Page 36 of The Upgrade

She fires back a laughing emoji, then the bubbles appear to suggest she’s got more to say.

Room 24: I’ll wear the sundress. A SEXY one. You wear the pants.

I don’t know what makes me reply like I do. Maybe the all-caps on SEXY. Maybe an urge to be playful and flirty. To make sure Eve knows I desire her beyond the job I came here to do.

TOPHER: No panties though, right?

I leave it open-ended, letting her take that how she’d like. A quip about cross-dressing—which I’m totally fine with—or a suggestion she skip undergarments.

The bubbles pop up as she types her reply.

Room 24: I was supposed to pack panties? See you at 7:30!

I grin like an idiot all the way back to the office. Kora asked me to check back by five to review my first day on the job.

She looks up as I enter the office. “Hey, Topher. How’d it go?”

“Great. The guests seemed pleased.”

“And you?” She tilts her head to study me. “You got a five-star review from the guest in twenty-four.”

“Glad to hear it.” I clear my throat. “There’s something I need to mention about her.”

She studies my face and frowns. “Is there a problem?”

“Not for me.” I fill her in fast on my history with Eve. Our one-night fling and Eve’s connection to my family.

“I don’t think it’s a conflict of interest, but I wanted you to know.”

“I appreciate that.” She makes a note on her laptop, a shock of dark hair slipping out of her bun. “I’ll let Mr. Holyfield know, just to be sure there’s no issue.”

“Sounds good.”

Swiveling back, she studies my face. “Do you anticipate seeing the guest again?”

“She invited me to dinner.” I hold up the pager to show her. “It’s not in the portal, so I’m thinking it’s more of a friendly connection.”

My manager nods, but there’s a tiny crease between her brows. “Be careful, Topher.”

Careful? The question must show on my face.

“Our guests can be vulnerable,” she explains. “Some are smarting from fiancés who cheated. Some pulled the plug on their own weddings, but they’ve got baggage around that. All kinds of feelings come up when you plan to spend your life with someone and the plan suddenly changes.”

“I understand.” And I do, more than she knows. “Eve’s sworn off long-term commitments, so there isn’t much chance she’ll go falling for consorts.”

“What about you?”

“Me? I’m just here to do a job.”

She doesn’t respond. Just looks into my eyes and nods once. “I was engaged once before. To a woman who broke my heart and left me at the altar.”

No sense pretending I don’t know part of that story. “And now you’re happily married.”

A genuine smile lights her eyes. “I see you’ve met Sybil,” she says. “And yes, we’re deliriously in love. I’m not warning you off because it didn’t work out for us. On the contrary—” She pauses, choosing her words with care. “I know people can form very real connections here. You’ll probably hear that from some of the consorts as you conduct your research. It’s challenging, sometimes, not falling for another human you connect with as deeply and intimately as we do with our guests.”

“That makes sense.” And it does on a cerebral level. “I promise to be careful with Eve. Withallour guests.”

“Glad to hear it.” She turns back to whatever she’s working on and I consider myself dismissed.

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