WindSwept Narrows: #17 Pepper Ambrose

By Karen Diroll-Nichols

Shortly before noon, Chase followed the signs in the administration portion of the resort and entered the front office of purchasing. The desk was empty, glass doors to the left was posted for employees only and the door behind the desk was wide. He was about to enter the office when a movement behind the desk caught his attention. He looked down to see a pair of sapphire blue eyes peering through lenses up at him seconds before she bounced to her feet, dusting off the suit skirt.

“I am so sorry,” she glanced around the desk. “Are you here for an appointment? I can’t seem to locate my calendar...thought it might have slipped under the desk...” She thrust her palm out and brought out a bright smile. “Pepper Ambrose.”

“Chase Montgomery,” he returned, enveloping the smaller palm with his. “I don’t have an appointment, so it’s alright.” He watched relief flood through her seconds before she collapsed into the chair behind her, the chiming of the phone making her groan and hold up one finger.

Pepper tapped the speaker button, her head down on the desk. “Purchasing.”

“You sound like you’re in a tunnel,” came the soft feminine voice through the phone lines.

“Adriana...” Pepper’s head came up. “Please...please...”

“You scared the crap out of the last one, Pepper,” she scolded mildly.

“Oh...poor little girl...because I insisted she learn how to tell time? I was patient, Adriana. The first day...it was the traffic coming up from Stellacomb. Oh, and the next day it was all that pesky rain on the highway. My all time favorite was being out celebrating having a job and missed the alarm going off,” she concluded in a low growl.

“Okay, so she’s not a day person...and definitely not...” Adriana Styles Blackhawk cleared her throat. “I’m sending you someone on Monday.”

“Really?”

“You’ve got a suspicious nature, Pepper. Yes...have something to write on?”

Blue eyes grabbed the memo cube and pulled drawers open, searching until she saw the hand come out with a slim gold pen offered to her.

“Thank you...ready, Adriana....”

“Louisa Hunt. She’s British, married to an Air Force guy at McChord. She worked in requisitions with the British Military and I’m shooting all the particulars to your email. I’ve talked to Abby and it’s cleared.”

“I promise to be patient...thank you.”

“My pleasure. The resort is one of my biggest clients,” she paused. “I honestly don’t think you’ll have a problem with this one, Pepper. She’s older and professional. Gina is a little new at placement and Trinity was not a good fit for you.”

“I’m sure you’ll have her trained in no time,” Pepper said warmly. “Thanks, Adriana, I’ll check my mail. Bye.” She printed out a date on the note and looked up with a bright smile. “Thank you.”

“That seems to have brightened your mood considerably.” Chase commented, sliding the pen back into his pocket.

“It’s the little things, you know...” she stood up and went into her office. “Please, come in...but if we didn’t have an appointment...are you selling something? Or...I’m sorry, are you looking for someone else? I can call to the back and let them know...”

“Actually, I’m here to speak with you. About lunch.” He told her simply, his gaze casually sweeping around the large uncluttered office. Nothing personal on her desk.

“Lunch?” Pepper frowned and leaned against her desk.

“A midday meal, sometimes shared between people,” he suggested quietly. He almost laughed at the full lips that shot into a pursed frown while her gaze met his.

“You came here to ask me to lunch?” Pale lashes blinked as if processing his words. She mentally did a quick inventory and found herself caught in the stream from a pair of darkly intense brown eyes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Karen Diroll-Nichols
• Release date: Mar 12, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476374611

Karen Diroll-Nichols

At this time books are on AllRomanceebooks.com or smashwords.com or amazon.com. I write what I dream. I dream because I can't always be or do. And I always write to make people think and laugh and feel. I hope I succeed. I've been creating what I believe we're all in search of. Friendships and romance; communication and pure, simple fun. Throw in some misadventures and misunderstandings, not to mention a few not quite truths, and it should be a roller coaster of laughs, tears and thoughts. WindSwept Narrows Resort & Casino - Modern, contemporary romance with the occasional mystery and usually lots of family issues. They're building a community that's not greed based, but on the well-being of all. Hopefully. Yes, there's lots of romance - sometimes more than one per story. Yes, there's really sensual and sexy scenes. Devil Hills is a town between Seattle and Spokane, on the edge of the snow capped mountains on the Seattle side. It's a shifter town...and a few others. And of course, just like our world, there are those who believe they know what's best for everyone. Yep, lots of sex, arguments and laughter. Typical human mistakes and misunderstandings - but with a little fur thrown in to complicate things. Independence: Bailey is the first entry into this series that should fascinate and intrigue...what happens in a life when a little Dom and D/s are thrown into it. Definitely NOT for the faint of heart...but it'll make you laugh and maybe even identify. Breanna...slightly more spicy with 2 smart, caring guys falling for 1 slightly mixed up barista who makes wicked coffee and loves cooking. While I haven't a series name - there is a follow-up to her coming out before the end of the year, Danea...a fishy little tale on the coast of Washington. A Red Crystal Romance - well...what to say...imagine believing you're at the end of your life. You live in a retirement home. You're alone. The past in your memories and just fatigue in your bones. You visit a small metaphysical shop, buy some candles that smell good and are offered a chance to fish in a caldron of crystals. Free and for good luck. When you wake in the morning...nothing will ever be the same again. Yes, some of my stories have more than one romance in it. Because it's not a bad thing to have friends *************** A bio - wow - I live to the South of Seattle along the coast in a small town called Des Moines. Gorgeous Puget Sound as our backyard, with snow capped mountains in almost all directions. I've been writing for over 20 years and in that time I have noticed how hard it is for certain people to embrace their sexuality, and very very few have the backbone to even discuss it! I think sex is a very important attribute to our lives and is necessary in order to live a balanced, happy and healthy lifestyle. It exists for exploration and simulation; it exists for bonding and pure, simple happiness at the whirlwind of sensations that can overwhelm and take your breath away. I hope that my stories simply depict that, ignite the fires within and maybe even give some pointers on how to please your partner in some new exciting ways. Bottom line: they are here for enjoyment. So read, enjoy and live the happy healthy lives we are all meant to live. Now - a dedication: I can't say I grew up with anyone encouraging me, and that's fine, they had things in their life they were dealing with. My parents and 1st husband and current in-law said it was 'a nice little hobby'. When you get that kind of reaction from people who matter, it has the effect that you no longer tell anyone. And no one ever asked what I did for hours on end over a typewriter and then VIOLA! a computer keyboard! So no one knew. Until I met and fell in love with my 2nd husband. He found the large file cabinet filled with thick manuscripts, filed in alphabetical order by lead female name. And he talked to me about writing. My writing. The single thing in my life aside from my two grown children, that I adored and cherished. They became my community; my friends. It's an amazing thing what happens when someone believes in you. Maybe it rubs off and you begin to believe in yourself, too. So everything I've created and set free on the internet to share are thanks to him and his belief and love. He helps me with words I know but that are stuck in my head floating around somewhere; he helps me spot gaps in my stories and we bounce ideas off one another for covers for my girls. He encourages me and has also come to learn some interesting traits about himself that he'd submerged because of a bad relationship. So we've grown together and continue to explore all that we can. He has my love and my heart and my gratitude for sharing a little of his courage and belief. Email: [e-mail] Website: http://www.facebook.com

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Pepper Ambrose

WindSwept Narrows

Book Seventeen

Karen A. Nichols

Copyright 2011 by Karen A. Nichols

Smashwords Edition

Published by Karen Nichols. Copyright, Karen Nichols. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter One

Chase Montgomery was giving considerable thought to the clear definition of the word stalking.

And he wasn’t pleased that it fit.

Five in the afternoon and he wandered into the large employee lounge of the Windswept Narrows Resort and Casino, alert, cool brown eyes doing a master sweep of the room and landing immediately on the blonde in the window seat.

The window faced west and was flooded with late afternoon sunshine. She sat on the wide, cushioned ledge with her legs crossed beneath her, a book open on her legs and head bent. Now and then a palm rose and pushed thick, unruly long hair behind her ear.

He got his coffee and sat facing her, his laptop open and ignored. Inside environmental lights mingled with the natural and he saw colors in her hair that ranged from burnished gold to bronze to platinum to champagne. Center parted, the long hair fell well past her shoulders, tapered at the sides and ending in a waving curl in the center of her back.

He had to admit it was damn difficult to get a clear impression of the woman. Part of him wasn’t all that convinced she was very far past twenty, another point that grated. Her jeans were generally of the cargo variety and not exactly form hugging. She wore small black girl shoes with next to no heel and a thin strap.

He guessed she was about five foot ten and from the long arms and slender fingers turning pages on her book, she seemed almost delicate. Now and then she would look up from the book, sunlight glinting off the two inch lenses she wore and right onto the brilliant sapphire of her eyes.

Negotiations for the dock and pier area had been going on for two weeks, so he’d spent a lot of time at the resort. He had an executive pass and wandered the employee areas when he felt restless.

He’d first glimpsed her in the cafeteria, a large cloth tote over her shoulder, long hair drawn back in a worn and slightly frayed looking braid down the back of her head. He could see a pair of ear pods attached to a pink cord and guessed there was a music device in one of her pockets or her bag. Her body kind of swayed when she walked, her lips moving silently to the songs and her mouth lush and full, uncolored and tilting to a smile.

The next time he saw her was very late at night, right where she was sitting now, reading a hardback book and totally immersed in the story. The next time, he had wandered near the employee arcade on a Friday night. It was just short of eight o’clock and the games and amusements had been abandoned for Friday night activities that generally involved alcohol and plenty of loud music. Which is exactly what he heard a few minutes later coming from the back end of the arcade.

Chase wandered quietly through the dimly lit large expanse, keeping to the side as he headed toward the singing. He leaned against one of the game consoles and just stared.

Thirty-six must have been the insanity point, he decided as he watched the blonde wearing a headset sing and move over the karaoke stage. This was set up differently with the woman facing the back projection screen set to mimic either a video or an audience. He guessed it was the users choice.

He watched her for the next hour, dancing, adjusting the video behind her and singing with a voice that would have made too many professionals seriously nervous if they heard her belting out the lyrics with skill and emotion. It fascinated him how her voice, her tone and even her accent altered with each different style of song and music she brought into the room.

He remained in the shadows, watching her leave shortly after nine, the braid a little more frayed from sweating and dancing. But there was a bright smile in the large, blue eyes as she bopped down the corridor to the moving walkway without a backward glance.

****

Mac Lawson entered the cafeteria for a mid morning snack a couple days later and saw Chase sitting in the far corner of the room, laptop open. But distracted. He followed the man’s gaze and nodded slightly to himself.

How goes the negotiations? Mac asked, sinking into an empty chair.

Morning, Mac…makes me recall why there were times I’d want to become violent when I was acquiring property in the past, Chase said dryly, his head shaking. Idiot property has set empty for a couple decades and they think they want to jerk around someone offering cash?

You’ve got a plan? Mac said with an approving chuckle.

Already instigated a nice rumor about me going to another location without looking back, Chase admitted with a nod, one hand up and raking through the neatly trimmed dark blond hair, the unruly strands falling to the edge of his glasses and ignored. It seems to have motivated a few people to become co-operative. I’m in the ignoring their calls phase at the moment.

Have you met her yet? Mac asked after a healthy bite of his sandwich.

Who?

The blonde you’re scoping out, Chase, Mac laughed at the dull color sweeping the other mans’ face.

I figured it was old age, he murmured in response. And that I was concealing it better.

Ehh…we all handle it different. Cade went right for the jugular, didn’t want anyone else beating his time. I took six months to meet up with Cassidy, Mac shrugged. I doubt anyone else noticed, if that helps, including Pepper.

Pepper?

Pepper Ambrose…the distracted blonde. Ear pods or a book, she’s caused a few crashes in the halls.

Chase took another look over at the bent head that was quickly gathering things and stuffing them into her pack. Her skin was like an alabaster statue, clear and pale. Her features almost delicate. An alarm sounded in the back of his mind.

Ambrose? He repeated tonelessly. That name was too familiar on the fanatics wall of the newspapers.

Yeah…that Ambrose, Mac saw the recognition in his eyes. Only trust me, Pepper isn’t a thing like her father.

Chase knew he could have pulled her file. A little unprofessional, but he had executive access. What do you know about her?

I know her hire went to the review board. And Abby went to ground for her, hard, Mac shook his head. The woman has guts. By the end of her lecture, she had the needed votes for the hire, though.

For what position?

Head of purchasing. Been there about six months now and from all reports, is beyond qualified.

She…runs purchasing? Chase caught himself staring openly at the woman bopping out of the cafeteria.

Never judge by appearances, Mac warned, watching the woman he married stride into the cafeteria, spot him and head straight for him. I fell in love with an elf, he said with a chuckle, standing up and taking her hand. See you around, Chase. Good luck.

Thanks, Mac…morning, Cassidy, he watched them leave and leaned back in the chair, trying to reconcile the woman he’d been watching to the position she held in the largest reclamation in ages. Somehow he could have seen her in the daycare or the computer center. He offered up a mental slap for his stereotyping.

****

He wasn’t sure how he managed to watch a few more of her concerts before wandering into the cafeteria several days later. He had been working at shoving the odd attraction to the furthest corners of his mind when he came to a swift and almost snapping halt.

And he wasn’t the only male aware of the woman in the fitted pinstriped tailored suit. The jacket came to her waist, English cut and the skirt hugged the expanse of long leg and curve of her hips. The long blond hair had been carefully and very neatly arranged and pulled taut against her scalp, ending in a tight coil at the nape of her neck.

Must be in serious negotiations with a vendor, Mac commented as he came up from the side, heading for something cold to drink. Pepper takes saving the resort money very seriously.

She wore a scarlet blouse beneath the jacket, her lips tinted the same color and open peeking toed shoes betraying a set of matching toes in deepest red. He watched her lean slightly to the side, fingers deftly opening a couple buttons on the side of her skirt, making it easier for the lengthy stride she seemed to prefer. The ear pods were still in place and watching the taut behind bop to the music was enough to make a sane man cry. He now had a much better idea what was hiding beneath baggy sweaters and cargo pants.

And she’s single?

"Completely. And I