“I’m late for work. Gotta go!”
“B—but you don’t have to go back there,” Robin sputtered. It was the opposite of what he’d said yesterday, and I understood why. Our night of passion had affected him too, and Robin had never wanted to put me in danger.
Too bad I’m not his to protect,I thought, scooting the hem of my skirt down inch by inch.
“Someone needs to scout more,” I said. “I’m the best choice.”
“I can send someone else to scout the casino. Most of the group won’t be in on the heist, anyway.” He gripped my hand and electricity crackled up my arm. “Stay with me, Mar.”
“I have to go!” I grabbed my shoes and bag and ran out the door.
I exhaled a sigh of relief. Will had already been there and my car was parked outside, just as Robin had assured me it would be. As I stumbled to my car, I cursed myself for drinking so much that I actually believed a casual night of sex with Robin was possible.
I never had been a woman capable of pulling off easy sex. So, what the hell had I been thinking? Or maybe the better question was, whyhadn’tI been thinking?! And now here I was, stuck in a boiling hot car, furious with myself, while my childhood sweetheart lingered inside my house, naked and sexy as fuck. I bit my bottom lip hard.
Sex kitten Marian is a god-damned idiot.
The AC finally kicked in, and I swore to myself that no matter what, I wouldn’t allow that hussy sex kitten to make the same mistake again.
I pushed my housekeepers’ trolley down the hallway of the hotel. I was gearing up to enter the next room when a tinkle of laughter caught my attention. I turned as an attractive young couple rounded the corner. They were staring into each other’s eyes like they couldn’t wait to rip their clothes off. For the millionth time that day, memories from the night before came rushing back.
Shame welled up inside me. I was so disappointed in myself. And confused—terribly confused.
How had I tricked myself into believing that sleeping with Robin would lead to closure? Sure, the alcohol and fox aspect had lowered my inhibitions, but I’d made both those choices. Honestly, was I that pathetic?
The worst part was that even though I knew sex with Robin—beingwith Robin—was bad for me and would lead to depression, now I craved him more than ever.
Stupid body. Why couldn’t it be about the sex? Just this once! That’s all I was asking . . .
With a heavy sigh, I opened the door to the next room and frantically began cleaning, hoping that it would calm my mind. I’d plowed through the room like a cleaning machine and was fluffing a pillow when a voice stopped me.
“Marian?” Anna trilled from the hallway. “Are you in there?”
“One sec.” I straightened the covers before going to meet the maid lingering in the doorway. I couldn’t believe that until two days ago my lazy co-worker had been my biggest cause for angst.
If only that was the case now.
“What’s up, Anna?”
Instead of her usual pursed lips and snarky remarks, she beamed at me. “I have—umm, an appointment—and was wondering if you wouldn’t mind taking over the last of my assignments for the day?”
I refrained from rolling my eyes. Her hair was down, curled to perfection, and her lipstick was freshly applied. Her appointment was surely in Albus’ office.
“Yeah, I can do it.”
What the hell, I’d be calling in “sick” the next day, and she’d have to pitch in then. I supposed that in a messed-up way, helping Anna out now would reduce my guilt over all the trouble I would cause later. I didn’t want to feel like I owed anyone anything.
“Leave the paperwork on my cart,” I told her. “I’ll take care of it.”
She pulled a sheet of paper out of her apron and tucked it in my clipboard on the cart. “Thanks. There are only four rooms left. Oh! And you’ll need these. You can drop them in my locker when you’re done with them, ‘kay?”
Anna unlatched an old school set of keys from a clip on her hip. My brows furrowed. The Oasis kept a few old-fashioned quirks at the behest of our vampire proprietors, but key card entry was standard for all rooms.
“Which room are these for?” I asked as I took the keys.
“Sherwood and Jehanne’s suite. Haven’t they ever assigned you to clean their penthouse?”
No, they hadn’t asked me to clean their home. I’d always assumed a personal maid did that task, not the Oasis staff. Then again, why pay someone else to do something when you already have a team of maids at your disposal?
