by Lexy Timms
There was a lazy smile on Abby’s face as I laid down next to her and pulled her into my chest.
“Will you stay with me tonight?” I asked.
“What happened to that confident man that simply told me what I was going to be doing?” she asked.
“There are many things I will tell you to do, but I will never tell you that you have to stay.”
I looked down at her and caught the beginnings of what I thought was adoration before the expression was wiped from behind her eyes.
“I’d love to stay,” she said. “Thank you for asking.”
Chapter 18
Abby
The warmth I felt as I woke up the next morning was unmistakable. My legs were throbbing with peaceful discontent, reminding me of the beautiful pounding they had taken the night before. My cheek was pressed into Colin’s rippling chest and his arm was threaded around my body, holding me close to him. For the first time since I’d met the man, it felt like he was protecting me. Harboring me away from the world and keeping me all to himself. My eyes scanned his luxurious hotel suite, and I giggled as I breathed in the slight scent of his musky cologne.
The hotel itself wasn’t luxurious, but it sure as hell was better than some of the winners we’d found ourselves in.
“Good morning.”
Colin’s husky morning voice hit my ears and draped over my body. It was like dark chocolate rumbling over warm hillside rocks, and I leaned up to kiss his dried morning lips. He turned his body into me and smiled, his hazy blue eyes heavy with sleep as my leg slipped between his.
My heart pounded in my chest as our fingers threaded together.
“Morning,” I said.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Much better than I did on the road, yes.”
“I blame it on the bed. This one’s nice,” he said.
“Funny, I was going to blame it on you.”
The playful smile slowly slipped from his cheeks as his eyes danced between mine. His hand came up, pushing a loose tendril of hair away from my face. His touch was warm as the morning sunlight cascaded through the blinds, illuminating his silhouette. He seemed to shine in moments like this. When work wasn’t knocking down his door and deadlines weren’t looming over his head. It was moments like this, when his mind seemed clear and his body seemed relaxed, that I saw the Colin he wished to be. The Colin that had gotten lost underneath the mound of paperwork and the endless stress of owning an internationally-renowned business.
“Maybe a little bit to do with you as well,” he said.
“Question,” I said.
“I’m sure I have an answer,” he said.
“Is this the point where I need to sneak back into my room? Just in case someone comes to find you for something today?”
“I don’t care who sees, Abby,” he said. “I’m just glad you’re here.”
His words thundered around the echoing chambers of my body as a smile slid across my cheeks.
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Not when my body was already soaring with delight from the night before.
“What I mean is—”
A resounding knock came at the door and I sighed. Colin closed his eyes and tried to block the sound out, but the knocks became louder and louder. Groaning, I watched as he slid his naked body out of bed before he went searching for his boxers. There would never be a moment where I would ever get enough of him. Of watching him and speaking with him and being around him, no matter how infuriating and stubborn he could be. The only thing he had done was slip from the confines of the bed, and somehow my being was already missing him.
I sat up in bed and pulled the covers up in front of my naked body as I watched him answer the door.
“What?” Colin asked.
“At least you’re up,” someone said as they stepped into the room. “We need you downstairs for a sound check. Also, Ted wants you to double-check your presentation file before he gives it to tech.”
“That sound check shouldn’t be for another hour,” Colin said.
“It’s already ten o’clock, sir.”
I didn’t recognize the man Colin was talking to. I’d never seen him before, but he obviously knew enough about the company to know who Ted was. I slowly slipped out of bed and started putting my clothes on, hoping the man wouldn’t notice me as he continued to talk with Colin. It was wonderful that Colin didn’t care who saw us, but the last thing I wanted was the entire company gossiping because of what one person saw.
But then, I saw the man’s eyes peer over Colin’s shoulder just as I was pulling my shirt over my head.
“And there you are, Abby. I’m glad I found you. They need you downstairs as well.”
I yanked the sports jersey down my body as Colin turned to look at me. He didn’t seem the least bit phased, but I was shaking in my shoes. This man had officially seen me putting my clothes on in Colin’s hotel suite. And if this man was a talker, we were in serious trouble.
Colin didn’t care, but I was a woman. A woman who was low on the totem pole in his company. Reputation was everything when it came to working up a ladder in this kind of company, and I was two very sensitive seconds away from destroying mine.
“Me?” I asked. “Why would sound check and tech prep need me?”
“The media’s sitting in on this one. The entire conference. They’ll be reporting in between the shuffling of speakers. You need to make sure the media has the right information on some things. You know, the sort of stuff that’ll give Murphy, Inc. good press.”
“You want me double-checking everything before they run it,” I said.
“That and many other things. You’re the only media professional formally P.R.ing this event from the company. You’ll be busy today,” the man said.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met,” I said, as I came out of Colin’s room.
“Abby, this is Rohan Batra. He’s the go-to between my secretary and Hadley.”
“I do recognize the name Mr. Batra,” I said, as I held out my hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”
“Likewise. Hadley speaks highly of your work, and she enjoyed the article you sent over to her last night. She made a few minor changes, but the quotes and the depth of the article? Timeless.”
“That’s very kind of her to say,” I said, grinning. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. It sounds like I have a bigger day to prepare for than I expected.”
“No worries. I’ll see you backstage in an hour,” Rohan said.
“Backstage?” I asked.
“The media’s gathering there for a briefing before they disperse. Required by the conference so things don’t get too hectic. It would be beneficial for you to be there,” Rohan said.
“Of course. I’ll be there,” I said.
Colin smiled at me before I slipped out of his room and headed for mine. I was two floors below him and my hands were shaking as I entered my room. The conversation wasn’t too painful, but I had just met my boss’s boss while half fucking naked in Colin Murphy’s damn hotel room. I groaned as I flopped down onto my bed, taking just a second to gather my thoughts before I put myself into work mode. I had to put the embarrassment out of my mind and pull it together for the day. The company was counting on me to field this correctly, and it sounded like nothing was going to be going through anyone.
I was on my own for the first time today and I could feel the flashbacks coming on.
Flashbacks of that botched article that ran on the front page of my last job. Flashbacks of being pulled into my boss’s office and having my ass handed to me. Flashbacks of being fired ten minutes later because of a stupid memo I forgot to write down with regard to the damn story.
I couldn’t screw this up. Colin’s reputation was on the line.
Pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes, I drew in a deep breath. It was time to focus and get this right. It was time to get ready and present myself with a
business-forward front. Colin and Murphy, Inc. were making headlines with what they were attempting to do, and there were likely to be just as many reporters there wanting to dish dirt him. Wanting to slash his name in the media. Maybe someone sent by that Beddingfield little fuck that got me fired the first time.
Time to be an adult again.
I cleaned myself up and pieced together a professional outfit before I grabbed my things and left. Forty five minutes later I was backstage, and I saw Rohan and Colin talking. People with cameras and microphones were gathered in the corner, their eyes like vultures as they mentally circled around the important people backstage. I already had people eyeing me because of the Murphy, Inc. ID tag draped around my neck, and I readied myself for the taking. The more I could field away from Colin, the more I would be able to manage.
This was what I was ready for.
This was what I had been born to do.
“There you are, Abby.”
I turned around and saw Maggie walking up to me before she embraced me tightly. I looked over and saw Colin grinning at me just before Ted walked up to him. I wrapped my arms around Maggie before the press briefing began, and the two of us listened so we would know every step the media was allowed to take.
But every once in a while, I caught Colin stealing a glance at me, and it would pull a smile from me in return.
“What the hell was that?” Maggie asked.
“What was what?”
“That dopey little smile?” she asked. “Who were you looking at?”
Maggie turned her head to survey the room and Colin whipped his attention back towards Ted.
“I thought I saw someone else I knew, but I don’t think it was them,” I said.
“Uh huh,” she said, as she eyed me closely. “Okay.”
The press briefing continued and I committed every single word to memory. I was going to be watching these people like a hawk, just to make sure they stayed in their lane. The last thing Colin needed after the stress he was under at work was being bombarded by press vultures, especially if they were after dirt or attempting to blindside him.
There was a pause in the briefing and I looked over at Colin, connecting my eyes with him before he winked at me.
I was sure of it this time. He definitely winked at me.
“Are you smiling at Colin?” Maggie asked.
“What? No. Why the hell would I do that?” I asked.
“Because he keeps looking over here, and I think you’re looking over at him.”
“I’m sure you’re just seeing things,” I said.
“Hardly. That man is eyeing you. Look.”
She nudged me and I looked back over at Colin, blushing as I did so.
“Oh boy, I know that blush,” Maggie said. “What’s going on between you two?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Nothing’s going on.”
“Those looks aren’t nothing. Come on, out with it. You can tell me. Shit like this always happens at the conferences.”
“Wait, it does?” I asked. “I mean—what shit?”
“You know. People discover one another at these conferences in their downtime. People from the L.A. headquarters meet up with people from the Minnesota headquarters and get to know one another all the time. You wouldn’t believe the stories Ted has told me,” she said.
“Ted tells you those types of things?” I asked.
“Ted tells me everything. The man’s lonely as hell and I love the juicy gossip.”
“I swear you are his wife,” I said, giggling.
“And I you and Colin have something brewing.”
“We do not. And if we did, I couldn’t risk it. I want to work my way up in this company. Not suck my way up,” I said.
“There isn’t a damn soul who would think that. If anything, they’d pat you on the back for finally breaking the hard shell of the man. He’s intolerable sometimes. He really needs to get laid, now that I think about it. You could help us all.”
I suppressed my grin as much as I could as Colin and Ted walked out onto the stage. They were grabbing a quick sound check and I was relieved we were no longer in each other’s peripheral. Our cover was about to be blown and the press meeting still wasn’t over yet. I’d missed a third of it because Maggie couldn’t keep her damn mouth shut.
“I’m gonna figure it out, you know,” she said.
“Figure out what?”
“What’s going on between you two,” she said.
“Maggie, there’s nothing going on,” I said. “I’m serious.”
“Uh huh. That’s what you say. It’s Valentine’s Day weekend. Anything can happen, you know.”
“We’re in the middle of a conference in Wichita, Kansas. How fucking romantic,” I said.
“Are there any other questions?” the briefer asked.
Shit, I’d missed the rest of the damn meeting because of Maggie and her snooping little nose.
“Good. Keep to your assigned places, and enjoy the conference,” the briefer said.
Then, like magnets, the media reporters all turned towards me as Maggie leaned into my ear with a grin creeping across her cheeks.
“Good luck,” she said, giggling.
And in a flash, Maggie left my side and I was faced with dozens of reporters heading for me to see how close they could get to the one and only Colin Murphy.
What I didn’t expect, however, was for them to stark questioning me on my relationship with Colin. And the panic that surged through my veins was stifling.
Chapter 19
Colin
The audience rose to their feet as I ended my final speech for the conference. It had been a wonderful time, and I couldn’t wait to take my seat next to Abby. There were two other people after me that had to wrap up their segments for the conference, and I was anxious to hear what they had to say. I made my way off stage and took off my microphone, then headed to the area where I knew Abby was going to be seated.
But my phone vibrating in my pocket caught my attention.
I pulled it out and saw I had what seemed like hundreds of notifications. Emails, phone calls, text messages and voicemails. Hadley was blowing up my phone and Rohan was trying to get in touch with me. All of these people knew I had been on stage, which meant that whatever the hell had happened was serious.
I opened up the string of text messages from Ted, however, and I saw why everyone was abuzz.
Fraternizing on the lower end of the totem pole? Really, Colin?
I ignored the rest of Ted’s messages and looked at the picture he had sent me. It was an image of Abby and I, clear as day and as crisp as my starched white shirts. It was of the two of us at the bar together last night, and my hand was clearly on her thigh. Abby was leaning into me to ask me something as her lips brushed dangerously against my ear, and the smile on my face told everyone everything they needed to know.
And I’d thrown Abby to the press sharks before this conference had started.
I checked the rest of my notifications and they were all about the same thing. Hadley was wondering how in the world she was going to spin me screwing around with one of her P.R. employees, Rohan was trying to figure out how to pull Abby out of the conference and get her home safely, and Ted was continuing to berate me for my poor choice of a ‘fuck buddy’.
I gritted my teeth at that term and shot him a quick text message.
Tell everyone to stand by. Right now, I have to go find Abby.
Right now, the only person that mattered to me was Abby. If I had hundreds of notifications on this, then it meant an outside source took this picture. Everyone on my end seemed shocked about the allegations of a secret office romance, which told me that the press had probably bombarded Abby with a ton of questions she hadn’t been ready for. Questions I should’ve fielded right alongside her instead of being of sound checking a damn microphone for some stupid speech.
I found Abby in the media room with most of the press, her form cornered in the room as they continued to thr
ow questions her way.
I pushed my way through, gently shoving people off to the side. Abby was standing there with her back straight, trying to field this the best way she could. By all accounts and by any pictures that surfaced of this moment, she looked strong. Her shoulders were rolled back and her posture was open. She stood tall and her face was stoic. Her eyes were shining and her presence was fierce. She was commanding the room the best way she could now that all eyes were on her.
But I could see the panic growing behind her dark brown eyes. I knew Abby, and I could tell that her stomach was rolling with anxiety.
Her eyes flickered back towards me as I pushed through the crowd, and the wave of people parting gave her just enough room to slip by.
I tried grabbing out for her arm, but she slipped from my grasp and strode from the room.
“Mr. Murphy, do you have any comment about your relationship with Miss Thompson?”
“Mr. Murphy, how did the two of you meet?”
“Mr. Murphy, is the distraction of this romance why your company has fallen behind on the European marketplace project?”
I didn’t care about any of their questions, though I should. I needed to listen to their questions and keep an ear out for their whispers. The reputation of my company and the pristine slope I was sledding down as I barreled towards the culmination of this project depended on it. But I was too worried about Abby to focus. I knew she was frazzled and I knew she had to endure more scrutiny than I did. For me to have a relationship go public was nothing. It was a businessman in a businessman’s world leading his life and doing what he wanted.
But for Abby, it was something entirely different.
For Abby, it meant the difference between being a professional businesswoman and someone who slept her way to the top.
This was why I hadn’t called her after Christmas, and I cursed myself for allowing my guard to drop. For allowing myself this time of pleasure instead of continuing to protect her.