Page 15 of Masters of the Game: Colton

“What did you think of the show?”

Kelly glanced at the man walking by her side.

His stride was slow and steady, so as not to outpace her.

She hadn’t realized how much taller he was than she until they’d stood side by side several times at that meeting--a meeting that had gone rather well, she thought.

It had been quite obvious that the economic agency wanted Masters Unlimited to locate here and had presented a pretty nice incentive package with a lot of perks to get them to do so.

“Kelly?”

“Sorry, what did you ask? My mind drifted for a second.”

“I hope you weren’t thinking about work,” he said.

“It’s hard at times for it not to, Colton.”

“You know what I discovered?” he asked.

“No, what?” She thought it was a beautiful night in Times Square, and instead of calling for a private car, they decided to walk the short distance back to the St. Laurent.

After their two o’clock meeting, they’d returned to the hotel to change for dinner and the play. That was when she’d discovered that Colton’s hotel room was right next to hers.

“I learned that no matter what you want to achieve in life, the end-game isn’t worth it if you don’t have a healthy work-life balance,” he said, breaking into her thoughts.

“When Lake offered me a chance to work for his company, it was important that everyone─all of the other employees─knew I’d earned everything I got, and that nothing had been given to me because my last name is Masters.

That meant working harder and longer hours than they did. To always be on top of my game.”

Kelly recalled being told about the sacrifices Colton had made in order to win that COO position. “And?”

“And even though I got the promotion I wanted, I discovered I was too exhausted, both mentally and physically, to fully enjoy my success.” He had been staring ahead, but then he slowed their pace and looked at her. “I don’t want that for you, Kelly. I want you to enjoy life.”

“And you think that I’m not?” she asked.

And why was he standing there, staring at her so intensely with those dark eyes, making her heart race and her pulse kick up a notch?

And when he reached for her hand, she felt the sparkle of awareness she had tried ignoring all day.

She had done a good job at their meeting, but sitting across from him at dinner and beside him at the play, had been challenging.

“Not to in the way you should. When I think of how hard you must have worked to accomplish so much, in so short a time… Well, I am proud of you.”

She was touched by his words. “Thank you.”

“But…”

She raised a brow. “But what?”

“But I want you to start having fun again. You weren’t born to become a workaholic.”

She pulled her hand from his. “Don’t worry about me, Colton. I’m not a workaholic. I just believe in staying focused.”

They began walking again. “There’s nothing wrong with staying focused,” he said.

“Too many people think multi-tasking is the way to go, but they don’t realize that when you try to do everything, you end up accomplishing nothing.

You have to find a balance.” He stopped and turned to her.

“Listen, since we’re going to be together, checking out New York and LA, why don’t we try to enjoy ourselves a little? ”

She looked up at him. “Why?”

“Because I’d like to show you how important downtime is. It sparks creativity and keeps you healthy. And since we’ll already be in either New York or LA, we might as well enjoy it. Everyone needs some time to unwind.”

Downtime ? The only time Kelly allowed herself time off was when she was invited to family events like weddings or birthday celebrations. She’d never considered establishing such a thing on her own. “Right now, the idea of downtime is a fantasy for me, Colton.”

She began walking again, and he caught up to her, taking a place at her side.

Hoping to make him understand, she said, “It’s a vicious cycle.

Major corporations don’t take a female-led company as seriously as they do a male-led one.

” After pausing a moment, she added, “I want to know that I rightly earned any consulting jobs my consulting firm gets because of my hard work. Not because of favors, or because I’m a woman.

It’s important that I work hard to make it a success. ”

“It’s already a success, Kelly. Now is the time for you to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.”

Was it? She didn’t say anything for a moment as she thought about what he’d said. “Doing something like that sounds nice, Colton, but I can’t just yet. Maybe one day I’ll get a handle on work-life balance, the way you seem to have done.”

**

And he intended to make sure that she did just that.

Sooner than later, Colton thought with more resoluteness than before.

At the meeting today, she showed just how sharp she was.

Professional, intelligent, it was clear she had done her research, and was on top of her game.

She’d known what questions to ask, was quick to recognize cunning BS, and had no problem pushing back when needed.

It had been obvious that the economics agency had been both surprised and impressed by her, and wanted their business.

But Kelly left no doubt in their minds that they would have to earn it.

He glanced over at her. “You never did say what you thought of the play.”

She smiled, and he felt it was genuine. “It was magical… And dinner was wonderful. Thank you for both, Colton.”

“You’re welcome. Now you see how it’s done.”

She raised a brow. “How’s what done?”

“Working hard at your job yet still maintaining a social life. You were awesome at the meeting today. I was proud of you. Then tonight, you allowed yourself the time to enjoy yourself. And tomorrow, when we meet with the mayor and his board, I know you’ll be just as awesome. Do you know why?”

“Why?”

“Because you’ll be prepared. All that late-night cramming in college to meet PhD deadlines prepared you for this sort of thing. You’re a quick study.”

She chuckled. “Are you saying that you’re hoping I won’t stay up late tonight to get ready for tomorrow?”

“You know your stuff. There’s no doubt in my mind that your delivery will be awesome. When you get to your hotel room, you need to go to bed and get a good night’s sleep.”

“Is that what you’ll do?”

“Yes.” There was no need to tell her that his dreams would be filled with her. “You’ve got this, Kelly.”

During the two-block walk back to the hotel, their conversation shifted to a discussion of family and friends.

When they reached the hotel and walked into the exquisite lobby, she said, “Every time I stay at a St. Laurent, I feel spoiled. It’s so beautiful and luxurious. Have you stayed in this one before?”

“Whenever I visit New York City.”

“Really? You don’t want to stay with Cobra?”

He chuckled. “Hell, no. You never know when he might have female company.”

They stepped onto the elevator, and he pushed the button to the fortieth floor.

“If your company opens another office here, I assume the St. Laurent will be making accommodations for your employees and business associates whenever they travel, just like your Orlando and Boston offices do,” she said.

“That’s our game plan. Lake has already talked about it with Brandy and Grey.”

“Is it true that they still own the chain of B&B’s they started years ago?”

He nodded. “There are six of them across the U.S., and each one of their children will inherit two when they reach the age of thirty. I think Grey, Jr. wants to go into law enforcement like his dad and become an FBI agent. However, the girls are all in. They are choosing careers in the hotel industry like their parents.”

When the elevator door opened to their floor, Colton moved aside, allowing Kelly to step out.

In doing so, their bodies touched. Their sharp intakes of breath was an indication they had felt that jolt of sexual energy at the contact.

She kept walking, refusing to look at him and acknowledge the primitive force of desire surrounding them.

He trailed a few feet behind her, enjoying the sinfully erotic sway of her hips in the skirt she was wearing and loving the shape of her ass even more. Seeing both things heightened the beat of his pulse. He couldn’t ignore the hot spark of sexual awareness that was quickly overwhelming him.

When she reached her hotel room door, she glanced at him. “Goodnight, Colton. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants. “You’re not going to invite me in for coffee, Kelly?”

She exhaled softly. “I’m sure you have the same Keurig coffeemaker in your room that I have in mind.”

“Yes, but I have a feeling your coffee would be better.”

After taking the passkey from her purse, she tilted her head and looked at him. “Why would you think that?”

He took his hands from his pockets and stepped closer. “Because I believe you make everything special.”

She shrugged. “Well, just so you know, my brothers claim I can’t make coffee worth a damn. However, I guess you can’t go wrong with a Keurig.” She opened the hotel room door, and he followed her inside.

She tossed her cross-body purse on the table and was about to walk toward the coffeemaker when Colton moved past her to look out the window.

She had left the curtains open for this reason–to get a beautiful night-time view of New York’s skyline when she returned.

When he continued to stand there, she said, “I’m sure you’ve got the same view from your hotel room. ”

He turned around to her. “I’m sure I do, but I rarely open my curtains.”

“Why?”

“During the day, I find too much sunlight annoying. However, I will admit the night-time view is breathtaking.”

As he stood there, with New York City’s skyline as a backdrop, she couldn’t help taking a good look at him.

As she’d already ascertained, he was too handsome for words.

And like his other two brothers, he was always impeccably dressed.

Even now, casually dressed in a pair of slacks and a buttoned-up shirt, he looked like a model, whose clothing had been tailored for his body.

She blinked when she realized he was walking toward her.

And with every step he took, a slow burn stirred in her stomach.

She thought back to the night they should have spent together.

She had felt so very sure of herself, wearing only that barely-nothing piece of lingerie.

And yet now, two years later and fully clothed in another hotel room with him, she suddenly felt out of her element.

When he came to a stop in front of her, she said, “I’ll go make that coffee now.”

Before Kelly could move, he reached out and took her hand in his, drawing her close to him. When she saw the predatory look in his eyes, she knew she should pull her hand back, but for the life of her, she couldn’t. “What do you think you’re doing, Colton?”

He smiled. “Normally, I enjoy dessert with my coffee, but I don’t think I can wait.”

She swallowed. “For what?”

“This.” And then he lowered his mouth to hers.