Page 11 of The Beat of My Heart
“You’re welcome. And, for what it’s worth, this is the last place I want to be, too,” he says as the doors close behind me.
“Holy hell. Lanie, are you still there?” I yell into my bra-strap, where she is face planted once again via my phone.
“Geez, Jules. That guy was so stinking hot, I wish I could have seen his entire face and not just a portion of his profile. Please tell me he was as hot as he sounded?” Lanie pleads.
“What? You think I looked at him after that? Are you out of your goddamned mind? Lanie, he heard my entire spiel, probably from the time I checked in. Who knows what the hell I said? I was seriously on a roll. Like graduation day, pre-speech roll. I can’t be held accountable for the shit that just flew out of my mouth. Hell to the no did I look at him.”
Silence.
I push the key into the door of my hotel room and shove everything, myself included, inside. Immediately, I flop down on the bed and grab my phone. Lanie is sitting there staring at me blankly.
“What?” I ask tentatively, not at all liking where I think this conversation is going.
“You’re scared to have a one-night stand, aren’t you?” Lanie asks with a giant smile on her face. “This isn’t just about the conference or having to speak, you’re nervous about having to entertain a gentleman friend all on your own.”
“Entertain a gentleman friend? Lanie, who are you, GG?” I spit, knowing there may be some truth to her statement. Sighing, I eventually admit defeat. “Okay, maybe a little. I’ve always had you as my wing-man, and let's face it, when you’re around, there is no shortage of male attention.”
“Julia McDowell,” Lanie says in her best teacher's voice. “You are a beautiful, smart, amazing woman, and you will go down there and own that conference. Don’t worry about what anyone thinks about you, alright? Honestly, Jules. You are the most amazing person I know, and if someone doesn’t see that, they don’t deserve you, anyway.”
“Thanks, Lanes.”
“I know we were putting a lot of pressure onto this one-night stand business, but it was mostly just for fun. Just go down there with no expectations and have a drink or two. Get yourself ready for your first presentation tomorrow. You’ll do great, I know it,” Lanie soothes.
“You’re right. I will be better off if I stop worrying about a hook-up. Maybe it’s time to order a new vibrator. It will definitely cause me less anxiety than this—even if Al at the post office tells GG that I got a naughty toy again,” I tell her, laughing.
“Oh my gosh, Jules. Only in this town would you getting a vibrator make front-page news.” We are both laughing so hard now, we are nearly in tears.
Looking up, I realize it’s getting late, “I should go get ready, the cocktail welcome party starts in forty-five minutes, and if I get stuck in a damn dress again, I will need time to call someone.” This has her laughing all over again.
“Okay, Jules. But hey, if you do have hot wild monkey sex, I want to hear all about it immediately, Luvs,” she tells me right before hanging up.
“Luvs,” I reply to an empty room. “Fuck, she better not have stuck that death trap of a dress in my suitcase.”
Opening my laptop, I want to scan my accounting software before I leave to make sure there have been no new accounts opened in my name. “I’ve become somewhat OCD about it, I know, but when the man you love up and leaves with 100K in cash from your savings, only to find out he has been opening cards and lines of credit in your name for almost six months, it tends to make you a little paranoid,” I tell the empty room.
Glancing around while my computer boots up, I take in my surroundings and am glad I’m not paying for this room. Everything about it screams money. “You’re at the Four-Seasons, moron. Of course, everything in here is expensive,” I snort.
Satisfied that nothing looks amiss, I go about unpacking all the outfits Lanie had me buy and hope like hell I can find something to wear that won’t try to kill me.
Chapter 5
-Catch, Brett Young
Trevor
Leaning against the wall of the elevator, I let the doors close even though this was my floor too. That crazy woman was the same one I kept from falling beside her car. The thought makes me smile. She had no idea I was behind her this entire time, and the diatribe that flew from her mouth was entrancing. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing more than once. The best part is, she wasn’t even talking to someone for half of it. That bit of comic relief, I realize, is just what I needed to start this week off. I told her I didn’t want to be here either, but she doesn’t know the half of it.
I ride down to the lobby, then back up to our floor.Our floor?The thought causes me to misstep, but unlike my little pixie friend, I catch myself. I stare at each door as I pass, wondering what room the fiery little angel is in.What the fuck? Pixie? Angel?Those are not words in my vocabulary and have me seriously regretting not taking Loki’s advice to talk with Dex before I left.
My room is at the end of the hall—one of the two suites on this floor. Holding my phone up to the keypad of room 3206, I hear the slight clicking sound and push the door open. I don’t have much time before my reservation in the hotel bar, so I quickly unpack and change. I would have liked a shower, but there is no time.
Remembering what Loki had told me, I take my phone from my pocket and start the app. Setting it in the safe, I grab the one left there by his team and feel the sweat trickle down my spine. I’m not a wuss by nature, but when you’re trying to take down the mob and the monster who killed your mother, all bets are off.
Taking a deep breath and physically shaking out my arms, I crack my neck from left to right and walk once again towards the elevator. I can’t help it. As I walk through the hallway, I listen for her voice. Perhaps I will find a distraction here, after all.
Stepping into the hotel bar, I head to the table in the corner. It’s a rounded booth that faces the lobby of the hotel. Sitting in the middle of it allows me to see everyone that comes and goes. The large potted tree to my right also helps keep me concealed. I notice I have an unobstructed view of the elevator, so I watch that spot more than anything else.
“Welcome, sir. My name is Anthony, and I’ll be taking care of you this evening. Will you be joining us for dinner or just drinks?” the waiter standing in front of me asks. I’m about to answer him when something catches my attention, and I wave him aside.
