“Maybe a little bit to do with you as well,” he said.
“Question,” I said.
“I’m sure I have an answer,” he said.
“Is this the point where I need to sneak back into my room? Just in case someone comes to find you for something today?”
“I don’t care who sees, Abby,” he said. “I’m just glad you’re here.”
His words thundered around the echoing chambers of my body as a smile slid across my cheeks.
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Not when my body was already soaring with delight from the night before.
“What I mean is—”
A resounding knock came at the door and I sighed. Colin closed his eyes and tried to block the sound out, but the knocks became louder and louder. Groaning, I watched as he slid his naked body out of bed before he went searching for his boxers. There would never be a moment where I would ever get enough of him. Of watching him and speaking with him and being around him, no matter how infuriating and stubborn he could be. The only thing he had done was slip from the confines of the bed, and somehow my being was already missing him.
I sat up in bed and pulled the covers up in front of my naked body as I watched him answer the door.
“What?” Colin asked.
“At least you’re up,” someone said as they stepped into the room. “We need you downstairs for a sound check. Also, Ted wants you to double-check your presentation file before he gives it to tech.”
“That sound check shouldn’t be for another hour,” Colin said.
“It’s already ten o’clock, sir.”
I didn’t recognize the man Colin was talking to. I’d never seen him before, but he obviously knew enough about the company to know who Ted was. I slowly slipped out of bed and started putting my clothes on, hoping the man wouldn’t notice me as he continued to talk with Colin. It was wonderful that Colin didn’t care who saw us, but the last thing I wanted was the entire company gossiping because of what one person saw.
But then, I saw the man’s eyes peer over Colin’s shoulder just as I was pulling my shirt over my head.
“And there you are, Abby. I’m glad I found you. They need you downstairs as well.”
I yanked the sports jersey down my body as Colin turned to look at me. He didn’t seem the least bit phased, but I was shaking in my shoes. This man had officially seen me putting my clothes on in Colin’s hotel suite. And if this man was a talker, we were in serious trouble.
Colin didn’t care, but I was a woman. A woman who was low on the totem pole in his company. Reputation was everything when it came to working up a ladder in this kind of company, and I was two very sensitive seconds away from destroying mine.
“Me?” I asked. “Why would sound check and tech prep need me?”
“The media’s sitting in on this one. The entire conference. They’ll be reporting in between the shuffling of speakers. You need to make sure the media has the right information on some things. You know, the sort of stuff that’ll give Murphy, Inc. good press.”
“You want me double-checking everything before they run it,” I said.
“That and many other things. You’re the only media professional formally P.R.ing this event from the company. You’ll be busy today,” the man said.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met,” I said, as I came out of Colin’s room.
“Abby, this is Rohan Batra. He’s the go-to between my secretary and Hadley.”
“I do recognize the name Mr. Batra,” I said, as I held out my hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”
“Likewise. Hadley speaks highly of your work, and she enjoyed the article you sent over to her last night. She made a few minor changes, but the quotes and the depth of the article? Timeless.”
“That’s very kind of her to say,” I said, grinning. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. It sounds like I have a bigger day to prepare for than I expected.”
“No worries. I’ll see you backstage in an hour,” Rohan said.
“Backstage?” I asked.
“The media’s gathering there for a briefing before they disperse. Required by the conference so things don’t get too hectic. It would be beneficial for you to be there,” Rohan said.
“Of course. I’ll be there,” I said.
Colin smiled at me before I slipped out of his room and headed for mine. I was two floors below him and my hands were shaking as I entered my room. The conversation wasn’t too painful, but I had just met my boss’s boss while half fucking naked in Colin Murphy’s damn hotel room. I groaned as I flopped down onto my bed, taking just a second to gather my thoughts before I put myself into work mode. I had to put the embarrassment out of my mind and pull it together for the day. The company was counting on me to field this correctly, and it sounded like nothing was going to be going through anyone.
I was on my own for the first time today and I could feel the flashbacks coming on.
Flashbacks of that botched article that ran on the
