I hop out of bed and over my shoulder, I say, “I’ll be right back.”
Room service is at the door with a cart full of silver plate covers. He wheels it inside for me. I thank the guy, give him a tip, and bring the cart further. Walking back into the room, I see she’s out of bed and wearing the dress from last night.
My stomach is in a knot, and my heart drops to the floor.
Is this disappointment that’s rippling through my body?
In an effort to keep her here a little longer. I stalk over to her, cup her face in my hands. “You’re leaving already?”
Her mouth opens and then closes. Maybe struggling to make a decision, but then she says, “I really should get home and shower. I have to be at the salon to meet my contractor. We have a big meeting on Monday with the town’s building inspector.”
“That’s fine, but you still need to eat. Come on, grab at least a couple of bites with me.”
I’m begging for a little more time with her. But maybe it’s for the best if she leaves, because I’m not even sure what I’m doing at this point. Having breakfast with my one-night stand, who also slept over, and I want to get to know her better? Who even am I right now?
With resolve written all over her face, she says, “Okay, fifteen minutes, then I really need to go.”
She gives me that smirk again, the one that makes my dick twitch in my pants. Trying not to adjust myself right in front of her, but there’s no use, I quickly do it. She eyes my crotch and giggles.
I tug myself over my sweatpants. “Yeah, giggle again and this will be so far down your throat you won’t know what to do with it.”
She licks her lips and stares. “I don’t think I’d mind that at all.” And then she fucking wiggles her eyebrows at me.
Self-control around her is nearly nonexistent. But I pull her close and let her feel what she’s walking away from this morning.
“It’s impressive.” She kisses me on the cheek.
I want to throw her on the bed, but she needs to be somewhere. Breaking away, I take her hand and lead her to the table where the room service cart sits.
“I didn’t know what you would like, so there’s a variety.”
I pour her coffee and then mine, watching to see how she likes it. A little sugar and cream, noted.
“Tell me more about this meeting with the building inspector,” I prompt, trying desperately to distract my other head from taking over the conversation.
“Ugh, I own a salon down on Main Street, and we are expanding to accommodate a spa. The town’s making it difficult, to say the least. I’m meeting with the building inspector for the last inspection—fingers crossed.” She double-crosses her fingers and puts on a fake smile to go with them.
Curious, as this town is full of political bullshit, they don’t know their ass from their elbow half the time. It’s probably because she is a woman, those chauvinistic assholes. They use their power to push people like her around, and I’m not okay with that. With my jaw ticking, I rub my beard as I shift from one foot to the other. I should probably sit down. I yank the chair out a bit too roughly and sit down.
She eyes me, searching for something. “You good?”
“Yeah, yeah, go on.”
“My contractor is helping me with all of it, but it really seems like there’s always something that comes up on the report.It’s frustrating. When I first opened my salon, the process was easier. This time around. It’s like they keep finding things wrong. I wonder if it’s because I’m a woman. The minute I had my contractor there, things went smoother, but it still took forever to get the sign-offs.”
“The town is notorious for this. It’s good that your contractor could handle it for you, as unfortunate as it is that it’s even necessary. Will he be there with you on Monday?”
Her face angles down as she looks at her fruit. “Yeah, thankfully.”
“That’s good. When are you expecting to open?”
“We’re hoping to invite our current customers and friends to our soft opening in five weeks. All I need is a couple more sign-offs, and we will be able to have our grand opening.”
“Is Roland the inspector you’re dealing with?”
She looks at me with an arched brow. “Yeah, why?”
I wince at his name. “I know him. I’ve had a few run-ins with him and with the town in general. Anything I can do to help you out?”
