment, but the way he says it throws me off. It’s like me looking beautiful annoys him. I don’t think I’ve ever met a man as confusing as Christopher Young.
“Thank you,” I reply anyway, because I don’t think I have it in me to decipher his odd behavior.
“This way,” he waves towards the door and I go ahead of him.
We head into the elevator and it’s just as intense for me as the ride from earlier. When we arrive at our destination, I can breathe again, but that doesn’t last very long because Chris’ hand comes to rest gently on my waist.
The feel of his hand behind my back causes me to stumble in my steps, but he quickly steadies me. I’m pretty sure my cheeks are bright red by now and it suddenly feels too hot in this well-ventilated room.
We are led to our seats by one of the well-dressed waiters and as much as Chris’ hand on my body makes me nervous, I miss it as soon as it’s gone. We sit down opposite each other and Chris proceeds to order our food, while I take in my surroundings. I can feel many eyes on Chris and I, especially from the ladies and I’m ninety-nine percent sure that they’re wondering what a man like him is doing with a girl like me. I probably look like a spoiled, gold-digger to them. Refusing to let their judgmental gazes affect me, I return my attention to the man before me, smiling up at him before digging into my food.
We are barely five minutes into eating before we are approached by a couple who both look about the same age as Chris. However, it’s clear that Chris takes good care of his body, because compared to them, he’s more fit and agile.
“Christopher Young,” the man booms. “Fancy seeing you here.” His smile widens when Chris raises his head up at him.
“Thomas.” Chris stands to his feet and extends his hand to the man in a handshake.
Thomas takes his hand and looks to the woman beside him whose eyes convey a deep sense of boredom. “You remember my wife, Lyssa?”
“Of course,” Chris nods. “Lovely to meet you, Mrs. Knight.”
The moment Chris acknowledges her, the boredom in her cunning dark eyes immediately fades and she lights up, scanning him with clear interest. “Oh, the pleasure is mine, Mr. Young.” She practically drools all over him, no regard for her husband whatsoever.
Jealousy rears its ugly head within me and I glare daggers at the hand she has wrapped around Chris’. I rise to my feet with a tight smile, staring expectantly at Chris who immediately withdraws his hand from Lyssa Knight’s tight grip.
His arm comes back around my waist and I want to shout a loud “Ha” in Mrs. Knight’s face. “Please, pardon my manners. This is Charlie Wilson.”
That’s all he says. He doesn’t explain who I am to him and they don’t ask either. But that isn’t what shocks me. Rather, it’s the fact that he introduced me as Charlie when he has only ever called me Charlotte since we met.
It occurs to me that either it was an honest mistake or Chris wants to be the only one that calls me Charlotte. The latter fills my belly with a sense of happiness that I can’t quite explain.
“Lovely to meet you, Miss Wilson,” Thomas Knight says, but I don’t like his beady eyes on me. However, he keeps them fixated on me even as he addresses Chris. “You’ve got yourself a gorgeous one here, Young.” He licks his lips much to my disgust.
I feel Chris’ hand tighten against my waist and I stick to his side, the only place I feel safe from Thomas’ creepy stare. I don’t respond to Thomas’ observation and neither does Chris. I just want the couple gone, but the universe doesn’t grant my wish. Thomas insists on joining us at our table and despite feeling Chris stiffen beside me, he doesn’t refuse them and the Knights end up joining us.
Lyssa Knight sits right beside me, but her eyes are glued on Chris, shamelessly and openly staring at him while her husband does the same to me. All three of them talk about Hawaii’s economy, comparing it to New York’s. It is a conversation I find extremely boring so rather than join them, I just continue to eat my food. I nod absentmindedly on occasion while Chris glances at me several times to ensure that I’m okay.
When I can no longer stand Thomas’ gaze on me, I excuse myself and head to the restaurant’s bathroom. There, I wash my hands and stare into the mirror for several minutes, wondering if it would be considered rude to leave them at the table and head back to the suite.
Sighing when I realize I’ve taken too much time in the bathroom and I have to go back out there, I brush my hair out of my face and grab the door handle. I open the door and gasp when I see the person standing a few feet away from me.
“Mr. Knight…” I trail off as all the alarm bells in my head go off.
He smirks, licking his lips as those eyes of his roam the entirety of my body. “I couldn’t get my mind off you for the entire time that you were gone,” he says grinning.
I step to the side in an attempt to get away from this hallway and far away from him while still keeping my eyes on him for any sudden movements. “I should get back out there; I’m sure Chris is wondering what is holding me up.” It’s a subtle threat to remind him that Chris is just a few feet away from us, one that I hope works.
