Hired To Love

Chapter Seven

Henley

Bennett kept staring at me as we made our way down the street, trying to hunt down his driver. I tried not to feel self-conscious, but it was hard not to. I wasn't used to being so... decked out. And it also kind of irritated me that he hadn't stared at me before I'd gotten all dolled up, but even I could begrudgingly admit that I'd gone from a solid six to a ten with my new makeover.

"Why don't we just take the subway?" I suggested, turning back to frown at him and catching him ogling me again.

He coughed a bit and placed a hand over his eyes to shade them from the sun as he looked around for his driver. "Were you aware that about fifteen percent of the air you breathe in on the subway is actually skin particles? And not just from exposed skin. From the whole body."

"How in the world do you know that?"

"I like to read," he answered. "It was in a study of the metro back in 2008."

He didn't seem like the type of person to read. But it kind of explained how he knew such random facts. "Isn't there human matter in all air? Especially in New York City?"

"Yes, but not as bad as on the subway. Not to mention the grimy seats. I just spent a grand on that dress and you want to tarnish it already?"

I scowled at him, but my attempt at looking menacing was foiled by my ankle giving out from under me as my heel landed on a crack in the sidewalk. Just as I was losing balance, Bennett wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against his body to keep me upright. "Henley, what did I just say?"

Embarrassed, I pushed myself away from him and stood up straight, trying not to think of just how firm his chest was. "Sorry, I'm not used to heels," I mumbled.

"That's unsurprising," he said.

I turned up to glare at him and he stared back at me for a moment, an amused smile on his face. Knowing it would be useless to say anything, I did the other most mature thing. I crossed my arms.

"Should we hold hands?" he suggested.

I gave him a wary look. "Uh, why?"

"So you don't fall again."

Rolling my eyes, I started down the sidewalk, this time taking extra care not to slip. He easily kept up with me and from the corner of my eye, I saw him smiling a bit. We finally found the driver and I gratefully slid into the air-conditioned BMW.

"Where are we going next?" I asked as the car pulled back into the taxi-filled streets. My stomach rumbled a little and I placed a hand over it, hoping to keep it quiet.

"We're going to go eat," he told me, crossing his leg and letting his ankle rest on his other leg's knee.

I was about to mimic his gesture before I realized I was wearing a dress and could not do so. Smoothing down the fabric, I crossed my legs at the ankle. "What kind of place is it?"

Bennett smirked a bit. "You'll see."

We moved slowly through the crowded streets and about twenty minutes later we pulled up to a sleek, multistory building that could almost rival the Trump Tower. The polished panels reflected the streets and lights below, including the waterfall that I switched my gaze to that stood in front of what I assumed to be the entrance. The fountain was a little over ten feet tall and was lit up by colored lights. Above the gigantic front doors was the word CALLOWAY in giant, bold lettering.

"Are we eating at your hotel?" I asked, shocked.

The car came to a stop and Bennett turned to me, giving me a short nod. "We are. Don't worry though. My mother isn't here. This will be your first time at one of our flagship hotels, correct?"