Page 37 of Tempt Me

“I didn’t know it was either. It should be mine, really. After all, I’m the one who lives here.”

His eyes brightened. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. Makes sense to me.”

He nodded and smiled. I was stunned at how nice his smile was and wondered if it was the first time I’d seen it.

After he did the standard checks for shift changeover, I headed up to my room.

I stripped out of my clothes and put on cotton shorts and a T-shirt pajama set. Then I sat on the bed and reached for my diary. I turned to the 26th of April and wroteMr. Corben Willis - Room 25at the top. As I thought about how he was a man of very few words, I wrote,Silent but Deadly.

I went on to detail the wonderful position we did while he held me in his arms and how I managed the depth of the penetration for a change. It was a glorious thing to have that much control.

His question over whether or not the risk had been worth it rolled through my brain.

I’d taken on this challenge from Lolita without fully understanding how it was going to affect me. Not just physically but mentally, too. So far, in eighteen weeks, I’d had eighteen sexual encounters. Each one had been unique and amazing and had completely blown my mind.

Jobs could be replaced; this challenge, however, was my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I, Plain Jane, was having the ride of my life.

Even if I lost my job, I’d carry on this crazy sexual journey until the tick of midnight on the 31st of December.

Bring it on.

I slipped under my bed sheet, rolled onto my side, and as I pictured Corben’s rippling abs, I pretended he was lying naked beside me, dozing.

It was a glorious image to help me drift off to sleep.

Chapter Twelve

Monday morning was unusually busy preparing the finishing touches for The Mighty Pen conference that was booked just two days ago. Apparently, the original venue, four blocks away, was shut down by authorities after an outbreak of salmonella.

Lucky for my hotel, we had an available conference room that could accommodate the two hundred delegates at short notice.

I finished preparing the nametags and sorted them into alphabetical order, then hopped onto the computer to summarize the enormous list of people with food allergies. I’d been organizing conferences here for a little more than three years, and I was fairly certain food allergies were becoming more prevalent.

I’m glad I didn’t have conditions like that. I loved my food.

I completely lost track of time, so I was surprised when the sun began its morning crawl across the marble lobby. As I looked out at the stunning sunrise over the ocean, a man strolled through the sliding glass doors, glanced around, and then headed toward me. He was silhouetted against the blazing daybreak, but based on his lively step, I had him pegged at about my age—twenty-eight.

“Good morning. Welcome to the Hot Horizon Hotel.” I shoved my annoying fringe away from my eyes and smiled. It wasn’t until he reached the counter that I spied the streaks of graying hair at his temples and realized he was much older than I’d originally thought.

“Hi, my name’s Benson Cooper. I have a room booked for tonight.”

“Oh.” I frowned and checked the clock on the computer. At six a.m., the chances of his room being ready were minimal.

“I know I’m really early. I’m here for the conference, and I can check in later, but I thought I’d try my luck.” His frameless glasses reflected in the lobby lighting and made it hard to see his eyes.

“Let me see.” I rummaged through the check-in index cards for his name, pulled it from the pile, and keyed his room number into the computer. “Oh, fortunately, that room was vacant last night.”

“Must be my lucky day.” He grinned.

“Have you come far?”

“Just flown in from Perth for the three days. Caught the red-eye. I’ll sleep well tonight, that’s for sure.”

He was a chatty fellow—much different from the hunky Silent-But-Deadly, Corben, who I’d had a quick romp with last week. I guessed Benson to be about forty-five or so, but his age didn’t concern me. Not since I’d met Henry. Despite being nearly twice my age, Henry was a master at pleasing a woman. I stifled a smile at that naughty thought.

---