Heading to the bathroom to shower, Emma noticed a pool of water seeping out from under the closed door. As she slowly pushed it open she took in the flooded room. Adie. That little girl just attracted mischief. It looked like an entire roll of toilet paper had been stuffed down the bowl and the lavatory had been flushed. If Emma hadn’t had so much fun already that weekend she would have been mad. Thinking back to how stinking cute Adie had been made the task of extracting the blockage and mopping the floor much less arduous.
Eventually, she showered and changed, rinsing off the kiddy grime she attracted overnight. Grabbing another coffee, the excitement of the sleepover was forgotten as she opened the laptop again. She spent the rest of the weekend to tackle the mountain of paperwork she had to clear to allow for the Vegas trip on Tuesday. It was well past midnight when she finally gave in. After losing track of time she went to bed having gone another day without eating. It was about time she started to look after herself, she admitted silently. Sleep came almost instantly as her weary head hit the pillow.
Chapter Eight
Monday flew by in a blur of meetings, phone calls, and copious note taking by Jennie. She had been fed a constant supply of coffee but again had not been given a chance to eat. By nine pm Emma was starving and heading home by cab making a mental list of the things she needed to do before the morning. Jennie had told her that a car would be by at seven am to collect her and drive her to the airport to meet the private jet that Bruce had arranged. All she would need really would be to pack a few key pieces in her carry-on suit bag and the couple of files she had to review by Friday.
As the driver was about to cross the intersection opposite M’s Place, she faltered and noticed they were still open. Knocking on the dividing window, she asked him to loop back. She decided to grab one last treat before she headed out for the week. She had an addiction to those things and even the thought of not having a pumpkin latte for three whole days was enough to set her into a spin.
As the cab pulled to the curb she handed the driver his fare and a nice tip and headed straight to the counter. She was slightly sorry to see that tonight she was too late to see George and ask him about the mystery delivery. She quickly grabbed a hot drink and a club sandwich and headed home.
Packing for the trip took all of about an hour and by the time she had showered and dried her hair, it was time to head to bed. Walking through the apartment she began to mentally organize what she hoped to get out of the trip. Bill, her boss, had just told her to “Go get ‘em!” which was a lot of use but she sensed he was confident she knew what to do and who to schmooze. Bill was as enthusiastic at her simply going along to entertaining Bruce and his father and keeping them happy. They were her department’s biggest source of work. She was nervous of having to spend so much time in Bruce’s company. On the other hand, he would also serve as a friendly face. He was more experienced at attending conferences of this scale. She felt sure that despite her reservations about him, he would be the perfect person to show her around and make introductions. She was also pretty pleased to hear from Jennie that several people had already been enquiring as to whether she would be attending.
As she laid back into her large, soft bed, her mind then drifted to Bruce. She knew him well enough to know he would be the perfect gent during the day and would bring a lot of potential clients to her. She was slightly worried about how to handle him when they had some downtime. He had been a touch over-familiar with her of late; although he had never put her in a position to ever make her feel uncomfortable in his company. He was the epitome of a perfect gentleman in his actions and words whenever she had been in his presence. But she still felt that there was something off with him and it still concerned her. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but one thing that had concerned her was that she had been the only woman he had been seen out with in a long time. She knew nothing was going on but he never suggested anything to the contrary, even to the press who had them pegged years ago as a couple.
The conference ran from Tuesday through Friday, and it was likely that she would be able to grab a few hours here and there especially at night where there would be time to relax. She had never been to Las Vegas before and was excited to see the place, but she knew it wasn’t somewhere that she would feel happy exploring alone. She had to be careful to keep Bruce at arms’ length. She vowed to stress to him how important it was that their working relationship came first if things got out of hand. It was a perfect excuse yet she hoped not to have to use it. Besides she knew from speaking with Bill that, although the firm had no strict non-fraternizing with client’s policy, it was something that they didn’t look upon favorably. Especially in the case of the lawyer-client relationship between Bruce and Emma, which had become pretty pivotal, owing to the amount of work Bruce’s father brought into the firm.
She would have to remain clearheaded and focused for the entire trip, and much as she would have loved to kick back her heels and relax, she knew this wasn’t on the agenda.
All too soon, the alarm was blaring and Emma reluctantly dragged herself out of bed to the bathroom. After washing and securing her long dark hair into a stylish topknot, she applied light makeup and put on her comfy black slacks and a light pink sleeveless blouse. She put on her casual summer jacket and grabbed her favorite chiffon scarf and wrapped it around her neck then popping on her over large sunglasses to finish the outfit. She had decided to take her large black leather purse. It could double as a briefcase for the conference as well as being suitable enough to just carry her belongings. Double-checking she had her passport and plenty of cash, she went about straightening up the room around her.
When the buzzer to her apartment rang right on seven am she grabbed her bags and a travel mug full of coffee and headed down to the first floor. As the elevator arrived, a very casual looking Bruce was waiting in the lobby and he immediately stepped in to take her flight bag and greet her.
“Morning, Emma, you are looking lovely as ever,” he greeted her, and she noticed him giving her an admiring once over as she walked past him to the lobby door. “This way please, m’lady, your carriage awaits!” He swept his arm in the general direction of the town car limo parked at the curbside.
“Morning, Bruce, you’re extremely happy, considering the early morning hour.” She grumbled, taking a huge gulp of her coffee. “It has everything to do with the sparkling company I have for the next few days, if truth be known. And you really aren’t a morning person, are you, Emma?” He replied cheerfully.
She smiled slightly at his remark and took another much-needed gulp before replying, “Give the caffeine a chance to kick in and I’ll feel better. It’s a business trip Bruce, I doubt I will have much time to sparkle between the serious stuff.”
“Oh, well, that is where you are wrong, Miss McKellan, I have tickets for the first two days of the conference, then we have a day free to explore before the jet is booked to fly us home,” he explained as the driver closed the door behind them and set off for the airport. “Plus, I have a treat or two up my sleeve for you to chase away those lonely evenings when we are there, on company expenses of course.” He winked.
Her heart dropped when she saw the cheerfulness radiating from his face and knew that it wouldn’t be a good idea to spend a lot of alone time with him. “Really, Bruce, that’s a nice thought, but I have brought some work to keep me occupied during the evenings. Besides, I am sure you and your father have better things to do than babysit a lawyer on your trip to Vegas,” she countered, trying to dodge the suggestion she thought was headed her way. Thank goodness Bruce’s father would be there to act as a chaperone and to generally control his son thus helping Emma to avoid any embarrassing scenarios.
“Oh, Emma, I’m sorry I forgot to mention, my father can’t make it anymore. He apologizes but he was asked at the last minute to guest lecturer at another conference in London and is probably halfway across the Atlantic, as we speak. I’m sorry I didn’t mention it sooner.”
She sighed inwardly wishing he had mentioned something earlier and muttered, “Oh, great…”
He winked at her again across the limo and cocked his mouth up in a half grin, looking pretty pleased with himself. Desperate to steer the conversation into a different direction, Emma made sure they spent the rest of the journey to the airport talking about more neutral work issues.
Reaching the airport, the limo headed through the private entrance and the two of them were ushered through a private security lounge and directly onto the tarmac. A large, white and blue jet was waiting for them. There were a set of stairs to the front of the plane and a gorgeous, petite blonde cabin hostess was at the top ready to greet them. Emma noticed that Bruce never gave the stunning hostess a second glance, despite the fact she was obviously checking him out.
As Emma sat in a large leather chair opposite Bruce, the hostess handed her another coffee and a tray of delicious-looking pastries. She took another good look in Bruce’s direction before heading back to the galley. Emma took a moment to take him in. Bruce was frowning deeply as he concentrated on typing a message out on his cell phone. He was sporting a pair of black tight fit denim jeans and a white t-shirt that stretched tight across his lean and surprisingly defined chest. He had a light cotton sweater slung over his shoulders. His dark hair was messy, as if he’d just jumped from the shower and dried it off without a thought. Even Emma had to admit that she found him good-looking as she took him in. He definitely had the looks to be a model.
It made her wonder why he never seemed to have a significant other or why he attended a lot of the work functions with her in tow, rather than some stunning piece of arm candy. She knew he was single and that he rarely dated but asking him why was going to be difficult. Especially with the promise she had made to herself to keep this trip strictly professional. Catching her unaware, Bruce looked up and caught her blatantly checking him out. “Liking something you see, Miss McKellan?” He chuckled, evidently amused at her discomfort and he was watching with a grin on his face as she turned beetroot red.
“Erm, no, sorry, I just, erm, I’ve just never seen you wearing anything other than a suit,” she blurted, cursing herself for the stupidity of getting caught. Quickly glancing away and grabbing a random pastry and her coffee, she watched out of the cabin window to her side as the plane taxied down the runway. After a swift safety briefing and announcement from the flight deck, they were lifting off and on their way to Las Vegas.
Once the plane had reached its cruising altitude and it was safe to walk around, Emma nestled herself away from Bruce in the far corner of the luxurious cabin. The cabin hostess served a light meal as the flight continued in an awkward silence. She managed to whip through the entire batch of paperwork she had brought to review during the reasonably long flight. She had noticed that after the earlier embarrassment Bruce seemed preoccupied with his cell. He had spent a lot of the flight either scowling at it or simply gazing out of the cabin window with an absorbed look on his face.
Chapter Nine
The limo transfer from the airport to the hotel took little over fifteen minutes with the lighter mid-morning traffic of Las Vegas. Bruce headed off to check in and Emma took in the stunning sight of the opulent lobby in the Mandalay Bay. The polished floors coupled with the ornate plasterwork pillars and the intricate cornices made for quite a breathtaking sight to a Las Vegas virgin like Emma. Aside from the work aspect, she was slightly excited to be out of New York for the first time in a long while. Other than her infrequent and very short trips back home to see her parents, she rarely went further than the office. Once they had checked in, she was considering hiring a cab to take her down the strip for a look at the promised bustle of Las Vegas. She soon discovered, however, that Bruce had other ideas.
“So, it appears that they have overbooked the suites in the hotel this week with it being the conference week. Do you have any objections to sharing a two bedroom suite?” he asked her quickly as he handed their bags to the bellhop and headed to the elevator. “We need to go drop our bags off in the rooms and then I’m taking you for a tour of the city. A little someone told me it’s your first time to Vegas so I’m going to show you the sights,” he said as he grinned roguishly. Emma was a little annoyed at his assumption. Before she had a chance to say that she didn’t mind simply booking into a standard room on her own, she had been ushered into the elevator and was heading up toward the suite.
After tipping the bellhop, Bruce led her into the suite that on first impressions was more like a small apartment than a hotel room. As he strode confidently into the huge entrance area, he spoke to her dismissively, “Go ahead, have a good look around and familiarize yourself with our home for the next few days. Oh, and please go ahead and pick your room. I’m not fussy about where I sleep, so ladies first.”
“Seriously, Bruce, I am fine with a standard room downstairs. I’ll head back down to the lobby and I will be able to charge one back to the company if I explain.” She finished speaking and turned to walk towards the door without even looking any further at the suite they were in. A hesitant hand shot out and grabbed her by the arm.
“No, Emma, please stay here. There’s plenty of room for both of us to be comfortable without it being awkward. I’m sorry things haven’t turned out as I’d planned but this is far too big for me to rattle around on my own now my father has backed out on me. Besides, I don’t want to be drinking through that complimentary bar all on my own,” he joked. “Come, let’s have a look around together and if you still feel the same after you’ve seen the facilities then I insist on taking the standard room and you can have this. How’s that for an idea?” Gently taking her by the elbow and steering her around the vast space she realized that it wouldn’t be too hard to share the space.
The first thing that hit her was the delightfully modern living space they were in. It was open plan with a large sofa area complete with huge flat screen television and entertainment area. A conference-style table was placed to the right of the living area, but the most stunning feature was the entire backdrop of the suite. It was a floor to ceiling window, boasting a fantastic vista of the whole of the Las Vegas strip. They were thirty floors up in the main section of the hotel and she was rendered speechless at the view.
The bedrooms were situated at either end of the long suite, leaving the vast common area between the two more private spaces. When they entered the cavernous rooms, she saw they both faced out in the same direction as the main space. They each featured floor to ceiling windows with equally breathtaking views. Both came with a fully equipped private bathroom, decked out in marble and chrome. The one thing that caught her attention the most though was the huge soaking tub. She noted that the bedrooms alone were the size of her first New York apartment that she had shared with Lily. Taking her opportunity to break the tension that had been evident since she had been caught checking him out she said, “Okay, okay, I’ll stay, but you take the larger room, Bruce, I insist.” And at that they both fell about laughing.
“Okay, Miss McKellan, that’s a deal! And I don’t know about you, but I need food. So can you be ready in about thirty minutes and I’ll give you the Bruce’s special Las Vegas tour?” He dramatically rubbed his stomach as he spoke.
“Yes, that sounds good, actually. I’m starving. Let me go freshen up and meet you back here in thirty.” He nodded in agreement as she grabbed her bag and claimed the nearest bedroom. She smiled slightly and relief flowed over her as the earlier tension had been broken.
There wasn’t going to be time for Emma to try out the bath before she had to meet Bruce, so she undressed and stepped into the huge shower cubicle. The cool jets felt heavenly on her warm skin and in no time she was showered, and she threw on a light cotton summer dress with her pumps and she stepped out into the main living area to a freshly showered Bruce, who was already making good use of the minibar.
“Emma, I don’t know what your poison is, but I took the liberty of making you a Gin and Tonic?” he
handed her a tumbler and she sipped it gratefully.
“Thanks, Bruce, that’s perfect. So, what have you got planned for this afternoon then?”
“Well, first off, we’re heading to Caesars Palace. They have a Cheesecake Factory and I am in need of cheesecake!” He grinned like a kid at Christmas.
“Cheesecake? Seriously, Bruce? Cheesecake? I’m not complaining but I didn’t take you as a cheesy kind of guy!” Emma giggled and took another sip of the nice cool drink.
“They do other food, too,” he countered, playfully. “Besides, I love the shopping in there. And wait until you see the shopping mall. It’s like a real street and they alter the weather and lighting so turns to night time inside twice a day.” He sounded more excited by the second and she was amused to see such a different side to the often cool, yet flirty Bruce she thought she knew.
“Okay, Bruce, lead the way. Do you fancy trying your luck at the casinos later?” she suggested.
“Oh, Emma, I have something far better to do tonight than gambling. It isn’t really my thing because the only sure thing is that I always lose. Trust me when I say, you are going to love what I have planned, though. But I am sure we can hit the slots and the tables tomorrow to wind down after schmoozing those stuffed shirts at the expo, if you like?” he suggested. She was a bit nervous, though, at how he seemed to have everything a little too meticulously planned.
Steeling My Haart Page 6