Chapter 14
Felix
The one thing I had made up my mind on about Nora was that she was very well suited to the hospitality industry. Based on what Jackson and Joan had been telling me, Nora was a small-town girl with no experience in this industry, but now I could see that she was a natural at it. Whoever had hired her at the hotel needed to be commended for their good judgment.
At the dining table, Nora made the whole experience bearable. She kept the conversation going, made sure that our plates were always full, and that Cici ate all her vegetables. It was hard to tell that Nora didn’t technically belong in the room, that we didn’t actually know her, that she wasn’t really a close friend of ours.
Nora, true to form, did most of the talking and kept my mother busy. She didn’t give Mom a single chance to make a sarcastic comment about how empty Cici’s life was, or how little time I spent in the house. Instead, Mom laughed warmly as she sat beside Nora and asked her a ton of questions about her life in Minnesota.
“I’ve always just wanted to leave all this behind and run away to a place like that, you know, to a much simpler life. Why would you leave all that behind and move to a city like this?” Mom was asking Nora.
She shrugged, flicking some of her golden hair over her shoulder casually.
“I wanted to experience something different; I wanted a different life…maybe not permanently. My heart will always be in Minnesota. I want to go back there someday soon,” Nora replied, and the two of them smiled at each other warmly.
Mom finally turned her attention to me. I had been feeling ignored for a while now, like I wasn’t even in the room.
“And how did you two meet? I didn’t think my son would ever have a…friend like you,” Mom remarked, raising her brows at me.
“Daddy lost me in the hotel!” Cici stepped in, and I looked at my daughter nervously. This could go very badly if Cici was allowed to explain the story. Nora added a quick laugh.
“Oh yeah, that happened yesterday; it was quite funny. Cici was spending the day with me while Felix was at a meeting and my phone was turned off so he couldn’t find us later,” Nora explained, meeting Mom’s eyes confidently.
I could see that Mom was a little confused, but soon enough, she dropped it.
“So, you work at the hotel, is it?” Mom asked.
“Yeah, she’s the head of management. She’s been working there for a few months, closely with me,” I interjected. Nora whipped her face around to look at me; she was surprised by what I had just said. Mom nodded her head, looking impressed.
“I’m sure you’re excellent at your job, Nora. Felix is lucky to have you on his team,” Mom said and dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin. Nora blushed, and for the first time tonight, she seemed like she was lost for words.
“Well, we better get this one to bed then. Come along, sweetheart, grandma would like a bedtime story read to her,” Mom said, beginning to get up from her chair. Cici’s plate was wiped clean, and she jumped off her chair.
“Goodnight, Daddy,” she exclaimed, running over to kiss me on my cheek.
“Goodnight, baby girl, I’ll see you in the morning,” I said to her and Cici widened her eyes with excitement. She threw her arms around my neck and gave me a tight hug. Then she went over to Nora.
“Goodnight, Nora, will I see you in the morning too?” she asked, and it was Mom who burst out laughing. Nora’s cheeks flushed, and I cleared my throat.
“Cici, go to bed!” I said firmly, and she looked confused but went out of the room with Mom.
Nora and I were alone again, but she got up from her chair.
“I should clear this up. I took the liberty of giving Anne the rest of the evening off since I’m here to help,” she said and started stacking up the plates on the table.
“You don’t have to do that right now, I’m sure Anne will take care of it in the morning,” I said and emptied the remaining whiskey down my throat. It was my third of the night.
“It’s all right. I’ve been doing this my whole life; my granddad made sure of it,” Nora said with a smile, without looking at me. I reached for her hand, while she reached for my plate, and I wound my hand around her wrist. Startled, she looked at me, and our eyes met.
“I said, don’t do that right now.” I had spoken in a deep, gruff voice and Nora stood still, staring at me.
“Okay, then I’ll go,” she said, and I released my grip on her hand.
“No, that’s not what I meant either,” I remarked, and she stood beside me, her breasts rising and falling as she looked into my eyes.
“You were…you were great tonight. I don’t know how to thank you,” I said and I saw her cheeks flush again. She shook her head.
“It was my pleasure. Cici is wonderful and the food was great. It was a nice dinner; I enjoyed myself,” she said, and slowly I stood up from my chair. I was towering over her and she had to crane her neck to look up at me.
There was a raw desire for her that was overtaking my body, the one that had been throbbing inside me since I first saw her. But now, it was out of control. I wanted her and she was right there in front of me, not stepping away.