Grayson Pierce and Eloise Caldwell novel Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Grayson tossed the trash into the bin, then slipped his arm around Eloise and turned to leave.

Eloise was so wrapped up in the whole 60 thousand she owed Grayson that she didn’t even notice he had his arm around her the whole time.

Grayson smirked. Eloise had this unique scent that was just addictive. He leaned in a little closer.

Eloise didn’t have 60 thousand, not now, not ever. She hadn’t managed to save up that much in all these years.

“Grayson, I’ll clean your shoes properly. I’ll make them look just like new. Can you please not make me pay for them?” Eloise begged.

Grayson kept his arm around her as they walked into the building, then pressed the elevator button.

The elevator was still stuck up on the twentieth floor, not coming down yet. Grayson just stared at the floor numbers by the elevator, not saying a word.

Eloise pleaded anxiously, “I’ll be extra careful. I swear I won’t mess up your shoes. Come on, 60 thousand. You can’t just toss them aside just because they got a little dirty, right? That’d be such a waste.”

Grayson still had his hand on her waist. Her waist was slim, with a softness that was impossible to ignore. He gave it a light squeeze.

Eloise was still caught up talking about the shoes. 60 thousand wasn’t exactly pocket change. It was like she’d crashed into someone’s car on the street; she was freaking out inside.

Just then, she felt a squeeze on her waist. She suddenly realized Grayson had had his arm around her the whole way.

She immediately shoved him away. “Hey. Stop taking advantage of me.”

‘What a shame. I was hoping to hold her a little longer,’ Grayson thought.

The elevator showed up. Eloise stepped inside. Grayson followed, one hand in his pocket, unhurried. “Eloise, you don’t have to pay me the 60 thousand. Just be my girlfriend and we’ll call it even,” he teased.

Eloise turned to look at him. He was a head taller, his eyes bright with a faint smile, the same one she remembered from years ago. But she wasn’t that innocent girl fresh out of school anymore.

For a couple seconds, she totally spaced out, caught up in that dangerously charming smile of Grayson’s. But she quickly pulled herself together, back to being the level-headed Eloise.

“Nope. Go ahead, get a lawyer and sue me if you want. I trust the judge to be fair. Worst case, I’ll just have to pay for cleaning,” Eloise shot back.

‘She’s gotten sharp, Grayson thought. ‘I was still hoping to trick her into being my girlfriend. What a shame!

But he wasn’t actually trying to scam Eloise. He just wanted to mess with her a little and maybe score some

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Chapter 52

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Ding. The elevator doors slid open. Eloise walked out without looking back. Grayson rubbed his nose and followed her out. Before Eloise could shut her door, he slid his foot in to block it

Her gaze dropped to his leather shoes, and her scalp tingled. Her grip loosened. “Why don’t you take them off,” she said sharply, “and let me slam the door on them?”

Grayson replied, “My feet are worth way more than those fancy shoes.

“If you hurt me, you’ll have to cough up for my hospital bills, emotional trauma. lost wages, and all the extra snacks I’ll need to recover. And trust me, my lost wages aren’t cheap.

Eloise rolled her eyes. ‘So in the end, the shoes are actually the cheapest thing here.

“Mr. Pierce, would you please leave my apartment? I seriously can’t afford to pay for any of your damages.

Eloise said.

Grayson put his hand on the door, gave it a little push. and swaggered right in like he owned the place.

He bent down to get the slippers. His pair of men’s slippers was placed right next to Eloise’s pink fluffy ones. side by side like they belonged to owners of the house.

He picked up his own, then casually set the pink pair down at Eloise’s feet

He joked. “I might be a little high-maintenance, but as long as you handle me with care, there won’t be any trouble.”

Eloise was speechless. She kicked off her shoes in two swift motions, shoved her feet into the fluffy slipper and stormed back to her room in a huff.

Grayson, shameless as ever, followed her right in. “So this is your room? Smells so good in here, just like you do.

Eloise was clutching her pajamas and some intimates, and the moment she spotted Grayson, she instinctively shoved them behind her back, cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“Who let you in here?” Eloise demanded.

“I let myself in, Grayson said, like it was no big deal.

“Seriously, you’re unbelievable. This is my room, my private space. You can’t just walk in whenever you want, Eloise snapped.

“I’ve already been under your covers, so why are you making a fuss about me coming into your room?” Grayson shot back, totally shameless.

Grayson decided to double down on the shameless act. Eloise was on high alert now, leaving him no opening. If he kept hesitating, he’d end up with nothing.

Eloise took a deep breath, reminding herself not to lose her cool and just pretend Grayson was some kind of

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Chapter 52

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“Grayson, I’m not arguing with you. We have nothing to do with each other now, so don’t say things like that. Get out of my room. Right now,” Eloise said, her voice firm.

Just then, Grayson’s phone started ringing. He gave Eloise a quick glance, then walked out to take the call.

Eloise gave Grayson a quick look out on the balcony, grabbed her pajamas and underwear, and ducked into the bathroom. Suddenly remembering something, she made sure to lock the door behind her.

Grayson finished the call and walked back inside. The sound of running water came from the bathroom. His eyes darkened. Images of Eloise’s curves flashed through his mind. His body reacted instantly.

He let out a heavy breath, trying to calm himself down. He said a quick goodbye to Noah and left.

When Eloise finished her shower and came out, she checked everywhere, but Grayson was nowhere to be found.

Noah came out of his room. “Mom, he left.”

“Okay,” she replied. She pursed her lips slightly, then went to blow-dry her hair.

*****

Friday rolled around. Eloise joined Beckett for a meeting at VirtuFusion Group.

The Yaiville project was about to kick off, and the Hayes Group’s project team had been burning the midnight oil to get everything ready.

VirtuFusion Group’s building looked super fancy, and the conference room was massive. All the companies involved in the project had sent their reps. But the VirtuFusion folks still hadn’t arrived.

Eloise took a seat beside Beckett. He didn’t look like he was in a great mood today.

Eloise asked offhandedly, “Mr. Hayes, how’s your date with Ms. Jenkins going? Is everything going smoothly?”

Beckett turned to her, eyes fixed on her face. “Is that what you were hoping for?”

Eloise blinked, a little surprised. “Of course,” she said.

He gave a short smile. “Then I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. It didn’t

go

well.”

“Why?” Eloise pressed, unable to hide her curiosity.

“Ms. Jenkins just wasn’t feeling it,” Beckett replied with a shrug.

“Seriously?” Eloise blurted out, totally caught off guard.

“She said I’m too much of a player and told me to change, but come on, that’s just not who I am,” Beckett said.

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