Page 59 of The Plus One Professional
“Yes,” I admitted.
“Was it good?”
“Yes.” Good didn’t even come close to covering it.
“So why are you hiding in the bathroom?”
“I’m not hiding.” If I were Pinocchio, my nose would have just grown a foot. I changed the subject. “How are you? How are you feeling?”
She sighed. “Tired, but good.”
“How are things with your mom?” Olivia’s husband, Ben, played in the NFL and was gone most weekends traveling for games. When he was out of town, he insisted Olivia’s mom stay with her, even though she lived next door. Their relationship had been strained when she was growing up, but now, as adults, they were forming a new relationship.
“Okay. She’s been cooking. A lot.”
“That’s…good.”
“So why are you hidi—” Olivia’s voice cut out before I heard her say, “Oh, Ben’s calling. I gotta go. Stop hiding in the bathroom. Remember what Trevor said.”
Trevor said a lot of things. “What?”
“The best way?—”
“To get over someone is to get under someone hotter,” I finished. “Got it. Tell Ben I said hi.”
The call disconnected, and I told myself that despite what I’d told my bestie, Ihadbeen hiding in the bathroom, and it was time to suck it up, Buttercup. I’m not sure my Grandpa Will would approve of me using his motto to psych myself up to do the walk of shame. Technically this wasn’t the walk of shame. Or maybe it was.
That was the thing about never casually dating; I had no clue what the rules were. I’d only ever spent the night with men I was in a relationship with. This was all new to me.
Hopefully, Cole would still be asleep, and I’d be able to sneak out undetected. I was making a mental game plan for my exit, including grabbing the card key off the nightstand and my purse from beside the bed, when I quietly turned the doorknob and crept out.
“Hey!”
I jumped and turned around to find Cole not only awake; his hair was wet as if he’d taken a shower, and he was dressed in a polo shirt and slacks, ready for the day. He was seated at the table he’d bent me over after we ate room service last night, sipping a cup of coffee. The empty plates from last night were gone, and in their place was a spread of breakfast foods.
“Hey.” I smiled. “Did you…take a shower?”
There was only one bathroom in the suite, so I wasn’t sure how he’d accomplished that.
“Yeah. I went down to the gym and used the changing room.” He grinned. “I didn’t know how long you were going to be, and I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Great. So, he either thought I was in there actually using the bathroom or he thought I took two hours to get ready. Neither was the impression I wanted him to have.
“Sorry, yeah, I was, um…” I lifted my phone. “Answering emails.”
“I didn’t know what you wanted, so I got a little of everything.” He motioned to the array of fruit, croissants, pancakes, muffins, bacon, eggs, and sausage.
“Oh, um, I was. I’m going to the spa, for, um, yeah, the spa day.” In the light of day, I felt flustered around him. I was nervous because I didn’t know post-sex-marathon etiquette.
He stood, and the room felt smaller. It wasn’t just his imposing physical stature that made the space suddenly shrink; it was his dominating presence. He might be young, but he had an air of authority that caused him to command any room.
Over the past few months, when I’d seen him at weddings, I’d observed how people noticed and responded to him. He was a magnet that people were drawn to. Men wanted to be friends with him, and women wanted to be near him for other reasons. He had a strong gravitational pull.
Last night had been no exception. I’d seen him speaking to Mr. Prescott and Simon’s fraternity brothers. They weren’t a group that easily let people in, especially those who weren’t in their social and economic spheres. But they’d welcomed him with open arms. He’d gotten a lot of shoulder slaps and offers of taking shots, which was the universal bro code for acceptance.
As he walked toward me, I felt flutters in my belly. My knees grew weaker with each step he took. I was sore in places I didn’t know I could be sore, but that was not stopping my hormones from stretching for round four.
He stopped in front of me, reached down, and picked up the key card on the side table. “Have fun at the spa. I’ll see you later this afternoon. I have my phone if you need me.”
