Page 74 of Tempt Me

“But it’s winter; many women wear boots and a trench coat.”

“Oh yeah, I know, but I saw her too. She just walked like one, you know?”

Ummm, no, I didn’t.“How does a hooker walk?”

“You know, with the sexy confidence that says, ‘you can’t touch me’. Besides, she called him a creep and said her name was Daenerys Targaryen.”

I faked a laugh, trying to sound as convincing as possible. “I wish I’d seen that.”

Marjorie chuckled. “It was funny. He was so pissed off.”

She reached for her handbag and fished around in it until she removed her car keys.

“So, who’s the guy in the bar?”

“I don’t know, but he’s obviously staying here. John must’ve checked him in.”

I wished I had supersonic eyesight right now.

She leaned toward me to whisper—not that she needed to. “Every twenty minutes or so, he leaves the bar, walks around the lobby, goes out the front for a bit, and then heads back to the bar. He’s a bit creepy.”

My brain went crazy with the options. The mysterious man could be any one of the twenty-two men who’d been touched by Memphis. I had to see who it was.

“Anyway, I’m outta here. The kids are staying at Mom’s, so I’m off to the movies with Helen.”

As we hugged goodbye, I wondered when I’d last been to the movies. The question was only fleeting because as soon as she left, I turned my attention to my mysterious stalker.

I had to go see who it was.

Halfway toward the bar, the damned phone rang, and I raced back to reception. “Welcome to the Hot Horizon Hotel. This is Jane, how can I help you?”

As I went through the motions with the caller to make her booking, a tall man walked out of the bar. I recognized him as one of the guys I’d been with, yet somehow, he looked different, but I couldn’t quite work out how.

As I tried to talk coherently to the caller, I searched my brain for his name.

He did exactly what Marjorie had said he would. He scanned the lobby and then stepped through the glass sliding doors. He was outside when I finally finished the call. I plucked the check-in cards off the back counter and rummaged through them until I found a name I recognized. David Lawson was one of the first men I’d experienced this year. If my recollection was correct, he’d been incredibly timid, and I’d had to practically force him to touch me. Well, not me exactly, but Memphis.

He re-entered through the glass sliding doors and I tried to work out what was different about him. And not just his looks—his demeanor, too. He smiled at me, a broad, welcoming smile and as he tucked his hands into his pockets and strolled toward me, my heart skipped a few beats.

“Good evening.” His azure blue eyes were quite spectacular.

“Hello. Can I help you?”

“I hope so. Do you know a woman named Memphis?”

I’d already anticipated his question and was shaking my head before he finished. “No, I’m sorry, I don’t.”

“I met her last time I was here.” He sighed a huge sigh. “I was hoping to find her again so I could thank her.”

“Thank her?” I blurted, unable to curb my curiosity.

“Yeah. It’s a long story.”

Oh, but I want to hear it.

“Sorry to bother you.” He bobbed his head as if burdened with the weight of the world.

“It’s no bother, really.”

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