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That simple touch had stimulated every nerve cell in her body, forcing her to remember just how good it had been between them. She didn’t know what kind of game he was playing, but she wanted no part of it. At the end of the day, she made up an excuse about not feeling well to Melissa and all but fled the hotel.
The saving grace was that she had the rest of this week and the next before seeing him again. She needed some distance.
* * *
Damian unclipped the microphone and placed it on the table. It was Friday evening, and their last conference before the Thanksgiving holiday. He shut down the computer and packed up everything. An image of Karen floated in his mind. A smile curved his lips. He still couldn’t believe he’d found her. At first her cold demeanor put him off, but he’d caught her looking his way more than once. And for a split second, he saw it—desire. The same desire that had overtaken them on the cruise that night.
His plan had been to invite her to dinner at the end of the second day, but she lit out of the room as if it were on fire. Since then, there had been back-to-back conferences for the rest of the week. Tomorrow would be his last night in town before heading home, and he didn’t intend to leave without seeing her again.
After packing up their equipment, Delores, Kyle, Troy and Damian ended up at a nearby restaurant suggested by the hotel staff. Over dinner, they discussed how the conferences and workshops had gone, as was their practice. In their opinion, there was always room for improvement, and they strove to give their clients 100 percent. When they got back to the hotel, Delores went up to her room. She had a morning flight home. Troy excused himself to answer a phone call.
“Everything all right, Damian?” Kyle asked. “You’re pretty quiet tonight.”
“I’m fine. I need a favor.”
“What’s up?”
Damian pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to Kyle. “You said you needed more than a first name. I did one better.”
Frowning, Kyle took the card and read, “‘Karen Morris. San Jose, California.’” He seemed puzzled for a moment, then his eyes widened in recognition. “Is this...? It can’t be. How did you...?”
“She was at the conference Monday and Tuesday.”
“Damn. I don’t believe it.” He grinned. “Did you talk to her?”
“For a minute. She’s pretty pissed. Wouldn’t give me a chance to explain. But I’m not leaving until I talk to her.” He gestured toward the card. “I need an address and phone number. Sooner rather than later.”
“You sure you want to do this? It sounds like she’s not interested in starting up again.”
“More sure than I have been about anything in a long time.”
Kyle nodded and tapped the card against his finger. “Then I’ll find her.”
“Thanks. It’s been a long week. I think I’m gonna head up and relax.”
“I hear you. I’ll probably do the same.”
They got Troy’s attention and motioned that they were going upstairs. He nodded. Damian and Kyle walked over to the bank of elevators and pushed the button.
Kyle laughed and shook his head. “I still can’t believe you found your girl.”
“Imagine how I felt. I lost my train of thought and was grinning like an idiot. It’s a good thing I know that presentation like the back of my hand. Otherwise it would have been pretty embarrassing.”
The two men stepped into the elevator when it arrived, and they rode to their floor. “I’ll let you know when I have the information,” Kyle said before they went into their separate rooms.
“I’m counting on it.” Damian closed his door behind him and kicked off his shoes. Stripping, he went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Twenty minutes later, clean and relaxed, Damian padded across the room to stand in front of the window. Looking out over the city, he vividly recalled Karen’s warm smile and infectious laughter. Had she missed him as much as he had missed her? And how would she react when he showed up at her house?
After standing there for who knows how long, he crossed the room and stretched out on the bed. He picked up the remote, turned the television to a sports channel and watched highlights until his eyelids grew heavy. Damian clicked off the TV, turned off the lamp and slid beneath the covers, falling into a restless sleep.
Two hours later, he was wide-awake. He flipped through the television channels and caught the last thirty minutes of an old movie. Still unable to sleep, he pulled on a pair of sweatpants, a Carolina Panthers T-shirt and his tennis shoes. Damian stuck his wallet and room key in his pocket and went downstairs to the bar. He didn’t want any alcohol, and coffee would definitely keep him up. In the end, he settled for a cup of decaf. He slowly sipped the steaming liquid and tried to keep his mind from speculating on how long it would take Kyle to find Karen’s address. Time was running out. Although he’d be back after the holiday, he couldn’t wait that long. He finished his coffee, walked wearily back to his room and fell across the bed.
