Page 13 of With a Broken Wing
“Thank you again for being early. Again, I’m really sorry for the inconvenience.”
The man gave me a courteous nod before he shook my hand. “It really is no problem, ma’am. I’m happy to help, especially someone aslovelyas you.”
“I appreciate that,” I said with a half curtsey, hoping my cheeks wouldn’t flush in response. They always betrayed me, turning a bright pink any time someone complimented me. Demetri raised his eyebrow as I spoke to the driver, and when I reached into my bag and pulled out my wallet, he quickly closed the distance between us.
He leaned in, close enough that only I could hear his whisper. “What the hell are you doing, Andy?”
“What do you mean? I’m tipping him.” I cocked my hip to the side, resting my free hand on it and waving my wallet in front of him like it was an obvious answer.
“You don’t need totiphim. He will send a very expensive invoice to corporate, and he will charge a nice fee for waiting.Iwill payandtip him handsomely. Put. Your wallet.Away.”
The driver laughed and grabbed my bag from my feet, but I didn’t turn my glare away from Demetri. Defiance made me want to pull the cash from my wallet and give it to the driver anyways, but the look in Demetri’s eyes told me to put it away before he made me. Frustration flooded through me, and I rolled my eyes, shoving my wallet back in my bag and stalking over to the back door.
I opened the door and climbed in, aware of the cold stare in my direction. He probably thought I was pouting like a petulant child, and as I slammed the door shut behind me, I realized he wasn’t far off. Really, I just hated being told what to do. If I’d wanted to tip the driver, I should have had the right to do so, no matter how much my rich asshole boss would pay him later.
The ride to the hotel was spent in an uncomfortable silence. It took all of my control to avoid Demetri’s scrutinizing stare. With the way the seats faced each other, if I didn’t look at him, I was staring at Shelby, who looked like she wanted to open the door and shove me out on the road. Instead, I stared at where my hands were clasped in my lap.
When we pulled up and all folded out of the car, Scott dramatically spread his arms to the side. He groaned as he stretched, and Shelby and Erin both rolled their eyes. As they stood in front of the hotel, probably enjoying the fresh, tension-free air, I hurried inside in hopes of getting us checked into our rooms before I had an audience, but when I stepped up to the counter, Demetri was close behind.
“Excuse me,” I said, causing the man bent down behind the counter to jump. I tried not to chuckle at the fearful look on his face.
He cleared his throat and straightened his tie. “I apologize, miss. What can I do for you?”
“I have five rooms booked under Carlisle Managements. My name is Andy Johannson.”
The nervous look on his face made my stomach churn. “I’m very sorry, but we have a full house. There are no remaining open rooms.”
Next to me, Demetri growled. I stammered, “There is surely a mistake. I confirmed this reservation not only once, but twice. Most recently, two days ago.”
As he tried and failed to find any history of my reservation in the system, I could feel Demetri’s frustration growing next to me. The familiar fear of being chastised rushed over me, and a nervous cramp twinged in my stomach. He clenched his fist at his side, and a rush of panic made my heartbeat quicken.
“Look,” I said sweetly, looking pointedly at the man’s nametag. “Joseph, I know this isn’t your fault, but we are going to need the rooms we were told were reserved for us. Surely you can help us out?” I ran my tongue along my bottom lip, and when he flicked his eyes away from my gaze, I bit down on it and then pulled it into my mouth.
His mouth fell open, but he quickly regained his composure, clearing his throat. “Ms. Johannson…”
“Andy, please.”
“Andy… I don’t know what happened with your reservation or who you confirmed it with, but I don’t have—”
“Okay, this is getting ridiculous.” I leaned forward, smacking my hand against the counter and intentionally avoiding Demetri’s gaze. “You don’t have any idea who you’refuckingwith, do you? This is how this is going to go. You’re going to realize you’ve made a mistake and get me five rooms. And if not? You’re going to go get your boss sohewill, because if you don’t,myboss is going to make usallregret it.” My voice was harsh, the way my mother’s sounded when she was angry with me, and I resisted the urge to shiver when Demetri stiffened. I didn’t want to lose my confidence. I couldn’t risk messing this up.
Joseph stood silent, bouncing his gaze between me and the angry man next to me. “Are we on the same page?” I patted my hand twice against the counter, lighter this time, bringing him out of his stupor. Next to me, Demetri lifted an eyebrow, and when he cleared his throat, Joseph scrambled to stand up straight.
“I’ll see if he’s available.”
As he wandered away, I let out a heavy sigh and dropped my head against my hands on the counter. When I stood back up, not only was Demetri staring at me, but so was the rest of the team. Scott’s face was lustful, and Erin looked almost impressed, one of her eyebrows raised.
“Whoareyou?” Scott asked, and I couldn’t resist a giggle or ignore the way Demetri narrowed his eyes at him.
Before I could open my mouth to respond, Joseph returned with an older man, probably in his 60s. He stepped up to the counter, and when I saw he was holding keys in his hand, a feeling of premature success warmed my chest.
“I sincerely apologize for the mix-up with your reservations, Mr. Carlisle. I don’t know what happened,” he said. He sounded like he knew Demetri. At the very least, he knew who he was. “Your father was an acquaintance of mine in college.”
Demetri stepped closer and extended his hand. “I didn’t catch your name. I’ll have to let him know I ran into you. He often reminisces about his college days.” He was so charming when he spoke, and his voice caused heat to swell in my core. Did he know the effect it had on people? On me?
“Oh, he’s so important now that I doubt he’d remember me. Anywho, we have a newly built wing of the hotel. It’s not supposed to open for three more weeks. We only have three suites available because the others haven’t passed inspection. Only one is a single room, though. There are two suites with two rooms each, separated by a small seating area. If your team would be okay sharing suites, I will waive any charges.” He was speaking to Demetri at this point. My role in the situation was no longer needed. I took a step back from the counter.
“That will be fine. I appreciate the flexibility.”
