Welcome to the Cameo Hotel

by K. I. Lynn

  “Oh, hi,” Brandon said, his hand sticking out for Gavin to shake.

  Gavin merely glared at the outstretched hand momentarily before ignoring Brandon altogether.

  “Baby, what time is the realtor meeting us?” he asked, his hand moving to my lower back as he guided me away from the desk. “What the fuck was that, Emma?” His eyes were slits as he looked at me. Shit, he was angry.

  “His girlfriend is Shannon,” I said, but received no reaction. “One of my front desk clerks.”

  “So?”

  “So? He’ll tell her he saw me! I need my job, Gavin.”

  His jaw tightened, and he mumbled something under his breath I couldn’t understand.

  “And besides, I don’t even really know where this is going.”

  His head snapped to look at me, and I could see hurt in his eyes as well as anger.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” I whispered.

  “Being my girlfriend isn’t enough? What do you need me to say? Are my actions not enough?”

  “I need something more, Gavin. Because most days I just feel like your girl on the side,” I admitted, tears stinging my eyes, threatening to fall. I didn’t want to be that to him. I wanted to be so much more. Even with the meaning of the necklace, I still didn’t feel secure in his want for me.

  “Oh, I am getting rid of that ridiculous notion right this moment,” he growled before taking a deep breath. “I’m falling in love with you, Emma, and I want you to move in with me when we finally decide on a place.”

  My jaw went slack as I stared up at him, speechless. His hand moved up to my face, the back of his fingers gliding down my cheek. His eyes bored into mine, and I knew the truth of his words.

  My arms flew up around his neck and pulled him down. I crashed my lips to his and he gave a startled sound, but it quickly faded. His hands wrapped around my body, drawing me closer, kissing deeper.

  “But, what’s so great about me?” I asked, still shocked that he really wanted me enough to move in with him.

  He shook his head. “You are what’s so great about you. I wouldn’t have you any other way, Emma.”

  Suddenly, an image popped into my head of cooking dinner, but instead of being by myself, there was a little girl on the floor banging on pots and pans. Gavin would come in and scoop the little girl up before kissing me. It was a beautiful dream I hoped one day would become our wonderful reality.

  It was only a few minutes later when the realtor arrived. The woman before us was so polished and put together that I felt strange being in the same space as her. My worn jeans, T-shirt, cardigan, and flats accentuated our age and status difference. I glanced over to Gavin and, of course, he seemed to match her, at least in aura.

  Elite. Even in jeans.

  “Diane, this is my girlfriend, Emma.”

  “Emma, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She held out her hand, and I slipped my hand in.

  “Nice to meet you.”

  She gave me a warm smile, then turned her attention back to Gavin. “Well, I’ve got a lot of houses lined up for you to look at today.”

  “I really hope the right one is in there, because I don’t want to do this again,” Gavin said with a grumble.

  “I assure you, Mr. Grayson, there is something in here. Maybe not to the level of features and upgrades you are looking for, but those are easily changed.”

  “Please tell me there are some single family homes in your list.”

  She gave a rueful smile. “Unfortunately, to stay close to downtown, that isn’t really an option. I found a few with a short commute for us to look at.”

  “Mostly condos, then?”

  She nodded. “Mostly.”

  Gavin’s lips formed a thin line.

  “City life not agreeing with you?” I asked. He’d come from New York, but had mentioned once that it was too congested. No room to breathe.

  “Everyone is on top of everyone,” he said as we stepped onto the elevator. “If it has to be a condo, I want some square footage.”

  I shrugged. “A condo is just a more expensive hotel.”

  “That we can modify and make our own.”

  “True.” I loved the way he said we.

  “This first place is 1,975 square feet with three bedrooms and three bathrooms,” Diane said as she unlocked the door.

  The second we stepped in, I was blinded. The lights bounced off nothing but white. White walls, flooring, furniture, cabinets, and even white decorations.

  “It’s so . . . white. Do you think they are allergic to color?”

  Gavin chuckled beside me. “It’s possible. What color would you paint this?”

  “Something light that is not white. Maybe gray or a robin’s egg blue.”

  We walked through, but I could tell pretty fast that Gavin wasn’t a fan. His expression was that maddening neutral.

  “It’s too small,” he said to Diane. “Especially for nearly three million.”

  The next place was nothing but a wall of brick and windows. It was hard to tell any of them apart. The ground floor was wall-to-wall hardwoods. Some rooms were modern, while some were in a classic style with intricately designed wood walls. It was big. Over three thousand square feet big. Lots of rooms and plenty of space.

  It felt like a home, and while it didn’t have a private backyard, it did have a large grassy common area with lots of trees behind it.

  “What do you think?” Gavin asked.

  “I really like it. It has that room to breathe.”

  He nodded in agreement, but I couldn’t quite read his thoughts. “It’s nice.”

  The next option on the list was just a few blocks away, another high-rise. It was nice, with one problem.

  “This kitchen is a cave,” I whispered. It was beautifully done and modern and clean, but there was absolutely no natural light or sight to anywhere else in the condo. A single, small doorway that I wondered how they even got the appliances in was the only opening. Not only that, the ceiling was a little bit lower than the rest of the condo, accentuating the cave-like feeling. “This is the kitchen of a nearly four million dollar condo?”

  “Diane, this is a no.”

  Half a dozen places later, we arrived at the last one of the day. It was an older townhome, which held some possibility until we got to the “back yard.” If that was what you could even call three ten-foot-tall brick walls around a brick patio.

  “This isn’t a patio. This is a brick box with the top open,” Gavin said as he walked out and straight back to the front door.

  Diane and I followed behind to the front where he stood looking up and down the street.

  “Everything is so . . . historic. Is there nothing newer?” he asked.

  “Babe, this is Boston, not Ohio.”

  “I know, but isn’t there at least a ten by ten patch of green in any of these places?”

  “We can always go farther out, Mr. Grayson,” Diane suggested. “In Newton and Needham there are some nice sized yards.”

  Gavin tilted his head back and heaved a sigh before looking at me. “What do you think?”

  “What’s important to you?”

  “You.”

  My heart skipped, and I smiled and leaned into him. “I meant in a home.”

  “Besides you being there? Room to breathe, some green, but I don’t want a long commute that will keep me away from you even longer.”

  “Then what about the Charles River home?” It was my favorite out of all of them. “It has a common green space between the buildings.”

  “It wasn’t my favorite home, but I did like that green space.”

  “Lots of space, and it also had that big rooftop deck,” I reminded him.

  “It was also one of the most expensive, and there is no covered parking when it snows,” he argued.

  “Actually, there is now an app for that,” Diane said as she pulled out her phone. “I’ve used it a few times myself. They come out and shovel the snow from around your car and clean it o
ff for you.”

  Wow, I’d lived in Boston for twelve years and never heard of that. I looked back to Gavin who was deep in thought. “There is always that twenty-fifth-story condo with the balcony.”

  “Which is the same price as the house and more than I really wanted to spend.” He groaned and turned to Diane. “What if we upped the budget?”

  “Wait, you just said—”

  “I’m willing to spend more to get what I want, I just don’t want to,” he said, cutting me off.

  “Still, in this area, there will be rooftop decks,” she said. “The Charles River house is a great location, a great size, and a great area.”

  He gave a nod. “I think I need to sleep on it.”

  “You have my number. Just let me know if you decide on one or if you want to look farther out.”

  “Thank you for your time,” he said as he held his hand out.

  We shook hands and said a final goodbye, then headed down to the car.

  “You didn’t like any of them?” I asked when we sat down.

  “It’s not that. There were a few I liked, and the Charles River home was one of them.”

  “It wasn’t too far over your top budget,” I said.

  “Two hundred thousand. That’s no small amount.” His jaw ticked, and I watched as his mood switched. “My money isn’t unlimited. You can’t just spend it like it’s never ending.”

  I pulled back, pressing against the door. My hackles were raised. “Why are you trying to fight? I never said anything about spending your money. I just meant when you’re talking about millions, what’s a few hundred thousand? I doubt Diane would have an issue negotiating a lower price.”

  His hand covered his eyes, his fingers pressing into his temple while his thumb dug into the other side. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I have to remind myself . . .”

  “That I want you for you?” More of the Gavin Grayson mystery. Whatever or whomever it was, money was evidently an issue.

  He nodded, sighing as he turned to me. “That was your favorite, wasn’t it?”

  I tried not to let it show, to smile, but I couldn’t help it. “It was so pretty, and looking out the back windows, it didn’t seem like it was in the heart of downtown. There’s always looking in other areas, like she suggested. Lots of single family homes, but it’s quite a commute.”

  He twined his fingers with mine and pulled them up to his lips, his demeanor back to normal. “I’ll have Diane write up an offer when we get back to your place.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “For us.”

  I crawled across the seat into his lap and wrapped my arms around him. “For us.”

  Never did I think when we met that I would one day live with him, but there we were, buying a house. Sure, we’d only been together a few months, but I’d never wanted anything more than to be with him.

  Two days later Gavin stood at my door, plastic bags in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.

  “What’s this all about?” I asked.

  A huge smile broke out on his face. “We have a house.”

  The smile that grew on my face was almost painful. I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his neck, which made him laugh.

  “We have a house!” I still couldn’t believe it. The house was huge and beautiful and so much more than I ever thought I would have.

  He chuckled as he kicked the door closed and continued to walk in with me wrapped around his shoulders, lips on his. I slid down when we got into the kitchen and began to inspect the bags.

  “What do you have for us this evening?”

  “I was in the mood for some Italian,” he said as he started pulling containers out.

  While I was thinking spaghetti with meatballs, Gavin pulled out chicken piccata and tortellini. It probably paired better with the wine than my idea. There was also some bread with an oil dip along with a large salad. Gavin popped open the wine and poured two glasses while I grabbed some dishes and silverware.

  We sat at my dining room table that—for possibly the first time—wasn’t covered with school work and papers. It had been many months since the last time it was empty.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask; when is your graduation ceremony?” he asked as he put some salad on a plate.

  “Tomorrow.”

  “You’re not going?”

  I shook my head. “I went to my undergrad, and that was enough for me. Besides, nobody would be there anyway.”

  “I would.”

  I stopped dishing out tortellini and looked at him. “You would?” He could make my heart melt with the simplest of gestures.

  He nodded. “Of course. At least I get to give you your graduation present.”

  “Another one?” I asked as I pointed to the necklace around my neck. I’d only taken it off to sleep.

  “That was my original.”

  I tore off a piece of bread. “I don’t need another.”

  “Fine. When is your birthday?”

  “July ninth.”

  “Perfect birthday gift, then.” He took a bite of the chicken with one of the tortellini. “In around forty-five days, which is pretty close to the day. I spent a pretty penny on it.”

  I shook my head. “That doesn’t surprise me.” Considering I was pretty certain the amount of money he’d spent on my few gifts was more than I made in a few months. Our dinner date alone had been in the hundreds.

  “A cool four hundred million pennies.”

  I blinked at him, finally understanding he meant the house. “Only?”

  “Well, technically three-hundred and ninety-one million.”

  “Good job, Diane!” I held my hand up for a high five. He laughed as he slapped my hand.

  “It comes complete with a man ready to serve you.” He gave a little wag of his eyebrows.

  I clapped my hands together, my expression wide and animated. “My very own pool boy?”

  “Feel free to use him sexually whenever you need him.” He winked at me.

  “Oh, I plan on it.”

  It really was the perfect birthday gift. My lease ended in August, and hopefully one of my coming interviews would result in a job offering. The quicker I was out, the better. Especially with the fast progression of our relationship.

  Moving in with Gavin after only a few months of a hidden relationship may have been a bit rash, but I couldn’t find any reason not to. I’d fallen hard and fast.

  “Is the asshole Mr. Grayson going to come out when we live together?” I asked. I knew how particular he was. Did he expect that level of perfection with me in our home?

  He shook his head. “In my job, I have to scrutinize everything. I used that as a way to get close to you, but it will be our home. Our place to relax and be ourselves.”

  “That sounds like paradise.”

  “Agreed.”

  We finished dinner and moved to the couch for a movie. Gavin was flipping through Netflix, and I was curled against his side.

  “Have you ever lived with someone before?” I asked as I looked up at him.

  His expression dropped, and the warmth seemed to ebb from him, making me instantly regret I’d asked.

  “Once.”

  “The one that didn’t end well?” He’d made mention of it in the past, and I had a feeling she was the reason he got money defensive when we were looking at houses.

  He nodded. “I suppose it’s best I told you that I’ve been married before.”

  The news stunned me, and I stared up at him. “Oh? For how long? What happened?”

  “Two years, and basically, she was a gold-digging whore.”

  Bingo. A lot of things began to make sense. “You didn’t want to be attracted to me, did you?”

  His eyes never left mine. “No.” He pulled me closer, forcing me to straddle his lap. “I was angry with you and myself for those first few days, but each time I saw you, a little chip fell off my shoulder until there were none left.”

  “I think you still have a chip on your
shoulder,” I said. It reared its ugly head more than once.

  “But not about you.”

  He reached out to touch my face. It was another one of those sweet gestures he did. His hand stopped momentarily before he spoke, “I have a charity auction to go to; will you accompany me? It’s themed. I’m going as Zeus. You could be my Juno.”

  I quirked my eyebrow at him. “Zeus cheated on Juno. A lot.”

  A small smile graced his lips. “True.”

  “We’d be better going as Hades and Persephone.”

  “I’m the devil now?” he asked indignantly.

  I nodded. “More believable than the leader of the gods. Just ask the people I work with.”

  “But I am a leader, and I feel like a god quite often. Besides, Persephone wasn’t exactly happy with Hades. I think you’re Aphrodite.”

  “Aphrodite? Me? Does that make you Ares or Hephaestus? If Hephaestus, she cheated on him and mostly with Ares. Though you do share similarities with the god of war.” I smirked up at him.

  “That I do.” He hummed as he tapped his fingers on my hip. “What about Athena? She was very wise, just like you.”

  “And a virgin. I think you know by now that I am no virgin.”

  “No, I have made certain no virgin holes are left on you,” he replied with a smirk. “Hmm, this is getting more and more complicated. I didn’t realize you were so well versed in Greek and Roman mythology.”

  I pointed to myself. “Slightly more intelligent than the average hotel clerk.”

  He pursed his lips, not happy with my comment. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

  I leaned in close, my lips barely an inch from his. “You can make it up to me.”

  His hands squeezed my hips and pulled me closer and down. “Yeah?”

  There was a playful smile on my lips as I slipped my arms around his shoulders. “If you’re up to it.”

  “With you, that is never an issue,” he said as he flexed his hips and pressed his lips to mine.

  One day we wouldn’t be crammed in my small apartment, but in our very own home.

  With my fourth interview in two weeks at a close, I walked out with a lighter step. Each interview was practice, and I was getting better and better at them. Every one was a stepping stone, a progression to my goal. I was very ready to be free to be with Gavin, not hiding like we had been forced to.