manager.”
It flashed through her mind that she could easily have missed out. That made her want to cling on to the chance she’d been offered and enjoy the moment.
“Like I said, no worries.” She hated to lie, but she had to say something. “I treated it like a regular agent tour duty.” She had done, up to a point.
“I’ll try to convince them to move on with someone else, you’re busy enough as it is.”
She pressed her lips together. No, I don’t want that.
“In the meantime, I want you to let me know what they ask you about.”
She slumped onto her elbows. “They haven’t said a lot about their…end of things.”
She rolled her eyes. The conversation was farcical. If he didn’t hang up soon she’d end up laughing down the phone.
Flynn, however, seemed determined to quiz her. “What did they ask you?”
She nibbled on her lower lip then resorted to turning the tables. “Are you worried about something in particular, Flynn?”
Silence.
“I mean, is there anything you’d like me to be aware of?”
Flipping it on him had done the trick. Eventually he replied. “I just want the place to come off looking good in front of the Board.”
“It will. Cumbernauld’s is the best. They are only here to see what could be improved.
They might not come up with anything, but I’ll keep you in touch with any comments they make…about the running of the hotel.”
Mercifully, he hung up soon after and Monica slumped back in her chair. As ludicrous as the conversation had been, it had stripped her of some of the tension she felt, which was a good thing. Her boss’s concerns were elsewhere, which made her feel as if hers should be too, but she was sure Cumbernauld’s couldn’t be improved upon, so that balanced it—kind of. She smiled to herself. All the chat had done was make her want to see them again, and be glad of the chance. When she stood up to go she still wasn’t sure if confiding in them was the right thing to do, but she was ready to take the next step.
She arrived at Shelley’s Corner a few minutes early to select a comfortable banquette in a quiet area. The two men walked in together a minute later. Alec was in the lead, like some kind of scout. She noticed how vibrant he was. There was a tense, coiled energy about
49
him and Alec was the one who was covering the place, checking out of the clientele as he cut a path through the restaurant and headed to the place where she stood. Owen had, of course, been here before and he knew the layout of the hotel.
Owen was much more focused on her and her alone, and there was such an air of concentration about him as he strolled over that she could only gaze at him in wonder. Had she really been to bed with these two gorgeous men? Had she let them do that to her, tying her up and taking control of her, making her have multiple orgasms?
Yes, and it had been the best sex she’d ever had. Her body heated as the memories flitted through her mind, and she had to remind herself where she was. She had asked for a public meet on purpose.
“Thank you for joining me.” She gestured at the opposite side of the banquette. She’d selected a banquette for six in order that they had plenty of space around them—a tactic she employed whenever she could—and stood by while the two men sat on that side, so that she faced them.
“Shelley’s Corner is the area we consider our businessman’s meeting place, by day. In the evening it has more of a pre-dinner bar atmosphere, but at lunchtime it’s popular with local businesses who bring their staff and guests here to continue a meeting and get good food and good service.”
It was one of her favourite places in the hotel, all dark wood and cherry red leather banquettes. It was a place where conversations could be private, and yet they were in public view. She felt safe—she felt as if she had a little bit of control in the situation. She needed that, if she was going to be direct with them.
After
Nancy Tesler
Mary Stewart
Chris Millis
Alice Walker
K. Harris
Laura Demare
Debra Kayn
Temple Hogan
Jo Baker
Forrest Carter