He took the second box, snapped it shut and held it out. "Give this to the client, and no looking inside."
Elle stared dumbly at the box. Was he really going to send her off alone with a stranger?
"Elle!"
"Yes. I understand." When she looked at him, his expression was hard and shut off. He'd seen it. Her disappointment. The hope dying in her eyes. He knew how she felt, that it wasn't just sexual exploration for her.
He knew she was falling in love.
She was so screwed.
The client wasn't in the car. Elle gripped the box, her knuckles white. She was having a difficult time breathing, and a whole new set of worries crowded her mind. How was she supposed to recognize the client? Was it one person or more than one? And what was she expected to do? She just wasn't ready to handle something like this alone. For the first time ever, a sliver of doubt about Cunningham's judgement appeared. Suppose it was a bad situation and she needed to get away …? Yet she didn't remove the thing that Cunningham had nestled against her pussy. No, she trusted him. She had to.
The car pulled up in front of a luxury hotel, and a portly, mustached doorman opened the door. "Miss Girdley?"
Elle nodded, surprised to be recognized. "I'm not sure where I'm going."
"The Overlook. It's the restaurant on the top of the building. The hostess will handle everything." He helped her out of the car. "Enjoy your evening, Miss." The smile accompanying his words seemed innocent enough. It should have relaxed her. Cunningham was nothing if not discreet—she knew that already. But it didn't mean the evening would be a chaste one for her.
She presented herself to the hostess and was ushered to a table in the middle of the restaurant. With every step she worried that the thing in her panties would tumble onto the floor, so she took small steps, feeling silly.
A man in his early thirties with thick, prematurely graying hair rose to greet her. "Elle. I'm pleased to meet you. My name is Karl Mains." His warm green eyes shone with intelligence. Elle couldn't stop her gaze from wandering down his lithe body. She guessed he was a tennis player, or a swimmer. The kind of man who made time to exercise every day. She immediately handed him the box, which he placed to the side of his menu.
Only when she was seated did she notice that the table was set for four.
"They should be along any minute," Karl said as he noticed her confusion. He signaled for a waiter. "What kind of wine do you prefer?"
"Um …" Elle's mind whirled. She didn't know anything about that sort of thing. The only wine she'd ever tasted that cost more than a few dollars had been at a friend's wedding, and she didn't even know what it was called. She picked up the wine menu and looked down the list of names she couldn't begin to pronounce. Damn, she didn't belong here. Then she remembered what Cunningham had said at her interview, that she needed to project confidence. She had to trust that he wouldn't put her into a situation she couldn't handle. "Why don't you choose? I'm in the mood to try something new." She raised one of her shoulders in a shrug as she smiled.
"Sure." Karl nodded and a server rushed over. After the server left, Elle frantically tried to think of something interesting to talk about. Unfortunately, all she could think of was Cunningham and how he had reacted when he saw her disappointment. She was a fool for thinking she was different, and if she wanted to keep her job, she needed to get a fucking grip on herself. Elle bit down hard on her lip.
"And here is Gustav."
Elle turned to see a distinguished and well-dressed man in his mid-forties walking toward the table. His gaze swept over the room, his head high. He exuded confidence. While he was attractive, he wasn't really her type, but there was no doubt in her mind that this man was dominant. An alpha male, just like Cunningham. And her pussy, traitorous thing, quivered. If Cunningham wanted her to submit to these men, at