When Crew picked the phone back up, his father was nearing the end of his whine. “…and that’s why you need to settle down!”
“You’d better not be doing any more scheming. I still haven’t forgiven you for that time Sue Ellen and I managed to get locked in the boathouse overnight when I was twenty-four,” Crew reminded his father.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I wasn’t the one who locked you in, if that’s what you’re implying. But, at the age of twenty-four, you were more than ready to be married. Heck, by now, you should have at least three kids. I wouldn’t mind each of you having a dozen of the little ankle-biters.”
“I get it, Dad. You want grandkids. Talk to Lance. He’s more likely to give them to you than the rest of us.”
Crew felt a slight pang at selling out his brother, but Lance was more the father type, if there were such a thing. Their dad, with his incredible dedication, had given his children a great example of what a father should be, and it wasn’t that Crew didn’t want kids; it was just something he didn’t anticipate in the foreseeable future. Time to cut this call short.
“Hey, Dad. I’m sorry, but I’m getting a call on the other line,” he told him, grateful for the flashing red light. He wouldn’t tell an outright lie, but he’d suffered through his father’s guilt trip long enough; reports of zombies in the spa pool might have sounded good in comparison.
“Fine, fine. But you’ll have no choice but to listen when I show up down there,” Richard said.
“Yes, you can give me the talk about family obligation again, and again, very soon,” Crew told him. His tone was genial, and he hoped his remark wouldn’t set his dad off. Luckily, it didn’t, and he was able to say goodbye.
Crew missed the incoming call, but wasn’t too worried about it. After hanging up the phone, he looked at the clock and found to his surprise that it was nearing midnight. Time really flew when you weren’t having fun. Since he had an early-morning meeting, he decided to call it a night.
Switching his phone over to the emergency desk, Crew locked up the office and headed to his private suite.
Had he known he was going to spend the night sweating in bed with erotic dreams starring Haley, he’d have stayed up and caught up on work instead.
Chapter Ten
Crew woke up in a foul mood. He’d tossed and turned most of the night, finally giving up on sleep at five in the morning, stumbling from his bed and heading straight to the shower.
He would have just guffawed had a fortune-teller laid out his tarot cards and said: “I see in your future a crazy blond woman wearing shapeless clothes. She will approach you with an indecent proposal, and you’ll be unable to do anything but think about her.”
Both awake and asleep.
After washing the sweat from his body, Crew planned his day. There was no time like the present, he decided, to begin his damnable lessons. In order for Haley to become the seductress she wanted to be, she needed first to feel like a beautiful woman.
This was something Crew knew how to do. He loved the courting game, though it had been a while. A man who didn’t spoil his woman or treat her like his most valuable treasure wasn’t worthy of her love. And, hey, it could be fun.
Romance didn’t always mean large gestures. Often it was the small things that mattered most. A note telling her how beautiful she was, a single rose laid upon her pillow at night, a chocolate sitting next to her coffee cup. Small things to let her know she was always on his mind.
Crew was often confused by his fellow men. He didn’t see how guys were so blind to what women wanted and needed. Haley wanted to make men flock to her, but it would help her to find out — and she was about to — why women flocked to him, and how he chose a woman.
Once she knew how incredibly intoxicating she was, she’d be the type of girl he would have approached a week ago. Her only flaw was her lack of confidence. She didn’t realize it, but the only thing he was teaching her was how to love herself — everything else would easily fall into place for her after that.
First on his list of to-dos was to order a large bouquet of pink and purple stargazer lilies, making sure the greenery matched the color of her eyes and the flowers themselves were fragrant enough that each time she entered the room, their smell would tease and delight her senses.
He also ordered breakfast to be delivered, heading to the kitchen himself to ensure that no mistakes were made. He’d yet to find a woman who couldn’t be seduced by silky chocolate and vibrant flowers. The longer she was with him, the more expensive the gifts, but in the beginning, subtlety was best.
Sliding the delicate chocolate truffles onto her plate and attaching a note, Crew smiled and waited for her call. It didn’t take long — about twenty minutes, in fact.
“Crew?” her sleepy voice drifted through the phone line, to his ear.
“Speaking,” he said softly as he made his way toward her room.
“You have an impressive way of wangling a breakfast invitation,” she said, her voice soft and husky from sleep.
“I do what I can,” he replied as he neared her door.
“The flowers are beautiful, and this chocolate is the best I’ve ever had,” she mumbled around the sweet concoction in her mouth. As Crew pictured filling her mouth with much more than chocolate, his groin tightened. Man, he wanted her sweet, full lips around his shaft – hell, all over his body, but especially his shaft!
“Are you going to invite me in?” he practically whispered. To himself, he said: Down, boy!
“Well…you did have breakfast for two sent up. I hate to see such a good meal wasted…”
“Invite me in, Haley. This is Lesson Three,” he said, his voice purposely low and seductive. Satisfaction filled him at the hitch in her voice.
“I need time to get dressed.”
“Then our breakfast will get cold. You look fine, I’m sure,” he said with a hint of impatience. He really wanted to know what she slept in. Was it nothing at all? The sudden thought had his blood racing.
“Fine. Come on up,” she conceded.
“I’m already here. Open the door.” Crew hung up and waited. He had the master key in his pocket, but he wouldn’t use it. She needed to have the confidence in herself to let him through her door.
The door opened just a crack and Crew first saw big green eyes peering out at him. He said nothing, just raised his eyebrows as he waited for her to open the door all the way.