AllFreeNovel
Share Us
THE HOTEL MANAGER
What kind of hotel doesn’t have a name?
Everything about this place is off.
The odd location. The weird staff. The elite clientele.
All I’m certain of is that I have to get out of here.
Until I meet him.
The hotel manager.
Mason Grant is not what I expected.
He is grumpy, impatient, and never ever leaves the hotel.
It’s clear from the look in his eyes that he hates me.
Beautiful, raw, demanding. I’m drawn to him like a helpless moth to an all-consuming flame.
TEAGAN
I’m goingto pee my pants. Any moment now, I’m going to feel these too-tight black slacks getting warm and wet, and the pungent smell of urine is going to fill the car.
“Are you okay?” my brother whispers from beside me. I can barely hear him over my heart rapidly slamming against my rib cage.
Tilting my head to look into his muddy-brown eyes, I catch the same nervous anxiety I’m feeling reflected back at me. I know Jase didn’t mean to rope me into this. He’s tried everything to keep me away from the mess he created, but the loan shark he borrowed money from didn’t care. They needed an innocent-looking woman without a criminal history for this job, and unfortunately, I fit that bill.
“I’m fine.”
I’m not fine.
Not even close, but I owe him this.
Yes, he fucked up royally. Nevertheless, he is my brother, the only family I have left, and the reason I didn’t end up in foster care when our parents died ten years ago.
“If you would worry about paying back your debt as much as you worry about her, you wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.” The driver chuckles from the front seat.
Jase runs his hand nervously through his unruly brown hair, and I wish this day would be over already. I hate being in this situation, but seeing Jase like this is the worst part.
“Shut up, Dave,” the guy in the passenger seat warns, “the girl looks like she is about to pass out, and we need her to get in there and do what the boss asks her to do or else...” He glances over his shoulder to scan my face. His dark, slightly unhinged look makes my skin crawl.
“I’ll get it done.” I keep my voice even, trying to convince everyone, including myself, that I can actually do this. “Like you said, he’s not dangerous, right?” He’s a hotel manager, after all. How dangerous can a man with that job be?
“Not to you.” He nods and digs something out of his pocket. “Remember what we told you. All you have to do is pin this to his clothes.”
“Got it.” I nod and hold out my hand. He drops the tiny device in my palm before turning to face the road once more.
“We’ll be out here waiting for you,” Jase assures me, as if him being out here while I’m in there will make me feel better. What’s he going to do from the car?
“Time to go. Grant hates when someone makes him wait.” The driver whispers something under his breath that sounds a whole lot like, “Grant hates everyone and everything.”
Choosing to ignore that comment, I climb out of the car and shove the device in my pocket.
An image of a pudgy, middle-aged man with a mustache rapping his index finger on his Rolex pops into my head. I don’t know why this is how I imagine this hotel manager to look, but I do.
I give Jase a tiny reassuring smile through the window before heading for the lobby of the hotel. I didn’t even know it was a hotel. It kind of just blends in with the rest. There is no sign anywhere, no valet either. From the outside, the building is pristine but gives no indication that it’s a place to rent a room.
