Chapter 19
Sadie
Itrailed behind Jeremiah as he walked through the open lobby doors of the hotel, confused by how his suit didn’t wrinkle after our flight, even after I had accidentally fallen asleep on his shoulder.
It was a pleasant surprise waking up to his familiar cologne, against his strong shoulder.
I wondered how long I had slept for and prayed I hadn’t drooled.
He didn’t make a big deal of it when I looked up at him sleepily.
He just wore a smile on that perfect face as he looked down at me. I was in trouble this trip.
He greeted the front desk and began checking us in, while I looked around the expansive lobby.
Large stone pillars stood tall against the cream and white striped wallpaper.
Huge arched windows looked out to an atrium filled with greenery and colorful flowers.
It was the most luxurious hotel I had ever been in, with servers walking around with cucumber water and hot towels for arriving guests.
“You ready?” asked Jeremiah, meeting me in the center of the lobby.
“Mhmm.”
I followed him to the row of elevators, taking in more of the hotel and also the way his suit strained against his broad shoulders. He was in his element. The whole day he had been. It was hard not to be impressed by him. By all of this.
We rode the elevator up to one of the top floors, and walked down the ornate carpeted hallway to the last room.
Jeremiah held the keycard to the door and it clicked open.
He turned the handle and pushed open the heavy wooden door, allowing me to step past. I sucked in a breath as I walked into the room.
It was a corner room, with a 180-degree view of the city below.
To my left sat a gray couch and two matching armchairs surrounding an abstract-shaped glass coffee table.
Just beyond that was a small bar area built into the wall with a French press and a small wine fridge.
To the right was a doorway, which I walked over to.
A large king-size bed lay against a gray paneled headboard that towered above the mattress.
Two white marble nightstands adorned the sides, matching the white cloud of a comforter that I wanted to jump into.
A small peek toward the bathroom told me it was just as nice.
“Wow,” I said, returning to the living room area where Jeremiah was pulling out his laptop and setting it on the coffee table. “This room is beautiful. This whole hotel is.”
“Glad you like it,” he said.
“Um, is your room down the hall?” I asked, watching him get more settled in on the couch.
“This is my room.”
“Oh, then my room is down the hall.” A slow realization started to slowly creep in.
“This is your room.”
I swallowed hard, looking toward the bedroom.
“There’s only one bed.”
“Is there?” he asked, feigning surprise as he looked up at me innocently.
“I feel like this was an intentional oversight…”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He looked back at his laptop, unable to hide the smirk that started to creep across his lips.
I shook my head, glad he couldn’t see the same sort of smirk that was now on my lips. This guy was something else. I couldn’t even be mad at him.
Today had actually been fun with him. It was the first stretch of time where we hadn’t bickered.
Well, except for the times we had been busy having sex.
We didn’t talk about business once. He asked me questions about my life and my childhood, and I told him with an ease I didn’t think was possible with him.
And he listened. Really listened. Until I fell asleep.
I woke up realizing I hadn’t asked one thing about him.
“We have dinner in an hour,” he said in that way of his that is more of a command than an invitation.
“Are we meeting the client?” I asked, pulling out my phone and looking at our joined calendar. I didn’t see any meeting set up for tonight.
“No. It will just be us.” He didn’t look up from his laptop.
Just us.
I swallowed hard. I thought this trip would be all work, but I never thought about the downtime between meetings.
“Okay, well. I guess I’ll just unpack then,” I said awkwardly. I went to get my bag from beside the couch, but he waved me off.
“I’ve got it,” he said, picking up my duffel bag with ease. He followed me into the bedroom and placed my bag in the large walk-in closet just outside of the bathroom. It was bigger than the closet in my Airbnb.
“Thank you,” I said.
He gave me a nod before gesturing to the bed.
“You can have whatever side you want.”
“Okay,” I said, my voice catching in my throat as I eyed the plush bed we would both be sleeping in tonight. I could have sworn I heard Jeremiah laugh as he walked past me and into the bathroom.
“I’m going to take a shower, and then the bathroom is all yours to get ready.”
All I could do was nod as he closed the door behind him with a gentle click.
I heard the shower turn on, and forced myself to not think about what was going on just on the other side of the door.
I walked into the closet and began unpacking my bag.
It was a wonder how much I had packed in this duffel.
I hung my dresses and suits, taking an iron to the ones that had wrinkled.
Afterward, I laid my shoes out in a row on the wooden rack.
I stood back and admired my new wardrobe that looked even fancier in this dream closet.
Behind me, I heard the bathroom door open.
I turned at the sound and saw Jeremiah emerge with just a plush white towel wrapped around his waist. His toned chest was damp and it was an effort not to let my eyes fall to the deep V above the towel.
“All yours,” he said with a grin.
He walked past me, leaving my thoughts scrambled mush. I hurried and shut the door to the bedroom, pressing my back against it.
“Get it together,” I whispered.
I pushed myself from the door and headed to the bathroom that was still thick with steam.
I opened the large glass shower door and reached in to turn on the water that was still warm from use.
I stripped out of my travel clothes and stepped inside the large walk-in shower.
It felt intimate being in the same space Jeremiah had just been completely naked in.
I took my time, using the luxurious-smelling soap the hotel provided.
I lathered my hair with the shampoo with the same scent and let my hair sit with the thick conditioner.
I shaved my legs until they were smooth before rinsing off.
I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in a towel.
I opened the door to the bedroom and peeked inside.
It was empty. I breathed a sigh of relief and walked into the closet.
Only my clothes hung inside still. Jeremiah had his bag with him in the living room.
Thoughtfully, I ran my fingers over the clothes hanging in the closet, debating what to wear.
It wasn’t a meeting, so I didn’t need to wear one of my new suit sets.
It also wasn’t a date, though. I reminded myself of that as I slid the black sheath dress from the hanger.
It was just modest enough to work for something like tonight.
I rummaged through one of the drawers and pulled out a black lace bra and matching thong.
I slipped both on before sliding the dress over my head.
I had taken so long in the shower, that I didn’t have much time for much else.
I combed my damp hair into a loose topknot on my head, pulling out a few face-framing strands of hair.
I put on a few coats of mascara and a swipe of clear pink lip gloss.
I spritzed perfume on my wrists and neck, the same vanilla perfume I’d worn since high school.
I studied myself in the mirror and gave a shrug.
This was as good as it was going to get.
I grabbed my small clutch and slid on my new pair of strappy black heels, before pausing at the door of the bedroom.
I took a deep breath before opening it and stepping into the living room.
Jeremiah sat on the couch, but stood up quickly when he saw me.
He was in a black suit, its clean lines cut to his body, and a white button-down.
His hair was pushed to the side in an effortless swoop.
And his eyes. His striking blue eyes were on every inch of me.
My heart thundered in my chest as I took another step toward him, stopping a few feet away for fear of getting too close. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes still moved over me. Slowly. Hungrily. I reached for a strand of hair and twirled it around my finger nervously.
“You look nice,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
His throat bobbed before he spoke, his voice husky.
“You look beautiful.”
“Courtesy of you,” I said with a small smile. “Do you like it?”
I did a turn, showing off the dress my friends had adamantly insisted on me buying. I reminded myself to thank them.
As I turned to face him, his eyes were practically ravenous and I had to clamp my thighs together at the feeling that shuddered between them.
“I’d like it better on the floor.”
My mouth dropped open, as I melted into a pool of utter want.
Need.
“But I’m a patient man,” he said with a slight shrug of his shoulders as he straightened the lapels of his suit. He walked toward the door and pulled it open.
“Shall we?” he asked as he gestured toward the door.
I gathered myself together enough to walk past him and out into the hallway.
He led me to the elevators and I curiously watched him press the button for a higher level.
Soon the doors opened to a rooftop with scattered tables adorned with candles.
The flicker of flames got lost among the city lights beyond.
Ivy grew along the terrace wall. It was the most beautiful restaurant I had ever been to.
As soon as we were seated, Jeremiah asked the waiter about the wine list and which was the most expensive bottle on the menu.
He looked at me as if he was asking if it was okay.
I gave him a reassuring nod. Just because I didn’t want to drink, didn’t mean he couldn’t.
He ordered a bottle of vintage cabernet and I ordered a ginger ale.
The night air grew cool as we enjoyed our meal of steaks and sides of mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus and warm herb buttered rolls I wanted to curl up and take a nap in.
Everything tasted heavenly. We talked about New York and what we loved about it.
How we lived was completely different, which was made even more apparent from today, but somehow we were more alike than I thought.
I didn’t know if it was the full bottle of wine that was almost empty now, but Jeremiah, who was usually stoic and arrogant, was showing me a new side of himself.
As I took a bite of steak, I watched him talk animatedly in the candlelight.
His eyes danced and he actually laughed.
A real, genuine laugh. It was like a song.
I couldn’t help but smile. Maybe he wasn’t as much of a bosshole as I had thought.