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She’d snapped her mouth shut and looked like a kicked puppy

He didn’t knohat toHe’d been nearly unable to sleep last night, fully aware of her body on the other side of the pillows She talked in her sleep, too No night outside Did she have a dog? Surely not with the size of apart

So he’d tossed and turned all night, listening to herasleep sometime before dawn He’d woken immediately, however, when the alarm went offand was stunned when she’d rolled over and pressed her breast into his hand Memories of that soft, full breast haunted hined sleepiness--hell, what else could he have done?--and she hadn’t seemed to notice that he’d clutched the sheets at his waist to hide his hard-on

It was da attracted to your employee Especially when she was as completely inappropriate for his station as Maylee

They’d finished breakfast in silence He noticed that Maylee ended up pushing around her food ry she’d said she was He supposed she wasn’t a fan of traditional Bellissime dishes like their breakfast of brandied sauce and caviar atop lightly poached eggs Still, it was nice to eat in private, and after their dishes were cleared and he’d finished his coffee, they headed to the kitchen to give their thanks to the chef and his crew

Griffin had to ad staff At first, he’d been skeptical of her plan for him to stop by the kitchen, but she’d politely explained that if he did fivewith the staff, he wouldn’t be surprised by constant drop-ins and requests as he ate And she’d been right More than that, the staff positively beamed with pleasure as he went to talk to them and let the

He enjoyed it so much, he told them, that he wouldn’t mind a ferapped sandwiches to take with them in the carand immediately the staff had scrambled to make them

Maylee pulled out her wallet and tried to pay, but everyone had protested so much that she’d eventually put it away And to reed to pose for a few photos

Immediately, the staff whipped out smartphones, ready for such an occasion

Ten ood mood had returned "That was so sweet of you, Mr Griffin," she said in that twangy drawl Her ar of the sandwiches he’d requested "You could tell how excited they were to et a picture with you One-on-one time is important It makes people feel valued"

"Is this a lecture, Miss Meriweather?"

She sighed heavily "No Can’t I just co there’s an ulterior motive?"

"No," he said in a cool voice, and she fell silent Da the churl in these conversations?

They were both silent as the sedan pulled into the street This time, only one car pulled away to follow them instead of the fleet that normally trailed them An improvement, Griffin ad district of don Bellissime and parked in front of one of the ht, and began to dig through her purse "I don’t have any Bellissinore the ot out of the car "They wouldn’t dare ticket a member of the royal family"

Her brows furrowed at that "But why not? You’re not obeying the law"

"The laws don’t apply to my family"

She looked like she disapproved of that answer, but followed him into the nearest store

Inside, Griffin scanned the clothing Dark suits, neutral-colored dresses Modest fascinators Nothing with flash or a pattern "This will do nicely Go find a salesclerk"

"Here?" Maylee asked, and her mouth was pulled into a frown "This looks like funeral wear I thought ere going to a wedding"

"I assure you it is not funeral wear," Griffin said "And even if it was, you are ht to request that you wear the appropriate clothing for the occasion, especially if I provide it"

She pursed her lips

"You’re stalling," he warned her

"Mr Griffin," she began "I’ ht," he corrected

"I know I just said that"

Jesus Christ He rubbed his brow "Just get the salesclerk, please We can’t spend all day here"

An hour later, Maylee was appropriately attired in a dark blue-skirted suit, ainst Maylee’s protests--et her a somber, normal purse instead of that heinous saddle-shaped ed up for the rest of the trip were several o with the more dressy outfits

Griffin was pleased She’d hardly fussed over any of the clothing, not fighting hied to his personal account, which hy he was puzzled when Maylee paused as they left the shop and hurried back to the salesclerk He watched as sheinto her hand The salesclerk beamed and thanked her with a nod Then, Maylee trotted back to his side

"Sorry ’bout that, Mr Griffin"

He was going to be forever correcting her on his proper title, wasn’t he? But curiosity weighed heavier on him than a correction "What was that about?" he asked as they exited the store

"Oh, I was just giving her a tip," Maylee said "It’s only polite"

He turned and frowned at her "Why would you tip her?"

"Because she helped us?"

"Helping us should be enough of a privilege for her," he told Maylee Was that why the staff was so bloody friendly? Was she handing out money to all of theh opinion of yourself, Mr Griffin"