Vote Then Read: Volume III

by Aleatha Romig

  At the foot of my bed.

  This bed.

  This t-shirt, the one I’m wearing right now, was the one he put on that night.

  My body aches so much, I’m sore. Any other time, I would slide out of my panties, and as keyed up as I am, I would be able to find a quick release. Tonight, though, I can’t do that because of the contest. Sure, I could do it anyway. There’s no way Noah could prove I had, but he knows me too well. If I lied, he’d be able to tell, and I want to win fair and square.

  I just hope I didn’t make a mistake with my prize. I don’t know what possessed me to write down what I did. Assuming I win, and I plan to, if he reads it and laughs, I’ll just tell him it was a goof.

  But maybe he won’t laugh.

  Maybe that’s worse. Because maybe, if he doesn’t laugh, he’ll be mad, or think I’m weirder than he already does. Or maybe, he’ll think it’s a good idea, and he’ll be up for it. If he is… well, then maybe I’ll be in even bigger trouble.

  Chapter 9

  The weather in Las Vegas is spectacular when we arrive. Elle has on a pair of snug black pants, and a long, flowy top in bright blue. The color makes her eyes look like they’re lit from within. When the daylight hits her face, they look like little circles of blue stained glass with the sun shining through them. We grab our bags and hop in a rideshare for the fifteen minute drive to The Venetian, the hotel that’s hosting the outdoor conference.

  As we wheel our bags into the expansive tiled lobby, Elle looks up at the painted panels on the domed ceiling and giggles. “Whoa! This place is amazing!” Her smile is wide and I’m insanely proud that I’ve been able to pull off being able to bring her here.

  As we walk toward the reception desk, her phone rings, and she looks down at it, furrowing her brow.

  “Hey, this is McMasters. I need to take it.”

  “Okay, no proble.,” I look around and there’s a short line at check-in. “Just stay here with our bags, take your call and I’ll get our room keys.”

  This works out to my advantage, actually, since it allows me to give the front desk my personal credit card for the extra nights without Elle seeing anything that raises her suspicion. When I walk back over, she has one arm across her chest, the other close against her body, still holding the phone. Her lips are drawn into a flat line, and her brow is furrowed.

  “Yep, I understand. No, thank you. I just appreciate the opportunity. Of course not. I definitely will. Okay, then, bye.” She hangs up.

  “Everything okay?” Her crestfallen expression when she hangs up the phone makes me want to pull her close and hug her.

  “Yeah, I..,” she looks up at me with those big eyes of hers. “I just got some news.” She shakes her head. “There’s something I haven’t told you.”

  “You’re scaring me, Elle. What’s going on?” I drop my briefcase onto the top of the rolling suitcase and cross my arms over my chest, feeling as if I might need to brace myself.

  “Nothing like that—just something I was keeping to myself until I knew one way or the other.” She closes her eyes, pushes out a short breath, and wrinkles her brow before meeting my eyes. Her shoulders are rolled forward, her posture stiff.

  “You know how there has been talk about replacing Murphy?”

  I nod. Murphy was the VP of product development. He had a minor heart attack last year and when he recovered, he decided to retire and spend more time with his family.

  “Well, I applied for the job.” She winces as she says it.

  “Elle, that’s…that’s great!” She usually tells me everything, but didn’t tell me this. I’m excited she went for a job she wants, but quickly realize her not telling me hurts a little. “But, why didn’t you tell me?”

  “It’s just…I didn’t think in a million years I’d get it. I didn’t, by the way. That was McMasters calling to tell me they have put that job on hold until next year, so I didn’t get the promotion.” She shakes her head a little.

  “Okay, but…I still don’t get it. Why not tell me you applied?”

  “Well, I mean…if I did, by some crazy chance, get the job, I was afraid things might change between us. We wouldn’t sit across the hall from each other anymore. Everything would change at work and if they changed at work…I don’t know.” She shrugs, hugging her arms tight around her as she meets my gaze with drawn brows, her lips pulled into a subtle frown.

  I move my hand to her shoulder and lean forward so my face is closer to hers.

  “Elle, whatever makes you happy, makes me happy. If you got that job, it would suck to not sit across from you and see your smile all day long, but the location of your office is the only thing that would change.” I smile at her. “You think I’d act differently just because you had a new job title? I’d be proud of you, happy for you, but you’d still be the same Elle, and I’d still be your same old Noah.” I wink at her, and her whole body relaxes.

  “Really?”

  “Of course! Nothing could ever change how I feel about you.” Her cheeks turn bright pink and seeing her blush absolutely kills me.

  “Well, I didn’t get it anyway.” She shrugs, picking up her briefcase and raising the handle on her suitcase.

  “Next time.” I smile.

  “Thanks, Noah.” She touches her fingertips to the outside of my arm and gives me the sweetest, most appreciative smile. “Should we go up and check out our room?”

  On the ride up to our floor, I try to decipher what her hesitance to tell me about applying for the VP job really meant. It seemed like she didn’t want things to change between us. That could mean, though, that she didn’t want to risk us having less time together. I’m still worried about how she might react when I tell her what I’d been thinking about the past few weeks. I’m still afraid she is going to say it would be a mistake.

  It isn’t a mistake. I love her and she loves me. We’re already a couple—she just can’t see it.

  “Did you bring your envelope like I asked?” I ask just before the elevator doors open, raising an eyebrow.

  “I did,” she stands up straight and glances at me from under her brows. “Did you bring your envelope?”

  “I did. So, are you still master of your domain?” I ask with a chuckle.

  “I am. How about you?” She challenges.

  “Of course! I told you—this will be an easy win. A slam dunk.” She shrugs.

  Suddenly, she looks off as if in deep thought, and her face falls a bit. Her posture becomes slack as if she is worried about something.

  “What’s wrong, Elle?” We step off the elevator and make our way slowly down the hall.

  “You said something before…that you were thinking of trying something different. What did you mean by that, Noah?” She blinks as she looks up at me. It hits me that she might think I’ve met someone. I hate the look of pain I see in her eyes, but at the same time, it makes me feel hopeful. Maybe it means she’s jealous, and if she’s jealous, maybe she wants me as much as I want her.

  “You know I haven’t dated anyone for a while, and the last few women I’ve gone out with were pretty casual. I just think…I dunno, Elle, maybe I’m getting to that point in my life where I want to start thinking about the future. Maybe I want to start thinking about something more permanent.” I shrug.

  “Oh,” she says in the smallest voice. “I can understand that, I guess.”

  “What’s wrong? You look unhappy.” I am stifling a smile because I can see that the idea bothers her. I don’t like her being in pain, but I do like the idea of her wanting me all to herself, if that’s what it means.

  “I just…,” she trails off and stares blankly ahead as we walk down the hallway. “I just think, if you had a serious girlfriend, or…whatever, things will change between us. I’ll miss being able to see you anytime I want. I’ll miss being able to come and go at your place whenever I feel like it. I’ve gotten spoiled with that over the last few months, I suppose.”

  “Your lease is up soon,” I remind her.
“Move in with me.”

  She cocks up one eyebrow and rolls her eyes. “Be serious, Noah.”

  I can’t help but smile. Since she broke up with the asshole, neither one of us had really gone on more than a couple of dates with anyone, and we’ve become even more inseparable than ever. I can’t really believe she hasn’t noticed that for herself.

  I stop and lean forward, using my thumb to smooth the little crease forming between her eyebrows.

  “I promise, Elle, you have nothing to worry about.” I smile and she smiles back, seeming at least a little reassured.

  We arrive at our room and I check the number and turn to Elle.

  “Close your eyes,” I tease.

  She looks at me, dipping one eyebrow and raising the other. When she sees my smile, though, she smiles too. She shrugs and agrees.

  Knowing that she couldn’t resist peeking if she didn’t cover them with her hands, she presses two fingers to each tightly shut eye.

  I use the keycard, open the door, and put my backpack just inside of it.

  As I look around the room I am genuinely relieved. It’s every bit as beautiful as it looked online. Propping the door open with my foot, I pull Elle forward by the elbows, her hands still pressed tightly against her eyes. I quickly grab our bags from the hallway, and as the door shuts behind us, I step around behind her and put my own hands over her eyes. She instinctively lets hers drop, trusting me to lead her.

  That’s it, Elle. Let me drive. Give up some of that control you love so much.

  “Step forward.” She takes a few tentative steps at my direction.

  “Ready?” I can feel her cheeks pressing up against my hands, and I know how wide her smile must be.

  “Yes! You’re killing me here, Noah,” she chuckles.

  “O-kay…open!” I drop my hands and she looks around at the massive suite.

  “Holy shit, Adler! When you said suite, I thought…well, I don’t know what I thought, but not this! This is freaking spectacular!”

  She walks from the two massive sofas that are facing each other, to the bar, and then over to the French doors, which she opens to reveal a huge balcony.

  “We can get about fifty people in here, at least. I think it will be perfect for the cocktail reception, don’t you?”

  “You’re not kidding. It’s perfect!” She walks back over to the far end of the room, and we check out the first bedroom. It has a massive California king-sized bed, with a fluffy white down comforter that is ringed with gold at the edge. The space is massive. The suite itself is bigger than either of our apartments.

  Elle looks at the bed, then looks at me mischievously, wriggling her eyebrows. She slides out of one shoe, then the other, then flashes a devilish grin. The look makes the muscles in my stomach tense up.

  “You know what I think we should do?” Her voice is low and suggestive.

  Well, I know what I think we should do.

  “What?” I broach my question tentatively.

  She takes a couple of steps backward, then runs forward and leaps onto the giant bed, bouncing as she lands in the center of it. She rolls around on the plush bedding, laughing. Her hair is becoming wildly disheveled, but she doesn’t care. I love seeing her let loose like this.

  “What are you waiting for?” She asks, leaning back on her elbows. “Come on! Join me.” She pats the space beside her.

  I kick off my loafers and, following her lead, leap into the bed where I bounce beside her, eliciting a giggle.

  “Pretty great, huh?” She flops back on the bed. I lean back next to her so we are lying side-by-side. “Thanks for this.” She reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Mine, by the way.”

  My heart beats faster as her tiny fingers clutch mine.

  What is she talking about?

  “Yours?”

  “Yeah, mine.” She chuckles. Then she rolls up onto her side and looks down at me. “The bedroom. This one’s mine.” She’s grinning at me, but there’s something fiery in her eyes that I desperately want to be more.

  “Right. The bedroom.” I give her a devilish grin of my own as I lean up on one arm and lean forward, putting my face closer to hers. “This will be a great place for you to lose our bet.”

  “Ha! I’m not going to lose. You’re going to lose.” She flops onto her back again, folding her hands across her belly.

  “Oh, you’re going to lose.” I reply smugly.

  “Never,” she says.

  I roll my body forward and when she retreats, I put my hands on either side of her on the bed and look down into those sapphire eyes of hers.

  “This is one of the most tempting places on the planet, Elle. I’m going to use it to my advantage. Suppose I book you tickets to one of those all-male shows? I saw a billboard for one on the way in. Watching a bunch of male strippers would crush your resolve. You’d never be able to go without after that.” I laugh.

  “Go ahead. It won’t bother me. Girls aren’t as visual as guys, you know.” She quirks her mouth up into a sassy little smirk.

  As I think about what she has just said, something hits me.

  “Hmm. Not visual.” I dip my head and move a little closer to her ear. “So, what does it for you, Elle?” I graze my fingers across the back of her arm with a feather-light touch. She shudders, and her breath quickens. “Or,” I move closer to her ear, “Is it words that turn you on? You like the dirty talk?”

  She gives a nervous chuckle. “All of it…with the right person.” Her chest heaves up and down with her words.

  “Is that right?” I whisper the words into her ear. “Good to know.”

  In a move that catches me by surprise, she pushes her palms into my chest, forcing me to roll onto my back. She Sits on my chest and holds my hands against the bed as she narrows her eyes, making her most determined attempt at an intimidating face and it’s fucking adorable.

  “I am still master of my domain, Noah. I am not going to lose.”

  Every fiber of my being is screaming out to touch her—to kiss her. I could tip my head forward and capture her lips, lick her neck, taste her skin like I’ve ached to so many times.

  “I told you, Ariel,” her lips purse when I use her full name and she juts out her bottom lip in a way that is equal parts adorable and sexy. “I’m going to win at any cost. When I said I want what’s in that envelope, I meant that I want what’s in that envelope more than anything ever.”

  There is a meet and greet event this evening for the event vendors to get to know each other.

  “Come on,” I flip her back over and grab at her ribs briefly, eliciting a squeal. I stand up off the bed and look at my watch. “Let’s get changed and go find some lunch before we have to be back this evening for the meet and greet.”

  Chapter 10

  After I finish packing, I stand in the sumptuous bathroom in which I could easily park a Fiat with room to spare. The charcoal sink is punctuated by gold fixtures. Massive pale gray tiles lead to a walk-in shower large enough to hold all five members of NSYNC and give them room to do at least minor choreography. As I finish my hair and makeup, my mind keeps turning over what Noah said before. He said he wants something more. He’s been acting much weirder than usual since I got back from Germany. I can’t help but worry that he might have met someone while I was gone—someone that’s making him think about getting serious.

  When I asked him about it, but he wasn’t forthcoming, so I didn’t press too hard. The thought makes my stomach churn. What we have now is the best. I love how Noah brings me coffee every morning, and that he folds his pizza in half before he eats it. Him screwing up his face while he’s thinking when we play Scrabble is the best thing ever. I love that we recite the same lines from our favorite movies and TV shows in unison. When he wraps those big, strong arms around me in a hug when I’ve had a hard day, or my heart has been broken, I feel completely safe and like I’m the center of his whole world. When I have his attention, he’s with me one hundred percent and I feel like the most im
portant person in the universe. When I think of him giving all that Noah goodness to someone else, my heart aches more than I can stand.

  I remind myself that, although the time could come—sooner rather than later, I fear—when I could lose him, that during this trip at least, I do have him all to myself.

  I briefly wonder what Noah’s reaction would be if I told him what I’ve realized. I vacillate between the idea he’d tell me he feels the same, and the thought that he would laugh wildly and tell me I’m ridiculous, so I try to shake the thought from my head. I check myself in the mirror one last time. I’m wearing one of Summit Apparel’s new, travel-friendly, wicking sundresses in a pretty pinkish-purple. It’s flouncy and girl, and I like that it accents my small frame. I take a deep breath, and head into the living room.

  Noah is standing beside the mini-bar, drinking some microbrew. My eyes travel from the upturned bottle at his lips down his body, taking him in. He’s wearing an outfit of Summit clothes too—a pair of our quick-dry cargo shorts, showing off his muscular legs. The t-shirt he has on is one from our new men’s line. It is a V-necked t-shirt in a soft, wicking cotton fabric. The light blue color accentuates his dark hair and blue eyes, and the fabric fits snug across his muscular chest.

  We’re a couple of walking Summit Apparel billboards, and holy fuck, he looks fantastic.

  He finishes the swig of beer and when he lowers the bottle his gaze slides down my body, and the way he’s looking at me makes my skin prickle. His eyes are soft when they meet mine and his lips pull up at the corners into the softest, sweetest grin. He stands there, smiling, holding my gaze for a long moment. I’d pay a million dollars to know what he’s thinking right now.

  Of course, I don’t have a million dollars any more than I have any clue what’s in my best friend’s head these days.

  “You look…really nice, Elle. Ready to go?”

  “I am. Is that one of the new wicking tees?” I wave my finger up and down as I point at his torso.

  “Yeah, the fabric is amazing. Have you tried one yet?”