by Juniper Hart
I had no right to hope he would ask me to dinner, she thought, infuriated with herself. My mind should not have even gone there.
A small part of her wondered if she had agreed to accompany Will on the trip because she had hoped something would happen between them. A hot flush colored her cheeks as she realized she had not-so-secretly been fantasizing about a passionate affair with her older boss.
You’re acting like a child, she thought sullenly, but it didn’t change the fact that she was suddenly grumpy, the understanding that she had no chance with the man settling in like a slap to the face.
“Are you all right, Megan?” Will asked, and Megan put on a plastic smile, nodding enthusiastically.
“Of course!” she replied brightly, turning to peer out into the dusk-filled New York skyline.
Snap out of it, she ordered herself. You are in the coolest city in the world, all expenses paid. Just because your crush doesn’t like you does not mean you can’t still have some fun while you’re here.
Besides, there was no reason Will needed to see her acting so foolish.
Like it always did, Megan’s dark mood passed quickly, and after having a steamy shower, she reached for a towel and dried herself with it.
Her suite was beautiful, and it was hard to be upset in such surroundings.
You’re in New York, she reminded herself, grinning as she wrapped the towel around her slender body as her damp tresses dripped against her shoulders. And you’re here because you’re the best at what you do.
Sauntering toward the balcony, Megan opened the ornate door to step onto the terrace. Below her, the lights of Central Park illuminated the night while throngs of people walked by.
It was Megan’s first time in the Big Apple, and she refused to waste a minute of her precious free time sulking about.
First stop, the hotel bar, she decided, digging a little black number out of her luggage and slipping it over her long, firm frame.
She pulled a brush though her tresses as she dried it, fluffing it around her face. Megan needed little make up, but she applied some lipstick to accentuate her sweet mouth and a bit of mascara to pop her bright blue eyes.
When she stood back to examine herself in the full-length mirror, she pressed her lips together and nodded in appreciation.
Will Travis be damned, she thought. The night is mine to embrace.
He didn’t know what he was missing.
Confidently, Megan grabbed her hotel key and made her way toward the door, grabbing her purse as she passed the entranceway.
I’ll have dinner and a drink at the bar like some elusive stranger from out of town, she thought, grinning. I’ll pretend my name is Sasha and meet a tall, dark, and handsome stranger.
She sashayed into the Star Lounge and slipped onto a bar stool, smiling politely at the bartender.
“Do you have your ID, miss?” the woman asked, sizing up the pretty but fresh-faced blonde before her. Her nametag read “Jennifer.” There seemed to be a glimmer of suspicion in her green eyes as she waited for Megan to dig through her purse.
She’s a New Yorker, Megan thought wryly. They all look skeptical.
Still, she nodded and retrieved her Colorado driver’s licence.
“Okay, Megan,” Jennifer said loudly. “What will it be?”
Megan tried not to scowl, looking around to see if anyone heard. Why did she have to be so obnoxious about it?
A sprinkling of patrons were in earshot and Megan felt her shoulders sink in dejection. So much for being Sasha tonight, she thought, reconsidering room service and pay-per-view.
“A glass of pinot noir,” she sighed, placing her purse on the bar and spinning around to stare at the other customers.
I’m here now, she reasoned. I may as well enjoy myself if possible.
Most of the men eyed her appreciatively, and while Megan wasn’t genuinely interested in meeting anyone that night, it was nice to be noticed, to be the center of attention, if even for a little bit. If anything, it helped to alleviate the blow to her ego from Will earlier. As much as Megan tried to dismiss it, she could not deny that she was still harboring some resentment about it.
“Hey.”
She spun her head at the unexpected greeting and saw a young woman smile at her.
“Hey,” Megan replied, offering her a small smile.
“Can I sit here?”
Megan nodded, gesturing at the seat beside her.
“Sure,” she agreed, taking in the lovely brunette. Like Megan, she wore a stylish black dress and high heels. Her skin was a luminous olive, and her dark eyes seemed to glitter beneath long eyelashes.
“I’m Bree,” the woman said, extending a perfectly manicured palm.
“Megan.” They shook hands in greeting just as the bartender returned with Megan’s wine.
Bree turned her head slightly to survey the room.
“What’ll it be?” the woman behind the bar asked in a crisp tone. Megan glanced up at her in surprise.
Why is she being so hostile? She didn’t pursue the question, simply chalking it up to a big city personality.
“Vodka tonic,” Bree replied without turning around.
The server scowled at Megan and skulked off.
“Quiet night in here tonight,” Bree said, finally turning her dark head back toward Megan. “We’re going to have to make our own fun.”
Megan eyed her speculatively for a long moment, giggling.
“Maybe,” she replied.
Bree peered into her face. “You’re not from here, are you?” she asked, and Megan shook her head.
“No, just here on business,” she replied. “You?”
Bree smirked slightly. “Same.”
The bartender returned, depositing the drink in front of Bree.
“That’s twelve-fifty,” she demanded.
Bree and Megan blinked at her in unison. Jennifer had not asked Megan to pay her tab.
“I want to run a tab,” Bree said tightly, but the bartender shook her head.
“No tabs,” she replied flatly. “And if I get one whiff of trouble—”
“You know what? Screw your drink!” Bree snapped in brash voice. “If this is how you treat your customers, then I don’t want to be here anymore!” She rose from the bar, raising her head haughtily, and turned to Megan. “Come on, Megan. Let’s go some place where we’re treated like people.”
She stormed off as if she expected Megan to be on her heels.
Helplessly, Megan stared after her. Damn. She had not even had a chance to take a sip of her wine.
Leaning over, she drank as much from her wine as she could in one gulp and grinned apologetically at the irate employee.
“Sorry!” she cried. “Can you just put this on my suite? 1202? Travis?”
The bartender’s face contorted into a twisted look of confusion.
“You’re staying here at the hotel?” she asked, but Megan glanced back toward the door where Bree had wandered off.
She’s probably the best offer I’m going to get all night, she thought worriedly. I shouldn’t let her get away.
“Yes,” she answered. “And put that girl’s drink on my room, too. Thanks!”
Megan didn’t wait for a response, hurrying to catch up with Bree while all eyes followed her out the door. As she rounded the corner into the lobby, Bree laughed and grabbed her hand.
“There you are!” she chuckled. “Come on. I have an idea.”
Bree’s energy was infectious, and so Megan ran after the girl toward the exit of the hotel. For a fleeting moment, she felt like she was back at home, hanging out with her sorority sisters, and not in a big, lonely city.
“Where are we going?” Megan asked as Bree flagged down a cab, brushing aside a doorman with an annoyed flick of her hand.
“You’ll see,” Bree giggled as a yellow taxi appeared before them. “Get in.” She barked off an address to the driver and grinned at her new friend. “The Ritz sucks,” she said as the driver made its
way through the upper west side.
“Does it?” Megan asked in surprise. “I always thought it was one of the best hotels in the city.”
Bree scoffed. “That’s what they want you to think, what with its cool name and all,” she told Megan, “but where we’re going is much nicer.”
As the words left Bree’s lips, the cab driver steered his vehicle to the curb of Park Hyatt, and the brunette tossed him a couple bills before jumping from the car.
“Come on!” she exclaimed. “Wait until you see what they have here!”
Megan hurried to follow her, her heart thumping. For the first time since meeting Bree, she felt a spark of apprehension deep in her chest.
“What are we doing here?” she asked as she caught up with Bree through the revolving doors.
“You’ll see,” Bree laughed teasingly.
As they approached the elevators, Megan looked around nervously.
“Are you staying here?” she questioned. “If not, we shouldn’t be—”
“Are you always such a goody two-shoes?” Bree asked, eyeing her with reproach. “If you’re going to play in New York, honey, you better toughen up or you’ll never survive.”
Megan swallowed her nervousness. She’s right. I need to relax and have fun.
They exited the lift at the spa level and Bree grinned wickedly.
“What’s down here?” Megan asked.
“The pool,” Bree replied, slipping through the corridor and ushering Megan inside.
It was late, and there was no one around. Megan wasn’t even certain that the pool was open to the guests anymore, let alone open to two castaways.
“We can’t go swimming!” Megan protested. “I don’t have a bathing suit!”
“Really? You need a bathing suit to go swimming?” Bree demanded, her expression becoming exasperated. “You really are no fun at all.”
Suddenly, Will’s words flittered through Megan’s mind.
You need to enjoy your college years. You should be going to parties and meeting boys and…
Megan gulped back her nervousness. Will thinks I’m boring, and now this stranger thinks I’m boring, too. And she doesn’t even know me!
“I don’t need a bathing suit,” she said bravely. Bree had already disappeared into the changeroom, stripping off her clothes as she moved, and Megan strutted after her. Her new friend had a lovely figure, and Megan tried to ignore her mounting anxiety as she joined her.
“That’s the spirit!” Bree encouraged, eyeing Megan’s nearly perfect figure. “C’mon! Last one in the pool is buying drinks for the rest of the night!”
She ran off, throwing open the sauna-style door to rush toward the pool, Megan hot on her heels. They screamed, jumping into the water at the same time, and Bree playfully splashed Megan the minute she resurfaced.
The water was seeping into all of Megan’s crevices—she admitted to herself that she had never felt more liberated. She dove her blonde head beneath the surface, swimming her way toward the deep end of the pool before popping out at the wall.
“So how long you been working?” Bree asked, paddling toward her in almost childish strokes.
The question confused Megan as she tread the water, relishing the sensations as she moved.
“I mean, I guess I’ve always worked,” she said. “I started when I was sixteen, and I’ve just kept on going. I’ve been at this company for almost three years now.”
This time, it was Bree who looked confused. “What do you mean, company?” she asked.
Before the conversation could grow any more perplexing, though, the doors from the men’s locker room opened, and both girls turned at the same time.
“Oh, shit,” Bree muttered, watching two men from security come striding toward them, red-faced and furious. Megan didn’t dare move. She had known this was a bad idea, why had she let herself get carried away?
“How many times have I told you not to come back here?” the older man spat at Bree. “Get out of there right now! We called the police this time.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake, Billy, did you have to?” Bree snapped. “I can just give you a freebie like last time.”
Billy’s face turned crimson, and he glanced nervously at his co-worker, who pretended not to hear the veiled accusation. “Come on!” he yelled again. “Get out, both of you!”
“But…” Megan gasped. “We’re naked.”
The men snorted in unison.
“That didn’t seem to bother you when you were splashing around for the cameras, did it?” said the younger security guard. “Anyway, you sell it. Giving it away for free won’t kill you.”
“What?” Megan gaped. “I don’t sell it!”
But when Bree simply glared at the men, she suddenly understood his words, and she understood the weird question Bree had asked her before.
Her new friend was a prostitute.
Oh, my God…
“Find her a towel, Joe,” Billy snapped.
Megan had already pulled her tall frame onto the edge of the pool, and she stood shamelessly before them, her body dripping. At least it seemed like Billy would take some pity on her.
Reluctantly, Joe went to oblige, and Megan tried to gather her wits.
“There is no need to involve the police,” she said pleadingly. “We’ll go and we won’t come back, right, Bree?”
“Yeah, Billy, come on,” Bree said, batting her dark eyelashes, but the guard shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Too late,” he said firmly. “You were warned not to do this again, Bree. You left us no choice.”
Megan stared at them, her heart hammering as she thought about how much trouble she was in—not because of the minor misdemeanor charge she was facing, but because she was in a city she did not know, with no one she could call to come help her.
No one but Will Travis.
Will didn’t say a word to her as he led the way from the police station.
Megan could only hang her head in shame, pulling down her black dress, which suddenly seemed too short.
Bree’s a prostitute and she thought I was one, too, she thought, humiliation filling her face. I went skinny dipping in a five-star hotel and got arrested. I am currently being bailed out by my boss. I have never been more mortified in my life.
Once they stepped into the humid July air, Megan realized how terrible she must look after her unsolicited dip in the pool.
Your external appearance is the least of your worries, she told herself miserably. Megan wondered if she had ruined her future at Travis and Associates. All my hard work down the drain for a stupid dare. I have never felt so dumb in my life.
A town car was waiting for them, and Megan slipped inside under the driver’s curious stare. She was sure her face was almost completely red, and she was grateful for the darkness.
Will slipped inside and waited until the driver had closed the door, leaving them in silence.
“I paid your bail,” he said flatly. “You have to appear in a couple months. Don’t miss the date.”
Megan forced herself to look at him, and then she shook her head. “I won’t,” she swore. “I won’t.”
Will studied her face for a moment. “What were you thinking?” he asked.
Megan could sense no anger in his voice. He actually sounded… rather curious.
“I was just trying to get in touch with my wild side,” she muttered with a shrug of her shoulders, loathing how ridiculous the words sounded as they left her lips.
To her surprise, Will began to chuckle. “Did you know that woman has a rap sheet from here to Colorado?”
“No!” Megan exclaimed. “I don’t know her at all! I only met her tonight, and I… I just thought she was being nice.”
Will turned his body towards her. “Did you have a good time before you got caught?”
The question took Megan off guard, and she found herself staring into his eyes.
“Actually,” she answered, “yes, I did. I had neve
r gone skinny dipping before and, it was a pleasant experience. Until we got arrested, at least.”
Her boss’s dark eyes seemed to be glowing coals in the dim light of the passing streetlamps, but Megan could see something in their depth that she had never seen there before: desire.
“That’s very sexy,” Will told her, and shivers of pleasure instantly flooded through her body. He slipped across the seat and then he was at her side in one fluid movement, pushing her blonde waves away from her neck to press his lips to her skin. “Sexy like you, Meg.”
His voice was gruff, and Megan shivered as goosebumps prickled her arms.
“I have always wanted to know what you taste like,” he whispered, his mouth resting on the shell of her ear. “I knew it would be sweet.”
Megan didn’t even have the opportunity to be stunned by his confession as he pushed her back onto the leather seat, pouncing on her like a stealthy beast.
She closed her eyes as Will easily slipped her dress off her head, leaving her flesh bare for him to explore with minor obstruction. He was both rough and tender, his lips following his hands as they worked down her body.
Megan was reminded of the water flowing through her body as Will’s mouth became more heated. Her skin felt like it was on fire, and she slowly reached out to entwine her fingers through his hair, fearing that touching him would abolish the fantasy she was living.
Without warning, Will flipped her onto her stomach, crawling up her back, the tickle of his tie against her naked skin adding to her pleasure.
Megan gasped, gripping the soft seats beneath her as his breath heated her bare flesh, his fingers stripping away her garments with ease.
She moaned softly, a gush of warmth spreading through her and slipping between her throbbing lips as Will parted her cheeks, nuzzling into her center from behind. Using his thumb to manipulate her clit, he skillfully teased her with his tongue in long, wet strokes, coating every part of her middle.
The combination of his finger and hot mouth on her instantly created a heat that coursed through Megan’s entire body, and in seconds, she felt herself mounting toward a climax. Her hands curled deeply into the seat cushions, her nails piercing the shiny leather, but she couldn’t stop herself as she released over his wanting mouth.