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30
Madison opened the door to their suite, knowing that she couldn’t really put this off any longer, and it wasn’t like her to put off things. First this wedding invitation and asking Payton, and now avoiding her today, after everything that had happened last night. It just wasn’t like her.
Madison nearly ran into Payton as the bathroom door opened, warmth and steam drifting out as Payton’s hands found Madison’s waist to prevent her from crashing into her.
Madison could feel the heat of Payton’s touch through her black blouse. “Sorry,”Madison said, her heart rate shooting up as she steadied herself, almost afraid to put her hands on Payton’s robe.
“No. It’s my fault,” Payton said. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you coming in. How did your meeting go?”
Madison took a step back as Payton spoke, putting some space between them, but she couldn’t stop her gaze from lowering to the plunging neckline of her robe and the hint of cleavage it revealed.
“Good. Yeah. It was good to catch up,” Madison said leaving her bag on the table. She almost sat on the edge of the bed, but she stayed standing, the same feelings that had overwhelmed her last night coming back, putting her head and her heart at odds.
All day she’d been wrestling with this dilemma of giving in and trying to think ahead and prevent this from becoming a complete disaster.
If Madison did what she really wanted to do right now and walked over to where Payton was brushing her hair in front of the mirror and slid that robe off her shoulders, falling right back into that bed, there was no going back. Maybe they already couldn’t.
But Madison had to believe that she still had some control here.
“You could have woken me,” Payton said, taking her away from her thoughts.
Madison waved her off. “I was thinking that you should have the week off. You know, except for the wedding and all that.”
Payton met her eyes in the mirror, her eyebrow lifting.
Madison’s stomach flip-flopped. Was reminding Payton that they had a job to do Friday offensive now? Was it still a job? Yes, they’d slept together, and it had been amazing, but the reason they were here, together, was to put on a show and play happy couple.
“Do you want to go out tonight?” Madison offered, suddenly unable to imagine staying in and either having a very serious conversation about what it was they were doing or sleeping together again. As much as Madison wanted the latter, she was too afraid of what that would actually look like.
Because last night had already been so much more than it should have been.
Madison had never had that kind of intense connection with someone that fast. Sleeping with someone for the first time had been awkward more often than not in her experience, never sure if she was giving the other person what she needed or if she was saying or doing too much or too little.
But that was not what had happened last night.
“Yeah,” Payton said after a second. “Sure. Just us?”
Madison nodded. “Yeah. I usually like to check out the gay scene when I’m in a new city.”
“Okay. I’m always up for that,” Payton said, giving her a bit of a smile, and Madison hated herself for putting off yet another thing.
They should talk about this. About last night. But she needed Payton for Friday, and if they had that conversation, there was every chance that Madison would screw it up. She couldn’t honestly tell Payton that this could be the start of something, because it couldn’t.
Next week, they would go back to being boss and personal assistant. That had to come first.
31
Payton weaved her way through the crowded pub, towards the bar, as the drag queen on the tiny stage at the back of the room was belting out a throwback anthem that even she knew all the words to. Pulsating neon lights illuminated the drag queen’s silver dress while she got the crowd going.
Payton finally reached the bar, catching the man’s eye behind the bar and ordering two beers. She was surrounded by a mixture of sweet perfume and musky cologne along with the scent of wood reminding her of the pub’s age and the smells of being in an old library.
She caught Madison’s eye across the room as she was coming out of the restroom, and Payton couldn’t ignore the warmth that spread through her. She knew she shouldn’t feel like that. They hadn’t spoken about last night, and Payton had to believe that it was because there really wasn’t much to talk about.
Payton just had to believe that Madison felt this too, and that once they’d gone to the wedding and were back in New York, they’d talk about this. Because there was no way that Payton could go back to the way things were last week. Not after last night.
Payton paid for their drinks. This was their fourth round, and she was starting to feel a little tipsy. She hoped that this was their last, that they’d be going back to their suite, because Payton was desperate to get her hands on Madison again.
“Hey,” a woman beside her said as Payton was putting her card away. She was her type. Early forties and jet-black hair that fell a few inches below her shoulders.
