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He burst out laughing then. For some odd reason, I felt irritated. Something about his request struck me as odd, and I couldn’t put my finger on it for a moment. Then, I realized what it was as I sat staring into his handsome face.
“This is about the sex, isn’t it? You don’t really need me to come to California, you want me to come because we have great chemistry and sex?”
He looked away, not at all embarrassed, but slightly annoyed I’d discovered his plans. “So, what if I do? We do work great together once we get past the rough edges, and you’d mostly be working with Martie. Plus, we could spend a bit of time here and there when we are both free. There is nothing wrong with that between grown individuals.”
I want to write my book! I want to get a good job again! I want to rebuild my life and start over! I don’t want to spend all my time sleeping with the boss!
I knew I couldn’t just up and refuse since he had yet to pay me. I needed to bide my time and needed some space to do it. The only way I knew to do that was to put distance between him and me, so we could both think clearly.
“You're not making sense James. I am the last person you need with you in California. I would get in the way, I would distract you at work, and then things would get odd between us personally. People will talk. What do you think all those great people in your office are going to say when you show up with me on your arm working for you?”
He didn't bat an eye, which shouldn’t have surprised me. I was trying to rationalize with a man that didn't know the meaning of the word. That left me only one choice when he said nothing.
“Fine, fair enough. I will think on it for the next twenty-four hours, that’s when you’re flying out to California?”
“Yes! Now you're talking. Okay, so I’m going to leave you alone. I’m going to go for a swim if you want to join me. If not, think away, and we can talk about it tomorrow. I promise this will be good for us both, and I think you’ll find out I can be pretty agreeable all the way around, in business and in bed.”
He laughed, amused and hopeful by the words I said, and grabbed his things to go for a quick swim. As soon as he left, I grabbed my stuff, hightailed it to the front desk, and tried to get another room.
“Yes, hi, I’m Gwen, James Renegade’s assistant. I need to book another room for tonight, just for one night. You can charge it to his room.”
“Of course.” The woman behind the desk had known me for the last few days, so she did not question it. “I can give you room 206, it’s a bit smaller, but the only room we have left. Now that the snow has stopped and everyone is cleaning up, traveling is resuming. Does that work?”
“Perfect!” I didn't care what it was, it could have been a broom closet and I’d have been happy. Every inch of the hotel was gorgeous, and I hoped it would inspire my writing.
She handed me the key. “Here you go.”
“Thank you. Both rooms will be checked out tomorrow.” I clutched my small suitcase and the keycard she handed me as I walked to the elevator.
I heard the sound of my phone dinging as a copy of the receipt was texted to me for James.
Once inside my new room by myself, I collapsed on the bed and took a nap, secure in knowing I’d locked the door and he wasn’t likely to find me in here.
I slept and slept for a long time. I’d been tired but did not realize how tired I was. Working with James was exhausting. Now that it was over, I could rest easy. Or at least now that it was over for Chelsea Market.
James' offer left me with a lot to consider. I would be working with my cousin, Martie, and I’d be in California where I’d always wanted to go and making a ton of money. If things didn't work out, I could easily go home to Connecticut, and he would pay for it. It was too good to be true, and that’s why I questioned it.
James was the kind of man that had ulterior motives, and he wasn’t one to underestimate. After I woke, I thought and thought, and tried to find the flaw so I could easily justify getting out of it. When I found none a few hours later and didn't find any other hidden agenda because he’d been upfront about the sex, I was at a loss.
This was too good to be true, but I wanted to take it. The pros far outweighed the cons, but the thought of being his secret mistress or whatever we were going to call it bothered me.
When a knock sounded at the door, I closed my eyes and prayed it was room service trying to deliver to the wrong room.
“Gwen, I know you're in there. You made the mistake of charging it to my room, and I asked the front desk, so they had to tell me. Open this door. We need to talk.”
I covered my mouth with my hands and held my breath, not daring to make a peep in the hopes that he would go away.
“Gwen, I know you're in there. I know you needed time to think, and I was giving you that time. I don’t know why you need to run and hide away like this.”
The silence stretched on, I didn't really know James like Martie did, but I wanted to hope he was a good guy who’d leave well enough alone and go back to the other room for the night.
“Alright, I will leave you alone. But I still have to pay you, so don’t forget about that. We need to talk about this, so I will let you sleep until tomorrow morning, or do whatever it is you're doing in there, writing maybe.”
I heard the soft bang on the door and then silence. I waited, still breathing shallowly and struggling to keep as quiet as possible. When a few minutes passed, I allowed myself to relax and be normal again.
Confused by my thoughts, and how I could actually be considering it, I let it rest for a time and worked on my novel. Rather than continue writing it in a notebook, I decided to type it on the computer.
I got a lot accomplished. Everything seemed to just naturally fall into place as I used the ideas that inspired me from the hotel we were staying at. I used many elements, and thought about all the people we’d encountered, and the atmosphere. It was very exciting, and I felt good when I finally laid my head down to rest.
