The Wrong Brother's Temptation novel Chapter 223

Chapter 223

Sienna

I hurried down the street like my life depended on it, which, emotionally speaking, it kind of did.

My sandals had already gotten stuck twice against the paver blocks that kept jutting out every few steps of the walkway.

One of them had been making this tiny, ominous clicking sound for the last two blocks and I had chosen to ignore it because I was an optimist and also an idiot.

“Now where are you?” I muttered to myself, hoping Connor would appear out of nowhere.

Instead, a trash can did while I wasn’t paying attention to where my foot landed.

I tried to avoid it but slammed my hip into it hard enough to make the whole thing shudder.

Something inside it, probably a cat, hissed loudly. “Sorry kitty” I mumbled but I didn’t stop.

“Smooth,” I muttered under my breath. “Really graceful. Ten out of ten.”

Two steps later the heel of my right sandal just… gave up. One second it was there, the next it snapped with a harsh sound. I lurched forward, arms flailing, and somehow managed not to eat concrete.

Barely.

“Are you kidding me right now?” I hissed at the broken sandal like it could hear me.

Getting annoyed with every passing second, I straightened and limped the rest of the way, one heel functioning and the other just vibing as a flat.

I just got rid of both heels, turning my footwear into flat bottoms and hurried towards the second block.

By the time I finally rounded the corner and spotted Connor’s car in the distance, I was sweaty, annoyed. and moving like a lopsided penguin.

Relief hit so hard my knees went a little weak. The car had slowed.

It was stopping under the hotel entrance. I immediately ducked behind a low wall like some kind of very poorly trained spy and peeked over the top.

Connor stepped out of the car and just like that, my brain short–circuited.

He looked… devastatingly handsome.

The hoodie from this morning was gone, replaced by a crisp dark suit that fit like it had been made specifically to ruin my life. The polished shoes in his feet shone brighter than my future and his dark. messy hair was perfectly set in that way that told me he had put in actual effort for the celebration dinner tonight.

My heart did something stupid and painful in my chest and if my wolf could talk to me, she would definitely thrown me a ‘told you‘ line.

1:38 Fri, Sep 25

The Wrong Brother’s Temptation

I had been right all along.

This wasn’t some casual thing for him either. I watched the valet take his keys, and crouched low as Connor climbed the short stairs leading to the massive entrance and disappeared inside the hotel.

I waited a full minute to ensure he was really faraway from me and only then did I let myself breathe again.

“Okay,” I whispered to myself, stepping out from behind the wall. “You’ve come this far. Do not mess this up more than you already have.”

I tried to fix my hair with my fingers, smoothed down my dress, and checked my reflection in a random car window.

I looked like someone who had lost a fight with a sidewalk. I dabbed my face with some light makeup, straightened my shoulders, and decided the broken heel was simply part of my charm now.

I walked toward the entrance with as much fake confidence as I could gather.

The guard standing there looked me up and down slowly and I felt every second of it.

My stomach dropped fearing he was going to ask for an invitation or tell me the public entrance was around the back or just laugh at me.

Instead he just opened the door for me and smiled as he gave me a short bow.

I blinked.

“Oh. Uh. Thanks,” I mumbled, and hurried inside before he could reconsider his decision.

The second I stepped into the lobby I actually stopped walking.

“Holy shit,” I breathed.

The place was ridiculously rich..

The floors were so clean and shiny I could see my own slightly traumatized reflection staring back at me.

Massive chandeliers hung from the ceiling like they were showing off.

Everything looked expensive and very high class. The place was filled with soft light, polished surfaces, and people who looked like they had never once broken a heel in public.

I was so busy staring around that I almost walked straight into a woman in a cream pantsuit.

She stopped short and gave me a polite but very obvious once–over.

Her eyes flicked down to my uneven sandals, then back up to my face.

“Are you all right?” she asked, in a kind tone like she was not sure if I was drunk or just unlucky

“Completely fine,” I answered too quickly, then tried to laugh and ended up making a weir sound instead.

1:38 Fri, Sep 25 F

The Wrong Brother’s Temptation

“Just… heading towards my client for the day.”

She stared at me for a second longer.

55 vouch

“Right,” she said slowly. “Well, walk straight ahead and find Bob. He will brief you on everything Enjoy your evening then.

Huh? Who was Bob and why did I have to find him?

“You too,” I replied, already trying to edge away instead of engaging with her.

“Love the pantsuit. It’s a bold choice to match it with your hair.” I pointed at her bright orange hair.

She gave me one last bewildered look and continued walking.

The second her back was turned I closed my eyes and muttered, “Why did I say that? Why do I ever say anything?”

I immediately straightened up, lifted my chin, and tried to walk like someone who belonged here and hadn’t just complimented a stranger’s pantsuit like an absolute weirdo.

My broken sandal made a sad little scuffing sound with every step and I pretended it was intentional.

A staff member appeared out of nowhere, looked at me once and asked.

“Good afternoon. Are you looking for Bob?”

My mind went completely blank. Bob again? Was he some sort of staff manager here who managed reservations or something?

“Bathroom,” I blurted out. “I mean, if you could just… point me towards the restroom please?”

She didn’t even blink, just gestured gracefully toward a hallway.

“Of course. Right through there on your left. Then you might go find Bob on the second floor”

I didn’t even bother with who Bob was and replied,

“Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”

The second she walked away I spun around and I went in the bathroom, splashed my face with water, adjusted my sandals and dabbed makeup again to not look like I just ran through a marathon.

The dress looked even shorter in the wide mirrors installed in the bathrooms. I pulled out the bottle of perfume and sprayed a good amount on myself to mask my scent from Connor.

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