by Sienna Grant
“Look how much is left, guys. It’s such a shame for it to go to waste.”
“We could take a doggy bag.”
“Spoken like a true Brit.”
I turned to Roman and shook my head. Draining the rest of my coffee, I looked at the time.
“Guys, we have to get ready to go. I need my bag and my Mac from upstairs. It’s seven fifteen now.”
Roman attracted the waitress’s attention again and asked for the bill, before pulling out his wallet.
“I’ll get this.” Covering his hand, I attempted to stop him.
“No, you won’t.”
Relaxing my hand on top of his, he allowed me to leave it there for a brief moment, before pulling it out of the way.
“My treat.” He added in a softer tone.
Once the waitress had given us the bill, he threw some notes down on the table and told her there was a tip in there for her. We all stood at the same time. I watched as Nikki pulled her bag onto her shoulder as her and Rhys headed into the lobby to wait for us, while Roman and I headed for the lifts.
As soon as the doors opened, we casually strolled in together but when the doors had shut, Roman wasted no time in turning back to me. Closing his hands around my face, he walked me back against the wall, planting his lips on mine in a hard kiss. Reaching out for something to hold on to, I grasped his forearms, while he plunged his tongue into my wanton mouth. He kissed me like he hadn’t done it in days. He was hungry and desperate, I tugged him closer, matching his desperation. The lift ride was way too short and as it came to a stop, we broke away reluctantly. I stepped out but twirled back around to see Roman leaning against the wall. He rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip, before licking them and slipping his hands into his front pockets, as he regarded me. A flush coated my body from the top of my head, right down to my toes. Our heated gazes didn’t shift until the doors had closed. Turning on my heel, I headed to my room and grabbed what I needed to, before going back down to the lobby and meeting the guys.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
As the camera flashed away, all I could think about was being with her. Stealing moments together wasn’t how I wanted it to be. I wanted to be able to shout from the rooftops, that she was my girl. How did the geek from school, become such a central part of my life? I’ve never felt ready to settle down before now, hence why my management said I needed promoting properly. To show me in a good light, instead of the bad one that always seemed to find me. How had she turned into the person I couldn’t let a day go by without thinking about?
I couldn’t do anything but watch her walk away last night. That didn’t mean I didn’t have the sudden urge to run after her as she left. I wanted to scoop her up in my arms and take her to my bed, not give a shit who knew about us. Then Rhys called me out on all my bullshit and made me spill the beans. All he did was laugh.
Fucker.
“You’re screwed mate.” he’d said.
He’d laughed and drank from his bottle of beer, then went on to remind me that after today, I may just hit the big time and what were we going to do then. I went to bed with more questions about us than answers, I knew as I faced the camera it would be even harder to keep us a secret.
Keeping my gaze fixed on Paisley, I let the photographer click away and do his job, because once this shoot was done, I needed to get changed and film a small promo clip. I threw everything I had into the shoot; I wanted this gig more than any other one. I forgot that Paisley was sitting there for a while and concentrated on my work, until the photographer told me they were done for now and I could take a break. While running my hand through my hair, I stifled a yawn with the other and took Paisley’s coffee from her, wrapping my lips around the rim and took a drink. The coffee hit the spot; my eyes rolled at the taste of caffeine at it seeped into my bloodstream. We hadn’t had much of a break since we got here.
I’d had a coffee in the restaurant and managed a quick one when the limo dropped us off here. Then I was whisked away into hair and makeup and never got the chance to finish it before I was thrust in front of the camera.
“Heyyy.” Paisley whined and planted her hands on her hips.
I cast my gaze around the room and saw Nikki talking to one of the promo guys. Knowing Paisley was still waiting for me to hand it back to her, I drained the contents and gave her the empty cup back. Twisting her lips to the side she tipped the cup…
“Well thanks for that, Mr Dean. I didn’t really want it.”
“Oh, good because it was going a bit cold.”
Turning my back on Nikki on the other side of the room, I faced Paisley and leaned forward.
“I love putting my lips where yours have been.” I whispered.
“Well Roman, mine have been around your dick, fancy trying that?”
A glint of wickedness sparked in her chocolate-coloured eyes.
“Why would I want to do it, when you can do a much better job?”
“Bad boy.” She muttered but I could hear the amusement in her tone. I continuously looked around us and made sure there was no attention on us. Until one of the camera crew came over.
“Mr Dean, we’re ready to start again.”
Nodding to the petite blonde, I told her I’d be there in a second.
“We’ll pick this back up later.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Hey, Pais, why don’t we hit Beverly Hills, while Roman finishes up here?” Nikki called out.
I threw Paisley a wink and headed back to carry on with the shoot. I caught sight of Nikki and Paisley leaving together, and I focused on being the star I knew I could be.
Once back at the hotel, I pulled out a shirt and some trousers and laid them flat on the bed before I showered and began to get ready for our meeting with the guys from Boss. First, I needed to see my girl. I was proud of myself for not throwing her over my shoulder like a caveman and showing everyone who she belonged to. I sat on the edge of the bed and sent a text to Paisley, asking her to come to my suite. The three bubbles began to bounce up and down almost instantly and her message came through to tell me she was on her way.
I felt a smile spread lazily across my face as I placed my phone on the table next to me. I put the door on the latch before lying down on my bed, with my hands behind my head. A few minutes later, a small knock sounded from the other side of the door.
“It’s open.” I called out.
I waited with bated breath as the door opened and her dark hair peered around the door. She looked around, until her eyes found mine, staring right back at her.
“Everything okay?” She asked, a crease sitting between her eyebrows and I tapped the mattress at the side of me.
“Come here.”
She walked across the room and perched on the edge of the bed to face me. I took her by the wrist and in a swift move, I pulled her down to me. Rolling over until she was beneath me, I pushed my fingers into her hair. I smothered her with kisses until I reached her lips and kissed her with everything I had. When we finally came up for air, we were breathless.
“Is everything alright?” She looked concerned as her brow furrowed.
I met her eyes and traced my finger over the frown on her brow.
“It’s perfect. I’m about to get the job of my dreams and I have the perfect woman. What else could I possibly need?”
“Is that a trick question?” A faint smile tugged at her lips.
“No, not at all, but I need you to know that once it all goes official things are going to change.”
“I know.”
Pulling up my arm, I rested my head on my hand and traced her face with my fingers.
“After tonight, we have a day of meetings and press conferences and signing contracts, seeing as you’re my public relations agent, do you have any advice?”
“Yeah, play to your audience… smile, be nice, and only answer questions regarding the job at hand. Anything else?”
“Yeah…” I gently pinched her chin between my finger and thum
b and brought her closer, “Kiss me. Let me make love to you right here, right now in this suite.”
“What about Nikki?”
“I don’t wanna make love to Nikki, although if you’re talking three… Argh.”
She hit me right in the middle of the chest, stopping me from going any further and narrowed her eyes at me. I coughed out a laugh, but she was not amused.
“Don’t say that word.” Lifting an eyebrow, she cocked her head, before going on. “I meant, what if she catches us.”
“Then she catches us… Please, Pais, don’t spoil the moment. Let’s make another memory right here, a new memory to replace all the bad ones.”
Her eyes shone, sparkling with need as a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. I slowly guided my hand down her body and pulled up her vest top. The silky touch of her skin set me off and my dick tented my boxers. I rolled back over, until I was covering the length of her body and ground my erection against her. She captured her bottom lip between her teeth, I pulled it from her mouth. I traced along it with my tongue, until a gasp left her lips, parting them, giving me the chance to slip inside. I let my tongue dance with hers. Briefly stopping me, she sat up to take her clothes off, followed by her underwear. Then she circled my neck with her arms and pulled me back down to meet her lips. Without a second thought, I parted her legs and once I’d pushed my boxers down and kicked them off, I was sliding inside her. I did exactly what I said I wanted to do, I made love to her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Roman was right.
The morning after the announcement that Roman Dean would be the new face of Hugo Boss everything went crazy. Media surrounded the hotel, hoping to get a look at Roman and maybe a few words from him, but they didn’t get anything. Rhys bundled Roman against him, got him out of the hotel and into the waiting car, and we followed close behind.
I advised him to say nothing if he came into contact with the media and to wait for the press conference. He did exactly as I told him to, though.
An agent met us as we walked through the doors of the convention centre. He shook Roman’s hand and moved across to me. I shook it firmly and introduced myself. He led us into the large open space to the table that was lined up at the front, waiting for us. The Hugo Boss Agent sat Roman between me and him and Nikki stood behind at the back of us and leaned against the wall.
I shuffled the papers in front of me, the journalists settled down and turned to face the front.
“Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. Just a quick thank you for joining us here this morning, I know it’s still early for some.” I smiled as I took in all the paper takeaway coffee cups. “So, as you’ve obviously heard, my client, Mr Dean had a very successful meeting and exchanged contracts yesterday to be the new face of Hugo Boss.”
Cameras clicked and flashes went off. I glanced down at Roman, he looked so hot in his black faded jeans and white t-shirt, the leather jacket he wore just added to his bad boy status and my mouth watered for him. Our gazes met briefly and a smile spread on his face. I was so proud to be doing this for him, this is where he should be, and I’d support that as much as I could.
“I’m just going to hand you over to Mr Trent, who’s the agent for Hugo Boss, he’ll go into a little more detail. Then, we’ll get underway with some questions. Thank you. Mr Trent…?”
I smiled at Mr Trent as he took over and I glanced at Roman with a subtle smile as I took my seat.
Once the press conference was well underway, Roman was polite, approachable and gave them that superstar smile he had, the same one he’d used on me more than once.
“Mr Dean, will you ever leave England and re-locate out here?” One of the journalists on the front row called out.
“Honestly, I have no idea right now, I’m just going to enjoy this opportunity I’ve been given for now and get to the big decisions in life later, although I’d love to one day.”
His charming attitude soon won over the journalists. I watched as he winked and flirted with his audience. He was in his element and this was the side of Roman that was untouchable. He was the master of his craft and I was in awe of him. Mr Trent pulled some copies of the contract out, passed a pen over to him and asked him to sign, so the journalists could get some pictures of them signing the contract. They stood up at the request of the photographers and had more pictures taken of them as they shook hands and passed over the contract.
Once the photos had been taken, I cut in.
“I think that’s it for today. Thank you for making the trip today, Mr Dean and myself, look forward to a long and prosperous future working with Hugo Boss and yourselves.” With a full smile I gathered my paperwork and turned to Roman before looking over his shoulder at Nikki who had the biggest smile on her face. She put up her thumbs discreetly and we made our way out of the room and back to the limo.
The paparazzi followed us all the way back to the hotel, when we arrived back, there were more waiting for us. Rhys stayed by his side as they jogged up the steps of the hotel and Nikki and I followed. Once we were inside, we headed up to Roman’s suite and took sanctuary there. I’d need to speak to the hotel staff and make sure none of the journalists got inside, I had first-hand experience, from when I was a journalist, just how persistent they could be. We decided that for the rest of stay Rhys would have to stay close to Roman just in case.
Over the next day we sneaked a few moments here and there, but Nikki was beginning to get suspicious, I could tell. Every time I left our room without her, she wanted to know where I was going. Whenever my phone pinged with a message she’d wait and watch for my reaction. When we were all together, Roman would sit a little closer to me, we laughed together more. I was comfortable around him and I loved that. Whenever I looked in the mirror my usually dull brown eyes sparkled a little more than the time before. I guessed she could see it in my eyes too, because I knew, in my heart, that Roman had found his way in there and I wasn’t sure I was ever going to be the same person again.
The night before we left, we went down to the bar for drinks. Nikki and the others had already gone down to grab us a table and get the drinks, I was staying behind for a shower, which also meant I could get an extra half hour in the morning before we needed to check out. Our flight was at ten a.m., so we needed to leave the hotel by seven. Once I was dressed in some leggings and a t-shirt, I grabbed my phone and key card and left for the lift. I didn’t wait long, the lift landed on my floor and the doors slid open. Roman stood against the back wall, relaxed. I stepped inside and smiled at him. The doors began to close behind me and he grabbed my fingers and tugged me to him and I fell against his chest. He pushed a hand into my hair and held me still as he looked into my eyes. “Fuck. I can’t wait to get back and spend some time with you. Without eagle eye around.”
“Me neither.” I chuckled and cocked my head.
He groaned and tightened his hand in my hair before planting his lips on mine. Tugging him closer with my fists in his t-shirt, he enveloped me in his arms. He released my lips for less than a second while he hit the button for the lobby. The lift started its descent, he pushed his tongue inside my mouth, I sucked on his greedy tongue and took everything he was giving me. It felt like it was lasting forever when in reality it was less than a few minutes. The lift pinged with each floor it passed. When it came to the lobby it slowed and Roman stopped his assault of my mouth and pulled away just as the doors open. I spun around with a smile to see Nikki. Her head tilted and she looked between us. My stomach rose into my throat, clogging my airways, I swallowed and nearly choked on my own saliva. “Nikki. Hey.”
“Where have you two been?” Her voice sounded suspicious, and I wasn’t sure she’d believe either of us if we told her we met in the lift.
“I had a shower.” I could feel my face beginning to heat with my excuse. It felt like a lie even though it wasn’t. She looked at us both again, narrowing her eyes. I knew she wanted to say something, but she held it back. I walked out of the lift and stepped
around her.
“So, drinks then?” I glanced back at them both before I carried on and walked ahead into the bar and sat next to Rhys. I picked up my glass downing half of my champagne before Roman, and Nikki had joined us.
This was getting too close for comfort.
Nikki and I moved around the suite grabbing our belongings and packed them away. I was tired and hadn’t had coffee, so I tried to keep the conversation limited. Wit was best because Nikki looked like she had something to ask me since stepped foot out of bed.
I heard the zip of her case and zipped up my own and sat on the bed. We all decided last night that we’d leave for the airport a little earlier than we had planned, hoping that we’d miss the paparazzi, they’d been hanging around like flies since the conference.
We met in the lobby of the hotel and Roman waited with coffee for each of us. I stood my case up on its wheels and made a beeline for him.
“You are a lifesaver. Thank you.” He pointed out which one was mine and smiled. I had to fight the urge to kiss him, not just for the coffee but because I knew something had changed in me.
“Guys,” Rhys called out as he came back into the lobby. I hadn’t even noticed Rhys wasn’t there when we came down, Roman took all my headspace. “The limo’s here and no sign of journalists yet so we need to be quick.”
After the constant glances and slight touches every chance he found, Roman opted to sit next to me on the plane. I ignored my own excitement and shrugged at Nikki when she narrowed her eyes at us.
“I need to talk to Pais, about how we’re going to handle things with the press, when we get back.”
Roman directed his excuse at Nikki. I didn’t think she completely bought it, though.