Stormy Weather (2 page)

This was in the middle of fucking nowhere land. Shit, anything and possibly everything could happen to him out here. No one would
ever
know about it until his dead body was discovered, if he was lucky enough for that to even happen to him. This spot was like something out of a horror movie.

Forget it. He wasn’t about to get off this bus.

“Are you sure this is correct stop for me?” he questioned, glaring at the middle-aged driver.

“Yes, sir, this is your stop. You need to get off so I can finish my route. I can’t be late to the next stop,” the man told him.

“The hell I will,” Cash snapped. “I’m not about to get off here and be stranded. I don’t see any signs of a hotel around here. What happened to the taxi I was promised when I bought my ticket?”

“Sir, you aren’t in the middle of nowhere. There is a perfectly excellent hotel if you keep walking straight. I don’t know who you spoke with at the ticket counter, but taxis only come this far from town when they are called for. Most people don’t come way out here without their own means of transportation. So, are you going to stay on or get off?”

“I don’t see any kind of hotel,” Cash complained as he stared out the window.

He didn’t give a damn if the driver got off schedule. The information he got off of the Internet should have explained the situation better to him. He would have never gotten on this crappy ass bus if he knew this would happen to him.

“Are you telling me you don’t you see the red
Luxury
sign in the distance?” the bus driver grumbled, pointing at the windshield.

“A few of my past riders loved the out of the way location and couldn’t praise it enough, but the rooms are expensive. Now, you need to make up your mind if you’re going to stay or go. I can’t waste any more time on you.”

He looked through the windshield again and finally noticed the red and black sign of the hotel in the distance. Cash’s mouth thinned with displeasure. “Are you sure you can’t get any closer than this?”

The driver shot him a hard look before shaking his head. “No. Right here is as far as I go because I have to turn left at this corner. So, you have to get off and walk the rest of the way. I’m sorry about this, but it shouldn’t take you
too
long to get there.”

He sure as hell didn’t feel like walking there, but if that was his only option then he would have to do it.

“Okay. Thanks for taking me this far, I guess,” Cash uttered, trying to keep his temper in check. He waited while the bus driver opened the door and then he got off the bus.

“Have a nice night and safe walk, sir,” the driver told him.

“Yeah, you too.”

Standing on the side of the highway, Cash watched as the driver closed the door and then drove away. He stood there for a few minutes after the bus had turned the corner, wondering how a simple trip had gotten so complicated.

“Well, I just can’t stand here. I need to get a move on,” he mumbled to himself.

Adjusting the carryon strap on his shoulder, he turned on his heel in the direction of the
Luxury
sign. He hoped this place wasn’t a dump used to steal money from unsuspecting people.

As he continued walking, it suddenly dawned on Cash that he should have told his brother, Gerald about his trip, but he didn’t since Gerald was away on a trip as well. Nobody in his family or at his workplace knew exactly where he had gone. He prayed he hadn’t made the biggest mistake of his life by acting on instincts instead of common sense, especially since he hadn’t called ahead to reserve a room at this hotel. He was taking a leap of faith that there would be an empty room for him to stay in. The only thing he reserved was his bus ride.

Shaking off his sudden worry, he kept moving and about twenty minutes later Cash arrived at the front doors of
Luxury
. He was so elated to finally be standing here, he didn’t care if
Luxury
was a five-star resort or the next
Bates Motel
. All he wanted to do was take a hot shower, order something from room service, and crawl into a comfortable king-sized bed and sleep until tomorrow afternoon.

He walked inside and stopped in his tracks. He couldn’t believe how unbelievable the décor of this place looked. How was it possible a place this beautiful was located on the outskirts of such a small town?

The first things that drew his attention were the two chocolate-brown couches. They were facing each other with multicolored throw pillows lined up across the backs. In the middle of the floor was a long black coffee table centered perfectly between them. It went flawlessly with the russet and off-green rug underneath it.

As Cash continued checking out his surroundings, he noticed that two lamps stood at either side of the sofas. They added more light to the room and gave off a hint of sophistication and charm, while huge potted plants off to the side gave the area some life and a homely feel.

The lobby was topped off with a chandelier hanging down from the center of the ceiling with additional recessed lighting, and to his left was a red accent wall with a variety of pictures hanging inside black picture frames.

Not seeing anyone in the lobby, he took a final glance at everything before making his way over to the deserted front desk. Cash tapped the bell once with the palm of his hand. He waited for a hotel employee to show up and help him. However, about five minutes passed without anyone showing up.

He rang the bell again and waited another minute before calling out for someone. “Hello. Is there anyone here? I need some help.”

Usually he was pretty patient, but tonight he was wearing thin. He was ready to check in and go upstairs to his room. This had to be one of the longest nights of his life and he couldn’t wait until it was over.

“I’m here,” a soft, feminine answered behind him. “Can I help you, sir?”

Looking over his shoulder, Cash did a double take as his eyes landed on the most captivating black woman he had ever seen. Her smooth, mocha complexion was flawless; it made him want to touch her to see if her skin felt as silky as it looked.

He liked how she had her hair styled, without a strand out of place. For some reason, it made him want to muss it up so he could see how she would look a little less “perfect.”

Her nose was straight, short, and charming while the corners of her mouth turned upwards. The soft red color on her luscious lips drew his attention, making him want a taste.

His gaze slowly traveled over the rest of her body and he liked what he saw, especially how her toned legs looked in the dark gray skirt. He had always been a leg man and this mystery woman owned a great pair. They were only enhanced by the tall heels on her small feet. He let his eyes go back up her body to notice how her tucked-in white shirt showed off her perky breasts, curved hips, and narrow waist.

He wanted to say something to her, but he couldn’t get the words to come out of his mouth. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had made him this tongue-tied. All he could do was stand there and gawk at her like a teenage boy with his first crush.

“Sir, can I help you?” she inquired again, closing the small gap between their bodies. “Are you looking for directions?”

“No, I’m not looking for directions,” Cash replied when he finally regained his voice. “I want a room for a few nights. I hope that you have one that’s available.”

She smiled at him and it brightened up her pretty face. “You’re in luck. We do have a couple of vacant rooms.”

The hotel clerk walked around him, behind the front desk. Cash couldn’t stop staring at how the fabric of her skirt hugged her ass.

How could it possible for the back of her to look as good as the front?

Usually, he wasn’t this nervous with the opposite sex, but she was doing something to him without even realizing it. So, what was so special about her? She was just an employee at a hotel, yet he felt this underlying connection to her.

“Are you here for business or personal reasons?” she asked, drawing his awareness away from her captivating mouth back to her stunning eyes.

Instead of answering her question, he watched as she pulled out a sign-in book from underneath the desk and placed it on the top. Hell, he didn’t even know her name. Nevertheless, all he could think about was asking her out on a date and getting to know more about her—if was she married, single, or dating someone.

“Excuse me, sir. Are you listening to me?” she asked him. “Is there something wrong? Do you need some kind of help?”

Cash drew his attention back to the woman. He noticed she was watching him with a perplexed expression etched across her face while holding a pen in her left hand. Why was he standing here acting like an idiot? He was tired of wondering who she was, so he was just going to ask her.

Chapter Two

“No, I don’t need any help. I’m fine,” Cash answered, kicking himself for staring at her for so long without answering any of her questions. “Who are you?” He was dying to know who she was. Hopefully, she wasn’t married or seeing someone and would accept his invitation to have drinks. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer, so he hoped she told him what he wanted to hear.

Her face broke into a friendly grin. “I apologize. I should have introduced myself. My name is Rachelle Williams. I’m the owner of
Luxury.
”

Rachelle....is her name
? It suited her beauty perfectly.

“Yes, I did wonder about what you did here,” he lied. Truthfully, he was too busy daydreaming about kissing her to even think about her questions.

“I wanted to know your information so I could give you the rates for the rooms. We keep all of our business clientele on a separate floor from the other patrons. It works better that way for everyone,” Rachelle told him. “We have fewer problems with our guests who stay here.”

“No, Ms. Williams, I’m not here on business. I think a personal room would work better for me,” Cash answered.

“Please, call me Rachelle.”

“Rachelle.”

Yeah, he
loved
how her name just seemed to slide off his tongue like hot, melted butter. He would say it every single chance he got while he was on vacation. In addition, he would make sure he got to spend some more time with her.

“Wonderful,” she said, giving him another charming smile. “Let me go over the prices and then you can tell me what package interests you the most.”

“Sounds good to me.” He moved closer to the desk.

“A regular room costs $95.00 a night. Suite rates are $145.00 a night and then the deluxe package is $250.00 a night.”

“What is included with the higher priced rooms?”

“The suites are larger and have jetted tubs and balconies, better views. A deluxe package night includes laundry, transportation, and spa services and vouchers for alcoholic drinks.”

“I don’t think you pointed out when I’ll be able to get meals around here,” he said. Sometimes he enjoyed eating earlier and other days he liked having a late dinner. It all depended on how his day had gone and what kind of mood he was in.

“Sorry, I always forget to tell people that,” she apologized softly. “Usually, I send out brochures and everything is detailed in them.
Luxury
doesn’t get that many walk-in customers. I think you are only the third one since we opened. Let me go over them with you.

“Breakfast starts at five o’clock in the morning and ends at eleven. Lunch begins at one o’clock and ends at three. Dinner is served at five o’clock and concludes at nine. Sometimes we keep the kitchen open a little later with the dinner service if the place is full because we know some people might be running late.

“So, have I sold you on staying here? Would you like a room at
Luxury
…Mister…?”

“Sorry, I forgot to tell you my name,” he apologized.

He had gotten so caught up in staring at her, everything else had completely slipped his mind. Hell, with his job he was used to dealing with stunning women, yet there was something unique about Rachelle that genuinely captivated him.

“My name is Cash Garon and yes, I believe I do want a room. Do you have any left for the deluxe package?”

She gave him a small nod. “Yes, Mr. Garon, we do have one room left so there isn’t a problem.”

“Cash,” he corrected.

He didn’t want Rachelle calling him Mr. Garon. It sounded too cold and impersonal. He wasn’t interested in a detached or distant relationship with the striking woman in front of him. Despite sounding absolutely crazy in his head, he was already planning their first date.

Why should he let moss grow under his feet?

“Okay, Cash,” she said, pushing the sign-in book in his direction.

Flipping it open, she handed him a pen and then pointed to an empty line inside the book. “Why don’t you sign right here while I get everything else taken care of for you?”

Taking the pen from her hand, he felt a slight electric jolt when his fingers brushed over her softer ones. He held her big brown eyes with his, noticing her stunned expression as he flickered over Rachelle’s attractive face. Right then and there he
knew
she had felt the same amazing shock as him.

Wonderful
….the tug he felt wasn’t one-sided.

“Thank you,” he said, then quickly signed his name and gave the book back to her. “Oh, here’s your pen.” He held it out for her to take; however, when Rachelle took it back from him their hands didn’t touch this time.

“You’re welcome. How would you like to pay? We take credit cards, debit cards, or cash. We don’t take checks.”

“We,” Cash frowned. “What do you keeping say
we
? I thought you mentioned earlier that you were the owner?” He hadn’t seen anyone else here but him and Rachelle, so why was she saying
we
?

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to confuse you. I own this place with my younger sisters. Tonight is my night to work.”

“I understand.” Great, she was referring to her sisters, not a boyfriend or worse, a husband somewhere in the background.