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“In two days, that group is having lunch at the restaurant,” she says, yanking me from my thoughts. “Those influencers I told you about.”
“Excellent.”
I pick up a strand of her hair and curl it around my finger. “We’ll see if your plan works,” I say for the sake of saying. There’s no doubt for me that she knows what she’s doing. In less than a week, a couple of posts by her already increased the engagement online and that led to higher search for our hotel name on engines and more followers on our social media platforms. Most likely, after the bigger pushes, we’ll hopefully see more patronage in the club and the restaurant.
“It always does. Landed you in my bed, didn’t it?” she says, a touch of amusement in her voice.
“Landing me in your bed may be a liability.”
She props herself on her elbow then looks deep into my eyes, in a way that makes my stomach curl. “Then it goes both ways.”
12
Whitney
“How’s everything?”I ask the table of six influencers who were carefully curated for this lunch. Two of them, Rick and Ashley, are successful foodies and post about restaurants and the food scene in Texas. Then there’s Antoine and Ava, Claire and Kendall. Hashtag all-stars.
“Oh, great. I’ve never been to this place,” Ava says, tossing her long brown hair to the side.
“I have to say… I’m not a big fan of hotel restaurants in general,” Rick says, with his posh British accent. “But this one has surprised me so far.”
“Excellent,” I say. “If you need anything, just let me know.,” I say, then turn around and walk away from their table.
A thread of excitement works its way up my spine. I’m usually invested in my clients, as I love what I do. I love being able to highlight people’s talents or products and help them increase their visibility and profit. This time, though, I’m even more invested.
Because of Maddox.
I sigh.
Two days ago, we had the most amazing date, and sex afterwards.
I had an event to cover at night, so he had to leave, and the day after, we were both fully booked, so today will be the first time I see him again. Will anything change? We’ve been texting back and forth, and each time my phone buzzes, fire sets in my stomach and it’s like I’m a fourteen-year-old girl with her first crush. Though if I’m honest, my first teenage crushwasMaddox. And now I’m fulfilling that fantasy. It’s a bit twisted, but also wildly romantic.
I watch waiters fuss over the group. I spoke to the hostess beforehand to make sure they got top notch service, which shouldn’t be that hard—from what I noticed from this restaurant, besides the delicious food, service is a lot more efficient than it was at the club.
Which reminds me… I need to touch base with Maddox.
I make myself a mental note, then when I glance back at the table, I see him talking to my guests. A foolish smile slips through my lips, and I stare at him, paying attention to his every move. I love when he turns on his charm when he’s dealing with the public—a novelty for me since for so long, he did the opposite whenever I was near him.
Still, it’s hard to look away.
I blink, and see him walking my way.
“They seem happy,” he says, cocking his head in the direction of their table.
“Yes. I’ll follow up with them later, but so far it’s a success. I took some pictures and will post tonight. Also, Rick and Ashley agreed to feature the restaurant in their TikTok next week. So, win for us.”
“With you it’s always a win, isn’t it?” he says in a deep intimate voice, and my breath catches in my throat.
Outside the bedroom, that’s probably the nicest thing he’s told me.
We stare at each other for a moment, and the layers of our connection spark. The silver rings around his cobalt irises flicker, and it’s like something shifts inside me, switches, builds. I love him so much.
Does he know it?
Does he still think it’s the hangover of a teen crush/obsession?
Do I want him to know?
