AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ll have that problem. I’m exhausted.” I start moving toward the hallway and my bedroom.
“Sophie?” he calls just before I get to my bedroom door.
I turn back. “Yeah?”
“Things are good for you here, right? You’re doing well? Work and everything?”
I think about my internship at MAE, and theBridesfeature, which I haven’t shared with anyone but Hunter and June because it doesn’t even feel real. I’m afraid I dreamt it up. How the clear vision of what I thought I wanted is starting to blur. And there’s no way in hell I’m going to tell him about Hunter.
I press a smile to my lips. “Yeah, everything is great.”
He nods. “Okay.”
“Goodnight, G.”
“Goodnight, Soph.”
In my room, I quickly get ready for bed and pull back the covers. I know things are different between me and Griffin. I can feel it. He has Emma now, and the both of us starting our careers has completely changed our routine. My goal of becoming more independent has required me to not share everything with him like I would have before. It’s a good thing, I tell myself right before I fall asleep.
CHAPTER20
Sophie
One of the jobs of being a wedding planning assistant’s intern is staying long after the wedding guests have departed to help the take down crew at the venue. I can’t leave until all the vendors are packed up and gone, the final invoices have been paid, and I’ve collected all the items left behind by tipsy guests. With a reception ending between eleven o’clock and midnight, sometimes my job isn’t done until two o’clock in the morning.
Tonight’s reception location is The Plaza Hotel, so I really shouldn’t complain. From the bridal rooms to the ballroom, even the bathrooms, this hotel is magical. It’s been a dream of mine to visit, and while I walked through with Johnathan last week, after the Stephens-Lautner wedding today I feel like I’ve gotten the full tour.
Besides a vegan accidentally getting delivered a filet at dinner, and the best man having a panic attack during his speech, the wedding went seamlessly. Marion left a few hours ago, and Johnathan just did a final walkthrough, leaving me to the few remaining tasks.
After securing the couple’s card box with the hotel staff to be delivered to their room tomorrow, and dropping the bride’s aunt’s false tooth, that she misplaced while eating dinner, at the front desk, I’m dead on my feet.
I imagine most of the wedding guests staying here are tucked into The Plaza’s top-of-the-line memory foam, cloud-like mattresses, with the softest, fluffiest duvets and pillows that support your neck and head for ultimate ergonomic sleep. I’m only slightly jealous. Right now, I could sleep standing up.
I’d love to take off my heels, but I don’t think that even two o’clock in the morning is an appropriate time to walk through The Plaza Hotel lobby in bare feet. There’s no appropriate time for that really. I’m on my way toward the lobby entrance to wait on a ride share that is still fifteen minutes away when I spot him.
My heels skitter on the marble floor when I see Hunter leaning against one of the lobby’s gold columns. He’s dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. His hair is rumpled, like maybe he was sleeping and recently woke up.
“What are you doing here?” I ask as I approach.
“Coming to get you,” he says, taking my hand.
My body sags with relief at his presence. Yes, I’m perfectly capable of getting a ride share and getting home, but I’m so tired right now, I love the thought of having someone here to help me. The fact that someone is Hunter is a bonus.
He doesn’t steer us toward the exit, though. Instead, he’s walking us back through the lobby, toward the elevator bank.
“I might regret saying this, but I am so tired right now, I can barely keep my eyes open. I don’t know what you have planned. I’m sure it’s some secret sexy rendezvous that I will be hating myself for missing out on later, but I need to go home. To bed.” I yawn deeply, emphasizing my point. “To sleep.”
Hunter doesn’t say anything, only pulls me onto the elevator and hits a button. Inside the elevator, he tucks me into his side, supporting my exhausted body with his strong arms. He places a kiss against the top of my head.
“You heard me, right?” I yawn again. It’s so intense, my eyes water.
Still holding me upright, Hunter reaches down and removes my heels, one at a time. With my heels hanging off his fingers, he scoops me up with his other arm and lifts me onto his front. I lay my head on his shoulder and cling to him with my arms around his neck. The usual feeling of being this close to him, all the tingles and zaps and electric energy that only multiple orgasms can quiet, has been muted by the comfort of his calming hold on me. My desire for him is still present, but currently sleeping under a weighted blanket of exhaustion.
I’m barefoot and my ass might be hanging out right now, but in the five minutes since I swore not to walk barefoot in The Plaza Hotel, a lot has happened. I’ve become exponentially more tired. And with Hunter’s soothing voice and gentle kiss to my temple, it’s the only permission I need to let my cares slip away.
The elevator stops and Hunter carries me off. I’m pretty much dead weight at this point. A sack of potatoes in his arms.
It’s not until I hear the electronic beep and the sound of a door opening that I’m fully aware of where he’s taking me. A room opens around us. A sitting area. A bar. A bed, cloud-like bedding and memory foam mattress all present.
