Chapter Ten #2
One is several inches taller than me, lean, with blond hair and blue eyes.
The other is a handsome Black man, a bit shorter than I am, with the kind of muscles that mean his clothing has to work extra hard.
Between them is a young girl. I’m not great at guessing age but I’ve seen enough kids come through with their families to estimate she’s somewhere in elementary school.
The Pokémon shirt she’s wearing does some of the heavy lifting for me.
“What are you two doing here?” Ravi asks as they get closer.
The blond points up toward the ceiling. “Adam and Troy are staying here?—”
The mere mention of their names causes something hot to unfurl in my belly. Jesus.
“That’s right.” Ravi nods. “They mentioned they had an appointment with—” He meets my horrified gaze and snaps his mouth shut. “Never mind.”
Oh, I’m well aware. Though I try to make my face more neutral, I’m not sure I succeed. Not when thinking about them too much simultaneously makes me feel as if someone has stroked my dick and punched me in the stomach.
“Anyway, they invited us to have breakfast with them,” the tall one says. “Also, Ella wants to hit the pool. Slide down the slide.”
My insides tumble. It’s not simply that Adam and Troy are men; it’s that they’re, well, them. If my sexual orientation was going to veer off course this late in life, wouldn’t it be with someone who made more sense?
Or any sense?
That’s it. That’s the problem. I have no sense.
Ravi and the others chat among themselves while Liam’s at the desk writing some additional contact information on his business card.
Before I can extract myself, Gina comes by and snags my arm. “Wes. I need to speak with you.”
“Is it urgent?” I nod to the group in front of me.
She hesitates. She manages the restaurant and not the hotel proper, so she wouldn’t know if they’re guests or not. Even if they aren’t, she knows better than to be rude.
“I guess it can wait?—”
“Westy! There you are, Kitten.”
What the actual fuck is happening? I’d give my left testicle to be able to set myself on fire right now. I don’t need to turn around to see who’s behind me, and even if I did, Ravi calling out to greet Adam and Troy clears up any mystery.
Gina’s eyes are narrowed as if she’s trying to calculate something. I need to get her away from here before she finishes the math.
“Gina.” I gesture to Ravi. “This gentleman would like to be able to take some butternut squash ravioli home with him. He was recently a guest here in one of the Oceanview suites and can’t stop talking about it.”
Not only does this get Ravi chattering at her so she’s not focused on me, but mentioning the Oceanview suite should head her off before she tells him the ravioli isn’t available this early in the morning. The golden rule here is to keep the VIP guests happy, and Ravi was recently one of them.
“Oh.” Her eyes widen. “I’ll…stop in at the kitchen and see what I can do.”
Great. Good.
Just when I think I’m home free, an arm slides around my waist and a large cup with a straw is thrust in my face. “Here, babe. Got you a smoothie. Berries and green tea. I know how you love your antioxidants.”
How the hell did he know? “Have you been watching me?” I breathe into Troy’s ear.
He gives me an exaggerated wink.
There’s too much happening at once. My brain can’t catch up. The hand holding the smoothie cup isn’t attached to the same person who has a possessive arm around my waist.
While I’m processing that, while I take the smoothie from Troy’s hand with a quiet “thank you” because I actually do appreciate it, it hits me that everyone around us has gone silent.
With the exception of the little girl, who’s busy squealing over a fluffy goldendoodle getting walked across the opposite end of the brightly lit lobby, everyone else is staring.
Even a man standing near the concierge desk across the lobby seems to be observing with far too much curiosity.
He’s about my age, maybe a little older, wearing clothes that probably cost a year of my salary.
All cream colors and finely woven material.
Something about him is familiar. Probably a VIP guest, so I’m sure this moment isn’t making me look great.
Even Gina is staring. Especially Gina.
Ravi has his hand over his mouth. To think, minutes ago, I was ready to ride into battle for him. Whatever he’s holding in, he’s probably seconds from blurting it out.
“Gina.” My tone is too sharp. “Weren’t you going to check with the chef about that ravioli?”
Her gaze bounces from Adam’s hand on my waist to Troy’s smug smile with increasing confusion.
While I’m trying to formulate another way to make her leave, dammit, the worst possible thing happens. Troy reaches out to shake her hand.
“Hey there, sweetness. Troy. Professional homewrecker. How you doing?”
A chuckle comes from somewhere. I don’t look to see who. I’m busy begging Troy to shut up with my eyes.
“Pleasure.” Gina’s demeanor shifts. Her shoulders straighten and her smile brightens. It’s the one she uses with customers. “I’m going to see about that ravioli. Wes, can you come with me, please?”
My first impulse is to say no. I’m talking to guests, and whatever else she may think of the situation, that’s my priority. The fact that one of those guests has just put his hand on my ass doesn’t do much for my credibility.
I disengage from Adam and avoid eye contact with anyone until Gina and I are out of earshot. “Gina. Look?—”
“What in God’s name is going on, Wes?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing is not a man calling you ‘Kitten’ in the lobby while another one puts his arm around you and shoots daggers at me.”
Oh. Hadn’t noticed that part.
Is it wrong that between the smoothie and whatever look Adam gave Gina, likely on my behalf, I’m oddly touched?
“It’s not?—”
“They’re sex workers, Wes. I’ve seen them all here before. And the two who were touching you?”
“They weren’t both touching me.” Yeah, I hear it as soon as I say it out loud.
“That’s not the quality argument you seem to think it is. The two who were feeding and groping you, then.”
Every word out of her mouth tightens the muscles in my back. “Do you have a point?”
She runs her tongue over her teeth. “I don’t know what on earth is going on with you. Whatever it is, it’s going to get you in trouble.”
I make the mistake of turning my head to look in the direction we came from.
Troy sees me and gives an obnoxious (and obvious) finger wave.
There’s a split second when his tongue makes an appearance between his lips, and I’m taken back to that moment in the closet. To the feel of his tongue in my mouth.
My skin turns blistering hot. When I look back at Gina, my neck cracks.
“Whatever I’m doing, it’s none of your business.”
She opens her mouth, but I cut her off.
“No. I kept my mouth shut all the times I suspected about you and Max. I’ve taken my ration of shit from the fact that your new boyfriend is my boss, and he seems to get off on making my life difficult.
I agreed to cover the mortgage on our house until the divorce paperwork shakes out.
Although if Max is moving in, you can bet your ass I’m not paying for it any longer.
We won’t be married anymore in a matter of days, and then it’ll be even less your concern than it is now. I’m not discussing this with you.”
I turn on my heel, satisfied to leave her with her mouth hanging open. Stopping briefly to collect Liam’s business card and let him know I’ll be in touch, I escape out the door to the employee parking lot.
I’ve got an appointment to look at an apartment this morning anyway. Moving out of here can’t come soon enough.
At this point I’ll take any shithole, as long as the walls don’t listen or talk back.