Page 69 of Idle

She doesn’t look convinced. I get it. “Anyway, when we were there, we happened to see Quinn. She was with Bo.”

If Mary Ellen knew what was going on between those two, she’s an excellent poker player. I doubt this sweet Southern girl plays. “He didn’t mention anything to me.”

“Well, we didn’t intrude on their evening, so I have no idea what they were discussing.”

She picks at her nail polish. “That’s.” She walks over to her dresser. “Odd.”

“I take it they didn’t know each other before the show?”

“No. I wonder what they were talking about?”

I scoop up my clothes and walk toward the bathroom. “I’m sure if it was something big, he’ll tell you today.”

She picks at her nail polish again.

In the shower, I let the warm water run over my body, wishing Jesse were here to wash my back. I giggle. More than my back. While pleasant memories flood my system, they’re mixed with questioning what Bo’s up to. Does he think he’ll score brownie points with Quinn and win this competition? As Jesse said, she’s not the judge.

Only the director.

My guess is he was schmoozing her to sway the decision.Not on my watch!I’m going to make sure our primary suite is beyond reproach so the judges have no other option than to choose us.

New course of action selected, I scrub my skin and finish my shower, then throw my clothes onto my body. When I get out of the bathroom, Mary Ellen’s blowing on her redone nails. I don’t linger, but drop my dirty clothes next to my suitcase and wish her well. After all, it’s not her trying to rig the system.

In the kitchen, I join Jesse by the coffeemaker. He hands me a mug with my coffee already doctored. “Thanks.” I kiss his cheek to the sounds of gagging noises coming from the living room area. Bo can suck it.

Jesse touches my cheek. “You’re beautiful.”

I soak in his compliment. We can do this. Make our rooms shine as well as our relationship. He’s wearing another pair of dark blue jeans and a T-shirt, this time in blue—without a bank logo. “You look handsome yourself.”

Someone knocks on the door and then breezes in. Quinn. I can’t help it, but my eyes steal over to Bo, who’s standing with his toothy smile. What are they up to?

After Mary Ellen joins us, Quinn begins, “So nice to seeallof you here this morning. We’ve reviewed the footage from yesterday and the day before, and you’re all doing great. Bo, Mary Ellen, we like how you’ve decided to work in the different rooms. Makes it easy on your camera crews to capture all of your hard work. Keep it up.”

She turns toward us. “Jesse, Paige. Interesting choice to go big in the bedroom, and we find it fascinating how you haven’t divided up the tasks. We think the audience will as well.”

Somewhat mollified, I swing my gaze toward our rivals. Bo’s still wearing the same shit-eating grin. My gaze travels to my partner and my heart stops. He stands tall and proud, absorbing everything going on around him. Probably why he’s excelling in the banking industry—nothing gets by him.

I return my focus to Quinn, who’s moved on to giving a little pep talk. She concludes, “Now, go to your apartments and continue doing what you’ve been doing. Good luck!”

With our marching orders, I precede Jesse out of the ViewPad. The ride down on the elevator is quiet, although a tension bubbles between Mary Ellen and Bo. Can’t say as I blame her. Perhaps she’ll figure out what her ex-husband and Quinn are up to.

Jesse opens the door and the normal camera chaos reigns. The crew wanders throughout the rooms chatting with each other, and not paying us any attention. I drag my partner into the dining room and slam him against the wall. Okay, slam might be an exaggeration. Gently throw him against . . .

“Oof!”

I giggle. Maybe slam was the right adjective after all. Getting up close and personal with my talented carpenter, I kiss him. “I’d much rather be doing this than that.” My eyes swivel toward the primary suite.

He chuckles. “I can tell.” His hands land on my ass and he pulls our bodies together, stealing another kiss. Then he drops his hands. “But that’s not how this game is played. Let’s get to work. More of this later.”

Playing with his intriguing earlobe, I whisper, “Promise?”

He grabs my wrists. “What have I unlocked?” His lips find mine once again, then his hands land on my shoulders and he moves me backward.

“Fine. We both know this is a hell of a lot more fun than carving a headboard.” When his expression morphs from silly to unsettled, I know the moment is over. Injecting excitement into my voice, I say, “I can’t wait to see what you do with it today!”

“Yeah.” He pushes away from the wall and trudges down the hallway.

“I have faith in you.”

---