The woman's eyes widen as she takes me in, but she moves fast to hide her own surprise and shifts her attention to Ana. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to know if you're ready to go through the jewellery."
I cock my head to the side. "You must be Juliette." My gaze travels the length of her body. Again. I've already spent time today appreciating her beauty, and truth be told, I could spend hours going over every hollow and curve. It's like God was thinking of me when he made her—breasts that are a good handful, but not so much that I'd be overwhelmed and not sure where to start; an arse that sways from side to side as she walks, tempting me into offering all sorts of things just to hold it once; beautiful, creamy skin that I'd kill to trail kisses all over; long brown hair that would look sexy as fuck the morning after I'd had her; and pouty lips that I would love to have wrapped around my co—
Ana interrupts my thoughts when she snaps. "Tanner! For God's sake, can you concentrate on anything other than a woman for one second of your life?"
I don't shift my eyes from Juliette. I'm waiting for her answer because when she speaks, her voice slides right over you, causing a shiver to run down your spine. It's the kind of shiver a man doesn't experience often in his life, and I need to feel it again. Even if she only tells me off again, I'd be a happy man for the rest of the day.
She takes her sweet time to reply, but it's worth every second. Her features crinkle into an unimpressed scowl as she says, "Yes, I'm Juliette. Anastasia and I won't be long, but I do need her for a little while to finish getting her ready for tonight."
I can't figure out the tone in her voice. It's as if she's annoyed with me and judging me all at the same time, while trying to stay professional. I choose to ignore that though, and nod while gesturing for her to take Ana with her. "Just pretend I'm not even here, ladies. I'll keep myself occupied."
Juliette stares at me for another couple of moments before eventually taking a step back. She appears to be turning to leave when she stumbles. My attention diverts from her face to her heels, and then back up again. Her eyes meet mine and she shakes her head in a silent, "Don't you dare say a word."
My lips twitch as I fight the grin forming, and reluctantly, I move to the television and switch it on. As I take a seat on the couch, I catch sight of Juliette ushering Ana into the bedroom. She intrigues me. Not only is she beautiful, she seems somewhat feisty. And she's so damn serious—I just want to shake that shit out of her and loosen her up. But the thing that's caught my attention the most is the way she is with my sister. Ana seems calm around her—more confident about herself—and I can't say that about very many people. And because I'd pay good money to give Ana the confidence she should already have, I want to know everything there is to know about Juliette.
Chapter Three
JULIETTE
I finish my third bourbon for the night and place the empty glass down on the counter of the hotel bar. It's been about four hours since I left Anastasia's room and after I had dinner in the hotel restaurant, I decided to celebrate my success with a few drinks. And it was a success. Anastasia is known for being a little difficult to work with, but I've had no problems with her so far, and I intend to keep it that way. She loved what I did for her for tonight. Even Kadence begrudgingly gave me her approval. And Anastasia's boyfriend, Tanner, also loved everything I did, so it was a win all the way around.
Signalling to the bartender for another one, I reach into my bag to find some cash. As I'm fumbling around in there, I kick my right foot against the vacant stool next to me and my heel falls off.
"Goddamn heels," I mutter to myself. These heels have given me nothing but problems all day, and my feet are killing me.
"It's a damn good thing Tanner isn't here to say 'I told you so,'" I mutter to myself.
Thoughts of that man assault my mind. I was attracted to him even though he is so far from the type I usually go for. Not that I would pursue him, ever, because not only is he Anastasia's boyfriend, he's also not the kind of man I would ever date. I've no idea what he does for a living, but from his casual attitude, I doubt he's got a life plan. No, Tanner seems more like the play-it-by-ear kind of guy, and my insides knot with tension at the thought of ending up with someone who has no map of where he's going.
I won't ever end up with someone like my father.
At the thought of my father, memories of living in a caravan park with only tins of baked beans to feed our family replace my thoughts of Tanner.
"Oh, God, now I really need a drink," I mutter, and direct my attention back to the bartender, who is flirting with a few women at the other end of the bar. It's a busy night, but seriously, he needs to stop ogling chicks and do some damn work. "Hey, buddy!" I call out to him. His head twists to look at me and when I motion for him to come my way, he grins and nods while holding up a finger to indicate he'll be one moment.
Thank God.