Page 11 of The Player

She inched toward him and murmured against his mouth, ‘What are you waiting for?’

Chapter Five

Wade knew Liza had vanished when he woke.

It didn’t surprise him. He’d half expected her to disappear when he’d gone condom shopping.

Even now, after hours of sensational sex and a much-needed two hours’ sleep, he couldn’t quite believe she’d stayed.

He’d known the moment they’d started flirting she wasn’t the type to deliberately reel a guy in with the intention of a one-night stand. She hadn’t toyed with her hair or used fake coy smiles or accidentally on purpose touched him as so many women who came onto him did.

She hadn’t pumped up his ego or been impressed by his trappings. How many times had women made a comment about his expensive watch, thinking he’d be flattered? Hell, even Babs couldn’t go past a thirty-thousand-dollar watch without making some remark.

How wrong he’d been about Liza.

He’d likened her to his stepmother when he’d first seen her surrounded by lackeys at that party. The two women couldn’t be more different.

Thoughts of Babs had him glancing at his watch and leaping out of bed. He had a board meeting scheduled for ten this morning. A meeting he couldn’t miss. The future of Qu Publishing depended on it.

While one-night stands weren’t his usual style, Wade knew better than to search for a note or a business card or a scrawled phone number on the hotel notepad. But that was exactly what he found himself doing as he glanced around the room, hoping for some snippet that indicated Liza wouldn’t mind seeing him again.

He might not be in the market for a relationship but his time in Melbourne would be tension-filled enough without adding frustration to his woes.

He’d been lucky enough to meet an intriguing woman who made his body harden despite the marathon session they’d had. Why not stay in touch, date, whatever, while he was in town?

He might not know how long that would be, or how long it would take to ensure the publishing business that had been in his family for centuries was saved, but having someone like Liza to distract him from the corporate stress would be a bonus.

A quick reconnaissance yielded nothing. No contact details. Disappointment pierced his hope. By her eagerness and wanton responses he’d assumed she’d had a good time too. And if she wasn’t the one-night-stand type, why didn’t she leave something? A note? A number?

Ironic, for a guy who didn’t trust easily, he’d pinned his hopes on a virtual stranger trusting him enough to leave her contact details.

Then again, she’d trusted him with her body. A stupid thought, considering he wasn’t naïve enough to assume sensational sex equated with anything beyond the heat of the moment.

A glance at the alarm clock beside the bed had him frowning and making a beeline for the bathroom.

He had a boardroom to convince.

Time enough later to use his considerable resources to discover the luscious Liza’s contact details.

Chapter Six

In all the years Shar, Cindy’s caregiver, had stayed over, Liza had never needed to sneak past her ‘the morning after’.

By Shar’s raised eyebrows and smug smile as Liza eased off her sandals and tiptoed across the kitchen, only to be caught doing the walk of shame when Shar stepped out of the pantry, the time for sneaking was long past.

Liza had been sprung.

‘Good morning.’ Shar held up a coffee plunger in one hand, a tin of Earl Grey in the other. ‘Which would you prefer?’

‘Actually, I think I’ll hit the shower—’

‘Your usual, then.’ Shar grabbed Liza’s favourite mug and measured leaves into a teapot. ‘Nothing like a cuppa to lubricate the vocal cords first thing in the morning.’

‘My vocal cords are fine.’

Liza cleared her throat anyway, knowing the huskiness came from too much moaning over the hours that Wade had pleasured her. Repeatedly.

Shar grinned. ‘Good. Then you can tell me who put that blush in your cheeks.’

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