Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Prettier, even.
Her hair was pulled back into a somewhat severe bun, and closer inspection showed me that it was wet. Had she been in a rush that morning?
Why the fuck did I care?
She had on a simple light blue dress, but it managed to reveal a bit more than that sweater she’d had on the last time, so I got to see the curves of her hips and the swells of her breasts.
The outfit also put that necklace she’d had on display as well, letting me make out a dainty little gold rose charm.
Her hand shot right to that charm, her fingers toying with it as her body stiffened as she looked at me.
“Shit,” I hissed, slowly straightening, not wanting to freak her out any more than she clearly was with her pretty, wide green eyes.
“What are you doing back here?” she hissed, frozen on the spot where most women would probably turn and run. Especially because it seemed like she was working alone.
She looked like someone who wanted to run, but she seemed planted in the spot.
Not out of bravery.
Out of fear.
Fight, flight, freeze.
Clearly, this woman was the latter of the three.
Which, somehow, made me feel worse than I would have if she’d run and screamed.
I held up my arms, hands out, making slow movements, not wanting to make the situation worse.
“It’s alright. I’m just still looking for Dennis,” I told her.
To that, one of her brows quirked up slightly. Dubious? Sarcastic? I didn’t know her well enough to decipher.
“He’s not here,” she said.
“I noticed. He also wasn’t at his house, but his car was there. I was looking to see if there was anything here to help point me in a direction to locate him.”
“Who are you?” she asked, folding her arms across herself, hugging her chest.
“Cesare,” I reminded her. “Costa,” I added.
“So you said. But who are you? Why do you want to find Dennis?”
How the fuck could I explain myself without it being clear I’m involved in sketchy shit?
“I’m an… investor. In the business,” I told her. And that was true enough. So true, in fact, that she couldn’t find a false note in my words, and it seemed as though she was looking for one.
“An investor?” she asked, her brows drawing together. “Dennis never mentioned an investor.”
“No, but he’s not exactly a hands-on sort of boss, is he?” I asked, working off the information she’d already given me.
“No,” she admitted.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” I asked, relaxing my posture, hoping she would mirror it.
Her body jolted a bit at the pet name, and her tongue darted out slightly to wet her lips before she spoke.
And I absolutely did not think about that tongue tracing over the head of my cock. Because that would have been insane.
“Mere,” she said, giving me a little nod after she said it.
“Mere,” I repeated. “Short for…”
“Meredith. But no one calls me that,” she insisted, tone a bit firm. Almost like she was telling me not to call her that either.
“Mere, when’s the last time you saw Dennis?”
“To be perfectly honest, I think I’ve only seen Dennis two or three times… ever,” she said. “I don’t know if he is here more often on my days off. Like today.”
“Today is your day off?” I asked.
If the schedule was still the same, today would have been a shipment day, too. Had Dennis set that up on purpose? So this girl, who clearly had no idea what was going on around here, didn’t get suspicious and start asking questions?
“Yes.”
“Then…” I said, waving a hand out.
“Right. Well, Rayna, the lady who usually works today, was in some sort of… emergency situation.”
“Emergency situation,” I repeated, mind starting to work.
Had Rayna been in on what was going on at the flower shop? Had she stuck her nose in the business? Did she know what had happened to Dennis? Had she been covering for his absence, so no one got suspicious?
But if all that was true, what had happened to her.
“Her sister didn’t give me any more detail than that. She just wanted to make sure someone was at the store. So, here I am.”
“That’s unfortunate,” I said, feigning concern for the woman. “I hope she is alright.”
“Me too. Especially since Dennis has been unreachable.”
“Is it only the two of you working here?”
“Yes. Wait… no,” she said, something dark crossing her eyes.
“Which one?” I asked.
“Well, it is just Rayna and I who work as florists here. But there are men here who… bring in shipments. I never knew about them until today,” she admitted.
Completely in the dark then.
Though, if the dark look that crossed her face was anything to go by, it seemed like she did find the presence of those men suspicious.
Or maybe I was reading too much into things. Perhaps she just had been startled by their presence. And, being a pretty, young, kind of delicate woman all alone in the shop, had been uncomfortable with their presence.