Page 25 of Second Act
Chapter 7
Jessica had been sure she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep with the fraught tension of Hugh’s presence in the enclosed space of the limo, but once again she awoke to the sound of his voice. “We’re here.”
She bolted upright, knocking the pillow to the floor. “You’re not carrying me into a hotel.”
He raised both hands in surrender. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said as the passenger door swung open.
She scrambled out of the car to find they were parked in a narrow alley, the car drawn up in front of an undistinguished metal utility door. The driver trotted over to knock, and it opened to reveal a woman in a dark suit. “Welcome, Mr. Baker, madam.” The woman smiled as she nodded to Jessica.
“This is the antipaparazzi entrance,” Hugh said, putting his hand on the small of her back and moving her toward the door. The warm imprint of his palm in that particular spot brought back their times on the red carpet when his career had begun to take off...and she had begun to think she was the wrong woman for him.
She shook her head to banish the memories.
“Please follow me,” the woman said, leading them along a corridor illuminated by sleek, modern crystal sconces. She stopped in front of an elevator door, where she pressed a card against a square black pad before pushing the call button. “Your key, Mr. Baker,” she said, turning to offerthe card to Hugh. “If you need anything, touch the concierge button on any of the phones in your suite. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”
The elevator door slid open, and Hugh ushered Jessica into the steel-and-wood-paneled car. “Where are we?” she asked, once again feeling the unsettling quiver of attraction caused by Hugh’s presence in a small space. It was counterbalanced by the equally unsettling sense of his wealth and prominence, as evidenced by the private entrance, the personal concierge, and the understated elegance of the hotel that reeked of money.
“The Wooster 44 in Soho.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“That’s why I like it. Most people haven’t.”
Because it was so exclusive only movie stars and their ilk frequented it.
The elevator stopped, and the door slid open to reveal a huge room with windows for two of its walls, allowing the late-morning light to wash through the space. The steel canyons of Manhattan stretched away in one direction while the other side displayed the parade of boats and ships plying the Hudson River. “Wow!” she said, stepping out onto the patterned stone floor.
A faint aroma of bacon wafted through the air, making her stomach grumble, so she pushed aside her sense of not belonging in this place. “I smell more than chocolate croissants.”
“You need some protein, too,” he said. “Would you rather eat or bathe first?”
“Bathe! Where’s the bathroom?” She was desperate to wash off the stink and dirt of her night’s labors.
He pointed to a curving staircase off to the side. “Next floor.” He scanned her face with a frown. “You should leave the door unlocked. I’m afraid you’ll fall asleep and drown.”
“I caught up on my sleep in the limo.” She didn’t want to even think about having him near a tub. She’d seen the famous bath sceneinBest Laid Plans. It had made cinematic history for being the hottest love scene that didn’t involve sex.
His frown remained. “At least answer if I call out to you. For my peace of mind.”
His worry seemed genuine, and she felt a guilty delight. “The tabloids would have a field day with that story, wouldn’t they? ‘Actor’s Ex-Fiancée Drowns in Penthouse Suite Tub: Did she ignore the warning and take the hair dryer in with her’?”
Amusement chased away Hugh’s frown, but he shook his head. “It would be a lot more lurid than that.”
“Then I’ll make sure not to die there.” She headed up the stairs, gliding her palm along the gleaming polish of the banister’s highly grained wood. Starbursts of crystal and chrome lit the stairwell.
Oddly enough, even in this opulent setting, Hugh seemed more like the man she’d loved eight years before. His desire to feed her a proper meal, his concern that she would fall asleep and drown all brought back the early days of their time together. He’d massage her feet when she got home from work. He’d go grocery shopping and pick up her favorite brand of cookies without her asking for them. He’d inquire after the progress of the patients she was particularly concerned with, even remembering their names.
Hugh had noticed everything about her in a way no one else had. She’d been alone and independent for so long—working like a dog to get into and then graduate from vet school, moving far away from Iowa to work—that it felt delicious to be cared for so tenderly. Her heart had melted and opened to him, absorbing his attention like a thirsty sponge. He had made her feel worthy of being loved by someone like him.
But all that had faded away when he’d become Julian Best. So which person was Hugh now?
She had no answer, so she kept walking up the stairs.
On the next level, the floor was carpeted in a velvety taupe that her sneakers sank into. She padded down the hallway to find a huge,double-height bedroom bathed in winter sunlight. Sliding doors opened onto a terrace dotted with large pots and chaise longues that would have been inviting if the temperature had been higher. But it was the king-size bed that made her stop...because Hugh’s smoky voice and slanting smile and honed body made her think thoughts she shouldn’t. She told herself that the bed looked seductive only because she wanted to fall onto it and sleep, not because she could picture Hugh laying her back on it and coming down on top of her.
As liquid fire ran through her veins, she averted her eyes from the expanse of inviting cream linens. Giving the bed a wide berth, she discovered a bathroom that made her gasp.
An enormous oval tub was set in front of floor-to-ceiling windows that faced the river. She wasn’t sure how she felt about being naked in front of all that glass. Then she saw an elegantly lettered sign set on the edge of the tub that explained the glass was mirrored on the outside so no one could see in. She was not the only person with exposure issues.
