Page 38

I take Toni’s hand and lead her from the room. The two of us slip out of the ballroom unnoticed and out into the hotel hallway. There are a few people out here taking phone calls or talking quietly, but they pay us no mind as we walk down the hallway. I keep her hand in mine. I don’t really care if anyone sees this. Will anyone believe it’s just two gal pals holding hands? Not really. That’s fine.

There’s an empty meeting room down a side hallway. It’s luckily unlocked and we slip inside, but don’t turn the lights on.

“How did you know this was here?” Toni asks quietly. She doesn’t ask me why I’ve taken her to this isolated room or why I’m leaving the lights off.

“I used to come here for meetings with my dad,” I tell her. “This hotel has been around forever.”

“Oh.”

“Oh,” I agree.

“Have you ever taken any other girls here?”

I laugh. “Believe me or not, you’re the first.”

“And why have you sneaked me out of the party, Jessica?”

There we go.

Now she’s curious.

Now she wants to know.

I don’t answer her, though. Instead, I gently grip her arms and back her up until she’s against the wall. Once she can’t go back anymore, I lower my head to hers and kiss her. She’s eager and anxious, just as she was earlier, and I eat up every second of this kiss. I love the way she tastes. I love the way she’s touching me like nothing else matters. Her hands are on my waist, but not for long because slowly, I kneel down in front of her.

“What are you doing?”

She’s whispering, but her voice is husky and aroused.

“I think you know what I’m doing.”

“We might get caught.”

“Good. People’s real lives are terribly boring. We can give them something to talk about.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?”

“No more questions,” I command. “The only thing I want to hear you saying is ‘yes’ and ‘more.’”

“Understood,” she whispers, and I slide my hands up her soft legs and to her thighs. I squeeze them as I glide my hands under the short hem of her dress. It’s loose enough that it’s easy to touch her, and as I slide my hands around to her ass, I realize something else.

“No panties.”

“No.”

“Why didn’t you wear panties, baby?”

“I don’t know.” I can practically hear her blushing.

“Try again.”

“I wanted you to touch me,” she admits.

“You wanted me to touch you at the party?”

“Yes.”

“So you thought you’d skip wearing panties?”