Inarticulate

by Eden Summers

  I know. But you were too much fun.

  “Fun?”

  You were devastated that you didn’t have confirmation that I was succumbing to your charms. You were frustrated to the point of ogling my package to gain my attention. Your persistence was refreshing.

  “Refreshing?” she parroted him again, unable to stop her lips from spreading wide. “You’re cruel.”

  He typed quickly, his fingers flying over his cell screen. I feel the same about you. Your smile does things to me that should be illegal.

  Her lips pulled tighter, her cheeks lifting of their own accord. Something other than lust made her heart tippy-tap and she leaned over to playfully nip at his ribs. “Well, your smile has no effect on me whatsoever.”

  Liar. Bite me again and see where it gets you.

  She opened her mouth and poised her teeth over his skin. She was tempted, so damn tempted, but she was already overcome with feelings for him and she didn’t want to lose herself to whatever this was.

  She was in Seattle to work. Outside complications needed to be kept to a minimum.

  She snapped her mouth shut millimeters from his skin. “Fine. We can go back to basics. What’s your favorite color?”

  Colors, really?

  “Why not?” She shrugged.

  Fine, but why restrict myself to one? He waggled his brows. What is the point? The world is filled with profound hues, all of them at my disposal. I choose not to pin myself down.

  “Are we still talking about the same thing?” She turned toward him with a raised brow. “Or are you one of those guys who can only talk about women and sex?” Another Spencer.

  The implication should’ve caused revulsion. Too bad she was already lost to delirium.

  Sex is always a preferred topic.

  She laughed and he followed suit. His chest convulsed, his muscles flexed, and she couldn’t stop herself from placing her hand over his sternum to feel it. It was a strange sensation—sharing someone’s laughter for the first time. It stripped her of all pettiness and made her fall for him a fraction more. She wanted to experience all his responses, from the ones he made in pleasure, and also the ones in pain.

  His humor faded as he pressed his hand over the top of hers, telling her with his gaze alone that he knew how important this moment was. It was more than sex and seduction. It wasn’t just pleasure and gratification.

  They’d just paid the price of attachment.

  Email

  Date: 22nd December

  Subject: Speak to me

  Dear Savannah,

  I know you look back on our time together and relive it through tainted eyes. I’d do the same. You believe everything we shared was clouded with deception, but that’s far from the truth.

  I had to keep things from you. I had to hide the parts of myself that I wasn’t proud of, otherwise there never would’ve been a chance for us to begin with.

  Before the night in your suite, sex had never held an emotional connection for me. Not even with past relationships, not that there were many. The act had always been a physical release and nothing more. It was sport, and I was always the winner.

  Until you.

  You took away the game. There was no champion. No score. You tied me to the bed with invisible strings and made me yearn for emotion I never thought I’d wanted.

  Can’t you see how profound that is?

  Now that you’re gone, I wish I could go back and change everything. I’d beg for any sort of different outcome. Maybe I should’ve informed you of the truth from the start. Or I could’ve stayed away from you entirely, never having experienced any of those moments in time.

  I would never give up what we shared, but I’d do anything to spare you the hurt.

  Anything, Savannah.

  If I knew back then what I know now, I never would’ve let the lies fester. But hindsight is a marvelous thing, and unfortunately, I don’t have the liberty to go back and change my mistakes.

  Please let me make up for them instead.

  Give me another chance.

  Keenan

  Chapter Thirteen

  Savannah awoke the next morning to the sound of her suite door clicking shut. The bed was empty beside her. Keenan had left.

  She could’ve run after him and asked if he wanted to share breakfast with her, but the non-existent farewell was better. She’d become blindsided last night. He’d hooked her, distracting her with pleasure and enamoring her with affection.

  More than twice.

  The man may be silent but he made up for it with virility and enthusiasm.

  She hadn’t wanted to encourage feelings for him. This was only sex with an expiration date. But as she’d watched him sleep during the early hours, her chest had done an uncomfortable throbby thing that announced she had no control over any of this.

  She was too intrigued by the hidden parts of him and too ravenous for his touch.

  With a groan, she rolled onto her stomach and reached for her cell on the bedside table. Two missed calls and a message.

  Dominic: Mom called to warn me that Penny is on the warpath this morning. Apparently, she was trying to contact Keenan at home and suspects he spent the night with you. I hope she’s wrong. He’s a great guy, Savvy, but you’ll only get hurt.

  No, she wouldn’t. Penny’s pathetic existence was the only one in the firing line. If the woman didn’t back off on her own, Savannah would do something to ensure she did.

  Savannah: Don’t worry about me. I’m staying out of trouble.

  It wasn’t a lie. She knew where things stood with Keenan. There was no future, no commitment, no exclusivity. She had erected clear emotional boundaries… Well, she would. It was on the top of her to-do list—emotionally detach yourself from silent and mysterious lover.

  They both knew where they stood. Keenan hadn’t left a note or text message to say goodbye because it wasn’t necessary. They were two adults with heightened attraction issues they were trying to get out of their system.

  Nothing more. Nothing less.

  Unfortunately, she spent the next twenty-four hours with her head in the clouds anyway. While floating on a euphoric high, she convinced two more employees to rescind their resignation and return to work. The short Internet promotional campaign she’d organized with marketing had increased occupation rates until settlement and Mr. Rydel was openly pleased with her success.

  She began chatting with staff on a personal level, gaining their friendship. For the first time on her Seattle excursion, it wasn’t all work and no play. She was in control, and damn, it felt good.

  The next morning she skipped her room-service breakfast and sat at one of the many vacant tables in the hotel restaurant.

  “Morning, Ms. Hamilton. What can I get for you?”

  Savannah met the blue eyes of the young waitress and tried to remember her name. The woman was a single mother with a fifteen-month-old son. She still lived with her parents and last week had openly shed tears over the threat of losing her job.

  The more time Savannah spent learning the individual stories of each employee, the more adamant she was to create a smooth transition into settlement. Penny be damned. “Please, call me Savannah.”

  The woman inclined her head and flipped to a new page on her notepad, her pen poised to take an order.

  “I’d love a fruit salad and a coffee with cream, no sugar.”

  “Certainly. The kitchen will have it prepared right away.”

  Yes, the kitchen certainly wouldn’t take long. Not when the restaurant was practically empty when it should’ve been the busiest morning period.

  “Thank you.”

  The woman walked away as Savannah reached for her cell on the side of the table and opened her email application. Her position here was to facilitate the settlement and extinguish the spot fires that continued to spark to life. It wasn’t her job to continuously speak to marketing to develop strategies to bring the hotel into the black for the few remaining weeks. That was in the h
ands of hotel management, and she outlined a quick email telling them as much.

  “Here’s your coffee.”

  Savannah didn’t look up as the liquid gold was pushed across the table. “Thanks.” She kept her focus on her emails, writing a mental list of all the things that needed to get done today. Only, it didn’t matter how busy she became, her thoughts always traveled back to her bedroom and the man who left the intoxicating scent of his cologne on her sheets.

  She wondered if he had to sit through an inquisition from Penny on his whereabouts from the other night. She wondered way too much about him—where he was, what he was doing. Did he think about her?

  “Savannah, can I have a word?”

  She placed her cell back on the table and met the concern of the hotel shift manager. “Sure, what’s wrong?”

  Grant stood over her table in an immaculate business suit and slicked back hair. He was around her age and didn’t have a relaxed bone in his body. Now wasn’t an exception. In fact, his anxiety seemed worse than normal as he picked at the quick of his nails and dodged his gaze around the room.

  “You look stressed.” She pushed out the chair opposite her with her foot and took a sip of coffee. Her cell buzzed between them and she looked down to see Keenan’s name on the screen.

  Keenan: Meet me tonight.

  She schooled her expression, trying to dissuade the grin threatening to explode across her face. Where was the question mark? The arrogant bastard was dictating rendezvous with the assumption that she would snap at his command. And maybe she would, but there was no need to be overtly cocky.

  She flipped over her cell to hide the screen and cleared her throat. “Take a seat, Grant.”

  “Um…” He rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Sit,” she ordered. “Did you just get my email about increasing numbers in the restaurant?”

  “Yes, but that isn’t why I’m here.” He pulled the spare seat out further and sat. “I need to talk to you about something.”

  “That’s what I’m here for.” She pasted on an expression filled with managerial comfort and waited for him to elaborate. Normally, she had the patience of a nun with a lifetime of service, but there was an unanswered message on her phone and she wanted nothing more than to put Keenan in his self-righteous place before she confirmed a time and date for their next tryst.

  “I had to fire one of the housekeeping staff this morning.”

  “You what?” All thoughts of pleasure vanished as she grasped at her coffee mug to hide her frustration. Deep breaths. Calm down. “I’m fighting to convince the staff who have already left to return. Why would you make my job harder?”

  He looked away, the tops of his cheeks flushed as the waitress came toward them with a bowl in her hand.

  “Sorry to interrupt.” She placed the fruit salad in front of Savannah and straightened. “Can I get anything for you, Grant?”

  “No.” He dismissed her without a glance and remained silent until they were alone. “There was gossip.”

  “And?” She tried to remain calm by forking a piece of strawberry into her mouth. “I hope there’s more to it than that.” She chewed, fought to swallow, then forked another piece of fruit.

  “There is.” He ran an anxious hand over his mouth. “Can we chat in the office?”

  Fucking hell. “No.” The restaurant was barely functioning. There was no threat of being heard. “Just tell me.”

  “But…” He was fidgeting now, playing with the edge of the tablecloth.

  “Look, it can’t be that bad. I’ve solved ninety-nine problems so far. I’ll be able to fix this one, too.”

  He met her gaze head on, his lips thin. “I overheard her sharing private information about a guest’s room.”

  “What kind of information?”

  “Private information.”

  She sighed and dabbed at her lips with a cloth napkin. “Is this really something that required her to lose her job?”

  “It was your room, Savannah.”

  Okay, so maybe it could be that bad.

  “What do you mean by ‘private’? Did she read my business emails?”

  Savannah didn’t have anything to hide, and although a reprimand was unavoidable for this type of situation, she did understand how frantic staff were for information. She’d already witnessed many times how the loss of job security could make people do uncharacteristic things. “If that’s your concern, I appreciate it, but it’s unwarranted. I haven’t hidden anything from you or anyone else regarding the settlement. I’ve been open and honest about how it will go ahead.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “This was entirely personal.”

  Her stomach clenched. All she could do was look at him and raise a brow. Her underwear wasn’t anything to gossip about. She hadn’t packed silk lingerie. She hadn’t even packed a vibrator.

  “She found numerous used condoms.”

  Her mouth fell open at the same time her face blazed with the heat of a furnace.

  “Apparently,” he lowered his voice, “she found them while changing the trash bin.”

  “W-who did she tell?”

  He cringed and she held up her hand, no longer wanting clarification.

  “Why?” she asked. “Why is this even newsworthy? Do they think I’m shirking my responsibilities while I’m here?” Or did they know she was in bed with a Grandiosity employee? Was her integrity being questioned?

  “No. Not at all. It was childish gossip. I think the majority of staff think you’re doing a fantastic job.”

  And now the minority would have something to hang over her head at a later date.

  “My sex life is my business—”

  “I know,” he added with conviction.

  “Who I take to my room in my own time—”

  “I know, Savannah. I’m not judging you. That’s why I took care of it on my own.” There was comfort in his eyes and for the first time he wasn’t fidgeting. “I just wanted you to be aware of what happened so you don’t mistakenly contact her thinking she left because of the Grandiosity changeover.”

  She placed her fork beside her bowl, her appetite non-existent. “Thank you for letting me know.”

  She wasn’t sure what to do. If she addressed the entire Rydel Seattle team, people who weren’t previously exposed would now know the gossip. Yet she couldn’t let it go. She wouldn’t be manipulated or made fun of for having sex. It was the twenty-first century, for Christ’s sake.

  “I approve of how you handled the situation. I would’ve done the same.” She swallowed down the bile rising in her throat and squared her shoulders.

  He nodded and pushed out his chair.

  “Wait.” She pinned him with a look so scathing it gave herself goosebumps. “I don’t want to exacerbate the situation, but I’d appreciate if you could tell those involved that they’ll be out the door without a second thought if I hear any more news of this.”

  He inclined his head.

  “I’m not finished,” she seethed. “If I hear one word, even a whisper, or a laugh at my expense, I will make sure they pay. Not just with their jobs. I’ll take it further if I have to.”

  She pushed from the table before he could blink. She would not be fucked with. Not by Penny, not by Spencer, and definitely not by Rydel staff that she had lost sleep over trying to save.

  They were on their own. And now, so was she.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Spencer, you need to click on the specific parameters for the report I wrote in my instructions. Otherwise, it will automatically include all of them and print out a mass of unnecessary pages.” Savannah held the conference room phone to her ear in one hand and cradled her forehead in the other.

  “Quit with the tone. Your writing is far from legible.”

  “My writing isn’t the problem,” she grated. “Can’t you ask Rebecca to help you tomorrow?”

  It was already past seven and she hadn’t left the conference room for more than a toilet break all day.
She wasn’t even sure she could muster the enthusiasm to put one foot in front of the other in an effort to get to her room. The path through the lobby to the elevators seemed like a journey far too adventurous for her tired muscles, and the conference table, lined with plates and coffee mugs, was beginning to look like a suitable alternative to her bed.

  “Your assistant shouldn’t even have access to these reports, let alone be able to run them. This is classified information.”

  Savannah rolled her eyes. “Classified? Really?” She started massaging her forehead in an effort to steady her pulse. The gilded stick up Spencer’s ass was starting to test her anger management. “Look, all you have to do is go through the data input process slower. Read over each section. Make sure you place the right date, the right properties, and the individual income classifications. If you can’t get it right next time, I’ll do them myself tomorrow.”

  The tapping of a keyboard sounded through the phone, then a whimsical, almost taunting sigh. “No need. I was just messing with you. I already finished the reporting hours ago.”

  She straightened, her free hand falling helplessly to smack against the conference table. “Are you serious? You already have the report?”

  “Yes, my sweet. I figured it out on the first attempt. I just wanted an excuse to speak to you.”

  “You’re such a dick, Spencer.”

  Apart from waking with the memory of satisfying dreams, this had been a day spawned from the deepest pits of hell. She couldn’t even admit to herself that she’d hidden in the conference room all day, unable to meet the knowing looks from employees.

  She had sex.

  So what?

  She was allowed to bang the greater Seattle population if she wanted to. It was outside business hours. It was consensual. There were no animalistic slaughters or cult-like chants of any kind.

  She was a grown woman who considered the act of gossip deplorable. But the height of her annoyance stemmed from a dark place in her chest that she wished would go away.