King's Treasure (Oil Kings Book 3) Marie Johnston (books to read to get smarter .txt) 📖

opened in the city that touted locally sourced ingredients, used metal straws, and donated any oil used to some biodiesel place in town. Savvy was supposed to arrive this afternoon and I’d made reservations for this evening.

It was the first date I’d actually planned.

Waking up next to Savvy and not touching her had been a special form of torture, but waking up alone and surrounded by nothing but the natural lavender and vanilla fragrance she preferred sucked worse.

To kill time while waiting, I retreated to the sitting room to watch a show. I chose a documentary with stunning visuals and minimal narration. Writer’s block had hit me hard. Photojournalists didn’t have to write much, but every word I penned sounded inane and empty. I needed guidance and inspiration and Netflix would have to do.

Voices trailed down the hall. I looked at the time. Too early to be Savvy.

Pearl poked her head in and spoke to someone outside the door. “It’s Xander.” She danced in. “What’s going on? You’ve made yourself scarce this week.”

I had. Usually when I hung out at someone’s place, even lived there, I contributed somehow. Since I was still doing a whole lot of nothing, I’d made sure to be gone as soon as I woke up, not coming back until evening. I’d managed to sneak out before Mrs. Abbot could insist I use Davis. Apparently ditching him earlier this week had sent a message—or Mrs. Abbot thought I’d learned my lesson when public transportation had added extra commute time and Savvy had incurred more of Chief’s wrath for taking the day off.

“I don’t want to be underfoot.”

Pearl scooted over and Em pushed in next to her. Em was the opposite of Pearl. Dark haired and serious. “He’s waiting for his wife.”

“She’s supposed to be home soon,” I agreed.

Em folded her arms. “I hate to break the bad news, but they’re going straight to the office when they land. Chief doesn’t mess around with afternoons off.”

“But she said . . .” I reread the messages. She’d said they were flying in, not coming home. “Shit.”

Sympathy oozed out of Pearl. “Yeah. We used to make that mistake a lot. Learned not to wait for Chief for the dance recital.”

Em nodded. “Carter didn’t go on this trip, but when he flies back, his nights are often later. Chief wants to be caught up from being out of the office before he goes back the next day.”

“I wanted to take her out tonight.” I could still do it, if I could change the reservation. It was just dinner and catching up.

“She’ll be exhausted.” Pearl stepped in. “Really, if you wanted to spoil her, you’d run her a bath and get her fluffiest pajamas ready.”

“Especially if they’re turning and burning to Houston the day after tomorrow,” Em added.

“Houston?” My plans were obliterated. Like a selfish jackass, I’d wanted to pick up with Savvy where we’d left off before she’d gotten the call from Chief. The need pounding through my body wasn’t as simple as getting laid. My wife was coming home. I hadn’t seen her for four days. We were supposed to have the whole weekend together, but now she was leaving Sunday.

“Welcome to Abbot Security,” Pearl said lightly. “This is how Chief socializes and the rest of the office is dragged along. It’s why he can’t keep an assistant.”

Em exchanged a look with Pearl. “I think it’s why he pushed Savvy to work with him. She won’t quit like the others.”

“So you’re saying not to make too many reservations this summer?”

Em snorted. “I get annoyed at Carter’s travel schedule, but Savvy’s is going to be heinous since she’s Chief’s assistant. His executive assistant doesn’t even travel as often as him.”

They both give me oh so sorry smiles and left me to ponder my suddenly open night. The hours ticked by and I didn’t pay attention to what was on TV. I ran options through my head, but I would make no decisions until I talked to my wife.

The front door opened and Chief was rattling off details. “Make sure you confirm our ride from the airport to the hotel. We’ll also need a driver to get us from head offices to the warehouses.”

“Yes, Chief. I’ve got it all down to verify in the a.m.”

His heavy steps pounded up the stairs. I darted out as Savvy slogged up the stairs after him, dragging her suitcase behind her. I trotted to catch up and lifted the luggage from her grip.

I didn’t like how wan her smile was. “Hey. Sorry I’m late. Did you get my message?”

“Yes.” I lifted my chin for her to continue to her room. Hers, not ours.

I struggled to keep my eyes off her ass the entire way. Getting sexually worked up before a what the hell are we doing about us talk wasn’t the way to go. Her snug brown cashmere sweater and long red skirt made it hard.

She turned into her room and I followed her in and shut the door. “I should’ve expected this,” she said on top of a yawn.

“You’re leaving Sunday again?”

She nodded and sank onto the bed. “And Minneapolis the week after that. So many travel plans.” She groaned and flopped back.

“Any way you can get out of them?”

“What do you mean?” She propped herself on her elbows, and I forced my eyes off the way the position made her breasts jut out.

“It sounds like you’re going to be traveling constantly for months. Is there any way you can maybe . . . not?”

The weariness vanished from her eyes and she sat up. “It’s part of my job, Xander.” Ice crystals punctuated her words.

“You don’t have to work for Chief.”

She pushed a stray hair out of her face. It looked like she’d put it in the bun she favored so much for most of the day, then released it as soon as they’d left the office. “We talked about this.”

“You told me what you thought you should do. We didn’t really discuss our options other than you didn’t want