Alex added coolly, “I just happened to see him trying to ‘save’ someone on the street the other day. When people started doubting if he knew what he was doing, he started yelling that he was the future son-in-law of the great Dawson family, and questioning his skills was like insulting the entire Dawson family.”
“What? That absolute bastard!”
Ashley, who had been leading the way, stopped dead and practically snarled, her teeth clenched. “That damned Eric! The Dawson family bent over backwards to protect him, and this is how he repays us? Not only is he ungrateful, he’s actually dragging our family name through the mud, using it to show off and probably scam people!”
Then, a sudden worry flickered across her face. “Wait… that patient he was ‘saving’… did they… make it?” she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
Alex just shook his head, delivering the lie with perfect smoothness. “Nope. Died.”
“Of course! He’s a walking disaster!” Ashley Dawson exclaimed, looking both furious and unsurprised. “And just so we’re crystal clear, he is not the Dawson family’s son-in-law!” Clutching her chest as if to steady herself, she hurried across the street towards a hotel entrance.
Alex glanced up at the hotel sign and smirked inwardly. ‘Heh. Funny. It’s one of mine.’
As they stepped into the fancy hotel lobby, Ashley’s soaked appearance immediately turned heads. Hotel staff everywhere stared for a split second, but the instant they noticed the man walking beside her, every single employee quickly averted their gaze, suddenly very busy looking elsewhere.
‘Can’t stare at the guest, especially not one looking like that, they were probably all thinking.’
‘Classic scene from those power fantasy stories,’ Alex thought amusedly. ‘The main villain walks into any of his places, and his people instantly know who’s boss.’
He followed Ashley towards the elevators and up the stairs.
Wealthy women like her usually put a lot of effort into staying fit, and Ashley was clearly dedicated. Her body was toned; even through the wet white dress clinging to her, you could see the faint lines of her abs. Her legs were well-shaped, strong thighs tapering to slim calves, and her chest was undeniably full and impressive.
Alex mentally told himself he shouldn’t stare, but the knowledge that this very attractive woman was the aunt of Eric, that supposed ‘hero’ of destiny, made his eyes, which naturally appreciated beauty, automatically zone in on her figure.
‘Damn, the aunt looks this good?’ Alex mused. ‘Then the actual fiancée back in home must be something else.’
He felt a flicker of anticipation. Not that kind of anticipation, though. He was looking forward to the absolute meltdown Eric would have later.
At first, Ashley had just walked ahead automatically. But as they climbed the stairs, alone now in the quiet stairwell, she started feeling really awkward.
It hadn’t seemed so bad outside, but now… walking up stairs, soaked to the bone, clothes practically see-through, right in front of a young, obviously healthy man…
She couldn’t help but worry if he was having trouble controlling himself back there.
Walking in front, she could feel his gaze locked onto her back, openly scanning her body from her shoulders down her spine, over her hips and legs, all the way to her still-damp heels.
For a woman whose fiancé had died tragically right after their engagement, being looked at like this felt incredibly shameful. But confusingly, deep down, there was also a tiny, forbidden thrill. The conflicting feelings were making her squirm inwardly.
Her suite was only on the second floor, so the staircase wasn’t long. But that short walk felt like it took forever, each step an agony of conflicting emotions.
Finally inside the suite, she pressed a hand to her chest, trying to catch her breath. “Please, just wait here for a second,” she managed to say. “I’ll go find you some dry clothes.”
Alex simply nodded.
Ashley quickly disappeared into the bedroom area.
It was a nice suite: big living room, master bedroom with a walk-in closet, and another smaller bedroom with its own bathroom.
The walk-in closet, she knew, had complimentary clothes provided by the hotel – stuff for both men and women.
That’s what she planned to grab for Alex. It wasn’t like she, a woman whose fiancé had died, just carried spare men’s clothes around with her.
Once inside the bedroom with the door shut, Ashley let out a shaky breath, feeling a wave of relief wash over her.
Her legs still felt a bit like jelly. Ignoring her own wet clothes for the moment, she went straight to the closet to find something for Alex.
You definitely got what you paid for in these expensive suites. The closet had everything: pants, shirts, jackets, even shoes, all in different sizes. They even had packs of disposable underwear.
She picked out a white button-down shirt and some trousers that looked like they’d be about Alex’s size. Pushing the bedroom door open again, she held them out. “Here, try these. See if they fit okay?”
Alex hadn’t bothered dressing up for Henry’s party, he’d just worn a simple white athletic tee. Through the wet fabric, Ashley caught a glimpse of the lean muscle underneath, and her heart gave an unexpected little jump.
‘Wow,’ she thought, flustered. ‘He actually looks better than those models on TV.’
“Thanks.” Alex took the clothes, stood up, and headed into the guest bedroom to change.
When he came back out a few minutes later, wearing the crisp white shirt and trousers, Ashley found herself holding her breath.
For a split second, she suddenly, weirdly understood why her own older brother—who had a perfectly beautiful wife—was always sneaking around with younger women.
It hit her then: gorgeousness was hard to resist, for anyone. Especially when it came packaged with youth and that kind of vibrant energy.
She remembered chewing out her brother when she found out he was secretly booking hotel rooms with college girls. She’d been so angry and disappointed in him.
But now… looking at Alex… she suddenly got it. Just a little. ‘First, you judge them, then you understand them, then you become them…’
‘No! Stop it!’ Ashley mentally slapped herself. ‘You were engaged! You’re practically a widow! What is wrong with you, thinking things like that?’ She patted her flushed cheeks and shook her head hard, trying to banish the inappropriate thoughts.
“Miss Ashley,” Alex said, sitting down opposite her again. His eyes swept over her still-damp form, not even trying to hide his appreciation. “You said you were here hoping to talk business with Henry, right?”
‘So, this is Eric’s fiancée’s aunt,’ Alex thought, a cunning idea starting to form. ‘She could be my way in to meet the fiancée herself. Just imagine the epic meltdown Eric will have when he finds out I… took care of… his precious fiancée too! That’ll be worth a ton of points!’
…..
A/N: Be sure to check out tomorrow chapter as there will be a 10FP Reddem Code which any of the first 10 readers can reedem it.
Thanks:)