Page 8 of The Layover

Though, the longer I talked to them the less threatening they were. Rather, the less I thought tonight was a mistake. The creepy guys, the nice guys, tended to have red flags that became more apparent with time, and Nick and Tony weren’t raising any of those.

We made it out to the curb and caught a minivan cab, letting us all sit in back with each other. They both sat across from me, and we made more small talk on the trip to the hotel. I didn’t know anything more about their actual lives than they did about mine when we arrived at our destination, but I had a good idea of who they were as people.

Nick tended toward more serious, though his sense of humor was obvious, and Tony was the flirt. But it was also clear they absolutely adored each other, which was sweet.

As we walked into the hotel, cream and gold and elegance spread out in front of us. Normally the company wouldn’t spring for four-star lodgings, but this was an emergency and Kandace, the partner overseeing this investment, took pity on me and approved a large reimbursement while I was here.

The gift shop caught Tony’s attention, despite it being closed, and he dragged Nick toward the window, saying something about souvenirs for Eloise. I let them look, grateful for the chance to check in without them hearing my full name. Telling them I was Lee wasn’t total falsehood. It was what my sister called me when we were little, and she still used the name sometimes when she teased me.

I gave the desk clerk my information and she tapped away. “Oh, three guests,” I added.

She frowned, but the expression vanished so quickly I might have imagined it. “And I have you in the honeymoon suite?”

Did she? I let out a laugh-sigh. “Very possibly.” I’d told the woman who handled our reservations to put me in any room she could find. “But I don’t need any of the special amenities.”

“It’s included in the cost.”

“Treat yourself when your shift is over?” I was serious. A massive suite for the night would be fun, but I didn’t need rose petals on the bed or champagne and strawberr— On second thought, those last two might be nice.

She handed me the room keys. “Most of it is already up there. Enjoy your stay and please call if you need anything.”

I found Nick and Tony where I’d left them, and from what little I understood, it sounded like they were playfully arguing over how big a teddy bear they should get, and what color.

“What do you think?” Tony asked me. “Pink or purple?”

I stared at him, wide-eyed and searching my brain for an answer. What little I knew about modern little girls was relegated to Daria’s six-year-old, who loved pink. Then again, her thirteen-year-old would live in navy blue, given the chance. “Red.” Which was really just darkish pink, so it was a happy medium?

I’d draw on my own experiences, but I spent most of my childhood stealing my brother’s GI Joes, because they had better gear for going on archeological digs, while my sister made them ponchos to keep off the sun and hide the ugly camouflage. “Or anything but army green,” I added.

One corner of Nick’s mouth tugged up. “Noted.”

Tony shook his head and sighed. “We’ll decide in the morning.”

“By we’ll decide he means whichever one of us gets down here first wins,” Nick said.

“I can’t wait to see the results. Shall we?” I jerked a thumb toward the elevator, and tried to ignore the anticipation of spending a night with these two mysterious and sexy men.

The suite was opulent. That was the best word I could think of for it. More like a small apartment than a large hotel room, with a living room, kitchenette, and bedroom. Flowers sat on the table, along with a gift basket, a congratulations card, and an ice bucket holding a bottle of champagne.

A sharp whistle of admiration came from Tony, who stopped next to me. “I didn’t know you felt this way.” His tone was instantly the same seductive he’d used on the plane. “Gattina, why didn’t you say something?” He wrapped an arm around my waist, startling me.

I squealed in spite of myself when he dipped me and hovered his face near mine. “As long as you’re willing to share my heart, yes, yes, I accept your proposal. We can have forever.” Tony finished with a melodramatic flair to his voice, and his mouth was so close to mine, he could kiss me.

A low rumble filled the room, and the clap of thunder made me jump in his arms. The only issue I had with this room was it kept us so high up that the wind was easy to hear howling outside. I’d be staying far from the windows tonight.

“You’re going to scare the poor woman.” Nick offered me his hand, and tugged me from Tony’s arms. “Unless you liked it.” He looked at me.

Thank God for the distraction. “I’m not marrying anyone. It’s nothing personal, I’m just not the marrying type.” I didn’t have a problem speaking my mind when needed, but bluntness wasn’t always called for. Diplomacy seemed like the best bet in this situation—offering nothing, and keeping most options on the table.

“That’s fair.” Tony didn’t look offended the way he had on the plane. The fact that he was over being told no was a pleasant surprise.

I moved to the basket on the table. “I see no reason to let this go to waste, though. I bet we don’t even have to be married to use any of this.” As I talked, I pulled the ribbon away.

Nick stuffed it into his pocket.

Odd, but okay. The cellophane wrapping was obnoxiously loud and huge, but we wrestled into a trash can with a few huffs and a lot of giggles.

“Chocolate strawberries.” I held the box up like I was a proper Vanna White. It was tempting to claim them all as mine, but that might be rude. Then again, it was my room.

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