Page 64 of Alluring

When did he become on first name terms with her boss? Oh, that's right, when they had theirtalk. Her eyes narrowed on Jack as he continued speaking.

"I explained the situation, and he agreed with me that it would be best while all this is going down, if you didn't go into work. He said it was no problem for you to go back when it was all over."

"But why?"

"I don't want you at work by yourself. Out on the lot alone. Getting into cars with strangers. We don't know who she is, and what if she hires someone to attack you?"

Okay. That made sense. But ... "What am I going to do all day?"

Jack leered at her. "You can be my personal assistant."

"What about Becky?" Jack gave her a horrified look. She laughed. "You know what I mean."

"You'll be mypersonal, personal assistant."

"And what's my job description? Walking around your office naked, waiting for you to have sex with me?"

Jack smiled as if he thought that was a brilliant idea.

Alexis snorted. "I don't think so, big man."

Jack trailed a finger down her nose then tapped it. "I'm sure I'll think of something." He pointed to her plate. "Eat. You'll need your energy."

CHAPTER TWENTY

Alexis sat at Jack's desk Saturday afternoon, reading a magazine while he was in a meeting. She was bored. She looked around the office, hoping something would pique her interest. Nope, nothing. His office was as boring as ever.

She quickly scribbled a note to Jack and left it sitting on his desk. She would hit the hotel gym and burn off some of her restless energy.

She popped upstairs and changed into cutoff sweats and an old T-shirt. Not the height of fashion, but what did she care, she'd be sweaty soon.

The gym was located next to the spa. She looked at it longingly. A massage sounded way better than a stair stepper. Oh well, at least Steph wasn't around to make fun of her out-of-shape ass.

She stopped at the check-in counter and smiled, giving her name to the cute, perky brunette manning the desk (at some point, Alexis wasn't sure when, Jack had given her name to every establishment in the hotel, gaining her free and total access).

The girl handed her a towel and with a smile and with a point of a finger she said, "The door to your right is the women's locker room." She next pointed her finger past the sea of workout equipment. "At the back of the room is the door leading to the pool area and sauna." She pointed her finger one last time. "The door to the left is the men's locker room," she said, giving Alexis a wink.

Alexis thanked her and headed for the stair steppers.

After twenty minutes, she was done. Without Steph there to push her, she didn't have the will power to stay on the hated machine a minute longer. She was hot and out of breath. The pool sounded heavenly, but she didn't have a suit. She made her way to the door anyway. She wanted to take a quick peek at it for future reference.

The pool was Olympic sized, dominating the center of a large room. Tables and chairs were randomly scattered and a strong smell of chlorine was in the air. Only one person was in the pool doing laps.

A wide hallway was to her right. Curious, she went investigating. It dead ended at a large, metal door. Alexis opened it and peered inside. She had never been in a sauna, but assumed that's what this was. The room was warm, humid, and seemed very relaxing.

She stepped in, and the door closed behind her with a soft click. She sprawled out on one of the long, wooden benches that lined the walls and closed her eyes, stretching. A girl could get used to this. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. The warm heat seeped into her bones, completely relaxing her.

After about ten minutes, she noticed the room getting a little too warm. Starting to feel slightly dizzy, she got up and went to the door, ready to leave. She tried pushing down on the handle, but it wouldn't budge. She tried jiggling the handle, with the same result.

Alexis had never been claustrophobic but being locked in a boiling room with no escape, caused her to panic. She pounded on the window and yelled, trying to grab the attention of the person in the pool. She had no idea if she could be heard, if the door was soundproof, or if she was too far away.

She stepped away from the door and took a steadying breath. She need to think. Now was not the time for hysteria. She looked at the walls, hoping to see some kind of call button or switch. Nothing. It got hotter in the room, and she found it harder to breathe.

Think, Alexis, think. She didn't have her cell phone. She had left it upstairs, not wanting to carry it. Stupid. There was no phone in here. She had no means of communication, and the door was the only exit. She was screwed.

* * * * *

Jack looked at his watch as he left the conference room. He'd been in the meeting for over three hours. He entered his office. The room was empty. He pulled out his cell phone and called Alexis, but after five rings, it went to voice mail. He tossed his phone on the desk and saw the note.

---