Page 57 of Moonlighter
Alex blinks. “All right. We’ll email a time and a place.”
“Excellent,” he says. “We’ll speak soon.” Then, like a man who knows when to make an exit, he slips into the darkness.
Alex lifts her strawberry smoothie and takes a long drink from the straw while the man puts more distance between us. “What the hell?” she hisses after he’s gone. “Did you write that?”
“No! I don’t give a fuck who you meet. That was Gunnar. He was seated at the end of the bar.”
Alex looks up, but he’s gone already, so I receive the glare meant for him. “Why would Gunnar interfere in my schedule? What does Max want from me?”
“Lady, I was singing that same tune a few days ago. But now I don’t care so much. Come upstairs with me.”
She gives me an arch look. “Why?”
“Why do you think? My knee needs a workout.” I wave at the bartender. “I’ll take the check when you’re ready. There’s somewhere I need to be.” Then I lean very close to Alex’s ear. “Inside you,” I whisper.
When I pull back, she’s sipping her drink, eyes wide.
“Well?” I ask as the bill lands in front of me.
“What about finishing your beer?” she asks.
“There are other things I need to finish.” I give her a wink as I scribble a tip onto the bill, along with our room number. “If you think a cold beer is enough to slow me down, you haven’t figured me out yet.” I slip a hand under the bar and palm her bare knee.
Her knee moves imperceptibly closer to my hand. “I don’t usually do this.”
“Do what?”
“Have a fling that can’t lead anywhere.”
“I have them all the time,” I admit. “I never hear complaints. And I feel no shame.”
Alex gets quiet. She’s watching me, and I can almost hear the gears turning in her head. Last night I led her somewhere she wasn’t planning to go. She likes it, but she’s wary.
I, however, am not. So I slide my fingers up her thigh, and I smile when she shivers. “Don’t overthink it.”
“That’s easy for you to say. A little more thinking this past year would have served me well.”
“I understand,” I tell her. “But with me, there won’t be repercussions. I can’t change your life, and I am not going to suddenly turn into an asshole you’ll regret.”
Her expression softens. “I know that. I hope we stay friends.”
“Count on it,” I tell her. Then I lean in and give her a soft kiss. Just a quick one. “Now, finish your smoothie and take me upstairs. Quick, before some other mysterious gentleman shows up to claim your time. I get very jealous, you see. I’m needy.”
She laughs. “Oh, please. You’re ridiculous.”
“Uh huh. But part of me is needy. The part in my pants.”
“Quiet! What did we just talk about?” She lifts her drink and drains it thoroughly.
“How can you do that without getting an ice-cream headache?”
“It’s my special superpower. We can’t all lift three hundred and fifteen pounds.”
“Usually I’m up in the four hundreds. But the gym here sucks.” I slide off the barstool, take one last gulp of beer, and abandon the rest. I take Alex’s hand and lead her away from the bar.
“Tonight feels like a vacation,” she says. “Thank you for that. I often travel to beautiful destinations but see nothing beyond the hotel and the boardroom.”
“I’m familiar with the problem.” I squeeze her hand. “I visit thirty cities a year and see only the rink and the hotel.” We reach the elevator, and it opens immediately. “You know what else feels like a vacation?”
