Page 34 of Endurance

“Sloan, I’ve never felt this way before. I’m not the kind of woman whodoesthings like this. I don’t know what came over me, but—”

A rattling sound at the door cut off her words. We both stilled.

“That’s strange. It’s locked,” I heard Rylee say from the other side.

“I’ll get a janitor to unlock it,” I heard Colton tell her. Their voices were muffled, but there was no doubt it was them.

“Shit!” Kallie hissed, scrambling away from me to adjust her shirt and button her pants. When I began to laugh, she shushed me and frantically whispered, “Be quiet! They’ll hear you!”

“Relax. If you think Colton and Rylee haven’t had more than their fair share of clandestine hookups, you’re sadly mistaken.”

“That’s not the point,” she snapped. “As I said, I don’t do things like this. Plus, I’m your—”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. You’re my PR rep. You have a serious hang-up over that. It’s all good. Trust me,” I said and moved toward her. She backed away, rapidly shaking her head.

“Jesus H. Christ, Sloan. They’re going to be back at any moment now, and I can only imagine what they’ll think if they find us here together. Quick. Hide in one of the stalls.”

“I am not—” I didn’t get a chance to finish before Kallie pushed me into the tiny bathroom cubicle. She may have been only a couple of inches over five feet, but she was mighty strong for such a little thing. Or perhaps I was just too busy laughing to put up much of a fight.

“Lock the door,” she whispered. “And for the love of all the spirits, stay quiet!”

Feeling amused, I complied just as I heard keys rattling in the door lock. A moment later, I listened to the water from one of the sinks running, followed by Rylee’s voice.

“Kallie, I didn’t realize you were in here. The door was locked, so…”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. The bathroom I’d used earlier near the pit was just a single stall. When I came in here, I had assumed it was that same way. I didn’t think to unlock it when I realized there were private stalls in here.”

Single stall?

I smirked, entertained by Kallie’s inability to concoct a lie that didn’t sound ridiculous.

“Oh, gotcha. Got to love those single-stall bathrooms,” Rylee replied, but the skepticism in her voice was clear as day. Not to mention, all Rylee would have to do is glance at the floor to spot my red-and-white men’s Reeboks flashing like bullseyes under the stall door, and she’d know I was here.

“Are the boys gone?” Kallie asked, continuing the small talk. Her voice had a slightly elevated pitch, giving away how nervous she was.

“Yes. The director of Corporate Cares just came by to pick them up. There’s a movie night planned at The House.”

“That sounds like fun.”

I heard the flushing of a toilet, then water running. It was somewhat awkward hiding out in the women’s restroom waiting for them to finish their business, but it was what it was. It’s what Kallie had wanted, so all I could do was stare at the gray metal walls of the stall and wait it out.

Within a few minutes, the two women exited the restroom. I waited until it was safe to assume all was clear, then opened the cubicle’s door. I wanted to catch Kallie before she left the premises, but when I hurried out to catch up with her. I came face to face with Colton. He had been leaning against the wall opposite the restroom waiting for me to come out. His knowing smile was wide as he shook his head.

“Looks like Ryles owes me twenty bucks,” he said with a laugh. “But seriously, man. There’s a hotel just up the way. Probably cleaner than the restrooms here at the track. Just saying…”

Without another word, he turned and walked away, but his low chuckle could be heard echoing off the concrete walls of the corridor as he left the building.

11

Kallie

Isat at the kitchen table with my laptop, staring at the slew of emails I needed to respond to. Three were from Milo Birx, barking at me to get something or another lined up for Sloan. I didn’t like the man at all. To say he was rude, arrogant, and downright nasty didn’t even begin to cover the bad vibes I got from him—and it went well beyond his lack of compassion for the orphan boys who lived at The House. There was just something evil about him. He gave me the creeps.

My inbox also contained bills that needed payment, their flashing due dates reminding me why this job was so important. I couldn’t wait until the day I would gain extra pocket money after paying off my student loan debt with the bonus following my contract.

Follow-up emails from the D.C. office needed tending to as well. The bulk of them were from former clients who needed assistance in some form or another. However, I couldn’t seem to focus on any of it. Only one client was first and foremost in my mind—and that was Sloan Atwood.

It had been four weeks since our hookup in the women’s restroom—four long weeks of strategically making sure I was never left alone with Sloan again. When I agreed to take him on as a client, my father had instructed me to be Sloan’s shadow. For the most part, I was. I’d gone through the motions of scheduling more one-on-one events with the boys at Corporate Cares and orchestrating in-person media interviews. I’d made sure Sloan’s calendar was full, and I had been present for every single engagement.

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