Page 69 of Long Shot

RING, RING, RING.

Taylor’s eyes bolted open as the phone by her bed rang out. The nose startled Mac awake. She rolled onto her stomach and threw the pillow over her head. “Jesus, what is that?”

Sitting straight up, Taylor cleared her throat. “Front desk.” They never called, not unless Cam saw something important. Taylor grabbed the phone. “Hello.”

Cam’s voice came through the other end. “Hey, Kim incoming. If yourguestis still upstairs, I would… get them out.”

“Copy, thanks.” Taylor hung up the phone and startled out of bed. She grabbed Mac’s sweats from the ground. “Sweetheart, you’ve gotta go.”

Mac sat up on her elbow, wiping sleep from her eye. “What’s up?”

“Kim is on her way up.” Taylor threw on a silk robe and ran to her front door, clicking the elevator button before Kim could. From inside her apartment, Taylor saw glimpses of Mac collecting her things.

Taylor hollered down the hall, “Toss your suit in the closet, I’ll send it out for dry cleaning.”

Mac slammed the closet door, her feet pattering against the wood floors as she careened around the corner.

The elevator door dinged as it swung open…

Empty. Taylor thanked the universe.

Mac slipped on her sneakers with each step, her duffel bag hanging off her shoulder. “What do I do?” The panic in Mac’s voice could have been heard from space.

Taylor grabbed Mac’s face, kissing her quickly. “Go down three floors to the regular hallways. Wait until the elevator goes back up to the Penthouse and then back down again. Then click the button and go down to the garage. Cam should have called my driver.”

Mac nodded, trying to absorb the instructions as her mind woke up. “Got it. See you later?”

Taylor smiled and gave her another kiss. “Thanks for last night. Get the fuck out of here.”

Stumbling into the elevator, Mac selected a random floor. The doors slammed closed and Taylor watched as the display screen ticked down floors. It stopped on the 45th floor and then continued down to the lobby.

Once it hit L, Taylor ran back inside. She scanned her apartment, messier than usual. Mac had started leaving some things there and Taylor needed to collect all of them in the next three minutes.

She ran from room to room, tossing Mac’s things into a vase. Her toothbrush, a random sock, the sex toys on the night stands. Before she knew it, a knock came from the door.Curse those stupidly fast elevators.

Taylor closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Coming.” She steadied her breathing as she grabbed the door handle.

When the door swung open, Kim barged past. “Morning.”

“Hi. I didn’t think we had anything going on today?” Taylor followed behind Kim as she walked inside. Her sunglasses hid her gaze, making it impossible for Taylor to know where she was really looking. With each step, Taylor scanned the room for anything she may have missed – any sign of Mackenzie’s presence.

Kim shrugged, peeking inside the primary bedroom as she walked past.

Shit.The bed wasn’t made and both sides of the bed had the covers pulled back.

Kim raised an eyebrow, her jaw clenching. “We didn’t. Which is why you should be alarmed.”

Taylor swallowed hard. “What’s going on?”

Kim shrugged. “I’m not sure exactly, Taylor. I think you might be able to help me with that.” Before Taylor could respond, Kim turned her phone around. A headline from a gossip rag plastered the top of the article:

SECRET RENDEZVOUS?: TENNIS STAR, TAYLOR YOUNG, PLAYING AT PUBLIC COURTS COULD SIGNAL SECRET AFFAIR WITH MYSTERY PLAYER

Taylor laughed. “Mom, seriously? I thought there was a real problem.”

Furrowing her brow, Kim shook her head. “Don’t play cute with me.”

“Seriously,” Taylor walked toward the coffee bar, getting two cups of espresso brewing, “It’s a gossip rag. That’s the most vague headline in the world. And it’s not even true.”

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