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“We have about fifteen minutes,” I informed Avery, glancing at my Patek Philip Nautilus watch. “Are you hungry?”
She shook her head and gestured toward the women’s restroom. “I just want to comb my hair and maybe salvage my makeup a little.”
“I’ll do the same.”
Avery raised an eyebrow and giggled. “Do you want to borrow some lipstick?”
I was confused for a moment, then laughed when I realized how my comment had sounded. “I don’t think you and I wear the same shade, baby,” I quipped with a wink.
Her cheeks turned pink, and she continued to snicker as she waved and disappeared into the bathroom.
* * *
Our meeting went off without a hitch and before it was over, we’d snagged a new account. It had been Avery who found out that the very large sporting goods chain was on the hunt for a new agency, so I’d let her give the majority of the presentation. It was her first time pitching a potential client as the lead on a project and she’d been incredibly nervous, but once she stood up in front of the room, she’d been all confidence and charisma. I was so fucking proud of her, it was difficult not to sweep her into my arms once we were alone.
“You were amazing, Avery,” I complimented with an ear-to-ear grin. “Congratulations.”
She looked around, likely to make sure we were completely alone, then squealed and bounced on her toes. Much to my delight, she threw herself into my arms and hugged me tightly. “Thank you! I was so afraid to botch it and disappoint you.”
I put my hands on her waist and gently squeezed until she loosened her arms and tilted her head back to look up at me. “You could never disappoint me.”
Her green eyes sparkled when she met my gaze, and I could almost see the walls she’d built between us crumbling. However, when I brought her closer, she cleared her throat and her cheeks dusted with crimson.
She tried to take a step back, but I held her in place and said, “I am incredibly proud of you, baby. You’re a natural,” before reluctantly releasing her.
Though she put some space between us, her expression and body language remained relaxed and open. “Well, I had a brilliant teacher.” Her lips tipped up into a smirk and she winked. “Wonder what else you could teach me.”
I was stunned by her sassiness, and it went straight to my groin. I grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair next to me to hide the growing evidence.
“Why don’t we check in, then go out for dinner to celebrate?”
“Perfect.”
Avery picked up her bag and shoved the leftover papers from the meeting inside, then preceded me out the door. I didn’t bother trying to keep my eyes off her sexy ass as she sashayed out to the lobby.
As I came to a stop by the front desk, I spotted a tall man striding toward us with a smile on his face. He had the blond hair and the light blue eyes of a Scandinavian, and the naturally tan skin of an Italian, giving him a typical “surfer dude” look. However, he was dressed in a custom suit without a wrinkle to be found, shiny dress shoes, and not a single hair out of place.
When he reached me, he stuck out his hand, and we shook. “Welcome back, Gabe.” His eyes moved to take in the woman standing beside me and his smile turned suave. “This must be Avery.”
She held out her hand, but rather than shake it, he clasped her fingers and kissed her knuckles. Even though I knew the asshole was baiting me—especially since he was aiding me with my scheme—I still bristled and a low growl of warning rumbled in my chest. Of course, that only made him smile wider.
“Baby, this is Sebastian Brant. He’s the hotel manager and a friend of mine. We’ve known each other since college.”
Avery returned his smile but moved just an inch closer to me, and it soothed the green monster snarling inside me. “Nice to meet you. We’d like to check in.”
Sebastian swallowed hard, obviously suppressing a laugh since his eyes were dancing with amusement. “Of course.” He gestured to the desk, and we turned to face the woman waiting to help us. But Sebastian went around the desk and urged her to take another customer. “I’ll help these two.”
“We have a suite reserved under my name,” I told him.
As planned, Sebastian tapped the keys for a minute, then frowned as he stared at the computer screen. “You reserved a two-room suite?”
“Yes.”
He tapped the keyboard a little more, then gave me a very convincing, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, but I only have a studio suite available.”
I ran a hand through my hair and let out a frustrated grunt. “I don’t understand.”
“There must have been a mixup. The hotel is completely booked this weekend and somehow, all of the two-bed suites were given to other guests.”
