Lucinda managed a smile but appeared put off by the diversion. She accepted his hand and both stood from their seats. Lucinda reluctantly joined him on his side of the table.
Brody looked at Hailey and offered a slightly devious smile. “You’re next, my dear.” He then glared at Rafe and turned stern. “You; behave.”
Brody guided Lucinda to the dance floor. Hailey watched him pull her a little closer than necessary as they slow danced. She had to admit; she wasn’t looking forward to her turn and wondered what the dance conversation would entail. When she looked back, she realized Rafe was staring at her from across the table. She tried to ignore the wonderful scent of his cologne wafting her way. Rafe casually leaned back in his wicker chair and sipped his expensive glass of brandy. With his expression remaining unchanged, she couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his handsome head. At this point, she was almost certain it had nothing to do with her.
“Do you know why you’re here?” he suddenly asked, void of emotion.
She was slightly surprised by the question. It wasn’t exactly the conversation she had hoped to have with the handsome man. Hailey shifted in her wicker chair and attempted to make the best of the conversation she was given.
“Ms. Keenan wants Nevin Brody to invest in her hotel,” she casually replied.
“That’s why she’s here,” he replied dryly. “You’re here as her sexual sacrifice to Brody.”
His candor and bully mentality surprised her, but she attempted to show no reaction. “You’re certainly offensive,” she snapped then cocked her head to the side. “Is intimidation a service you offer, or are you just amusing yourself?”
“Just making an observation.”
He was so casual with the conversation; it irritated her to no end. She should have taken the high road and ignored him, but she felt cheated, having been so attracted to him just to find out Talbert had been correct. He was a prick.
“Sounds like you’re calling me a high priced whore,” Hailey scoffed.
He didn’t take his eyes off her and offered no emotion. “I doubt Lucinda pays you that much.”
She could barely believe his nerve! Anything she’d found attractive about the man was immediately gone. Her eyes narrowed while glaring at him.
“Shut up and drink your brandy before you’re wearing it,” she growled lowly.
Rafe suddenly grinned, appearing pleased with her response. “And she has claws--”
Hailey glared at him. She’d never wanted to hit a man before, but she entertained a fantasy where her fist found his mouth. She wanted to wipe that smug smile from his face. It seemed a long time before Lucinda and Brody finally returned to the table. Both were laughing at something the other had said. Brody boldly took the seat alongside Hailey, forcing Lucinda to sit next to Rafe. Hailey could tell by her expression, Lucinda wasn’t pleased. Brody placed his arm on the back of Hailey’s chair and smiled at her.
“Are you and Rafe getting along?” he asked.
She glared at Rafe and offered a twisted smirk. “He’s an absolute angel.”
Brody suddenly chuckled. “I somehow doubt that.” He straightened and looked at Lucinda across the table. “Why don’t we have a look at the proposal before I steal your assistant away for a dance?”
Hailey handed him the folder from the briefcase between the wall and her chair. Brody halfheartedly browsed through the papers with one hand and kept the other on the back of her chair. His hand caressed the bare skin on her back. Hailey was immediately uncomfortable by his touch. Brody returned the folder to Hailey after barely skimming it.
“Pretty detailed,” he remarked with little emotion. “Why don’t you bring these to my suite later tonight around nine? We’ll go over them there where it’s quieter.”
Hailey stared at him with surprise to the suggestion. Lucinda’s expression almost matched Hailey’s expression. Lucinda suddenly forced a smile and shifted in her seat.
“It’s been a long day,” Lucinda announced a little too quickly while casting feral glances from Brody to Hailey. Her eyes finally settled on Brody. “Why don’t we get together for brunch tomorrow and discuss the proposal then?”
Lucinda collected her purse and stood without awaiting a response. Hailey collected the folder and briefcase, standing as well. Both men stood respectfully. Rafe’s expression never changed, but Hailey could feel his eyes mocking her. Although disappointed, Brody managed a polite smile.
“Yes, brunch,” he announced. “Say ten?”
“That will be fine,” Lucinda chirped while grabbing Hailey’s arm and hurried her from the table.
Hailey had never been so happy to leave a restaurant in her life. She had a difficult time keeping up with Lucinda’s long strides. How the woman walked so fast in her high heels was a mystery to Hailey. Her boss slowed once they entered the corridor just outside the dining room. Lucinda seemed flushed from the experience.
“I appreciate that timely save,” Hailey announced and was finally able to relax.
“Men can be so difficult,” Lucinda scoffed while defiantly shaking her head. They walked along the elegant corridor a moment in silence. Lucinda finally spoke while glancing at her assistant. “This investment is extremely important, you know that. If you could indulge Brody and get him to sign the contract, I’ll promise you one hell of a promotion.”
Hailey suddenly stopped short of the lobby and stared at Lucinda. Lucinda realized Hailey was no longer walking alongside her and turned to look back.
“Are you suggesting I sleep with him?” Hailey suddenly demanded in a tone louder than she had anticipated.
Lucinda fidgeted and moved closer to her while attempting a timid smile. “No, of course not,” she announced and gently brushed a stray lock of hair from Hailey’s face. “Just a little harmless flirting, that’s all.”
Despite what she wasn’t suggesting, Hailey felt the color drain from her face. “I doubt that’s what he has in mind.”
Her boss straightened and held her head up proudly. “Hailey, this is a multimillion-dollar investment. You have to be ambitious,” she announced firmly. “What you do and how you do it doesn’t matter to me. I need Brody to agree to a partnership in this hotel. Without his name and funding, I could lose everything.” Her look turned slightly venomous. “And if I lose everything, I certainly won’t have any need for an assistant, will I?”
Lucinda snatched the briefcase from Hailey and continued into the lobby. Hailey followed more slowly. Her mind was cluttered with the possible threat of being fired if she didn’t play by Brody’s rules. Lucinda didn’t seem to care that Hailey was no longer behind her. She entered the elevator, leaving Hailey practically alone in the empty lobby. She suddenly lost the will to approach the elevator. Apparently, her job opportunity of a lifetime wasn’t as great as it had originally sounded.
Hailey heard a stern, scolding voice across the lobby. As she looked toward the front desk at the opposite end, a man whom she could only assume to be a security guard argued with Skyler behind the desk. The security guard, Delaney, was an arrogant looking man in his late twenties. He was built solid like his boss, Marcus, although not nearly as handsome a man. Delaney was giving Skyler a healthy verbal lashing, and Skyler seemed to be taking it like someone who’d been bullied all his life, tail firmly between his legs.
“You’re a major screw-up,” Delaney barked at Skyler, who was barely able to look up at the intimidating man. “If Talbert didn’t feel sorry for you, you’d have been fired years ago.”
“I’m sorry, Delaney,” Skyler replied timidly. “I just thought maybe I could help find that missing--”
Delaney slammed his index finger on the front desk with frustration. “There is no missing girl,” he lurched. “They always show up, and they always give the same excuse. Stop making something out of nothing! It upsets the guests!”
“I never said anything in front of--”
“Enough, Skyler,” Delaney snapped hotly. “Just give the
town crier act a rest. No one wants to hear it, especially me!” He pointed his warning finger at him. “I don’t want any more trouble out of you, understand?”
Skyler frowned, lowered his head, and nodded gently. Delaney turned and stormed away from the desk in the direction of the staff wing. Skyler leaned on the desk while holding his head and rubbed his temples. Hailey felt bad for the desk clerk. He was possibly having a worse day than she was. She considered continuing on her way and leaving him to his misery, but her sympathetic side told her she should talk to him. After all, she wasn’t the only one with problems in the world. Hailey approached the desk. Despite the clopping of her uncoordinated heels on the stone floor, Skyler didn’t even notice her presence. As she paused before the desk, he still didn’t look up, but instead rubbed his temples, digging deeper into his skin.
“Pretty quiet out here tonight,” she finally spoke aloud.
Although not entirely startled, he jerked slightly and sprang to attention. He stared at her only a moment in silence this time before finally responding.
“Free cocktails in the lounge,” Skyler replied casually then attempted a smile. “Did you have a nice dinner?”
“We barely got past drinks,” she replied with a dreary sigh. “I’ve never been in such bad company before.”
“I wish I could have warned you,” he replied then seemed to relax to her presence.
He again returned to messaging his temples with added vigor. She watched him only a moment and feared he’d tear the skin from his head at the rate he was going.
“Headache?”
He managed a tiny smile. “My usual month long migraine. Drugs don’t have any effect on me.”
Hailey studied him a moment longer and considered her next move carefully. She couldn’t allow the man to suffer more than he already had at the hands of his superiors, much like herself, but she also didn’t want to give the wrong impression. He was, after all, a stranger to her.
“I can take care of that for you,” she gently informed him then added a tense smile. “My track record is unbroken.”
Skyler gave her a slightly dumbfounded stare then finally shrugged with a look of defeat. He obviously had his doubts to her ability. He walked out from behind the desk and reluctantly approached her. His cautiousness was baffling to her. Was he afraid to let her touch him? He was a mystery to her. Most men she understood, whether good or bad. Skyler posed a big question mark. As Hailey placed her hands to his face, Skyler immediately tensed. She rubbed his temples a few times then pulled back and met his gaze. Skyler appeared surprised while staring at her. He apprehensively touched his temples.
“I don’t believe it,” he finally gasped without taking his eyes from her. “How did you do that?”
She grinned in response. “It’s a gift.”
Chapter Seven
It was a little after midnight. The secluded beach was partially lit from exterior hotel lights around the empty pool and the moon glistening off the ocean. It was another warm night with a slight breeze coming off the water. Hailey and Skyler sat on a large, round wicker lounge bed not far from the surf. Sounds from the lounge, now turned into a party hot spot, could faintly be heard. Hailey could only guess the sort of night Mel was already having. She just hoped her friend would be alert enough in the morning to cater to their boss lady. After the scene Hailey had made in the corridor, she was certain Lucinda was going to wake in an exceptionally foul mood, and Mel would be the first person with which she came into contact. Skyler hugged his knees to his chest with his cheek on his knees and studied Hailey in silence while she told him about her evening from hell. Once she finished, he straightened his legs on the leather padding over the lounge bed before him and stared at the moon above the ocean.
“Brody and Rafe have been to the resort six times in fourteen months,” he announced casually. “In all those times, I’ve never even heard Rafe speak.”
“Consider yourself lucky,” she muttered.
Hailey attempted to make herself comfortable on the lounge bed but found herself tugging on either the cleavage of her dress or the slit up her thigh. If Skyler had been stealing peeks, she hadn’t caught him. Her feelings toward Skyler were unlike any other she’d felt before. She wasn’t uncomfortable around him, yet his odd personality dictated she should have been. She felt as if they were old childhood friends reunited. He again hugged his knees to his chest and gave her an innocent look.
“What do you intend to do about Brody?”
“Nothing. Lucinda can fire me,” she remarked firmly.
Hailey considered her own remarks and frowned having heard them spoken aloud. She took a deep breath and glanced at Skyler. She marveled at the innocent way he stared at her, almost with a childlike fascination. He seemed to cling to every word she said, but she was convinced his attention had nothing to do with sexual desire. That in itself was almost creepy. She shifted slightly then offered a tiny smile.
“I’ve told you all about my boss pimping me out to her investors,” Hailey announced. “Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”
He avoided looking at her and became unusually uncomfortable. “My life is a utopia of disaster. When I’m honest with people, they tend to think I’m a freak.”
She felt compelled to stare at him. Something was clearly wrong with him. She could almost feel it. For some reason, it was suddenly important that he open up to her.
“You’ll just have to trust me.”
He continued to stare out toward the ocean a moment longer, but it was obvious his mind was racing for a response. He shifted several times before finally looking at her. His look was oddly serious and almost concerning to her.
“I’m psychic and connected to the spiritual world,” he boldly announced, spilling his entire odd existence as quickly as it would come out of his mouth. “I’ve seen people in my dreams before they came to the hotel. I know things about them.” He hesitated and again shifted, once more slowing his words. “It tends to alarm people, so I’ve learned not to discuss it.”
She stared at him in silence as if attempting to read his eyes. He looked away and refused to meet her gaze. She knew there was something more he wasn’t telling her, but she wasn’t sure what it was. It then hit her.
“You had a dream about me, didn’t you?” she suddenly asked and straightened. “Tell me about it.”
“I’d rather not,” he replied a little too quickly and refused to look at her.
“That’s hardly fair.”
He was silent a long moment before taking a deep breath. He finally looked at her. “You were in danger. I tried to save you, but there were all these bats surrounding me. That’s when the quake woke me.”
“An earthquake on the island?”
“Yeah, things were scattered all over my room,” he replied then frowned. “Cass denied there was a quake, but she enjoys playing with my head.” He seemed reluctant to continue. “There’s, uh, something else. I, uh, see ghosts. They appear as little spots of light randomly around the hotel.” His look was serious. “They’ve all collected around you.”
She stared back at him with surprise but attempted to conceal it. “I have ghosts hanging around me?”
He nodded. “Yeah, sixteen to be precise.”
Hailey hesitantly looked around her. She wasn’t actually expecting to see them, but she found the thought fascinating all the same.
“I’ve never seen them drawn to anyone before,” he informed her then fell silent while staring. “You think I’m crazy.”
“Of course not,” she replied without hesitation. “I believe in ghosts.”
Skyler appeared stunned by her admission whether or not she said it just to make him feel better. Relief swept over him and he seemed to relax for the first time.
“I knew there was something special about you the moment I saw you with your little ghost colony.”
†
It was nearing one o’clock in the morning, and the dance party was still goin
g strong in the lounge. There was no end in sight as the over twenty-one crowd drank and danced to the loud, pulsating club music. Despite the small dance floor, the partygoers crowded it, forcing them to dance even closer than they did in most fancy clubs in the big cities. Mel danced with her three new friends from the beach. All four wore club wear, which consisted of short, tight dresses barely able to contain jiggling breasts attempting to make their escape from low necklines. Penny was moderately drunk and brushed against several men throughout the endless club music. She was flirting with just about every man on the dance floor, bumping and grinding with them as if they stood a chance with her. A few of the men she pressed against seemed enthusiastic with their chances of taking the ‘ripe for the pickin’ woman back to his room. There were going to be some disappointed men.
Amy had her own admirer working his charm on her. She danced with a fairly handsome man in his mid to late twenties. Daniel had some fancy moves and easily won her attention. They seemed inseparable for the last hour. He’d pull her in close for a few seconds of seductive dancing and then pull away, as if teasing her with his sexual competence. Amy enjoyed the attention of the handsome man. With Amy and Penny almost certainly securing their overnight company, Mel and Desi danced with each other. Neither seemed to need the attention of the flirtatious men. They were having fun on their own.
As if on cue, that all changed in an instant. Vance mysteriously appeared alongside them and joined both women in their dance. His smile captivated both, indicated by their stares and helpless grins. As he danced close and seductive with them, they were suddenly competing for his attention with dueling dance moves. There seemed to be enough of Vance to go around for both women, although they probably wouldn’t cherish the suggestion.
Chapter Eight
It was nearly two o’clock in the morning. Hailey and Skyler walked through the ankle deep surf in their bare feet at a leisurely pace. The gentle waves washed across their feet and gently tugged on their ankles as it pulled back out again. Hailey had to admit, the night was peaceful and serene. She could easily get used to beach life. To her surprise, she’d been in Skyler’s company nearly six hours, and she wasn’t even tired of him. He shared his life stories with her, and she shared hers with him. It was possibly the most she’d ever shared with anyone about her life.
Misfits, Inc. Page 4
