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“That’s what you said about Kelly and look at how things ended up. Look what it cost us. I had to bail out your ass.”
“Really? Are you really going to keep bringing that up? Because if you are, I’m going to hang up on you right now. I paid you back every penny of what I owed you. So, I made a mistake with her. Felicity is not Kelly. I am not going to stand here at nearly three o’clock in the morning trying to justify my feelings. You do not get to dictate who I see.”
“I do if the two of you work for Fortune Investments. You are not above the rules, Austin. And the rules state that there is no fraternizing. Especially when it comes to an executive fooling around with a subordinate.”
Austin started to object, but Miles cut him off.
“I was seriously considering promoting her. But I think you just killed that for her. Monday morning, you need to accept her notice and then keep your distance from her.”
“That’s not fair, Dad. Felicity has worked hard for us and deserves to be recognized for her hard work. You’re an idiot if you let her go.”
And so am I.
“I don’t know—” Miles started to say.
“Well, you’d better think about it, because if you deny her this promotion based on what you saw tonight, then you’re giving her every reason to sue your ass.”
“I guess that means you have some decisions to make, doesn’t it?” Miles said. “You have to choose, Austin. Do you want her to have the promotion? Or do you want to have your little fling? Because if you insist on fooling around with her, as far as I’m concerned, the promotion is off the table. In fact, she doesn’t even need to come in Monday morning. It’s your choice.”
* * *
At eight o’clock the next morning, Felicity rang Austin’s room. She hadn’t slept much after Miles had stumbled upon their late-night kiss. Instead, she’d stayed up all night contemplating what to say to him the next time they talked.
She’d considered texting him—actually, she wanted to text him the minute she’d closed the door between them, wondering if Miles had called or texted or walked across the hall and pounded on Austin’s door. Knowing Miles, it wasn’t so far-fetched.
If Miles had started the inquisition, the last thing Austin needed was her texts pinging his phone. If Miles had been uncharacteristically silent, she didn’t want to crowd Austin.
So, she’d forced herself to wait until the respectable hour of eight o’clock to ring his room phone. When he didn’t answer, she called the front desk and discovered that he had already checked out.
She could’ve kicked herself for not texting last night. Because even if she hadn’t wanted to seem desperate, she was feeling that way more and more with each hour that ticked on without word from him.
Checkout was at eleven o’clock. Felicity decided she wouldn’t leave a minute earlier. She took a hot bath in the suite’s garden tub. Then she took her time applying moisturizer from head to toe, styling her hair, putting on her makeup and getting dressed. She ordered room service and leisurely enjoyed the fruit plate, pastry basket and the entire pot of strong hot coffee.
She called the bellhop to assist her with her luggage and getting her car from the valet. She would not allow herself to check her phone until she was parked in her own driveway. Because by that time it was a quarter past noon. Surely, Austin would’ve made time to get in touch.
But there were no new texts waiting for her after she got home.
She had also imposed another moratorium on herself. Until she got home, she would not let herself fret over the fact that she had been the one who had initiated the kiss. Oh, sure, Austin had kissed her back, but what was he supposed to do?
No. She wasn’t going there. Austin had definitely been into the kiss. And he had been the one who had asked her to dance the second time, the one who had suggested the drink at Sazerac and had purchased the champagne and had walked past his own room to escort her to hers. Those were not mixed signals. Those were beacons. Spotlight-strong beacons. And that’s why she had leaned in and kissed him.
Felicity shored up her confidence. She let herself out of the car, hitched her handbag up onto her shoulder, grabbed her suitcase and the garment bag that contained the red dress that Maia had lent her for the gala. She carted her belongings onto the porch.
