Chapter 29
Thursday nights were often unpredictable, sometimes slow enough that the minutes dragged by and other times crazy-busy with people coming and going all nightlong. Last night was the latter,andso it was anicesurprise when a sliver of golden sunlight pierced the horizon.
I glanced at the clock. I had just one hour left of my shift. Rising from my chair, I headed into the staffroom and mademyselfa cup of tea.
With my favorite teacup in hand, I headed out to the sun lounge to welcome in a new day. The morning air was very still, and there wasn”t even enough breeze to ruffle the leaves on the Pandanus palms. A flock of rainbow lorikeets swooped from tree to tree in a noisy chorus of screeches and flapping wings.
As I sipped my tea, a warm glow illuminated the distant horizon, where ahandful of surfers were out on the dark ocean, bobbing up and down like little black corks.
A taxi drove into the drop-off zone, andwhen it stopped,my heart skipped a beat.Henry waved at me from the passenger seat, and my skipping heart flutteredin reply.
“Good morning.” He stepped out of the car.
“Well, hello, stranger.” He was hardly a stranger anymore.In fact,Henry was the man I’d seen the most this year, and my insides purred at the thought of spending more time with him.
He removed his small carry bag from the taxi trunk, and as he climbed the five steps toward me, the car drove away. I shuffled over on my seat, and he put his bag down and sat beside me. His usual scent was as delightful as it was familiar.
He nudged his shoulder to mine. “No cookies today?”
“Sadly, no, I’ve run out.”
“Hmmm, that’s a shame.”
“I know.”
“Have you had a good night?”
“Yes, thank you. It was steady. Kept me busy.”
“That’s good.”
We both turned our attention back to the sunrise and as we sat in comfortable silence, I realized how pleasant it was. The sun pushed up from the horizon and cast golden rays across the ocean. Not a single cloud dotted the sky, and as the panorama unfolded, a flock of seagulls scurried across the sand at the waterline as if they were in some kind of race.
“It’s beautiful. No wonder you like to sit here.”
“It’s calming to my soul.” Phew, that was deep.
Henry turned to me. His lovely blue eyes were attentive. “Does your soul need calming?”
I scrunched my nose. “I think you know the answer to that.”
He nodded and turned back to the ocean. “Maybe I can improve on the therapy by inviting you up to my penthouse later.”
“Okay.” I didn’t even hesitate. Going up to Henry in the penthouse would be like walking up to heaven.
He laughed. “Wonderful. What time shall I expect you?”
“Hmmm . . .”It was Friday and the idea of having fun on a Friday night, just like all the normal people in the worlddid, was very appealing.“Would sunset suit you?”
“Sounds perfect.”
Little butterflies danced across my stomach.
He stood and reached for my hand. “Would you care to check me in?”
“I’d love to.”
His fingers caressed my palm, and he helped me to stand. Together, we strolled inside, and I stepped behind the counter and reached for the check-in cards at the back. When I plucked Henry’s name from the pile, I noticedthat he’dbooked this room yesterday. He was lucky to get the penthouse—it was usually bookedwell in advance.
Henry seemed to have some kind of lucky charm watching over him. Or maybe it was just that older men had that confident air about them that ensured all theimportantthings in life were slotted nicely together.
I moved over to the computer to check his room. “Hmmm, I’m sorry, Henry, but your roomis occupiedat the moment. You won’t be able to check in until two.”
“That’s okay—I’ll come back later. Can I leave my bag somewhere?”
“Of course. We can keep it back here.”
Henry came around the counter and followed me into the staffroom. He put his bag down where I indicated and then put his arm around me, nestling his palm at the small of my back. My heart pounded to a thumping beat as he molded his body to mine. His eyes were alive, glancing from my eyes to my mouth and back again.
My breathing quickened as I silently begged him to kiss me. I ran my tongue over my lips, inviting him. He lowered his mouth to mine, and I closed my eyes andmelted into his embrace. At the press of his tongue, I parted my lips, tasting hints of peppermint and coffee.
When I curled my fingers around his neck, a moan tumbled from his throat. Our bodies moved as one, our hips rocked back and forth, and as our tongues curled together, a delicious heat enveloped me. The bulge in his pants pressed into my belly, and I glided my hand down to touch it.
Henry pulled back, blinking. He rubbed his hands down his thighs.
I cleared my throatat the realization ofwhere I was and what I was doing.
Have I lost my fucking mind?
That question had been answeredmonths ago, and the answer was a resounding yes.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” Needledick’s voice cut through the atmosphere like a chainsaw, and I jumped.
Oh faarrk!
A blaze of heat flooded my neck. Myheart exploded in my chest.I checked the clock and couldn’t believehewas here early. Of all the days, it had to be today.
“Jane wasjustletting me store my bag here for a while.” Henry strode toward John and offered his hand. “I’m Henry Addison.”
John shot a glance at me before he took Henry’s hand. “I’m John Karwatsky, the hotel manager.”
“Nice to meet you.”
My feet were rooted to the floor, and I hopedlike hellJohn didn’t talk to me because there was no hope of me speaking right now.
Henry walked around to the customer side of the lobby and placed his hands on the counter. “May I just say that Miss Nichols does an excellent job.”
“Oh? Really?” John glanced sideways at me, andspikes of feardrove up my spine.
“I’ve stayed here a few times now,” Henry didn’t miss a beat, “and no matter what time of the day or night I arrive, she’s always very friendly and professional.”
By the look of John’s cagey eyes, he didn’t believe a word Henry said.
“Thank you,” I said to Henry.
“You’re welcome. Anyway, I’ll return at check-in time for my bag. Thank you, Jane.” Henry tapped the counter twice, then turned and strode out the sliding glass doors.
I forced my feet to move me toward the counter. “Excuse me. I’ll just grab my handbag.”
Needledick stepped aside, and I bent down to collect my bag from the floor.
“Do you always take men into the back room?”
I stood and gasped. “No, I don’t always take men into the back room.”
“Looks to me like you could have carried that bag yourself.”
The fire blazing up my neck was a full-blown inferno. “Henry offered.”
“Really?” His sarcasm was unmistakable.
“Yes. Really.” I backed away and hooked my bag over my shoulder.
“You two looked pretty comfortable in there.”
I swallowed back the bile that crawled up my throat and forced defiance into my voice. “What does that mean?”
He cocked his head and looked as sneaky as a criminal. “I’m onto you, Jane.”
“Onto what, John?” I snapped his name off my tongue like poison.
“I’m going to catch you, and when I do, you’ll be out of here so fast your head will spin.”
“Look, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”Keen toput distance between me andNeedledick, I walked around the counter and strode toward the elevator.
“The karate gave you away.”
Faaarrrkkk. I jabbed the button a million times, and every second I waited, Needledick’s dagger eyes pierced right through me.
The doors opened.I jumped in and pressed the button for my floorover and over. The second the doors closed, I clutched the railing, hyperventilating enough to become dizzy. Tears stung my eyes, and by the time I reached my floor I could barely breathe.
Through my blurry vision, I made it to my room, opened the door, threw my bag on the table, and then flopped face-first onto my bed. I pulled my spare pillow to my chest and squeezed the life out of it as my tears flowed.
When I couldn’t cry a moment more, I rolled off the bed, plucked my phone from my bag, and flopped onto the bed again.
I rang the only person in the world who could help me.
Lolita answered on the first ring. “Hey, babe.”
“Needledick knows.” A deep sob released from my throat.
“Oh, babe, don’t cry. What does he know?”
I told her everything from thewonderfulkiss with Henry to the very last words Needledick said to me.
“Oh, shit.”
“Yes. Oh, shit. I’m in trouble.”
“Okay, let’s think about this.Hehas no proof, right? Otherwise, he would have said so.”
“He’s going to watch me like a hawk now.”
“And how’s that going to change anything?”
“If he catches me as Memphis again . . .” My mind whizzed around at the endless possibilities, butnot one of them was good.
“Babe, you know what?”
“What?”
“Even if he does catch you, what would be the worst that would happen?”
“Oh, you mean besides ultimate humiliation?”
“Yes, besides that.”
I huffed. “I’d lose my job, of course.”
“Really? I don’t think so. You wouldn’t be the first person to have sex with a customer.”
I mulled over her statement. It was probably true. “But how does that help me?”
“I don’t think they could fire you for it. Hell, even Bill Clinton didn’t get the sack for screwing with that Lewinski woman.”
“Ummm, I think he did.”
“No.Hegot the sack for lying about it. Not for doing it.”
“So, what’re you saying? As long as I don’t lie, I’ll be fine?”
“Oh my god, that’s exactly what you should do. Ifhecatches you, you tell that bastard that what you do in your spare time is yourownbusiness. He won’t know what to do with that.”
I rumbled my breath through my lips. “Lolly, I think it’s time to give up this craziness.”
“Like hell you will. Henry will be up in that penthouse getting all hot and horny for you.”
Oh, yeah. There was that. . .him.
“Listen, Jane, if you give up now, Needledick wins. You don’t want that, do you?”
The idea of Needledick beating me at anything was repulsive. “I guess not.”
“Exactly. You’re nine months into this, babe. Don’t give up now.” Her pleading sounded genuine.
I sighed, and my mind drifted to Henry.No matter what I decided, I would still go up to him. Justlike I’d go to Billy. AndCorben. AndHunter, David, and Dontrel—hell, even the plumber and electrician would be impossible to resist, should they return.
I sat up and wiped my eyes. “You’re right. That bastard will not beat me.”
“That’s my girl. Now, have a good sleep so you’re ready for that sexy beast in the penthouse.”
I giggled. “Okay.” An evening with Henry was exactly what I needed.
We said our goodbyes, and I hung up the phone.
My grumbling stomach was what eventually got me moving again. I turned on the television and listened to the news as Iset about makingmyself an omelet with bacon, feta, and cherry tomatoes. Once it was ready, I carried my restaurant-quality meal and a steaming coffee onto the balcony.
AsI ate my breakfast and breathed in the crisp ocean air, my mind spun around in endless circles.Over and over, I replayed both my heart-stopping discussion with Needledick and my equally heart-stopping kiss with Henry. I could still feel Henry’s lips upon mine, and if I closed my eyes, I could smell his delightful scent.
I collected my dirty dishes and carried them to the sink to washup. After that, I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed.
The muscles in my body unraveled, and as I rolled onto my side and pulled my knees up, lovely images of Henry and all the other repeat men in my life drifted across my mind like in an old-fashioned 8mm motion picture. But my thoughts kept drifting back to Henry.
He has an incredible ability to reduce my body to jelly.
Am I falling in love with him?