Chapter 15
REID
“Your mind isn’t on the deal,” Deborah said. She’d brought me some documents at the gym, where I was doing my fifteen-minute cycling session.
“You’re right. I want to read the contract again carefully before I sign it.”
“They’re urgent.”
“I know.”
But so was my cycling. It helped me refocus. I came down to the gym every day in between meetings.
“I’ll read it later in my office on the computer and sign the printed version.
” It took me longer than your average person to read, but for some documents, I preferred slaving over them until I understood every word versus text-to-speech.
And I did have software on my computer that sped up the reading and comprehension process.
“Very well.” Deborah gave a strange smile before leaving the gym.
An hour later, when I placed the signed deal on her desk, she asked, “So, where’s your mind? On that pretty PR girl you’ve been spending time with?”
I looked around, but everyone else was gone. I really was overworking Deborah.
“What? Thought I wouldn’t notice?” She leaned her chin in her palm, smiling from ear to ear.
“How did you notice?”
She straightened, pointing a finger at me. “Young man, don’t distract me. I asked you a question.”
I laughed. Others didn’t understand my dynamic with Deborah, but I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that I wouldn’t be here today without her. Hell, the name on the hotels probably wouldn’t be Davenport anymore. She was the office manager, but honestly, she’d been my mentor.
“Yes, Hailey has been on my mind a lot.”
That was an understatement. I found myself thinking about Hailey all the time.
“I’m so proud of you, considering you almost had smoke coming out of your ears after her first visit to the office.”
“That was because you blindsided me.”
“And didn’t that do you good?”
“Deborah, stop giving me shit.”
“How is this giving you shit? I just want to know what’s going on in your life.”
“Now you do. Anything else you need from me before the meeting with the developer starts?”
“Yes. Your parents called about Bianca’s preprom party. They want to know what’s going on and if they can help.”
“No way in hell. Just tell them I have it all under control.”
“But you don’t,” Deborah pointed out. “I’ve received no instructions, so no one’s organizing it. Unless you have another assistant I don’t know about.”
“Bianca and I are taking care of it personally.”
Deborah squinted.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. Risky business. But we really can’t do worse than my parents.”
“Fair point.”
Last year, for Bianca’s birthday party, they decided she was old enough to have an adult party. Read: five-course meal, a quartet playing classical music, and a goddamn waltz to open the dance.
Her friends had bolted before the cake was even brought out, leaving my parents’ acquaintances as the only guests. It had bored me, let alone my little sister.
The meeting with the developer took well over an hour. I was toying with the idea of opening a third hotel. A risky endeavor, but I was ambitious. He’d given me some food for thought.
I wasn’t cocky enough to think I had all the answers.
Sure, I had decision-making power, but I liked listening to other’s viewpoints, especially when they were backed up by hard data.
He’d made some interesting observations about making sure the development wouldn’t go up above a certain liquidity threshold.
I had to check with the finance department, but that could wait until tomorrow. Now, I had Hailey on my mind.
God, I missed her. We’d gone to dinner a few times since the night she’d gotten sick, but a few hours here and there weren’t enough. I wanted her all to myself all night long.
I called her as I strode through the empty office. Deborah had left too.
“Hello, beautiful,” I said when she picked up. “What are you up to?”
“Just deciding what to have for dinner.”
“Might I suggest me?”
She chuckled. “Not beating around the bush, are you?”
“Have dinner with me. Spend the evening here.”
Hailey was silent for a few beats.
“That would mean waking up at five to go home and change.”
Fuck. Was she just worried about logistics or was she brushing me off? It wasn’t my style to back off, though.
“You can stop by your house first and get a change of clothes for tomorrow.”
“You, mister, have some very, very good ideas.”
“Does that mean I’ve convinced you?”
“Hmm… the honest answer is yes, but I feel as if I should play coy for a bit longer, you know?”
I laughed. “No, I don’t know. But feel free to explain.”
“Well, what will you think about me if I just agree right out of the gate?”
“That you want to spend time with me just as much as I want to spend time with you.”
“Now you’re really disarming me. Tell me more.”
“You have to agree first.”
“Playing this for all it’s worth, huh?”
“Definitely. Have some aces up my sleeve but won’t reveal them until you’re here.”
“I need an hour to get home and then to the hotel.”
“I’ll be ready to impress you.”
“Knock my socks off, mister.”
I walked up to the penthouse smiling like a fool.
I wasn’t one to dwell too much on feelings, but since Hailey had entered my life, I found myself smiling more, and it always had something to do with her.
Her funny nature forced me not to take myself so seriously, and I was surprised by how much I liked it.
“Here I am, in all my glory,” she announced when she stepped off the elevator an hour later. She was carrying a hanger with a red dress and a backpack, in addition to her shoulder bag.
“Let me help you.”
I slung the backpack over my own shoulder, then kissed her hard, wrapping one hand in her dark hair, tugging a little. I’d missed her even more than I’d thought.
“Oh la la. That’s a mighty kiss,” she murmured.
“Come on, beautiful girl. Let’s get you settled.”
Hailey was silent as we arranged her things in the bedroom, but I didn’t think much of it until she said, “I ran into Marion today.”
I placed the backpack carefully on the bed, turning to face her. “How? When?”
“At lunch. She happened to be at the restaurant where I was supposed to meet my client, and she noticed the logo of the agency on my notebook. Came to talk to me.”
“Why?”
“Insisted I dropped you as a client.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That she was interrupting my lunch.”
Only Hailey.
“I tried to keep calm, but it wasn’t easy. She said to my face that she stuck around you so long hoping you’d invest in her show.”
I clenched my teeth. “Proud of it, was she?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
I was ready to change the subject, because I didn’t want this to ruin the mood, but Hailey’s body language tipped me off that something was bothering her.
“What’s wrong?”
She shrugged, but I wasn’t having it. “Hailey?”
“Do you still have feelings for her?”
“No.” I moved closer, touching both cheeks. “I mean it. Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know. She’s beautiful.”
“Babe, she doesn’t hold a candle to you.”
“Don’t butter me up, mister. She’s a nationally known TV moderator about to have her own fashion show. Have I mentioned that she looks as if she just came out of a photo shoot?”
“She’s also selfish and a cheater.”
“I know.”
I kissed her forehead, wanting to reassure her in any way there was. I knew what it felt like to wonder if you’re sharing the person next to you with someone else, even if just mentally. It fucking sucked.
“You’re beautiful, Hailey. And there’s no one here”—I tapped my temple and my chest—“except you.”
I kissed her hard, wanting to ease any fears she had, remove any insecurities.
I felt the tension leave her body and drew her closer to me, kissing a corner of her mouth, slowly making my way to the center.
She smiled against my lips, and I deepened the kiss, needing more of her.
She made a small delicious sound when I stroked her tongue.
I wanted her so badly. I wanted to be connected to her in every way.
When I lifted her off her feet, she wrapped her legs around me. My cock was trapped between us. She gasped when she felt my erection through the light fabric of her dress.
I pressed her back to the wall, rubbing back and forth, feeling her grip my shoulders harder every time I nudged her clit.
“Easy there,” I murmured. “Dinner first.”
She sighed, burying her head in my neck. “You’re right. But I want to take a shower first.”
“I have this excellent app for food delivery,” she said after she got out of the shower a while later.
“I’ll do one better. Room service.”
Her eyes lit up. Damn, she was cute. I’d do just about anything to put that expression on her face.
“Oh, I forgot. Man, the perks of living in a hotel. You can have gourmet food whenever you want. If I lived here, I’d weigh a ton.”
“I can think of a few ways we can burn calories.”
She waggled her eyebrows, snapping her fingers, as if she’d just had an aha moment. “That’s right. You also have a pool. Another perk. We could go swimming afterward.”
“Not exactly what I had in mind.”
I pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, lingering with my fingers at the back of her neck. She licked her lips.
“Hitting the gym?” she went on, her tone turning sassy.
“No, that’s not what I had in mind either.”
“Going out for a run?”
“Maybe I should just throw you over my shoulder and carry you to bed.”
She pointed a finger at me. “You’d starve me just to get your wicked way with me? That just won’t do, Mr. Davenport.”
She sat on one of the bar chairs, inspecting the menu.
“Oh, man. I want to order at least five things.”
“So order them. Go wild.”
She rubbed her palms, grinning from ear to ear. I could get drunk on her excitement, her joie de vivre, just Hailey in general.
Half an hour later, the elevator pinged, and a server came in with our dinner, placing it on the bar.
“Thank you, Mark,” Hailey said, glancing at his name tag.
“Have a great evening.” He smiled at her, his eyes glued to her body.
“That will be all, thank you,” I said tightly.
Hailey cocked a brow after he left. “Why were you giving poor Mark the side eye?”
“Didn’t you see the way he looked at you?”
“Umm… you’re jealous?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes widened. Why was she surprised? Was she seeing someone else too? The thought was unthinkable, and yet…. For a second it felt as if my heart had stopped beating, or the air supply to my lungs had been cut off.
I swallowed hard, cupping her face, bringing her even closer.
“We spoke about there not being anyone else besides you for me. How about you?”
Her eyes widened. “No one. Of course.”
“Good. That’s good.”
She smiled, bringing her lips over mine. She tasted like honey. She’d already stolen a bite? Damn, she was adorable.
“I want to start with the honey cake,” she said when we paused to breathe. “Should I slice it in half?”
I couldn’t hold back a smile. “Would be less than half now, wouldn’t it? You already had a bite.”
She lowered her gaze to the cake, probably wondering how I could tell. She’d been careful enough that the cake still looked intact.
I leaned closer, biting her earlobe lightly, loving that the skin on her arms instantly turned to goose bumps. “I could taste it on you.”
“Busted,” she whispered. “Just had to check if it tasted as good as it looked. And it does.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help myself.
“You’re something. You can have it all to yourself.”
She dug into it the next second. After dinner, Hailey announced she wanted to inspect my bar closely, hopping behind the counter.
“My family used to own a bar,” she said
“Really?”
“Yeah. My parents immigrated here from Ireland and owned an Irish pub. Then Landon and Val ran it for a few years. I always wanted to snoop behind the counter, but I was too young and wasn’t allowed.”
“Let’s prepare some cocktails together.” I walked behind the counter too.
“Oooh, yes. Something that goes with the delicious dinner we just had.”
“Whatever you want. Let’s decide what we want to mix.”
She clapped her hands, inspecting the bottles closely. “Okay, I’m a wine girl, so I’ll just admit I’m clueless. I’ll trust you. Just don’t give me a hangover.”
“I’d never do that. Even though it would keep you here in the morning too.”
She glared at me. “Hey! Don’t make me regret trusting you.”
I leaned into her, kissing her cheek. “Never.”
We ended up making a mess of the whole place, but I hadn’t laughed so much in a long time. I was up late, which meant I wouldn’t be able to wake up at five tomorrow to swim before the pool opened to the other guests.
Hailey was turning my schedule upside down, but I didn’t care one bit. This wasn’t how my evenings usually went, and yet I liked everything about it: the ease between us, the way she looked at me, felt against me.
As we started our last cocktail, my thoughts drifted to reviewing the schedule for the rest of the week.
I was going to restart my swimming routine the day after.
I needed the energy boost. The one I got from my fifteen minutes on the bicycle in-between my afternoon meetings wasn’t enough. Damn. I did sound like a robot.
I glanced at this beautiful woman next to me.
Would this eventually push Hailey away? Make her look elsewhere for the excitement I couldn’t give her?
I couldn’t bear it. Not from Hailey. When she put the finishing touches on her cocktail—a cherry on a stick—I stood behind her, running my mouth down the side of her neck, twirling my tongue over her bare shoulder.
“Hey. Stop distracting me, or there will be no more late nights like this.”
I unzipped her dress, letting it fall to her waist, moving my mouth even lower. She gasped.
“Or sleepovers,” she threatened, only it didn’t really sound like a threat, because she was whispering.
I continued my descent down her back slowly.
The thought of her dating someone else had driven me crazy.
I was in this deep and had no idea what to do about it.
When I gripped her hips, turning her around, the smile she gave me was so big that I decided it didn’t matter that I couldn’t map out the next steps.
I had this gorgeous woman right here with me. That was all that mattered.