The Spiral Down (The Fall Up #2)(23)

“I’ll see you tonight”—I reached out and glided my index finger over the silver nameplate on his chest—“Captain Roth.”

His body tensed as he watched my hand, but much to my excitement, he didn’t back away. Not even an inch.

Oh, this was f*cking happening.





I CLOSED THE door to the two-bedroom suite in the nicest hotel I had ever seen in my life. Baez had nearly stroked out when we’d pulled up. That is until the cab drove away to take him to the no doubt budget hotel Jackson had put him up in. Working for Henry Alexander definitely had some perks. Although, after our conversation on the plane, I was wondering if he thought my working for him was going to come with some perks too. Or maybe he was only a super friendly guy who really was going out of his way to right a wrong with me. But that didn’t explain why I felt the tingle of his presence in my cock.

I hadn’t been lying when I’d drunkenly told Scott that Henry was f*cking hot. All of his blond hair and lean, sculpted muscles. Even if he hadn’t had the voice and the talent he so obviously possessed, he could have easily still graced the covers of magazines. His features were sharp and refined. But, if I had the choice, I’d still favor the strong angle of his jaw covered with a day’s worth of scruff that made him more boy-next-door sexy rather than Mr. GQ.

He hadn’t looked like that tonight though. Tonight, he’d appeared every bit of the wealthy predator I was starting to fear he was. And, now that I knew he was bisexual, the threat was more real than ever. I was no one’s prey, but I was more than willing to hunt the hunter. Gay, I couldn’t handle. Bi though… Now, that held some possibilities.

The biggest possibility being that I’d end up losing my job—something I absolutely couldn’t afford. I was less than a week in. Even if I didn’t get fired, a threesome with my big-time celebrity boss wasn’t going to win me any reference letters. No. I needed a cold shower, a drink, and a woman to take the edge off.

Shaking my thoughts off, I made my way over to the huge basket sitting on the side of the bar. Snack foods overflowed from the edges. Wedged into the center was a white card with my name handwritten across the front. I studied it for a few minutes before strategically pulling at a corner, hoping everything didn’t tumble out like a game of junk food Jenga.



Evan,

If you change your mind, I left a ticket to my show for you at the front desk. No pressure, but I know hotels can get boring. Even with all the free porn. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, but I wanted you to have something to tide you over until our dinner. By the looks of your body, I also considered that you might be a health nut. So there’s some fresh fruit and protein bars in your bedroom if you’d prefer. Help yourself to the minibar. It’s all on me.

I’ll see you tonight.

Hopefully at the show.



-Henry



Wow. It had only been an hour since I’d last seen him. His assistant, no doubt, must have been busy in that time. Although, with references to both porn and my body in only one paragraph, I knew for certain Henry had penned the note. Or at least dictated it over the phone. I laughed at the idea of the poor front desk clerk having to transcribe that onto a card.

Tugging my tie off, I moved to the first bedroom and found a covered dish containing enough fruit to feed a squadron. I inspected the massive bowl before using my fingers to pick a piece of kiwi from the corner and then pop it in my mouth. I moaned before snagging a second piece and heading to the closet while shrugging off my white uniform dress shirt.

After hanging my shirt up, I decided against exploring the rest of the suite and instead opted for a detour to the massive glass shower with four ceiling-mounted heads that would no doubt make me feel as though I were in the middle of a rainforest. Yeah, I could get used to this gig.

I was dripping wet with a plush, white towel wrapped around my waist when I padded across the heated floor of the bathroom. I looked at the clock, and it was nearly eight p.m. Henry’s concert would be starting soon. The idea of seeing him in his element on stage was definitely intriguing, but Nikki hadn’t answered when I’d returned her call earlier. She met her girls for drinks every Thursday after work, so I figured she’d be calling back any minute.

I wasn’t sure what the hell I was going to say to her. Nothing had changed. But I was still desperate to talk to her. The way we’d left things was actually weighing heavily on my mind. Ya know, when I wasn’t thinking about Henry. I groaned to myself. What the hell was wrong with me?

Unfortunately, it would have taken far longer than a night to truly figure out that. Settling on the bed, I stared at the ceiling and shook my head, trying to clear my mind with no success.

I’d begun to doze off when my phone started ringing.

I immediately snatched it off the nightstand, but I couldn’t make out the caller’s name on the broken screen.

“Hello?”

Nikki softly whispered across the line. “Hey.”

I sat straight up and rubbed the sleepiness from my eyes. “Hey.”

“How’s it…um…going?”

I sighed sadly at the nervous shake of her voice. “I’m good, Nik. How ’bout you?”

“Honestly? I’ve been better.”

I collapsed back onto the bed. “God, I’m so f*cking sorry.”