CHAPTER 05: HAUNTING BEAUTY

CASTIEL'S POV

"What the hell was that?" Lotus asked after the housekeeper practically ran out of the suite.

"I don't know," I answered quietly, though my eyes were still fixed on the door she had just disappeared through.

What were the chances?

Out of all the hotels in the country. Out of all the cities. She was here, working in my hotel.

The same woman whose beauty had haunted my thoughts day and night ever since I first laid eyes on her.

Two months later, but I could still remember the way she looked that night.

She wore a soft brown dress that hugged her body in all the right places. Her smile was easily one of the prettiest things I had ever seen. And her eyes... dammit, there was something about them that pulled me in immediately. I just knew it deep down in my heart that I wanted her.

And when I finally had her in my arms later that night, I did not want it to end.

The way she fitted so perfectly in my arms. The way her body responded to every touch like we already knew each other. The way she just felt so damn right that even the thought of my own wife did nothing to stop me from taking her over and over until we both had nothing else to give.

I didn't know if that made me a bad person, but one thing was certain-I would do it again in a heartbeat, and I still wouldn't regret it.

"Castiel?"

Lotus's voice pulled me back to the present.

"Are you okay?" she asked, studying my face.

I forced myself to look away from the door.

"I'm fine." I muttered, walking past her and towards the bed.

I sat down on the edge, then fell back onto the mattress and stared up at the ceiling.

My heart was beating a little too fast in my chest.

I couldn't believe it was really her.

I never thought I would see her again after that night.

Seeing her had caught me completely off guard.

That strange feeling that had been following me ever since I set foot back in Austin crept over me again-only this time, it was stronger.

It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling. If anything, it felt too familiar. But not knowing what it was, or why I kept feeling it made me uneasy. It settled deep in my chest like a warning I couldn't understand, leaving me uncomfortable and just a little paranoid.

I felt the mattress dip beneath Lotus's weight before she climbed onto the bed and straddled my waist. She leaned over me, bracing her arms on either side of my head as strands of her long blonde hair brushed softly across my face.

"Cas," she murmured.

"Hmm?" I hummed, my hands instinctively moving to grab her hips.

Lotus was a beautiful woman.

There was no denying that.

With her long blonde hair, striking blue eyes, flawless features, and tall, slender figure, she looked like she had stepped straight off the cover of a fashion magazine.

She was, after all, Lotus Cher. One of the biggest supermodels in the world.

The kind of woman men dreamed about and women wished they could be.

And yet, for some reason, nothing about her seemed to tickle me the way it used to anymore.

And no, this had nothing to do with that housekeeper. If anything, that night with her had opened my eyes to something I had been ignoring for a long time.

My marriage had become ordinary. Predictable. Somewhere along the way, Lotus and I had stopped feeling like two people in love and started feeling like two people simply sharing the same life.

The conversations had become shorter. The excitement had disappeared, and most days we were both too busy with work to really notice each other.

We still smiled for the cameras. We still attended events together. We looked like the perfect couple to the outside world, but once the doors closed, we mostly lived separate lives.

I couldn't lie.

Deep down, I yearned for something more. I needed something more.

I wanted a family.

I wanted a child.

That thought made my heart ache because I knew I could never have kids of my own.

One of the painful things I had to live with for the rest of my life.

"You're thinking too hard," Lotus said with a small smile as she gently touched my cheek.

I looked into her eyes and forced a smile. "Just tired."

She studied me for a few seconds before nodding. "You've been distracted ever since I got here."

"I've got a lot on my mind."

"You want to talk about it?"

I shook my head. "It's just work."

Lotus didn't look convinced, but she let it go. She leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

"Okay then," she said. "I'm going to get dressed. We have that interview in two hours."

"Yeah," I replied as I sat up. "Jess is probably waiting for us already."

Lotus rolled her eyes as she walked toward the walk-in closet.

"I'm sure she is," she muttered under her breath.

The sarcasm in her voice didn't go unnoticed.

I let out a quiet sigh. "Can you please not start with her today?"

She stopped in the doorway and slowly turned to face me, one hand rested on her hip.

"Excuse me?" She said. "She's the one who has a problem with me. You should be saying that to her, not me."

I stood up and slipped on my suit jacket. As I fastened my cufflinks, I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

"Jess doesn't have a problem with you, Lo."

"Really? Then why does she always look at me like I don't belong here?"

I stayed silent, slowly buttoning my jacket.

"Every time I come to Austin, it's the same thing," she continued. "She barely speaks to me. And when she does, it's like she's forcing herself."

"That's just how Jess is," I said. "She's always been serious."

Lotus folded her arms across her chest.

"No, she's not. She just doesn't like me."

I looked at her through the mirror.

"I think you're reading too much into it."

"And I think you're refusing to see what's right in front of you."

I let out another sigh.

The truth was, Jessica and Lotus had never gotten along. They were always polite around me, but I could feel the tension every time they were in the same room.

I just didn't know where it had started.

Lotus looked at me for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"Forget it."

Without another word, she disappeared into the closet.

About forty minutes later, she walked back out.

Ever the epitome of elegance, she was dressed impeccably as always.

She wore a striking teal-blue pantsuit, with the latest pair of python leather Louboutin heels that weren't even released yet.

Her blonde hair was tied-up in a sleek ponytail, leaving not a single hair out of place.

She looked as stunning as ever.

It wasn't hard to see why the world was obsessed with Lotus Cher.

She had the beauty, the confidence, and the charm that made cameras love her.

She looked every bit like the international supermodel everyone admired.

"You ready?" she asked.

I grabbed my phone and wallet from the nightstand.

"Yeah."

We left the suite together and walked toward the elevator.

Neither of us said much.

When the elevator doors opened, Jessica was already waiting in the lobby with a tablet in her hands.

She looked up the moment she saw us.

"Good morning," she greeted with a professional smile.

"Morning, Jess."

I walked over and immediately pulled her into my arms.

She hugged me back, but only for a second before stepping away. Her eyes immediately darted around the lobby, making sure none of the staff had seen us.

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"You do realize I'm going to keep hugging you, right?" I said. "I don't care if the whole staff is watching."

Jessica gave me an unamused look.

"I'm the general manager, Cas. I have a professional image to maintain."

I shrugged. "And you're still my Jess."

She stared at me for a second before pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You are impossible."

"So I have been told."

She let out a tired sigh. "Just don't over do it, okay?"

I grinned. "No promises."

She shook her head, already knowing there was no point arguing with me.

She then turned her attention to Lotus and gave her a polite nod.

"Lotus."

"Jessica," Lotus replied with a tight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

As always, Jessica got straight to business.

"The television crew will be here in about forty-five minutes," she said, glancing down at her tablet. "The conference room is still being prepared for the interview, so we have a little time before they arrive."

She looked up at us.

"In the meantime, would you two like to have breakfast?"

I glanced at my wife. "What do you think?"

She shrugged. "I could eat."

I nodded and looked back at Jessica. "Yeah. Breakfast sounds good."

Jessica made a quick note on her tablet.

"I'll have a table prepared in the private dining room."

She turned and started walking, and Lotus and I followed behind her.

As we crossed the lobby, I found myself looking around without even realizing it.

My gaze swept over the reception desk, the lounge area, and the employees moving through the lobby.

I knew exactly who my eyes were searching for.

But she was nowhere to be seen.

For reasons I couldn't explain, a wave of disappointment settled deep in my chest.

It was the same emptiness I'd felt two months ago when I walked out of that hotel room, leaving her asleep in bed.

Leaving without even asking for her name.

It wasn't how I wanted things to end.

I had no choice but to leave, but a part of me had always wondered what would have happened if I'd stayed just a little longer.

Part of me wanted to forget her and move on with my life. But another part desperately wanted answers.

Why had she looked so terrified when she saw me?

I couldn't shake the feeling that seeing her again wasn't some random coincidence.

It felt like something had shifted the moment our eyes met. Like fate had quietly placed her back in my path.

The thought should have been ridiculous.

I didn't believe in fate.

I believed in choices.

In hard work.

In consequences.

But for the first time in a very long time... I wasn't so sure anymore.