Play Maker (11 page)

I
told
myself the bath would be a quick one. That I’d just drop in a few scoops of the bath salts and soak for a minute or so. James had looked so cute making up all that stuff about room service and testing out the bath. But I couldn’t linger After all, this wasn’t my room. This wasn’t how I did things. After all, I worked here. Using the rooms for one night stands were one thing, but acting like I was a guest was another. This was the kind of place I would never be able to afford if I went on vacation – something else I never did. It was a bad idea to indulge in luxuries I would never experience again. Still, I was so tired and the bath looked so tempting. It was just a bath. How great could it be? But the moment I stepped into the fragrant water, I forgot all the excuses I had thought up and allowed myself to relax. To really relax.

I was almost completely submerged in the enormous tub, the smell of lavender surrounding me. This was complete and utter heaven. Don’t get too comfortable, I told myself, but it was hard not to feel a little jealous of someone like James who experienced such opulence on a regular basis and probably didn’t even realize how lucky he was. Just another reminder of how different we were. He would probably laugh at my apartment, which was barely larger than this bathroom. But I didn’t want to think about that now. Closing my eyes, I let the events of the day dissolve into the hot water. I felt my stress leave my body as I floated there, completely lost in the sheer indulgence of the moment. I had never felt so relaxed, so calm. It was wonderful.

It wasn’t until I heard the gentle knock on the door that I realized I had actually fallen asleep. I shot up in the tub immediately.

“Yes?” I called out, my voice a little raspy.

“No rush,” James’ sexy accent came through the door. “Just wanted to let you know that the food was here.”

“Ok, thanks,” I responded, feeling some of my tension return. What was I doing? First the tub and now dinner? I was breaking so many of my own rules. And for what? A nice bath and a meal?

Oh, but what a bath it was. My treacherous tummy also gave an encouraging growl. I was hungry. No, I was starving. Why had I left my dinner uneaten on the kitchen table? I had been so tired and worn from the day that I hadn’t felt like eating then. I tried to remember what I had had for breakfast but couldn’t remember. Had I eaten
anything
that day?

Realizing I had stupidly flung my clothes at James before stepping into the bathroom, I drained the tub and dried off with one of the billions of lavender scented towels. For a minute, I thought of walking out of the bathroom in a towel, or less, but then my stomach growled again. I was hungry and should probably eat something before I jumped James’ bones. Two robes hung on the back of the bathroom door. It was amazingly soft and fluffy, like a cloud. But I couldn’t ignore the feeling that had settled in my chest. The feeling that I didn’t belong here, in the expensive robe, in the expensive room, with a guy like James. I peeked out of the bathroom. I couldn’t see him – or food – anywhere.

Then his head popped out of the bedroom.

“Hey.” He grinned and my knees went a little weak. “How was your bath?”

“It was great,” I told him honestly, feeling strangely nervous. Somehow I felt more naked than I had when I had been actually naked in front of him. It didn’t make sense. I twisted my damp hair into a bun at the nap of my neck.

“I put the food in here,” he said, gesturing for me to join him.

I was about to ask why, but when I came into the bedroom and saw what he had ordered, the question died on my lips. I stared. The entire bed was hidden by trays of food. I stared at all the dishes, covered with gleaming silver tops. He must have ordered the entire room service menu.

“I couldn’t decide what to get,” he told me, guiding me over to the bed. “And when it arrived there wasn’t anywhere else I could fit it all. Besides,” he gave me a boyish grin. “I’ve always loved eating in bed.”

Oh, I know, I thought, remembering all the ways we had devoured each other on this bed in the past. But those naughty thoughts of mine were overcome by my hungry stomach, which was now completely focused on the enticing scents wafting up from the covered trays on the bed. It was exactly how it was in the movies, those big dramatic domed tops, the silver polished so keenly I could see myself in them.

I was starving.

And yet, I hovered in the doorway, not really sure how to proceed. This was so extravagant and so generous that I wasn’t sure what to do with it all.

James put his hands on my shoulders.

“I forgot most of what I ordered, but I’m pretty sure there’s an order or two of those waffles I’ve heard so much about. All we have to do is find them,” he teased.

“Is that a challenge?” I glanced back at him, eager to fall back on the playful, casual tone that I had become accustom to. That I was comfortable with.

There was a twinkle in James’ eye. “First one to the waffles gets the cherry on top.”

“Deal.” I ducked away from him, grabbing the closest tray to me and lifting it up.

It revealed a plate of roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and asparagus. It smelled incredible, but it wasn’t the waffles. On my right, James had reached for another covered tray. Beneath it was a piece of blueberry pie with a dish of ice cream. The buttery scent of the crust and the sweetness of the berries made my mouth water, but it wasn’t the waffles. We kept going around the bed, revealing tray after tray of delicious offerings, but still no waffles. Finally, I heard James crow in triumph.

“Victory is mine!” He lifted the tray of waffles in the air.

But as he was celebrating, I uncovered the last tray on the bed and found another order of waffles.

“And mine!” I showed him the second tray.

Before I could stop him, though, he had reached over and snatched the cherry from the top of my waffles and popped it into his mouth.

“Hey!” I objected as he then quickly ate the cherry off of his. “That’s not fair.”

He just grinned at me, looking too gorgeous for his own good. “All’s fair in love and waffles.”

The word ‘love’ hovered between the two of us, inflating the room with a strange tension.

Quickly, James cleared his throat and placed his tray down on the bed. He grabbed two sets of silverware and passed one to me.

“Shall we?”

There wasn’t anything else to do but climb onto the bed, finding a place in between the sumptuous spread of food, and finally try the waffles that Maya had become so obsessed with. They looked good – I could see the dulce de leche drizzled across the top, peeking out from beneath a mound of vanilla ice cream. I gathered a large forkful and took a bite.

“Oh. My. God.” I moaned as the flavors exploded in my mouth. It was hot and sweet and buttery and rich, with the finish of already melting ice cream and the hint of salt from the dulce de leche. It was the most amazing thing I had ever eaten. I took a second bite and then another. The waffle was halfway done before I realized I hadn’t heard anything from James.

I glanced up to find him staring at me, his mouth hanging open. I would have been embarrassed if it weren’t for the intensity burning in his eyes.

“You should try them,” I told him, warmth building in my chest. “They
are
better than sex.”

“Trust me.” He finally tore his eyes away from me, digging into the waffle in his lap. “Nothing is better than sex. Though watching
you
eat the waffle came pretty damn close.”

I waited for him to take a bite, unable to hide my grin when his eyes closed, his face a portrait of ecstasy.

“Bloody hell,” he groaned. “Those
are
good.”

We both made short work of our plates and then turned our attention to the rest of the meal spread out on the bed. We attacked the rest of the dishes. It was all delicious.

“Try this.” James offered me a bite of the lasagna he was trying, holding out his fork. Without hesitating, I leaned forward and tasted it.

“It’s good.” I picked up a spoonful of the chocolate cake I had been eating. “How about this?”

He tried it and chewed thoughtfully. “Good,” he declared. “Though, it pales in comparison to my mum’s lava cakes.”

“Lava cakes?” I put the now empty plate down on the floor where the rest of the discarded plates were neatly piled. We were down to only a few remaining dishes, enough cleared off so that James could stretch out along one side of the bed, while I sat up among the enormous pile of pillows, my bare legs extended.

“Little chocolate cakes, but when you cut into them, a hot chocolate center oozes out. Very sweet.” He winked at me. “And very delicious.”

“Is your mom a good cook?” I asked before I could stop myself. What was I doing asking personal questions?

James shook his head. “She can make chocolate lava cakes – that’s about it. I grew up on beans and toast for the most part.” He glanced up at me. “What about you? Your mum have any specialties?”

I shrugged, pushing the last bites of spaghetti and meatballs around on my plate. “Not that I know of.” I put the tray down. “I don’t really want to talk about my family,” I told him honestly.

“I understand,” he said, though his eyes were full of questions.

The pillows were so soft behind me, that I couldn’t help snuggling down into them a little more. I was full of delicious food and wrapped in a warm robe on an expensive, luxurious bed. I needed to go home. Even though it was probably past my curfew, I knew I was going to need to get up early and make Mikey a special breakfast to make up for today. Maybe pancakes. My eyes drifted to the pile of plates next to the bed. Or waffles. Did we even have a waffle maker? I realized I was so tired, I was barely thinking straight.

“I should probably go,” I said, hiding a yawn behind my hand.

“Mmm?” James had lain his head down on the bed, his eyes closed.

“In a few minutes.” My own eyes felt heavy. I knew I had to get up. I had to get dressed and go home. I had to work tomorrow. I had things to do. I had my real life waiting for me. But I was so tired all of a sudden. I reached for my phone. It was late, but I could still get home before Mikey woke up. I’d set an alarm. Just for a little bit. I put a ten-minute alarm on my phone. I could just close my eyes for a minute. Just for a few minutes. Then I’d get up and go home. Just a few more minutes.

I
woke
, snuggled up close to something warm and hard. I lay there for a moment, enjoying the feeling of being completely rested and protected. It wasn’t something I felt often. Then I opened my eyes and realized I wasn’t in my bedroom. I wasn’t in my bed. And that warm, hard thing I was snuggled up to? Well, that was James, his arms wrapped tightly around me, his hips pressed against mine. I could also feel a part of him that was extremely hard and enticing, firm against my ass.

Waking up had never felt so sexy. I knew that I needed to get up – that I had allowed myself to rest for too long. But I was so comfortable. The bed was soft and inviting, my robe fluffy against my skin and James situated so perfectly behind me. I realized how horny I was, which made sense since we hadn’t had a chance to get down and dirty before falling asleep. All I needed to do was wiggle my hips a little, maybe stretch against him. He’d wake up, roll me beneath him and—

Blinking, I peered at the clock on the nightstand.

Shit! I immediately jerked to an upright position. It was almost 7:00am. My alarm! What had happened to the alarm I had set. I was only supposed to rest for a few minutes – not the whole night. I scrambled for my phone and saw that the battery was dead. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I was late. I was so so so late.

“Dammit!” I muttered, trying to slide out of bed, but James’ arm was still wrapped around my waist. I looked down at him. His eyes were still closed but the grip he had on my hip made it clear he was awake. As did the obvious bulge in his pants, the same one I had felt press so deliciously against me only moments before.

“I have to go,” I told him, reluctantly extracting myself from his grasp.

He opened one eye. “What time is it?”

“Almost 7:00am,” I told him, sliding out of bed and looking around for my clothes.

“Where do you have to be at 7:00am?” he sat up, his hair deliciously disheveled.

I bit back a moan. He looked so good. Better than anyone had a right to look first thing in the morning. I was sure my hair was a mess and no doubt I had several lines from the pillow smushed into my face, but James didn’t seem to mind. In fact he was staring at me like I was the last bite of waffle.

Why had I let myself fall asleep? I should have jumped him the moment I got out of the bath. But I had been so hungry. I looked at the piles of dishes on the floor, feeling immensely guilty about the hotel staff that would have to clean it up. At least we had left everything neatly stacked and hadn’t made a mess.

I finally located my jeans and shirt, finding them neatly folded on the chair. Had James done that while I was in the bath? My heart gave a little leap, one that I immediately dismissed. Stop being silly, I ordered myself. Get your clothes and get out of there. Mikey and Mom were probably worried sick.

“Do you have a charger?” I asked.

James nodded and pointed towards the desk. I plugged in my phone and after it had charged enough, I saw that I had almost a dozen missed calls and text messages, some from Maya, who had apparently been contacted by my mom as well. Goddammit.

I quickly sent off a message to my mom and Maya saying that I was on my way home and not to worry. But I could feel a headache coming on. I was going to get lectures from both of them and even though I didn’t want to hear it, I knew I deserved it. Oh god, Mikey was going to be so upset. First the movies and now this. I never stayed out all night, never ever. He must have been so worried when he woke up this morning and I wasn’t there. What had I been thinking?

Sadly I knew the answer to that. I hadn’t been thinking. I had let myself get lost in the fantasy of everything – of the bath, the robe, the room. The guy. Glancing back at James, I found that he had gotten out bed as well. He was so fucking gorgeous. I had let myself get carried away – not just by his good looks, but by the kindness he had shown me last night. I had let myself escape into the fantasy and had lost reality for a night. It had never happened before and it could never happen again. This had gone too far.

“I need to go,” I told him, but before I could stop him, he had grabbed keys and his wallet.

“Let me drive you,” he offered. “I’ve got a rental down in the garage.”

“No, that’s ok, really.” The last thing I needed was for him to see where I lived. Nothing was more of a boner killer than the reality of my personal situation. This was no Cinderella story – he wasn’t a prince looking for a poor girl to save and I definitely wasn’t a poor girl looking for a prince.

“I insist,” he said firmly and I got the feeling that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

I hesitated, but I knew that getting a cab would be a real pain right now and with people heading to work, traffic would be a mess and Uber was probably at double rates or worse. Maybe he could just drop me off at the end of my street. Or maybe it was better to end this all now. Face the reality of our differences. Destroy the fantasy before we got too lost in it.

“Ok,” I finally conceded. “Let’s go.”