Hotel O

by Clarissa Wild

  “I don’t know. Have we ever even tried?”

  He raises a brow. “No. Do you want to?”

  “Sure … I guess.” I giggle, totally out of it.

  I pucker my lips and lean in, and so does he. But when I get close enough to see his face, I burst out into laughter … just like he does.

  “I’m sorry, I just can’t take it seriously,” he says.

  I can’t even breathe; that’s how much I’m laughing right now. “Sorry, I knew it would be a failure. I can’t even think about kissing you,” I say, feeling disgusted already. “You’re like my brother.”

  I guess it wasn’t meant to be. I just wanted it to be him because he’s so perfect, but I’m just not into it. At all. In fact, this whole thing makes me want to go rinse my mouth and brush my teeth.

  “Phew,” he says, letting out a breath. “I was starting to worry there.”

  “Nah …” I playfully punch him in the shoulder. “I just had to be sure. That’s all.”

  He’s right, though. We don’t need this. We’re perfect as we are right now. No reason to ruin a good friendship.

  “And the verdict is …”

  “Hot but totally not for me,” I say, and we both laugh again.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, babe,” he says, hitting the gas. “Now let’s go take you home.”

  Chapter 12

  Declan

  The event went down as expected this weekend. Though we were one girl short, the clients didn’t seem to notice. They were enjoying themselves thoroughly with the girls present, and we had an amazing lineup of games that got them excited. Many of the clients came to me at the end to tell me how much they liked the décor and how much fun they had doing whatever their filthy minds could conjure up.

  Now that the pressure is off, I can finally focus on relaxing again. Though I have to keep in mind we’ll have another event soon, I still need some time off like everyone else, and today’s finally that day. At home, there’s no worry about being disturbed, so I find myself starting up my laptop for another bout of personal gratification.

  However, the moment I start the chat, my eyes immediately hover over that name…

  NaughtyKitten.

  She’s still there even though I blocked her. I can see her name on the list of people online.

  I wonder if she’s still looking. If she already found a new guy to play with. If he’s giving her as much pleasure as I did.

  I sigh. I shouldn’t even think about her.

  Her showing up at my office never should’ve happened.

  I should’ve been more careful. Should’ve checked the picture I sent her before it was too late.

  Smart girl.

  But it was foolish. And, not to mention, dangerous.

  She knows who I am and where I work. What if she tells someone what I do? What happens to this hotel when people find out what it is that we deliver here?

  I can’t let it happen, which is why I’m so frustrated right now.

  It’s the sole reason I kicked her out. Not because I don’t like her. I do. Or I did. I just can’t deal with the fact that I broke my only rules. Never meet up with a girl twice. Never expose your identity. Two of them broken now.

  Goddamn that girl and her fantastic tits … not to mention that ass. So tight and squeezable. I can still feel it in my hands when I picture her in front of me. It was hard to stop the boner from growing when she stripped in my office.

  Even then, I already knew something was up.

  The shape of her body and the look in her eyes were too familiar, though I just couldn’t put a finger on it because we’d both worn masks when we first saw each other.

  But her fragrant perfume gave it away … and then the ponytail sealed the deal.

  I can’t help but stare at her name, which is still blocked. I lean back in my chair and sigh.

  For some reason, I can’t get this girl out of my mind. Despite there being so many other girls I could contact, so many others willing to play a filthy game, she was the only one who accepted everything I made her do. She was open to it all—every dirty thought and game—which is why it’s so hard to detach.

  She gave me what I needed, and now that I no longer have it, I’m disappointed. Like I already know none of the other girls will live up to my expectations now that I’ve fucked her.

  I groan and rub my face. Why does this have to be so hard?

  Can’t I just put her aside and focus on someone else? Something new?

  Maybe I should go look at porn. Another one of those videos where a girl just screams her lungs out and pretends to like it even when she doesn’t.

  Nah. That isn’t real. It isn’t sexy. I need raw, uncensored, unfiltered.

  Someone real and tangible. Someone like NaughtyKitten.

  Except it can’t be her. It can’t ever be her again.

  That was one of my rules … though they were already broken the moment she stepped into my office pretending to be someone she’s not.

  What was she thinking? That I wouldn’t find out? Was she going to give me a fake name?

  I’m sure that’s why she hesitated to fill out the contract. But why go through the trouble of seeing me then?

  She probably thought I would see past my rules and fuck her again. I have to admit, I was so fucking close to actually doing it …

  Especially when I shoved my fingers up her pussy and felt her get wet.

  God, how badly I wanted to throw her over my desk and fuck that pussy raw there and then.

  Just thinking about it gets me hard.

  Not that I’ll ever get a chance again. I fucked that up pretty good by kicking her out like that.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have been so harsh to her. Denying her was one thing, but I treated her like trash. I was just so angry about the whole thing, and I acted rash to get rid of a problem that I created myself.

  It wasn’t her fault I was careless.

  And it’s definitely not her fault that I saw her again at the club that night.

  Fuck.

  I was only there to cool down after what happened, and then I run into her there. What are the chances? It’s as if fate wanted me to face my own mistakes. It pissed me off so much, and I lashed out at her.

  I was terrified of the consequences of meeting her. Of her knowing who I am and where I work. The risk my job involves.

  So I took it out on her.

  Only after she’d disappeared through the crowd did I realize what a giant douche I’d been.

  I should’ve gone after her to apologize, but I didn’t see her again that night. Maybe I never will.

  God, I really do make a mess of things sometimes.

  But this is a mess I might be able to fix.

  I open my drawer and sift through my papers until I find the one I’m looking for. The contract she almost signed. I brought it home with me so no one would ever find out what happened. I was going to burn it, but now I figure I may be able to use it for something good … because her address is written on the document.

  Kat

  At work, I take a pill to fix my hangover. Even though I went out with Flynn two days ago, my head is still roaring. I don’t think I’ll get any work done, but I’ll do my very best. I should’ve stopped drinking, but instead, I finished the bottle of wine I had left at home. I don’t even remember what happened afterward.

  Only when I woke up did I remember that I’d almost kissed Flynn.

  God, what an embarrassment I was. I still haven’t gathered the courage to speak to him, but I should. He supported me when I needed it. Especially when that prick Declan showed up at the club. I still can’t believe he was there. What a way to ruin an evening.

  Sighing, I grab my cell phone and dial Flynn’s number. “Hey.”

  “Hey, babe,” he says. “What’s up? Feeling better yet?”

  “Yeah, much. I just wanted to say thanks. For bringing me home safely, you know?” A small laugh escapes my mouth.

  “Don�
��t mention it.”

  I wonder if he remembers what I tried to do. He probably does. “Sorry about that awkward …”

  “Ah, forget about it. You were drunk. I can’t take anything you do seriously then,” he replies, laughing.

  “Fuck, please don’t. I mean, I really don’t want to kiss you,” I say.

  “Thanks,” he says sarcastically.

  “Not that you aren’t attractive,” I add. “But you’re my best friend.”

  “Right.”

  “I just hope it didn’t ruin things between us,” I say.

  “It didn’t,” he says, and I can hear him smile. “Relax. It’s fine.”

  “Okay … phew.” I breathe out a sigh of relief.

  “Oh, now that I’ve got you on the phone, a package was delivered to my home today. But it had your name on it.”

  I frown. “Huh? How’s that even possible?”

  “I don’t know, but I sent it to your office, so if you haven’t received it yet, it should be there any moment now.”

  I frown. I didn’t order anything, and if I did, I wouldn’t have it shipped to Flynn’s home address.

  “Okay … that’s odd,” I say. “Well, thanks anyway. I’ll see what it is when it gets here.”

  “No probs. Hey, aren’t you supposed to working right now?” he asks.

  Well, shit. I’d hoped he wouldn’t notice that I’m slacking. “Yeah, I just wanted to make sure we were okay.”

  “We are, Kat. Stop worrying and go get your ass to work.”

  I laugh. “Okay, okay. Thanks, dude.”

  “I got you.”

  We hang up, and I put my cell phone back in my bag and open my browser again so I can get back to my emails. However, the moment I do, Crystal bursts into my office without warning.

  “Kat! Look,” she says, prancing into my space with a huge bouquet of roses.

  “Nice,” I say. I’m sure she’s proud, trying to show them off. “Who’d you get them from?”

  “They’re not for me … They’re for you.” She puts them down on my desk like I’m supposed to do something with them, but all I can do is stare.

  “Go on then … who’re they from?” she asks, bouncing up and down as she glances at the card stuck between the flowers.

  I gently pick it up and open it, reading the text written inside.

  From the dick who went too far. Please forgive my indiscretions. I apologize for making you feel the way I did. I hope we can meet again. My office, seven p.m. tomorrow? Yours, D.

  I read the words over and over again, but they don’t seem to register in my brain.

  Declan wants to meet up again? With me? Is this for real?

  “And?” Crystal asks. I nearly forgot she was here.

  “It’s from … a friend,” I reply, lying through my teeth. But she doesn’t need to know. My private life is none of her concern.

  “Oh, right.” She winks. “Well, I’ll go back to my desk then. If you need something, let me know.”

  She sashays back out the door, and I lean up to sniff the roses. They smell so nice … I wonder if he handpicked them.

  But how the hell did he find out about Flynn? And why send them there?

  Then it hits me. That’s the address I put on that contract of his. In case I needed to protect my identity … which I apparently did.

  I laugh to myself. Poor Flynn. I should apologize for using his home address as a scapegoat for my adventures. I just didn’t want Declan to know where I lived because it’d be too easy to find out my name and more details about my life I didn’t want him to be privy to.

  I’m not even sure I’ll ever share those details with anyone from a chat room.

  I mean, a girl has to do everything she can to stay safe.

  And with people like Declan, you never know.

  The question is, though, whether I want to see him again.

  He’s been such a douchebag. Although, if I think about it, I can understand why.

  He wanted to protect his business. His identity. And I busted into his office like it was nothing. I didn’t explain who I was, and he never had the time to adjust. He probably felt like I was a threat even though I wouldn’t tell a soul about what we did.

  He probably assumed I would, which is what made me so angry with him.

  But he did apologize. And the roses do smell lovely. They’re so nice that I sniff them again.

  Maybe meeting him again wouldn’t do any harm. Besides, I went to his office for a reason, and that desire never changed. I wanted something more, something exciting, and now that he’s willing to make amends … maybe I should take him up on his offer.

  Chapter 13

  Declan

  When the sun is low in the sky, shining brightly through my window, a knock on my door alerts me. She’s here.

  A devilish grin spreads across my face.

  For a few minutes there, I was almost starting to worry she wouldn’t show up. After all, I’d made myself out to be the bad guy. I chased her away with threats and anger.

  But I changed my mind along the way, and now I want to see whether she’ll accept that. I’m not sure yet if I want to go any further than we already have, but I just couldn’t leave it alone. I couldn’t stop thinking about her even after she practically broke into my office.

  I was too careless, and I do think it’s partly my own fault that she’s so greedy for more.

  Maybe there is something more to all of this …

  More that I could take … and give.

  At least once or twice wouldn’t hurt. Right?

  When she enters my office, I take a deep breath and stand from my seat. She’s as beautiful as she was the last time I saw her. This time, she’s wearing long white pants and a black crop top with thick stilettos underneath. Too sexy not to lick my lips to.

  “So … you’ve come,” I say, casually tucking my hands into my pockets.

  She wears a clear smirk as she closes the door behind her and remains near the edge of the room. “So I have.”

  When our eyes lock, it feels as though lightning sparks through the air.

  She drops her bag on the floor but remains silent. I smile at the sight of her mischievous gaze. “Did you like the flowers?”

  She cocks her head and folds her arms. “They were nice … unlike you.”

  “I apologize for my anger at the club,” I reply. I don’t want her to be upset, but I don’t want to linger on it either. The past is the past. What was said and done remains there. I’d much rather focus on the here and now. On her … in the living flesh.

  “I’d be able to accept them if you were honest about what you wanted.”

  “Right now? You,” I say.

  There’s not a single ounce of doubt in my voice. Today, I know I want to see more of where this could go. What comes after is a mystery. And that’s fine, as long as she accepts that.

  “Tell me why I should believe you?” she asks, shrugging. “You change your mind every time.”

  “Because I was hasty, and I regret that,” I say.

  “You feared I was going to tell people about you. Maybe you shouldn’t assume I’m that kind of girl?”

  She’s humoring me. But that’s okay … I can take it. “I’m not the only one who’s hiding in plain sight …”

  A small, lopsided grin briefly forms on her lips before disappearing again. She knows what I’m talking about. “You used the contract to send me flowers,” she says.

  Clever girl. “But it wasn’t your address,” I fill in.

  “How did you find out?” she asks.

  “The company that delivers them for me told me the guy who accepted them said he lived there alone.”

  “Right …” There’s a hint of amusement on her face. I’m not quite sure whether to love it or hate it or both.

  “Whose address was it?” I ask.

  “A friend’s,” she replies.

  Cautious. I like that. She’s not going to make the same mistake twice. Trust is
hard to give to someone who doesn’t give it in return, so I understand.

  I walk up to the front of my desk and lean against it, casually crossing my arms.

  “So … Kitten … you never left your name on the form.”

  “Nope,” she says. “And I wouldn’t have written down my real one either.”

  “Figured,” I muse, licking my lips.

  She’s so protective of her identity. We have more in common than I thought.

  “But since you know my name, it’s only fair I know yours, don’t you agree?” My blatant request grabs her attention. I can tell from the way she shifts her position. It’s just an inch, but it’s enough to notice.

  A few seconds pass. “Call me Kat.”

  “Kat …” I don’t know if it’s her real name or not, but it sounds good. Rolls off the tongue easily. And it explains her choice of nickname on the site, so this must be the truth. After all, I’m sure she feels a bit guilty for knowing my real name and the location of my office. She doesn’t look like the type to continue a lie without feeling the need to level the playing field.

  And she’s certainly playing the game right.

  “I like your name,” I say.

  “Thanks,” she says. “I like yours too, Declan.”

  The teasing glint in her eyes is almost too much to take.

  It makes me want to grab her, throw her over my lap, and spank her ass until it’s bright red.

  But that wouldn’t be appropriate right now, would it?

  Or maybe it’s exactly what she needs … What we both need.

  She smiles. “So are you going to tell me what that contract was for?”

  “Nope,” I reply. “Not happening.”

  She should be happy I let her go after seeing it. This hotel requires sensitive things like that to stay top secret.

  “Figured,” she mumbles. “It’s not why I came here anyway.”

  “So then … why did you come?” I ask.

  She swallows as if she’s actively engaging with my words, picturing me saying something else. Maybe I did. She’s not the only one who likes to tease.