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“Maybe I’ll see you again when I’m back. You can save my number in your phone.”
I flip the card back and forth between my fingers, debating if I want to take it. I read over his name and occupation. I bite the side of my lip before I hand it back to him.
“Let’s see if we run into each other again,” I say, taking him back to last night and the words he said. “I’ll be working down there until mid-January.” I tilt my head toward the window, indicating downtown.
“What will you do after that?” he asks.
I shrug, grabbing the laundry tote. I stuff my high heels into the bag. “I’m a freelancer, so I can work anywhere. I don’t have another project set up at the moment, but I’m not worried. I’ll find something. I can travel if I need to. I have an apartment in the city.”
“Do you work out of state?”
“Sometimes I work in Los Angeles or New York.”
Leo picks up the dress he tore from my body. “I’ll replace it and find a way to get it to you.”
I shake my head. “The dress was old and too tight anyway. I don’t need it replaced.”
I take the torn fabric and dump it in the trash. Looking around, I make sure I have everything I need. Leo takes his luggage by the handle.
“I’ll have my driver take you home,” he says as we walk toward the door.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m going to text my friend and will probably take the bus to see her.”
Leo wheels his luggage out, and I pick up my purse. We take the elevator down to the lobby and stride through the double doors to the sidewalk. Cool air billows against my cheeks. Snow and the scent of balsam fir fill the air.
“Thanks for last night,” I say, then instantly regret it. “Do people say that after one-night stands?”
Leo gives me an amusing smirk. “Not usually.” He pauses, then says to my surprise, “I hope I run into you again.”
I beam up at him like a happy little girl. I wrap my arms around his shoulders and press a kiss to his mouth. I’m standing on my tiptoes when he lifts me up and kisses me back. His fingers thread through the hair at the back of my head. He fists my locks and kisses me goodbye. It stings a bit that he’s leaving. Leo and I hit it off. If he wasn’t here on business, I think there could have been more to us than just one night.
His car arrives, and Leo lowers me to my feet. It’s the same Land Rover from last night.
“People don’t do that after a one-night stand either,” he mumbles against my lips.
His luggage is placed in the trunk, and the driver opens the rear door for him.
“Have a good flight,” I say.
Leo gets in the car and the door shuts. I had a good time with him. He was the perfect rebound.
The Land Rover pulls away, and I walk back inside the warm lobby to text Noelle. I ask if she wants to meet for mimosas. I need to fill her in on last night with my irresistible stranger. She tells me her car is in the shop but that she’ll take the bus to see me. We’ll meet in twenty minutes. I ask her to bring me a pair of socks and sneakers to borrow. My toes are cold, and I don’t want to drink in flip-flops. The last time I did that, I lost them.
As I go to put my cell phone away, I get a text message from Tim.
My stomach drops. I hover above the notification. Yesterday, I would have opened the message.
I click the side button to lock my screen before slipping my phone into my purse. I decide that I’m not going to look at it. Things are different now.
I’mdifferent.
Tim didn’t want me anymore. Now he can’t have me.
Maybe Leo was right. Maybe I did need a good one-night stand. I feel rejuvenated and like a completely different person. There’s a pep in my step. I have clarity and self-worth that I didn’t have before. And to think I got that from a sexy stranger who nearly blew my back out.
I leave the hotel and set out to meet Noelle. She’s going to eat this up and never let me live it down. I can’t wait to tell her.
The hoodie I’m wearing smells like him. Because of this, now I don’t know if I can wash it.
I’m feeling sentimental. I bet that doesn’t usually happen with one-night stands either.
A smile fills my face.
I hope I run into Leo again someday.
The End.
