Page 69 of Tame Me

“Yes, but?—”

“It’s the sex then.”

“What? No, it’s—” I shook my head.

“Well, that settles it.” He slapped his palm on the counter. “I’ll meet you out the front at seven.”

He turned, and I ogled his incredible bottom, retreating from me as he jogged across the lobby and vanished through the sliding glass doors. Giggling, I returned to the staffroom and poured boiling water onto my green tea bag. Corben sure was a bossy boots, but I couldn’t imagine him being any other way.

The more I contemplated the idea of going for a run and having steamy sex before my meeting, the more I realized it was perfect. Not only would it take my mind off the executive board, but also, if I did lose my job, then it promised to end with a bang.

A hot and steamy bang.

I laughed as I crossed the lobby with my tea, and the sound echoed about the marble expanse like a lovely melody. The sun had bounced up from the ocean about half an hour ago, and its golden rays were already loaded with a dose of heat. Not even a whisper of breeze rustled the Pandanus palms, and the rainbow lorikeets, who normally welcomed in the day with hyperactivity and raucous screeching, were absent today.

I sipped my tea and breathed in the fresh ocean air. As the minutes ticked by and I inhaled my marvelous vista, I realized that what I’d truly miss the most if I lost my job was my apartment. I loved living here. Well not necessarily here, but by the ocean.

I finished my tea and strolled back inside. My final hour whizzed by as four couples with early checkouts occupied my time. The end of my shift arrived without any sign of Needledick, and as the minutes ticked by, I wondered if he was meeting the executive team this morning, too. If he was worried about losing his job, he sure had a funny way of showing it.

It was ten minutes to seven when he finally lobbed through the doors. The dark shadow across his lower face confirmed he hadn’t shaved. His hair was scrambled in all directions, and the crinkles in his shirt made it look as if he’d slept in it. But it was the nasty scowl on his face that showed he didn’t want to be here. If anything, it should’ve been me scowling at him.

“You do know you start at six-thirty, right?” I gave him my best sneer.

“Shut up, bitch.”

I gasped. Holy hell. I hadn’t expected that.

Stunned beyond responding, I grabbed my bag from under the counter and strode to the elevator. His eyes were poisonous darts in my back, and I clenched my jaw, determined not to turn his way again.

The second the elevator arrived, I jumped in, jabbed the button a million times, and once the doors closed, I stared at my wide eyes as it rode up to my floor.

My life had been pretty cruisy in the confrontation stakes, but in the last month I’d experienced it three times, first with Chelsea-Lea, then Alexander, and now my boss.

Was this my doing? Was I changing?

The answer to those questions was a resounding yes. Previously, people had walked all over me. They’d told me what to do, and I’d done it.

Not anymore, though.

Except Corben—he could tell me to strip off and bend over the kitchen counter, and I’d do that. I smiled, liked what I saw in the mirror, and smiled again.

If this was going to be my last day at the Hot Horizon Hotel, then I might as well make it a good one.

I raced to my apartment, undressed and redressed in my new lime green jogging gear and runners, slapped on some sunscreen, grabbed my hat, sunglasses and room keycard, and raced back out of the room.

This time, when the doors opened to the lobby, I hoped Needledick wasn’t busy—I was ready to give him a piece of my mind. But it wasn’t to be. Not only did he have customers, but they were having a heated discussion. It was impossible to know what was wrong, but whatever it was, the man thumping his fist on the counter and raising his voice was not happy.

I couldn’t help but laugh, and when Needledick glanced my way, I raised my middle finger in his direction.

I’d never done that before, but damn, it felt good.

I bounded out the door. Corben was impossible to miss as he stood like a muscle mountain silhouetted against the sun. Carrying on my cheeky streak, I slapped his butt. “Come on.”

Giggling, I launched down the stairs and sprinted across the grass and onto the sand as if there was a devil behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, and it wasn’t the devil—it was my muscular hunk and his fabulous grin that showed he was up for the challenge.

I squealed as I ran harder. My feet dug into the soft sand and my calf muscles burned. I was laughing so hard my coordination was all over the place.

His feet thumped in the sand behind me, and my heart exploded with the anticipation of him grabbing me. I darted to the left, then right, desperate to get away, yet at the same time begging for him to wrap his arms around me.

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