With his help, they had the backdrop folded up and slid into its duffle bag in minutes.
“You need to go,” she said. “They’ll be expecting you.”
“You’ll be joining us?” Drake said, grabbing his bag of clothes and heading for the door.
“I’ll be there as soon as I finish here. I’m starving.”
Once she was alone, she took a moment to stop and catch her breath before breaking down the stand that held the backdrop up. She would have to change her panties before going downstairs. Just being in the same room as the handsome older model flustered and aroused her, though she would never dare admit it to anyone.
She knew from doing research on the man that Drake Snow was more than twenty years her senior, but that didn’t matter to her. He was sexy with a capital S-E-X and she had to work hard to keep from throwing herself at his feet and begging him to fuck her into the floor.
Though Drake hurried to his room and then downstairs to the ballroom, his mind remained on the fourth floor where he knew Lacy was struggling to pack up the equipment they’d used alone.He had agreed to pose for Rebecca at the last minute, and could already tell he would not be working with her again.
At least, not unless he could be sure that Lacy was there directing the session. Or maybe he would try to talk the two women to change positions, so Lacy was behind the camera and Rebecca was holding lights, packing and unpacking equipment, and shlepping bags. Somehow he doubted the photographer would agree to such a request.
As the elevator stopped on the ground floor, Drake took a deep breath and forced the corners of his mouth into a smile. He released the breath and prepared himself for whatever the next few hours would bring.
“There you are, Drake,” one of the organizers said as she grabbed his arm and pulled him along. “We thought you might have gotten kidnapped by some of these naughty, naughty readers.”
“Sorry, the photoshoot ran a little long,” he said, hoping he sounded apologetic and not put out that he’d had to leave Lacy alone upstairs.
The more time he spent with her, the more certain he was that Lacy Grey was a Little. And he could tell she really needed a Daddy to help her stay on target with her own needs, wants, and desires, and not just worry about her cousin’s, even though she was acting as the woman’s assistant.
But that was something he would think about later. Right now he had readers, authors, and other industry professionals to dazzle with smiles, hugs, and talent as a master of events for the evening’s dinner and party. He only hoped he was able to find a few minutes to spend with Lacy, preferably alone and uninterrupted long enough to ask her to meet him for breakfast.
Taking a breath, he added some pep to his step as he entered the ballroom where women, and a handful of men, waited. Hehurried through the tables to the stage at the front of the room and flipped the microphone on.
“Good evening, ladies … and gentlemen,” he started. “Welcome to the 2025 Books and More convention. I’m your model host, Drake Snow.”
He had to pause for nearly a minute as the audience applauded, whooped and hollered. The alcohol must have already been flowing. Thankfully, the attendees were staying in the hotel, so they wouldn’t be driving when the evening ended.
Slipping into the persona he used at all of these appearances, he introduced the organizers, the sponsoring authors and publishing companies, and went through the list of announcements the organizer had given him. He watched Lacy slip in and take a seat at one of the back tables that only had a few people sitting at them.
Finishing up the announcements, he turned the microphone over to the hotel representative and stepped down from the stage. The two authors who had sponsored him waved to him and pointed to the empty seat between them. With a smile and a nod, he joined them, after circling their table and introducing himself to each of the other women sitting with them.
Though he tried to keep an eye on Lacy, after visiting the buffet for dinner, he lost sight of her, and did not see her again before he excused himself from the party hours later and headed to his room, exhausted both physically and emotionally.
Chapter 3
As was her lifelong habit, Lacy woke well before dawn. Her body didn’t care that she’d stayed up the night before or had a long day of assisting Rebecca ahead. Her internal clock only knew that it was five o’clock, time to rise and shine.
After laying in bed reading on her tablet for an hour, she crawled out and carried the prepared stack of clothing from the dresser to the bathroom with her. She’d learned the first time she’d shared a room with Rebecca that her cousin wouldn’t wake up for hours, and she needed to be able to dress and leave without turning on the light. Rebecca was not an early bird and did not deal well with being woken, though she was able to sleep through a bomb barrage, as long as the room remained dark.
Lacy took a quick shower and dried her hair before dressing. A quick swipe of mascara and lip gloss and she was ready for the day. She turned off the light before opening the door, then stood to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Grabbing the backpack she was using as a purse, she slipped on her sneakers and prepared to leave.
“Take some shots of the hotel, okay?” Rebecca said.
Before Lacy could respond, she rolled over and went back to sleep. Shaking her head, Lacy slid her room keycard into her front right pocket. Then she headed for the door.
After wandering the hotel, taking dozens of pictures of various things she thought were pretty, she headed to the coffee shop. While she didn’t drink coffee, she was hoping to find a breakfast sandwich that would carry her through till the convention breakfast that was slated for several hours later that morning.
She was waiting at the end of the line when Drake stepped up beside her. “Couldn’t sleep? Or are you working already this morning?”
Lacy took a breath and reminded herself to relax before she spoke. “A little of both, I guess. My body doesn’t believe in sleeping in, and Rebecca asked me to take pictures around the hotel this morning while the hotel was empty.”
When the person in front of her stepped away, Lacy stepped up to the counter. After a quick look at the menu, she retrieved a bottle of her favorite soda from the refrigerator at the back of the room before ordering a breakfast sandwich with bacon, egg, and cheese. She pulled out her money to pay when Drake shook his head at her.
“I’ll get it,” he said with a warm smile that set Lacy’s heart to beating a bit faster and her pussy to clenching in response.
