Page 38 of Kiss and Tell

Connor’s happiness mattered to me.

Maybe more than it should have.

Twelve

“You said hotelrooms, plural,”I told Connor as we stood in the hotel hallway.

“There are two bedrooms,” he replied.

“We’re standing in front of one door,” I pointed out.

He swiped a plastic card through the electronic lock and opened it. “I got us a suite.”

My mouth dropped open as I followed him in.

I found myself standing in the middle of a large living area with hardwood beneath my feet, floor to ceiling windows, several sofas and chairs in color-coordinated tan leather, and a glass-topped coffee table with vase of fresh flowers.

A metal bucket full of ice and two bottles of wine, one red and one white, sat on the counter in what looked like a fully stocked kitchenette. Off to the side was a small nook of a den where a massive oak desk was situated in front of the corner window with a high-backed chair.

“Are you kidding me?” I asked. “My company won’t pay for this.”

“It’s my treat,” he said. “Or, Walt’s treat, I guess.”

“This isn’t a hotel room, it’s a Presidential suite,” I said. “And where are the beds?” I asked.

Connor pointed to two doors and I saw beds through the cracks.

“Two bedrooms, as promised,” he said. “They even come with their own separate ensuite bathrooms.”

“What’s with the wine?”

“It comes with the room,” he replied. “A complimentary gift.”

I examined the bottles, turning them around to read the labels. The red supposedly had hints of berry and paired well with steak.

“I don’t know much about wine,” I said, “But I’m pretty sure anything more than twenty years old is considered vintage.”

The two bottles together were probably the cost of what I’d usually spent for one night in a hotel room.

“I wouldn’t expect them to give us last year’s wine,” he replied.

I put the bottles back down carefully.

I’d never been in a place as fancy as this one before, and certainly not in a hotel.

“You seem so blasé about all this,” I said. “Is this the kind of place you’re used to?”

“Hell no,” he replied. “I’m used to rat trap motels on the road. But Walt’s treated me to this kind of thing a time or two. He’s generous with his cash.”

“And you’re sure it’s okay to spend money like this?” I asked. “I know you said we have a huge budget, but there has to be some limit.”

“We might have to forego the crystal chandeliers to pay for it,” he said.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Kidding,” he said. “I promise, this is nothing. I figured if we’re going to work, we’d need to have a common space so we didn’t have to invade each other’s rooms.”

Connor must have known I’d refuse him access to the room where I slept.