Resisting Sin (Gold Diggers #1)

Episode 16 : Far From the Madding Crowd

"You should shower," Gabriel said. "Take your time. We don't have to go back right away."

"Yeah," Hayley murmured. She gave an almost inaudible sigh as she turned away, still hugging the beach towel tight around her.

He couldn't ignore the almost desolate tone in her voice. "You don't want to go back, do you?"

Her gaze swung back at him. "What? No." She bit her lip. "I'm just a little tired, is all." She gave a small smile. "It's been a long day. But I'll be okay, I promise."

"You don't have to go back to the party if you don't want to, Hayley."

"Don't I?"

"Of course not." He frowned. "What makes you think I'll make you do anything you don't want?"

She shrugged. "It's what you hired me for, isn't it?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Is it really this hard?"

Her expression softened. "No. Really, it's not. I'm just a little overwhelmed. I'll get over it." She walked toward the corner of the room where their overnight bags had been placed side by side. "I'll catch up when I'm done. You should go back, Edward is probably wondering where you'd gone."

She picked up her bag and carried it with her to the bathroom.

***

Sharing a bedroom with a virtual stranger was tricky— even if that stranger was supposedly your boyfriend. Hayley wasn't going to get dressed in the bedroom when he could walk in at any moment. So she hauled her bag on the marble counter beside the sink. She'd packed the usual bath essentials but a glance around the room told her she didn't have to. The cupboards were stocked with bath and shower products. The sink had four toothbrushes and two kinds of toothpaste.

She showered quickly then put on a short backless red dress.  It was a good thing she had heeded Gabriel's suggestion to bring an extra outfit. Now she wondered if he suspected she would get into some kind of trouble that would necessitate having to change her clothes halfway through the party.  Which she did, kind of. He probably expected her to spill ketchup all over the couture he'd just bought her or something. But if he wanted someone sophisticated, he should have hired someone else for this job, shouldn't he?

"You could see her split ends from a mile away."

As she dried her hair with the blowdryer, she remembered what that woman in the ladies' room had said about her hair. She held up the end of some strands and squinted. She didn't have that many split ends, maybe just one or two. But then her hair was rather boring. It was neatly cut but boring. She always wanted highlights but it was an expense she couldn't afford. But again, Gabriel knew what he was getting when he hired her.

She dried her hair carefully. Normally, she'd just move the blower all over her hair until it was no longer damp and then brush it. But she took her time if only to delay her inevitable return to the party. She groaned inwardly when she remembered she'd have to put on make-up all over again.

The sight of Gabriel sitting on one of the large armchairs by the window startled her as she walked out of the bathroom. "You're still here?" she said.

He nodded. "Sit down, please," he said, gesturing toward the other chair.

Her knees wobbled a little as she did as he asked. Her heartbeat sped up nervously. This was it. He was going to tell her this wasn't working. That he'd made a mistake hiring her. That she was clearly unfit for the role, seeing as she couldn't even get through one birthday party without running away or falling into the pool and ruining her brand new outfit from Dior.