“Yes, sir. Absolutely.” He took the card and the money, and both disappeared into his pocket. He turned on his heel and waved one hand over his shoulder. “I didn’t see shit, sir. You have my word.”
“Fuck.” I shoved a hand through my hair and entered the room, closing the door behind me.
“The hotel is known for its discretion. That’s why we do business here.” Dante sat at the table with his ankles crossed and his hands behind his head.
To the casual observer, he looked completely relaxed.
That’s why Dante was the best businessman out of all of us.
Harper stopped pacing and crossed her arms over her stomach. She wore one of the hotel’s robes, but the sash hadn’t been tied right and it fell open to reveal a line of smooth skin between her breasts. She hugged her ribs and bent to pick up her dress, holding it tight over her chest. “That’s good. Um. I think I should head home now. I need…I need to get ready for work tomorrow.”
“You could stay.” I propped my hip against the desk beside the door and matched her crossed arm posture. “There’s plenty of time for tomorrow.”
“No. I think it’s better if I go. Better if I go before anyone else sees us.” Her voice did that quivery thing that made her sound near tears.
I focused on her face, trying to read her. It had been easy last night, but today, with the threat of discovery between us, she locked down her expression and met my stare with a steady gaze. Did she not want to be with us anymore, or was it all shame and embarrassment at getting caught? Either way, our happy love bubble had burst, and we had no choice but to return to our normal lives.
Harper hurried into the bathroom and closed the door, closing us out and leaving me feeling bereft. For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to do with myself.
12
HARPER
The next morning, I still hadn’t quite wrapped my head around what had happened in the hotel. I mean, the night played on repeat in my head. I couldn’t shake that…or the fact that we’d gotten caught.
Julian reassured me that he’d taken care of it. I didn’t have the nerve to askhowhe’d taken care of it. Dante and Alexander reassured me too. They kept saying the hotel was discreet. That was great and all, but some kid had walked in on us! There was no going back from that.
I groaned and stopped on the sidewalk before entering the building. What was I going to say? How was I going to act? It should be simple. Act like nothing happened.
That was the problem. A whole fucking lot had happened and I was spiraling into a major panic. Lila was no help. She’d shrugged and said there was nothing to do but keep moving forward.
Then she’d asked for more details about my night with three men. There were no words for it.
Incredible didn’t even begin to touch the way they’d made me feel.
Stop it,I mentally scolded myself and swiped my employee card to unlock the door. The beep and click put a shudder in my spine that almost locked me in place. I managed to wrap my hand around the handle and pull the door open at the same time two other employees walked up behind me.
“Morning.” I grinned at them as I held open the door, then made my way to the coffee station behind them.
They in front of the pastries and scooped out the last two blueberry scones. My favorite.
I sighed my disappointment and poured a cup of freshly brewed hazelnut coffee from the center carafe. Bethany was the one in charge of making sure the coffee was ready every morning before she headed upstairs to sit at her desk next to Dante’s office. I’d have to go up and thank her again for making the hazelnut coffee using my favorite beans.
I splashed a bit of creamer into my coffee and stirred it on my way to the elevator. Three other women waited ahead of me. Their laughter and rising voices made me smile. I loved working in a place where everyone was so happy all the time.
“It was amazing. You wouldn’t believe the things I saw.” One woman put a hand to her throat and lifted her head toward the ceiling. “They went all out this year. I’ve been to some beautiful galas, but this one felt special.”
I lifted the coffee to my lips and took a slow sip. “I haven’t been here long enough to have seen more than one gala. What are they usually like?”
All three women turned at my question. Curious expressions fell lax and eyes went wide.
“Wait, you’re Harper, right?” The woman on the left, a petite woman with black hair and wire-rimmed glasses that she pushed up her nose when she spoke, gave me a once over.
I nodded, uncertain what the question had to do with mine. “Yes, I’m Harper. I’m new to the company. I work in marketing. Sorry, I don’t know your names.”
“Oh. Um.” The black haired woman held out her hand. “I’m Marg. This is Denise and Sara.” She pointed out each woman, and I shook their hands.
“It’s great to meet you.” The elevator doors opened, and the four of us squeezed in. I pressed the button for my floor and waited for them to do the same. A tense kind of quiet descended as the elevator rose. “So. You said the gala was special this year?” I tried to jumpstart the conversation, but no one answered me.
