Master of the Inn

Master of the Inn by Ella Jade

Chapter One

It was a cool autumn afternoon as Elyse Clapton left the New
York City limits behind her. She glanced in her rearview mirror and realized
she wouldn’t miss a thing. For the past four years she worked hard putting
everything she had into making Santiago’s Grill a success. Fresh out of one of
the most prestigious culinary schools in Manhattan, she allowed her boyfriend
to talk her into becoming the head chef at his local restaurant. Philip
invested a huge amount of money into Santiago’s but had no idea what to do with
it. While Elyse worked at making it one of the trendiest spots in the city, he
worked at getting into the panties of every girl who set foot in the
restaurant.

Elyse finally wised up and ended their relationship. She
also resigned as executive chef. On the verge of a breakdown, her family
advised her to head to the country for some much needed rest and relaxation.
Maybe a few weeks in the little remote town of Oxford just outside of New
Haven, Connecticut would help her heal and figure out what she wanted to do
with her life.

As she drove down the back roads, she allowed her mind to
wander back to her childhood. She had so many memories of the quaint inn she’d
visited during summer vacations and much too short weekend getaways with her
family. Her father, a professor at Yale, loved to explore different locations.
Elyse had stayed in many gorgeous vacation resorts, lavish hotels and
sophisticated, historical inns. One her favorites had always been Pleasure Inn.
It wasn’t far from her childhood home, but every time she and her family went
there, they always came away with special memories. She thought of the warmth
the owners always exuded. They could make every guest feel special.

She hadn’t been there in over a decade. Not since she was
sixteen, the summer before her father’s diagnosis. Once her dad fell ill, they
traveled less and less. Even after he passed away a few years later, she and
her mother never returned to Pleasure Inn.

Elyse couldn’t get the place off her mind. Not since she’d
dreamt about it the night before. The dream seemed so real and made her miss
her dad more than she’d realized. When she ended things with Phillip, she
decided to go back to a simpler time in her life. A time when happiness
surrounded her and life held so many possibilities. She’d been so busy beating
herself up over what had happened with Phillip it seemed nothing could motivate
her. The memories of Pleasure Inn changed that.

Impulse took over, and now she found herself pulling up the
long, winding path leading to the inn. The original sign still hung at the foot
of the driveway alerting guests to the entrance. Dusk was settling around the
large house. A solitary truck rested in the driveway, but no one else seemed to
be there. Elyse hadn’t bothered calling ahead because if there wasn’t a vacancy
she could always stay in town. She was hoping that the inn would have a room,
but figured it might be a long shot during the busy tourist season. But as she
got out of her car, it seemed too quiet; it had never occurred to her that the
place wouldn’t still be in business.

A light came on in an upstairs window indicating someone was
there. Elyse walked up the front steps and tried the handle, but it was locked.
Just as she reached for the bell, the door flew open and a large, muscular
figure appeared. The old screen door and the absence of lighting in the foyer concealed
his face.

“Hi,” Elyse said. “I was driving by and wondered if you had
any vacancies.”

“Here?”

“This is an inn, isn’t it?”

“It hasn’t been for over four years.” He turned on the porch
light. “I thought everyone in this town knew that.”

His disheveled appearance made her think he wasn’t planning on
entertaining visitors. His dark, thick hair looked as if he’d run his fingers
through it causing it to stand on end. He hadn’t bothered to button his faded
blue jeans or put on a shirt before coming downstairs. Elyse couldn’t help but
notice how his well-defined abs disappeared into his waistband.

“I’m sorry.” She moved away from the door. “I’m intruding.”

“No.” He stepped out onto the porch in his bare feet. “I just
didn’t expect anyone out here at this time of the night.”

“I drove from the city. I thought I might stay the night. I
used to come here as a kid.” She looked past his shoulder into the foyer. She
saw a fresh stack of wood in the corner and several cans of paint. “Are you
renovating?”

“Trying to.” He nodded. “It’s a work in progress.”

She caught a wave of alcohol on his breath.

 “Are you just passing through?”

“I’m not sure. I just needed to get away and I remembered
how perfect this place always was.”

“Yeah,” he looked over his shoulder. “Not so much anymore.”

“What happened?”

“My uncle owned the place, but he couldn’t keep up with the maintenance.
He and my aunt retired and left it to me. It’s just been sitting vacant since
then. It needed a ton of work. I didn’t realize how much until I actually
started ripping things out.”

“How long have you been renovating?”

“A little over six months.”

 “Well, thanks for your time. Maybe I’ll visit when you’re
finished.” She smiled encouragement, but disappointment filled Elyse’s heart at
the thought of not staying there. “Good luck with the renovations.”

When she turned to leave, he stopped her with a hand on her
shoulder. “Wait.”

When she turned back, his ice blue eyes held her gaze. The
intensity there made her stomach flutter. It should have been a warning sign to
run fast and far, but her body responded in other ways. The sensation he
created from just one touch coursed through her system, landing straight
between her legs.

Oh my…

“For the past few months I’ve been renovating the third
floor. If I’m going to live here and run this place, I wanted my rooms to be
done first before I started on the rest of the inn. There are two bedrooms up
there; both have private bathrooms. You could stay if you want.”

“That’s very nice of you, but—”

“Your room has a lock.”

As if that would keep you out. You have the keys.

“I’m not ready to have guests yet, so I wouldn’t charge
you.”

“I couldn’t, but thank you.”

“You drove all this way to Pleasure Inn. There isn’t another
place for miles. Spend the night and then you can leave in the morning.”

She wasn’t familiar with the surrounding area and the drive had
made her tired. What if she couldn’t find another place to spend the night?

“I don’t blame you for being cautious.” He shrugged. “You do
what your gut tells you; but you’re more than welcome to stay here.”

She stared into his deep eyes for a few moments. She’d left
the city to get away and forget about the disaster of a relationship with
Phillip. She’d done nothing but work for years. She hadn’t been to a restaurant
or on a vacation in months. She was too busy cooking for others.
Would one
night in a beautiful Victorian inn be so bad? How could it be, especially when
the inn keeper looked like a goddamned Calvin Klein model?

“I’ll stay on one condition.”

“Sure.”

“You have to tell me your name.”

“Oh.” He ran his fingers through his hair and smiled for the
first time since answering the door. “Forgive my manners. I’m Logan Cole.” He
extended his hand to her.

“Nice to meet you, Logan,” she said properly as she shook
his hand. “I’m Elyse Clapton.”

“Welcome to Pleasure Inn, Ms. Clapton.” He dipped his head
as he held the door open for her. “Where all of your fantasies become reality.”

Chapter Two

Logan tried to make as little noise as possible stripping
the old wallpaper from the foyer at the main entrance. Through bloodshot eyes,
he’d managed to roll out of bed, make his way to the local market, and come
back to begin the day’s renovations. His early morning hangovers usually made
it impossible to get going before noon. His unexpected guest gave him a burst
of energy he hadn’t felt in a long time.

When he answered the door the night before, he never dreamed
he’d find such a stunning woman standing on his porch. When she turned to
leave, he did the only thing he could think of – put his hand on her arm and
asked her to stay. Mesmerized by her charcoal eyes and full pink lips, he
couldn’t let her just walk away from him. Even if he had her there for just one
night, it was more than he could have dreamed.

He’d been alone for years. After graduating from college, he
realized sitting behind a desk all day long completely stifled his spirit. He
loved working with his hands and putting his degree in business to use wasn’t
satisfying at all. He came back to his home town and started his own handyman
business. The pay wasn’t great, but the benefits of working for all those
lonely housewives outweighed the profits. Logan made quite the name for himself
until one day he was caught with his pants down and his dick in a local
politician’s young wife. His uncle intervened, threatened to freeze his trust
fund if he didn’t get his act together, and told Logan he was now the
proprietor of the dilapidated Pleasure Inn. At twenty-eight, Logan hadn’t done
much with his life. The inn was supposed to be his new start. Up until now, he’d
thought of the hotel as nothing but an annoyance.

Elyse made her way down the grand staircase leading to the
front desk. She stopped and watched as Logan peeled off a last piece of
wallpaper. He took in her casual appearance. She wore a pair of gray yoga pants
and a black long sleeved t-shirt.

“Morning.” He stepped off the ladder. “Did you sleep well?”

“A little too well.” She tucked her long, dark locks behind
her ear. Logan itched to twist his fingers through her hair. “I haven’t slept
this late in years.”

“As I said last night, I’m not equipped for guests yet, so I
went to the market and got some fresh fruit, bagels and muffins… I wasn’t sure
what you’d like.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” She took a couple of steps
into the center of the foyer, closer to where he worked.

The fresh vanilla scent of her body wash was intoxicating
and he took another deep breath before he answered, “Of course I did. You’re a
guest at my inn. How else can I entice you to stay?”