Page 27 of His Secret Virgin
Chapter 11
Christopher
I tried hard to not think about Emma during her second week at the office. I kept myself busy and didn’t even go into the office until the end of the week. That was either a terrible mistake or fate. I wasn’t sure which.
When I stepped off the elevator, I saw her walking down the hall, her back to me. As if by some miracle, her sweet scent still lingered in the air. I inhaled it deep into my lungs, setting myself on fire. My cock hardened immediately, and my brain went to work, trying to figure out a way to get the pretty young thing alone for the weekend.
As if by instinct, I thought of something her father could do which would take him and his wife out of town for the weekend. And then I went to work, thinking up something for Emma to do to get her out of town as well.
By Friday morning, I finally had a plan that would allow me to spend some time alone with Emma. Mrs. Kramer came into my office when I asked.
“You wanted to see me, Mr. Taylor?”
“Yes.” I pulled out the packet I’d put together and slid it across my desk to her. “I want you to send Miss Hancock out to scout for activities to do and a nice place to stay in Concord this weekend for our visitors from China. They’ve expressed great interest in seeing the capital of New Hampshire, and they’ll be here in two weeks, so we’ve got to get on this. After a weekend of sightseeing in Concord, we’ll bring them here for our meeting on the Monday.”
“Okay, sir.” She picked up the packet. “I’ll give her this.” Turning to leave, she paused and then looked back at me. “I’ll make reservations for her in Concord then.”
“I already have. The Centennial is a safe, secure place for a young woman who’s traveling alone.” I had to fight the grin that threatened to give my plan away. “She’ll be fine there.”
“Yes, sir.” Mrs. Kramer looked at me with a satisfied expression before adding, “It’s nice to see you like this. It’s been a long time since you’ve gotten involved in something like that. Sebastien’s friendship has been good for you.” And with that, she left me.
Left me to think about the only person I could count as a friend, Sebastien. Left me alone to reconsider my plan. Left me to think about everything I’d been feeling over the last two weeks and to try to regain control over emotions that were running amok for the first time in many, many years.
The twenty-six year age gap between Emma and me didn’t help things one bit. There were too many factors that could mean bad news for both of us if I followed through with what I’d planned.
I’d made reservations for my own room at the hotel, which was considered one of the most romantic accommodations in the area. I’d also made dinner reservations at the Granite Restaurant inside the grand old hotel for both Friday and Saturday night.
Premeditated romance?
Could that be considered a crime?
I supposed, in Sebastien’s eyes, it might well be considered a crime. At best, he’d likely think it insidious. And he might be right. I had no business wanting to be alone with his young daughter. But for the life of me, I could not stop thinking about her.
My nights were consumed with sexual fantasies about her, making my dreams very interesting. But I had to admit that I did feel guilty sometimes after it was all said and done. Why would I go and get myself all infatuated with someone so young? And why did she have to be the daughter of the only friend I had left?
With the weekend work all set, I knew Sebastien—and now Emma—would be leaving the office at noon to get to where they needed to go. I wondered if Emma was excited by her little scouting assignment.
I almost messed up and went to see her at her office. I wanted so badly to know how she felt about the trip, but then that would be a real mess. She’d tell me all about where she was going and then, when I showed up, I most definitely would not be able to play it off like a coincidence.
For a second, doubt ran through me.What if Mrs. Kramer tells Emma that I made all the arrangements?
I hadn’t thought it all the way through. The whole thing might backfire on me.
A little knock sounded at my door, and Mrs. Kramer stepped inside. “I wanted to tell you something that just occurred to me.”
The worried look on her face made me curious. “What’s just occurred to you?”
“You don’t normally make the arrangements for…” she paused then shrugged, “well, anything, really. If Miss Hancock finds out that you set things up, then she might tell someone else. Then I think we’d have something here that might stir up gossip. I don’t want people thinking I’ve been slipping at my job, and you’ve had to take over. So, I took credit for making the arrangements, I hope you don’t mind.”
I’d never felt more relieved. “Yes, you made a good judgment call there, Mrs. Kramer. I didn’t even think about that. And again, you know I’m very happy with all the work you do.” With a satisfied smile, she left my office.
I was glad Mrs. Kramer had taken care to cover for me, even if she did for her own reason. Convincing her to say that she’d made the reservation was not something I would’ve enjoyed. My assistant certainly didn’t need to know the real reasons I’d set Emma up in a hotel where I would wine and dine her, dance and romance her. And if everything went right, sweep her off her feet—literally.
When my personal cell rang, it jolted me out of my inner thoughts, and I looked down to see Sebastien’s name on the screen. A small amount of guilt had me hesitating to answer the call, but I really had no choice. “Hello, Sebastien. Are you and Celeste packed and ready to head out after lunch?”
“Yes, we are.” He cleared his throat before going on, “Emma just came to my office and told me she’s being sent to Concord to do a bit of scouting.”
Is he going to be mad?“Yes, well, that’s part of her job.”
