I almost turned back when I saw them, then remembered my determination to stick it out despite any man. Logan met my eye, holding it as I crossed the room. My arms were crossed over my chest when I took my position on a mat near the back of the room. Logan’s eyes were still on me—he’d stopped talking to the woman, who’d wandered over to another student. For a moment, he just stared at me, and I forced myself to look away from him before I became mesmerized by his gaze.
I kept to myself, trying not to notice when Logan approached the woman again, reaching forward to touch her arm as they spoke. I took a deep breath, standing up and quickly leaving the room, unable to take it anymore. It seemed like he was doing it on purpose just to get under my skin. I hated how I was letting it happen, and I cursed myself as I walked away from the room, heading back to my own.
“Lilian,” came a voice from behind me, but I kept walking. Logan caught up to me then, walking beside me. “Why did you leave?”
“I suddenly didn’t feel very well,” I said to him.
He raised his eyebrows. “You didn’t like the way I was talking to Anna,” he said. It wasn’t a question, but a statement. An amused smile passed over his face, one I wanted to slap off.
“You were just being a pig,” I said to him. “Just to get on my nerves. All because I won’t sleep with you.”
“What?” he asked, stopping me by putting his hand on my arm. “Lilian, you told me to stay away from you. Or don’t you remember that?”
“You don’t have to rub it in my face,” I said. I knew that I was being ridiculous, that I’d no right to be upset right now. He hadn’t done anything wrong, and yet I felt a knot in my stomach that wouldn’t go away.
“If you want me, why won’t you let me have you?” he asked.
“Because I don’t want you. I must have banged my head pretty hard the other day. That was all it was.”
“Of course,” he said sarcastically. “And everything up to that point was what? Just friendly chatting?”
“Yes,” I said stiffly.
He laughed. “Okay, Lilian,” he said. He looked irritated then, no longer amused. “Please make up your mind. Or would you like me to devote myself to you while you continue to be cold and distant? Do you just want the attention?”
“I don’t want your attention,” I hissed, walking away from him, unable to speak anymore. He stayed where he was and looked after me until I disappeared into my room. I noticed that something was wrong the moment I got there—the door was unlocked, although I had sworn that I’d locked it before I’d left. I was paranoid after someone had written on my door.
I stepped into the room and gasped when I saw it was completely trashed. My clothes were all over the floor, ripped into pieces, and everything else had been tossed all over. I felt anger spread through me as I looked over the mess. All I could think about was Michael, how this was exactly the kind of thing he would do to get me back for rejecting him for another man. I gritted my teeth, turning around and leaving my room. I pounded on Michael’s door and when I answered it, I glared at him.
“Hey, Lily,” he said in that slimy voice of his.
“Listen, Michael,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. I wanted to tell him off rationally so that there would be no question as to my professionalism. I couldn’t afford to go off the hinges and embarrass the whole company at a national convention. But I had to say something. I wasn’t going to let myself get intimidated by any man. “I need you to leave me alone. I’m trying to be nice about it. I’m sorry that I’m not interested, but if you come into my room again—”
“I didn’t come into your room, Lily,” he said. “What are you talking about?”
I rolled my eyes. “Do not call me Lily. I know you were in my room. And I know you wrote on my door the other night. If you don’t stop…”
He grinned at me, and the look sent a shiver down my spine.
“Why are you always playing so hard to get, Lily?” he asked. “It’s sexy, but it gets a little old.”
I gaped at him, shocked by how oblivious he could be. I had no answer, no way to refute. I was speechless. I shook my head.
“You stay away from my room, Michael,” I said to him warningly. I could feel my voice shaking as he looked into my eyes, a malevolent look on his face. I walked away from him, past my room and down the hall. I didn’t think I could stand to be in there right now—I felt violated, completely disgusted knowing that Michael had put his hands on my things.
I ran into Marilyn on my way down the hall, and when I met her eye I smiled in relief.
“Hi,” I said to her.
“Hi,” she said, and I noticed that her voice was stiff and short. She wasn’t smiling at me, either, but giving me a cool look. I frowned at her.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. There was something almost like disgust on her face that I’d never seen there before, something that was obviously directed at me.
“Nothing,” she said, her nose up in the air. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just busy. See you around.”
She walked past me then and down the hallway without another word. I looked back at her, confused by her behavior. The last time I’d seen Marilyn was at the opening night party, and we’d had a good conversation once I’d managed to get rid of Michael. I was confused and upset, but I tried to shake it off as I went down to the front desk in the lobby.
A pleasant woman greeted me.
“What can I do for you?” she asked.
“I’d like a new room assignment if I can get one,” I said, hoping that it was possible. She frowned at me.
“I’m afraid our rooms are all booked up,” she said.
My heart sank.
“Are you sure?” I asked her, desperation showing through in my voice. “There’s nothing?”
“No, ma’am,” said the woman. “I’m really sorry—”
“It’s okay,” I said to her, but I was so frustrated that I was having trouble holding back tears. I looked away from her, trying to hide how upset I was, but I saw a look of sympathy pass over her face.
“The ghost isn’t real, miss,” she said gently. I looked at her, confused, raising one eyebrow.
“What?”
“The ghost,” she said. “The one that everybody talks about. If strange noises happen in your room, it’s just because the building’s old. You have no reason to be afraid.”
I stared at her for a moment, having trouble processing her words. Then I shook my head.
“No, it’s not that,” I said to her. “I’m, um, next door to a guy who won’t leave me alone.”
“Oh,” she said, a look of understanding passing over her features. “Well, I’m really sorry. I could talk to the boss—”
“Please,” I begged her. “Just ask if there’s anything. I’ll sleep in a storage closet at this point.”
“No need for that. We’ll figure something out,” she said. “Why don’t you go to your room and pack up your things and we’ll see what we can do. I’ll send somebody up as soon as I talk to the boss.”
“Okay,” I said gratefully. “Thank you.”
She nodded, then picked up the phone. I headed back to my room, not looking forward to going in there. If I had it my way, I would never go in there again. I sighed when I opened the door and saw my things littered everywhere. I started to pick them up one-by-one, grumbling when I saw that most of my clothes had been ripped to pieces. The only things that remained were what I was wearing—my exercise clothes—and a dress that I’d brought for the closing night gala. I shook my head, shoving everything in my suitcase. I would worry about the clothes situation later. For now, I needed to get out of this room as soon as possible, otherwise, I was going to lose my mind.
There was a knock on my door and I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that somebody had come to get me at last. I opened it and froze when I saw Logan standing on the other side. He met my eye, holding it, and a familiar warmth passed through me.
“What—what are you d
oing here?” I asked him.
“They sent me up to talk to you about switching rooms,” he said. “Can I come in?”
“Oh,” I said. “Um, sure.”
I let him past, breathing him in as he slipped through the door. He was massive, almost too big to walk straight through, and just remembering how his big body had felt against mine made desire flow through me.
“So we don’t have any other rooms available right now,” he said. “Except for one.”
“I’ll take it,” I said immediately.
He shook his head. “I don’t think you understand. It’s just one room in our suite. You’d have to share the suite with the person who already lives there.”
“Someone lives there permanently?” I asked. “Who?”
He ran his hand through his hair. “Uh, it’s my place, actually,” he said.
I stared at him. “What? You live here at the retreat?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I live on location.”
“So we’d be sharing a room?” I said. The thought sent a shiver through me.
“We’d have separate rooms,” he said. “Separate beds. There’s a living room and a kitchenette connecting us.”
“Like a little apartment.”
“Right.”
“But I’d have to live with you,” I said.
“Only for the next few days.”
I bit my lip, looking around the room. I really was desperate to get out of here, though the rational part of my mind was telling me to run far away from his offer. Being in a tight space with him—practically being his roommate for a few days—seemed like a terrible way to keep my distance.
“I’m not going to bother you if you come stay with me,” he said. “I’ll leave you alone.”
“I’ll come,” I said to him. I only had to think about it for a moment before I remembered what it had felt like to walk in to see my room ransacked. He looked relieved when I agreed, then stood up and picked up my bags. I followed him out of the room, glad to leave it behind. We took the elevator up to the top floor and he led me into a suite. I looked around to see that it was large and comfortable, much like the front room of the lodge downstairs. There was a fire burning in the fireplace and food on the table. I raised my eyebrows at him when I saw it.
“I figured you wouldn’t want to eat with the rest of them tonight,” he explained. “You can if you want to—”
“No, this is fine,” I said. It felt good just to be in the same room with him, though I could feel the tension that lingered between us from our last conversation. There was an awkward, thick silence before he cleared his throat.
“I’ll leave you alone,” he said. “Um, if you need me, I’ll be in my room.”
“You’re just going to make me eat by myself?”
“You—do you want me to stay, Lilian?”
I nodded. He smiled at me and took the seat across from me at the table.
“Why did you come get me tonight?” I asked him. “I thought you did construction.”
“There’s a snowstorm today,” he said. “It’s supposed to pass. But when we can’t work outside, I help out here.”
“Do you hate being cooped up?”
He smiled. “Yes. I do.”
“Too bad you’re stuck in here with me.”
“Too bad,” he said, a playful look in his eye. He paused for a moment. “Why did you want to switch rooms so bad?”
I took a deep breath. I didn’t want to tell him the truth but I knew I had to warn him. I had no idea if Michael’s torment would follow me upstairs or not. I had a feeling it wouldn’t with Logan around, but I didn’t want to underestimate Michael. I hadn’t thought he’d break into my room, either.
“It was the ghost,” I said to him.
He stared at me, then pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers.
“Jesus Christ, not you too,” he said. I couldn’t help but laugh at his exasperation. He was always so calm, always on his game, and when he was annoyed it was a little funny to see such a stoic man frustrated and undone.
“I’m just joking,” I said to him. “What’s up with that, anyway?”
He sighed. “The employees think there’s a curse on this place and that it’s haunted by the ghosts of the previous owners.”
“Really?” I asked, leaning into him. I loved ghost stories, tales of hauntings and curses. I had always loved those things ever since I was little, and hearing it about the hotel made it even more interesting in my mind.
“Yes,” he said. “They insist it’s true. It doesn’t matter what I tell them.”
“You don’t believe it?”
He gave me a dry look. “Of course not. It’s nonsense.”
“Has anything weird ever happened to you?” I asked him. I noticed that he glanced away for a moment before looking back at me.
“No,” he said simply, though for some reason I didn’t believe him. I decided not to press him on the details.
I had finished eating but found myself lingering there, unable to take my eyes off him.
“What are you thinking?” he asked me, studying my face.
“I should go to bed,” I said softly.
He stared at me, trying to read me with his eyes, figure out what was going on in my mind.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I said, though it was the last thing I wanted to do in that moment. I stood up and he did as well, his body close to mine. I looked up at his face and paused there, feeling the warmth of his body. I couldn’t help but look at his mouth, remembering how it had felt all over my skin. I felt my nipples grow hard and my pussy swollen and wet just being close to him.
“Lilian,” he said. “Do you want me to show you to your room, or mine?”
I didn’t answer him. The question raced through my mind over and over, my body fighting with my mind for what I wanted.
“Mine,” I said to him after a moment. He nodded and pointed to the room to the left of the kitchenette.
“There’s a bathroom in there too. I think I might be able to get you some clothes. There was another girl who lived in the suite next door who left all of her things behind.”
“Why did she do that?”
“She, uh—she disappeared,” he said, then waved it off. “I’ll show you the stuff in the morning.”
“Okay,” I said. The more I learned about the retreat, the stranger it got. I went into the room, which was larger than the one I’d had before, and was delighted when I went into the bathroom to find that there was a Jacuzzi tub. I climbed in, soaking in the warm water before I started to climb out. I realized then that there was no towel—no robe or anything. I sighed, frustrated, and called out to Logan.
He appeared in the doorway, peering in as I sat in the tub. My hands covered my breasts as I spoke to him.
“I need a towel,” I said.
He didn’t move, but stood there, staring over my body. “Why are you covering yourself?” he asked, amused. I blushed but didn’t answer, captivated by the way he was looking at me. “Put your hands down,” he said, his voice a soft command.
“No,” I said to him. He stared at me for a moment and I trembled, then slowly lowered my hands, revealing my swollen and heavy breasts. My nipples were hard and flushed pink, dying to be touched by him.
“Touch your nipples,” he said.
“What?” I asked, feeling my pussy gush for some reason when he said the words.
“I want to watch you touch yourself. You love having your nipples played with. Please.”
I flushed a deep red, sitting in the tub, half-tempted to sink down into the water. Instead, I found myself doing as he asked, tracing my nipples with the tips of my fingers.
“Good,” he said softly. “Beautiful. Keep going.”
I closed my eyes, pinching my nipples between my fingers, rubbing them as the pleasure swept through my body. My thighs were rubbing together in the tub as I performed for him, losing any sense of shame.
“Ca
n you come like that?” he asked. “Just from that?”
“Yes,” I said to him. I was on the verge already. It wasn’t something that had ever happened before, yet my pussy was so hot and so sensitive that even the slightest movement of my thighs rubbing together sent pleasure through my clit. I opened my eyes to see a fierce look on his face, the desire to come closer.
“Make yourself come,” he said. “You can touch your pussy if you want.”
But I didn’t. I continued to toy with my nipples, letting my pleasure build and build. My orgasm crashed over me in a surprise wave that made me shudder in the water, my body trembling with my orgasm. I kept my eyes closed as I caught my breath, and when I opened them, Logan wasn’t there. He had hung the towel up and disappeared, and I waited for a moment before I realized he wasn’t coming back. Shame washed over me as I crawled out of the tub, wrapping the towel around my body.
8
Logan
A few moments after I left Lily’s room, there was a furious knock on my door. I answered it to see her standing there, her hands on her hips, robe hanging open as she glared at me. I had to grin at her, how fucking sexy she looked with her hair dripping. I could see the inner curves of her breasts where her robe was parted, and somehow that was just as sexy as seeing them bare.
“Hi,” I said to her.
Lilian slapped me hard across the face, completely catching me off-guard. I didn’t stumble back, but I was surprised, and the place where she’d hit me was stinging.
“What—”
“I’m not a stripper,” she said. “I’m not—I’m not a sex toy.”
“I know that.”
“So you can’t just come in and make me perform like a monkey and then leave,” she said, and I felt guilt wash over me. I hadn’t thought of it that way, had only thought that I had to get away from her because I couldn’t resist the urge to touch her anymore.
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