by Fifi Flowers
It was funny how self-conscious I felt as if I were standing in front of him shirtless and all of my tattoos and piercing were revealed to him. I stumbled over words for a few seconds—so not me. “Umm...ah...I’m...I’m shit with a razor and scissors...not like you.”
“You have to use a trimmer and adjust the blade for the right length and you need to go slow around the edges if you want a definite line. Otherwise you can blend it with the height thing...or different sized guards.”
I wasn’t sure what he was talking about until I made a trip to a recommended store filled with a million beauty products and began to experiment. Trial and errors still included me shaving it all off a few times until I got the hang of it and decided on the right look for me. The perfect amount of stubble is not just haphazard—that just-rolled-out-of-bed look is work. A regiment I was willing to do if Saffron liked it...
Four months and I still had hope and I was pretty certain that my search was about to pay off. I had put up a healthy sum and vacation package to get a bridal magazine to do a contest. They never even blinked or resisted my offer or idea. In fact, the editor loved the concept and asked if it was okay to run the contest online, with their sister magazines, and through a few of their vendors. My answer was no problem and I loved her excited words even more.
“This is a generous offer. Brides are going to be thrilled for a chance to win an all-inclusive vacation by simply nominating their wedding planner. Wedding planners usually have to pay to be seen on our site. We have a listing option but to really be seen, there is an advertising fee—”
I cut her off to add another idea. “Let’s up the contest by adding a year of paid advertising for the wedding planner along with the ten thousand dollars.”
The editor screamed “yes” and then apologized for her outburst. I hoped that her magazine subscribers and brides felt the same enthusiasm to participate. More than anything, my wish was that it worked with the right bride. Surely someone would throw Saffron’s name into the pool. But if it didn’t work, at least it was great publicity for the Hayes Hotel Corporation during and after the contest was over. A magazine layout with the happy couple vacationing at one of our worldwide resorts was a definite plus for everyone involved.
Simply looking up her name with wedding planning hadn’t worked. She either used a company name or worked for an agency under their name. Perry and Makayla’s wedding was so spectacular it was worthy of being featured in a magazine...and they had celebrity chef Owen Walker. Saffron had done an amazing job and if you weren’t looking for her, it looked as if my friends had arranged everything themselves. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear people assuming she was a relative. Maybe that she was helping out here and there since she didn’t take a seat at the wedding or reception. For sure everyone witnessed her capturing the bouquet—they may not have realized that she had also captured my heart.
Shit! I was really in bad shape on a morning that I needed to be on my game. I had a meeting with key people that I would be calling on for various reasons. I looked the part—clean, stubble groomed, hair combed, dressed in my usual custom suit with a carefully selected silk tie. I was fully prepared: I had the room set up for a presentation. I had a slick report printed up to give out to each person in the meeting. I had a nice lunch buffet picked out.
I was ready.
I was ready.
I was ready.
I was nervous.
No backing out at that point, I left my office with all of my materials in a leather briefcase that had belonged to my great-grandfather. I laughed every time I used it since it looked more like an old fashion doctor’s bag that was seen when doctors made house calls. At that moment it gave me a little more confidence as I headed across the lobby to one of our rentable rooms to meet the team behind events happening at our hotels in the area.
Composing myself just outside the double-door entry, I smoothed the front of my jacket with one hand and then turned the handle. “You got this!” I said to myself as I entered the conference room and then I wasn’t sure what to do as my heart stopped.
Chapter Thirteen
Saffron
Oh my fucking gawd! Fuck! Not a word I used often but it was truly warranted.
Was I seeing things? Did Mr. Fantasy just walk in through the opened conference room door? I wanted to reach up and rub my eyes...blink...pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I had definitely daydreamed enough about him. He had filled my head with naughty thoughts during many of my nightly tub-times before bed. Looking at him standing there in his light grey suit, I had visions of what was beneath...
What was Ellis saying? He was leaving for Florida?
“...in need of a change of scenery. I’ve been here longer than I should have...” He continued rattling off more about himself and I wondered if he was going to be closer to his family. “Grandkids...”
Grandchildren? They were never really mentioned much, but I guess they were part of his decision to make the big move. It was strange to hear him. He looked nothing like a typical grandfather. He had a well-built body. Handsome... I was labeling him stereotypically. My own father didn’t fit the mold either but without knowing it, he was about to take on that role too...
“New management here...” I looked up and tried to stay focused as he launched into things that would more than likely affect me. “...information from outside vendors and services... We’ll go around the room and have each of you introduce yourself and briefly outline your service or role and a little about your experience with our hotels.”
Get it together, Saffron, this includes you!
I glanced around the large table draped with white linens in a private room that had picture perfect, floor-to-ceiling windows. With the wooden shutter doors open the stunning resort grounds were visible. Lakes with ducks swimming about, pools filled with guests trying to stay cool and a lush green golf course empty except for a few crazy people thanks to the heat of the afternoon. Picturesque. Calming. That was how it made me feel until I finished my scan—and overall count of how many people sat around the table—which ended with Mr. Fantasy.
How are you ever going to be able to focus on the proper words that don’t include offering your body to the handsome man?
Thankfully I had notes that highlighted my duties as a wedding planner to fall back on when he came around to me since my mind continued to roam elsewhere.
I didn’t care about the others seated around me as I imagined leaving my comfortable leather swivel chair, climbing up on the table and crawling toward one hot man. It was a similar fantasy that crept into my brain over and over, only I had never thrown in a background before. The conference room empty besides Laird seated at the head of the table—wearing his sexy professional attire—and me moving close to him. Standing in front of him, looking into his beautiful light blue eyes, pulling his crisp white shirt from the front of his pants, grabbing the two ends right below the buttons...and ripping his shirt open, buttons flying everywhere.
Does that really happen...is it that easy to do?
“Ned...lighting...DJ...hundreds...worked events since...”
I still had the opportunity to sneak a glance as Laird’s head turned to each person on the opposite side of the table. Little did they know what colorful artwork covered his strong...warm...bod...arms. Oh, the barbell in his nipple. His eyes full of lust as I toyed with it...first using my fingers and then my tongue flicking it... He definitely liked it, letting me know with a low growling moan.
I wondered what it would feel like to have pierced nipples. Would it make them sensitive? Would it make them always stand at attention? Feeling my nipples harden against my bra just thinking about Laird had me questioning if I could handle them. Being pregnant my nipples were incredibly sensitive to the point of pain that...
Oh my gawd! I am pregnant by Mr. Fantasy sitting a short distance from me!
My nipples are hard.
My panties are wet.
My mind is undressin
g him.
The night before I had been sipping my virgintini at a martini place down the street after we closed the shop, agreeing with London and Savannah about giving in and contacting the bride to get Laird’s phone number. My friends were right about me telling him the news and there he was available for the taking.
Taking. He could take me right there on the table. On my back, legs wide open for his mouth...or to plunge into me with his healthy package. I squeezed my thighs together tightly to still the tingling sensation or to relieve it... Not a good idea. I could be caught moaning. He looked so incredible with his...
Oh my gawd! Stubble...sexy stubble on his gorgeous face!
That was the difference. Something had looked off about him...in a spectacularly good way. I had mentioned that he should let it grow.
He listened to me!
I loved the look but how would it feel brushing against my sensitive skin?
“Miss Courbe...Saffron...” I turned to the voice next to Laird and watched Ellis’s lips move. “You’re next.”
Shit! I had missed so many mini speeches. Had they been that brief or had I zoned out too long? I wasn’t even sure how lengthy I should be with my own words.
Look down at your list.
Look at the man or scan the table.
Look professional.
I was a pro at wedding planning. I spoke to women and men daily about what I had to offer. I treated the people around the table as if they were clients and got through my part with a little sigh of relief when I was thanked. I could finally relax as they moved on to the next person and then the next and the next until we had gotten around to the guest of honor.
“Hello everyone. I’m Laird Hayes and I’m extremely pleased to be here today in all of your presence...more than you could ever imagine…”
I would swear that the last part was directed at me. He was looking at me...or I was wishing that to be so. If he could just make that a bit more clear. Maybe take me in his arms and attack my mouth with his—dancing his tongue along my lips until I opened and joined in the fun...
“…fun times ahead as we move forward, getting to know each other and becoming a team. As my father said at the beginning of our meeting...”
Father? Laird and Ellis? Dressed in tailored suits, side by side...there was no mistaking the resemblance between them... Father and son? But they had two different last names Hayes and Fleming. Hayes? Hayes Hotels. I had never thought of Ellis having anything to do with owning the Hayes Hotels. CEO didn’t necessarily mean you owned the place. There were board members, management...
What had Ellis told me? I tried to recall what he had told me about his past life. He had never mentioned the names of his grown children. I knew that he was married at eighteen years old after getting his seventeen year old high school girlfriend pregnant. He immediately began working in the hotel business to support his wife and child. A couple years later they had another boy and then their last child when they were both twenty-three. Things were up and down between them—neither of them totally invested in the marriage for years—and they decided to divorce at the age of forty. That was all I could remember of our private conversations while dating.
Dating. Oh my gawd! I was dating Laird’s father for nearly a year... Thank gawd we never slept together. How awkward would that be? What was I talking about...it was still awkward...I had kissed him on several occasions. I could only imagine all of the questions when Savannah heard my latest update. She’d be asking me who kissed better. The crazy thing was I couldn’t really remember the last time Ellis and I had kissed or what it felt like. It was good but not great in a romantic way. It just happened with no real emotion behind it. It was as if it was the thing to do at the end of a date or on a date.
On the other hand, my memories of unexpected bliss filled hours with Laird were unforgettable. He smelled so good and the taste of him on my lips was incredible from the moment we first connected in the bar until we passed out in his hotel bed. His scent lingered on my body for hours after I had hurried to leave the hotel, skipping a shower. I had to wonder if the smell of sex was as obvious to the server where I had stopped for breakfast. At the time, I didn’t think about anything but getting away...escaping so that no one could question my unprofessional but wonderfully naughty actions.
My body shuddered at the thought, making me fully aware of my surroundings and that people were looking at me. I was the only one not up, heading to partake in the lovely lunch buffet that had been set up for everyone in the meeting. I needed to stop my inappropriate thoughts and pull myself together. If I wanted to keep working for the hotel chain I was going to have to behave—starting with following the other people to the chow line... Or could I slip out, apologizing for needing to make another meeting?
Gathering my things, I opted for the last option. But quickly rethought my hasty choice. I couldn’t afford to sever my ties with Hayes Hotels. The location where the meeting was being held was spectacular and a favorite with brides-to-be. But could I work for Laird? He knew how I had bedded a wedding guest. Would he even want to use my services? It was one thing to have a fling with a wedding planner and a whole other thing when they were in your employment...well not in a fraternizing with the boss way. I was considered contracted labor but they still provided me with a payment for jobs rendered and sometimes a commission when I talked clients of mine into using their property for other events.
“You seem to be deep in thought. Would your thoughts have anything to do with me?” I was no longer alone but I was definitely still tongue-tied and my body was more alive than it had been in months. Since the last time Laird had his body touching mine.
How did I answer his question? The truth or did I ignore it and strike up a business conversation while congratulating him on his new position?
Chapter Fourteen
Laird
No. No. No. That was far too easy. I wasn’t even looking for her at that very moment even if she was always on my mind. Nearly four months of searching high and low, putting a crazy contest in motion and... Poof! I walk through a conference room door in my own hotel...a magical door and there she sat. She looked just as beautiful as the last time I saw her...if not even more beautiful.
She is not a figment of my imagination.
Saffron was staring right at me for several exquisite moments until she broke our connection and fiddled with items on the table in front of her. I had to wonder if she was as happy to see me as I was to see her or if she was disappointed. She had ran out on me. I had so many questions, but I had to bite my lip and wait patiently feeling her gaze upon me from time to time. I knew she was catching a glimpse of me because I did the same whenever I could and I nearly caught her a couple of times.
Pure frustration.
Composure was very difficult as I sat down at the head of the conference table next to my father, listening to his speech and the other people seated in the room. I wanted to stare at one in particular... Practically an employee? She was right under my nose? Being more of a vendor was the only way I had missed her because I had searched her name in our entire computer system. And I had found saffron...it had popped up several times as a purchased item for our kitchens. “A Perfect Plan” had not jumped out at me. I only learned that name as Saffron rattled off items from her tablet in front of her. She seemed to be refusing to look me in the eye as mine never left her gorgeous face.
I had never been so happy to have people shut the hell up so I could hear her voice and to conclude the meeting portion. I wanted to take her in my arms, greet her properly...hold her, breathe in her sunshine. As my father adjourned the meeting and invited people to enjoy a lovely buffet set out across the room, I pushed back my chair and stood ready to pounce.
Only one person interested me and I strutted right around the table to where she was slowly gathering her things with her head down and placing them in a large purse. Being a gentleman, once she had finished and attempted to move from her seat, I pulled her c
hair back to allow her to stand. No choice. She met my gaze. Silent words tumbled from my head and I wondered if she knew all of the things I wanted to say and all of the things that I wanted to do to her.
“Two of my favorite people...hello, Saffron.” My father’s interruption was the last thing I wanted at that moment, not that I was able to act on my thoughts. Thoughts that were filthy and had nothing to do with the business being discussed in the painful meeting.
Not being able to order everyone but Saffron from the room was frustrating.
“Hello, Ellis. This was quite a surprise. A shock really. Why didn’t you tell me that you were leaving?” Saffron asked in a way that made me a bit uncomfortable.
How well did she know my father?
I was fully aware of his fondness to dating younger women since he and my mother divorced. He had even grasped Saffron’s elbow and leaned in to kiss her cheek when he first walked up. She was addressing him by his first name while most of the people sitting at the table had used Mr. Fleming as they spoke to him.
“I started to tell you and then you mentioned your new wedding shop. I’m so proud of you.” There was definitely something amiss. “I wanted to celebrate your success not mine.”
“It didn’t sound that way and well...” Saffron suddenly stopped and looked at the both of us. “You never said anything about a son stepping in... and how are you related? Your last name and his—”
It was my turn to join the conversation. “My father has never used his last name in business. Fleming is actually his middle name.”
Saffron gazed up at my father and then bowed her head. “I know absolutely nothing about him.” I wasn’t sure if she was actually speaking to either of us.
“Since starting here I thought it was easier to be known as a manager of sorts—” Saffron looked a little off as my father spoke detailing a bit of our family history in the hotel business mixed in with personal stuff...and how he decided to start over without us or his last name.
