Room Service

“I’ve seen the city.”

“Come see it my way.”

She was already shaking her head. “Ooooh, no. Bad idea.”

“Actually, it’s a great idea. It’ll help you relax.”

“Yeah? And how will being with you help me relax?”

He let out a slow grin, and she pointed at it, shaking her head. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Turn on that charm. Because, damn it, I’d follow you anywhere when you smile at me like that, and that’s bad. Very bad. I have a job to do, I have to-”

“You’d follow me anywhere?” he asked.

She looked at him for a long moment. “Let’s just say, I have few survival skills when it comes to you.”

He wasn’t sure what to make of that, either, and suddenly he was uncomfortably warm. Was it hot in here? He took a step backward, toward the door, startled anew when she grabbed his hand, and at what he had in it.

Her note.

Unwrinkling it, she studied her own words. “I did promise to make it up to you,” she said quietly, then lifted her face to his. “I guess I’ll see you tonight.”

Since he’d apparently lost his tongue, he couldn’t come up with the words to tell her that she was right, this was a bad idea, that being with her wasn’t good for his mental health.

Eric opened the door. “The natives are getting restless.”

“Okay.” Em smiled at Jacob. “See you later.”

He looked into her beautiful face, with her thoughts chasing each other across her features. When he saw one particular thought-that she wanted him-he said softly, “Yeah, see you later.”

HE WENT TO THE ONLY PLACE that ever made him feel better and completely at home.

His kitchen.

Pru was already there, brooding, too. After listening to her slam around in her wine cabinet for five tense, silent minutes, he sighed. “What?”

“You’re not going to like it.”

“Okay, then never mind.”

She turned to him, her eyes wet, the emotion on her face stabbing directly into his heart. “I told Caya how I felt about her.”

He backed up a step. “Okay.”

“Yeah, that’s what she said.”

“What?”

Pru sighed. “She said okay. She said thank you. She said that it made her feel good. What she didn’t say was ‘I love you back, Pru.’”

“Why the hell would you tell her such a thing?”

“Because you told me to!”

“I told you to tell her you wanted her. I didn’t say anything about love.”

“But I do love her.” Pru shut the cabinet hard enough that the bottles rattled, and crossed her arms, glaring at him as if this was all his fault.

“You scared her,” he said.

“Take a peek into the dining room.”

She tugged him to the kitchen door and cracked it open enough to reveal the front room. The waitstaff was out there having a meeting at one of the large dining tables. Caya was sitting on the lap of Michael, headwaiter. Her head was thrown back and she was laughing her cute ass off.

“Does that look scared to you?” Pru asked.

Uh, no, not exactly. He pulled Pru away from the door and looked into his usually calm friend’s face. No calm there now. Just a panic he’d never seen before, and hurt. Damn it. Worse, looking at her expression, he saw something else. Someone else.

Em.

There had been pain in her eyes, too, and he’d put it there. “I tried to tell you this was a bad idea.”

She let out a disbelieving sound. “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got? I told you so?”

“What else do you expect?” Honest to God, he didn’t know. But he did know this: he had an ache in his chest that had better be heartburn and not emotion. What was wrong with everyone? Why couldn’t it go back to the simplicity of before?

“Thanks, Chef,” Pru said sarcastically. “Thanks ever so much.”

“What do you want from me?” he asked helplessly.

“To make this better. Can you do that?”

If he couldn’t help himself, how the hell did she think he could help her? “Pru…”

“Yeah, forget it.” She sighed. “I’ll be fine.”

Jacob hoped so. And he hoped he’d be fine, too.

THE REST OF THE AUDITIONS were predictably horrible, but Eric promised Em they’d have a better selection tomorrow, and she chose to believe him rather than panic.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow her future would figure itself all out.

But first she had to get through tonight, and the evening with Jacob, without losing anything important.

Like her heart.

Nathan had called. Did she have him yet? She’d promised she was working on it and hung up.

Unable to find either Eric or Liza, she got ready alone, trying not to think too much.

Was she working on Jacob? No. She wouldn’t do that. She couldn’t. So what was it that she was doing?

She had no idea.

And what did one wear to go out on the town with Jacob Hill? She had no idea what to expect, much less how to prepare for it. Finally she settled for her favorite red cashmere hoodie, and a black skirt and boots. Comfort clothes that just happened to look decent enough for any adventure that came her way. Taking a peek in the mirror, she shrugged. Not bad, she supposed. Hoped.

He’d left her a message to meet him in the lobby at ten o’clock. She took the elevator, half expecting him to be on it already, where he’d start their evening off with a wild kiss.

But no Jacob.

Instead she rode the elevator with another couple who couldn’t keep their eyes, mouths or hands off each other, leaving Em standing in the corner trying to pretend she couldn’t see them, trying not to think about how she’d been kissed just like that woman was being kissed, trying not to remember what it had felt like to have Jacob’s eyes, hands and mouth all over her.

She began to perspire.

God. The man could make her hot when he wasn’t even anywhere near her. When the doors opened, she nearly ran off the elevator. Stepping into the lobby, her eyes locked on the life-size art deco painting of the threesome.

Perfect. Now even artwork was mocking her.

All around her, the place was hopping, people coming and going, some from Erotique, some from other areas of the hotel, others from the street.

Then she saw him standing in the center of the lobby, and everything else seemed to fade away. How cliche, how ridiculous, but the voices, the people, the sights and sounds, all of it vanished except for the sight of Jacob wearing all black, looking big, bad and extremely dangerous to her heart and soul.

And all she could think was…God, I hope he kisses me again tonight. And touches me.

And makes love to me.

The thought alone was enough to douse some of the excitement. No way. She was not going to sleep with him, not when she knew she was going to get on a plane in a matter of days and never see him again. She wasn’t equipped for an affair.