Page 9 of Masters of the Game: Colton

Colton stepped off the elevator onto the fifteenth floor of the east wing in the St. Laurent Hotel.

Those butterflies were back to swirling around in his stomach again.

Although he continually told himself that this was only a business dinner, anticipation at seeing Kelly again had heat curling inside of him.

He had gotten her hotel room number from Alvie earlier that day, and now here he was, walking down the luxurious hallway to her door.

Before knocking, he drew in a deep breath, pushing away the memory of the last time he had visited her hotel room.

The big difference this time was that he wouldn’t enter.

After tapping on the door a few times, it opened.

He couldn’t stop his gaze from skimming over her.

She was wearing a royal blue business pantsuit and a crisp white blouse.

The heels on her shoes were lower, which made her appear shorter than usual.

She looked refreshed, as if she hadn’t worked at all today, though he knew she had.

He had gone to the office straight from the airport to pick up a file. One of the junior executives had still been there and had mentioned that Kelly had remained sequestered in her office all day, not taking time off for lunch or even a break.

“Kelly,” he greeted.

“Colton. Welcome back.”

“Thanks. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” She stepped out into the hallway with him, and they walked side by side toward the elevator.

“You look nice,” he said, glancing over at her.

Of course, in his opinion, she looked far better than nice.

Kelly Perkins was an extremely attractive woman, one who was striking in every way.

He tried not to think about the outfit she’d been wearing the last time he’d visited her hotel room.

The image had remained implanted in his mind for two years. It was still there.

“You look nice as well, Colton.”

“Thanks. I’ve made reservations at Rollins. They are known for their seafood and steaks.” They came to a stop when they reached the elevator, and he pressed the button.

“I’m hungry enough to eat both.” She grinned.

“Serves you right for missing lunch.”

She lifted a brow. “Is there a snitch in the office that I should know about?”

He shrugged. “Just a concerned individual. And it wasn’t Alvie, by the way.”

“I’m good at the process of elimination. It won’t take long to figure out the culprit,” she said.

He glanced at her to see if she was actually annoyed, but her expression was unreadable. “Like I said, the person was just a concerned individual. I guess they figured I hadn’t given you my rules.”

“And what rules are those?” she asked.

“I believe all employees should take advantage of all Masters Unlimited benefits. One of them is that they should enjoy an hour’s lunch and both breaks.

Another is that employees are to leave work at a reasonable time each day.

Although I understand there will be times someone might need to work past office hours, I don’t want anyone to make a habit out of it.

Lake and I believe well-rested employees make the best employees. ”

“I have similar rules for my employees, and relax, Colton, I was just teasing. It takes a lot to get me upset.”

Her words made him remember how upset she had been with him two years ago.

The elevator door opened, and she stepped in.

He followed. When the door closed, the intimacy of their confinement had desire twisting his guts.

She was wearing the same perfume she’d had that night in Atlanta.

The same one she’d worn two days ago in his office.

Her scent was getting to him, and he was fighting like hell not to let it.

Clearing his throat, he said, “I told Sherelle Telfair that her help wouldn’t be needed on this project because you had your own team.”

“Thank you.”

Their gazes met with a force he knew they both felt. He figured that was why they immediately broke eye contact to study the panel walls. As far as he was concerned, the elevator couldn’t reach the lobby floor fast enough.

**

“Hello, Colton,” a feminine voice said as they stepped off the elevator.

Kelly stopped beside Colton, who was smiling at a woman who appeared to be in her late thirties and was tugging a piece of luggage behind her. “Sherelle, good seeing you,” he said, extending his hand to her in a greeting.

He then introduced them. “Sherelle Telfair, this is Kelly Perkins. Kelly’s consulting firm is the one selected to help us decide where our next office will be located; and Kelly, Sherelle is one of our junior executives at the Orlando office.”

Sherelle smiled and extended her hand to Kelly. “Hello, Kelly. It’s nice to meet you. Congratulations.”

Kelly accepted Sherelle’s hand. “Thanks, Sherelle.”

Colton then spoke up. “Kelly and I need to be on our way. We have dinner reservations.”

“Yes, of course,” Sherelle said, smiling at them. “It was nice meeting you, Kelly.”

“Same here, Sherelle.”

**

An hour later Sherelle had just finished unpacking when she heard her cell phone ring. She smiled, recognizing the ring tone and quickly crossed the room to pick it up. “Hi, Eric.”

“I had you on my mind, baby. How was the trip to Boston?”

“I guess it was okay. The turbulence wasn’t so bad this time,” she said, easing down to sit on the side of the bed.

“Have you seen that Perkins woman?”

She had hoped Eric had put that issue behind him. Apparently, he hadn’t. “Yes, I saw her. She and Colton were leaving the hotel for dinner.”

“How cozy.”

“It was a business dinner, Eric. But…”

“But what?”

There was no reason to tell him what she suspected, that something was going on between Colton and Kelly Perkins.

The chemistry she’d sensed between them had been strong.

Either they’d been involved before or were headed that way now.

Kelly Perkins was a very attractive woman, and she could see Colton Masters being taken with her.

Not that that was in any way relevant. Awarding the contract to Kelly’s agency had been Lake Masters’ decision, not Colton’s. And she had seemed friendly.

“Sherelle?”

“Yes, Eric?”

“What were you about to say?”

“Nothing. I just finished unpacking and was planning to go grab something to eat,” she said, trying to steer their conversation in another direction.

“Pretending it’s nothing more than a business dinner might be a cover-up,” Eric said, not taking the bait.

“What if Colton Masters and Kelly Perkins are involved, and that’s the reason her agency got the job over mine.

If that’s the case, it’s unethical and a conflict of interest. I need you to find out what’s really going on. ”

Sherelle rubbed the bridge of her nose. Her lie was escalating into something that was getting out of hand. Now was the time to tell him the truth. “Eric, I have to tell you something.”

“Okay, but I need to ask you something before I forget. Which do you prefer? White or yellow gold?”

Sherelle smiled, knowing why he was asking. “Yellow gold.”

“Okay. Now, what do you have to tell me?”

She nibbled on her bottom lip. If she came clean now, he would get upset with her, and she couldn’t risk not getting that ring. “It was nothing important.”

**

“I’m impressed with all the information you’ve gathered so far,” Colton said, as Kelly closed her laptop.

“Thanks. I’ll send you a copy of this report. The first of others.”

He nodded. “Choosing between New York and Los Angeles won’t be easy. Of course, the final decision will be Lake’s.”

Colton and Kelly had shared a nice dinner and the conversation hadn’t stalled.

She had no problem talking about the brothers she adored, the men he’d gotten to know over recent years.

She told him that since Hansen worked for the FBI in Dallas, she didn’t see him as much as she did Pratt, who was a doctor at Emory in Atlanta.

Colton knew that she and Pratt had even been roommates for a spell while she’d been finishing up her PhD.

“Do you have a preference?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.

He glanced over at her and met her eyes.

That had been the only difficult thing about dinner.

Each time their gazes had connected, there had been a sizzling awareness between them, something they both obviously tried hard to ignore.

He would watch as she drew in a deep, calming breath while he was sure she observed him do the same.

It didn’t help matters that he had requested a private room that fronted the Boston Harbor waterfront so they would be free to discuss business.

Once he was certain he could respond to her question without breaking out in a sweat, he asked, “A preference for what?” At that moment, he couldn’t recall what they’d been discussing.

“New York City or Los Angeles? Which do you prefer?”

Stay focused, Masters . But then how could he, when her scent was driving him crazy? “Cobra asked me that same question earlier today,” he said. “Masters Unlimited has just as many clients in New York as they do in Boston and Orlando. In fact, I closed a lucrative deal yesterday.”

“Congratulations, Colton,” she said, a huge smile on her face.

His gaze was immediately drawn to her beautiful lips and dimples. He enjoyed seeing her smile. It replaced his memory of that dark frown she’d given him two years ago. It had taken a while for him to recover from that frown and the disappointment that had been reflected in it.

“Thanks.”

“I’m beginning to believe what Cortez told Victoria about you is true,” she said.

He took a sip of his coffee, wishing it was something stronger. He had a feeling he was going to need it. “And what did Tez tell Victoria about me?” he asked.

“That when it comes to making a deal, you’re a pro.”

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t, since you’re modest.”

He chuckled again. “I wouldn’t say that either.

Now, to answer your question, which city is my preference?

Both have advantages. Cobra lives in Manhattan, so I often go there to hang out with him.

New York City is closer to Boston. You can travel by plane or train, and there’s plenty to explore and do there.

And like I said, a lot of our top clients are there. ”

He paused for a moment, then continued. “But there are advantages to Masters Unlimited opening an office in Los Angeles as well. It’s a market we can expand in, although we’ll be just one marketing and advertising firm among many already established ones.”

“True, but like I noted in my report,” she said, “Masters Unlimited isn’t just a marketing and advertising firm.

The resources your company provides are…

unlimited, which is probably what Lake Masters had in mind when he founded this company.

In addition to marketing and advertising, you offer a number of specialized services, like advanced technologies, social media, data analytics, and so much more.

I’m not going to say it will be a cake walk, but I believe Masters Unlimited will do well if Lake decides to expand the brand in the Los Angeles market. ”

He took another sip of his coffee, enjoying listening to her talk.

Her intelligence was one of the first things that had captivated him about her--after nearly being knocked off his feet by her beauty, of course.

She had a vast knowledge of several subjects, and a natural gift for conversation.

She never took over, and knew when to listen as well.

“I hope you’re right,” he said, grinning.

“Of course I’m right.”

He knew it was getting late, but he wasn’t in any hurry to part ways. She didn’t appear in any hurry to leave either. “I didn’t ask if you wanted dessert.”

She chuckled. “I wish you hadn’t, since that’s my weakness.”

“Really? Any particular dessert?” he asked.

“Cheesecake. Especially strawberry. And I did happen to notice it on the menu.”

He smiled and met her gaze. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I was waiting for you to ask.”

Like a magnet, their gazes held again, and he wondered if they were still talking about cheesecake.

Breaking eye contact with her, he glanced at the door where one of the waiters waited.

He’d had dinner meetings here before, and one thing he liked about this dining room was that it came with private service.

“Normally, I enjoy dessert with my coffee, so not asking was definitely an oversight,” he told her. “I apologize.”

“No apology needed.”

Colton got the man’s attention. He quickly entered the room and walked over to their table. “Yes, Mr. Masters?”

“My dinner guest would like a slice of strawberry cheesecake, and so would I. Also, we’d like a refill on our coffee.”

“Yes, sir.”

When the waiter walked off, Colton said, “Of course, there will soon be another reason I’ll want to spend more time in Los Angeles. My uncle-to-be status.”

Kelly smiled. “I’m looking forward to that. I can’t wait for Monica and Landon to become parents so I can be an aunt.”

“You like kids?”

“I adore kids. Considering how Monica, Pratt, Hansen, and I had to deal with the likes of Mr. Perkins, it’s a wonder our family isn’t a dysfunctional mess.”

“The four of you call your father Mr. Perkins.”

She shrugged. “That’s all he’ll ever be to us.”

He’d heard the story, at least bits and pieces of it from the cousins. But he was interested in hearing her version. He was about to ask about it when the waiter returned with the cheesecakes and coffee. After he left again, Colton said, “Tell me about him, Kelly.”

She raised a brow and looked at him just as she was about to slide a bit of cake into her mouth. Her fork hung in mid-air. “Tell you about who?”

“Mr. Perkins.”