Page 44 of Perfume Girl
Cheeky bastard.
Breathless, I caught up with him. “Why are you doing this?”
“Ordering a drink?”
“This is highly inappropriate.”
“I’m rather fond of this place.” He accepted the shot glass from the barman. “A rum for the lady, too, please.” He turned his gaze on me. “Looks like you need it.”
“You’ve lost your mind.”
“And yet you’re the stowaway.” He raised his drink to look at it. “I’m tempted to leave you here.”
The bartender slid my drink over to me and I threw it back, tasting caramel and brown sugar. I made an O with my mouth to cool the burn of rum.
“Do you treat all your employees like this, Mr. Beauregard?”
“Just you.” He threw his drink back and clenched his teeth as though it had scorched his throat. “Another.” He slammed down his glass and slid it toward the barman.
“I’m the honest one here,” I said, seething. “You’re the one who needs to take a long hard look at yourself.”
“I’m done playing games, Raquel. Why were you snooping around Arabella’s office?”
“I was looking for a pen.”
“Seriously?”
I made a rude noise. “You smuggled me into a foreign country. I don’t have to wonder anymore what kind of man you are.”
He lifted another shot of rum and held it in front of my face. “Drink.”
“I’m not drinking anything else.”
“Finish it. Then I’ll take you home.”
I took the glass and held his stare, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth.
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
I threw it back.
“First, we talk.” He threw pesos on the bar and then grabbed my wrist, leading me back down the hallway.
We stopped at an elevator. He punched the UP button.
I glared at him. “Where are we going?”
The elevator doors slid open and Astor stepped inside. I had no choice but to follow. He leaned back casually against the wall, looking hot as hell with his windswept hair and casually open shirt.
A rush of warmth and lightheadedness hit me—the rum was making me heady.
I was going to turn this situation around and have Astor confessing what he’d done. We got off the elevator and hurried along a red carpeted hallway. He suddenly stopped at one of the doors and with a wave of his keycard, it unlocked with a click.
“How come you have that?” I pointed to the key.
Then I remembered the concierge had handed him something.
