Their dinner at the bar and grill flew by. Nothing was mentioned about Elaine, the office or their strange first meeting. Instead, the time was filled with laughter over favorite movies, pet peeves and embarrassing moments. They knew so little about each other that once they began sharing, the conversation flowed.
A surly server cleared their table and his throat. “Closing time.”
Paige peered around the dim dining hall and was shocked that it had gone from a bustling cacophony to a barren desert without her having noticed. Sterling left a hefty tip before they headed back to their rooms. She didn’t want to say goodnight and toyed with the idea of continuing their conversation in one of their rooms. She stifled a yawn at the same time the elevator opened. Sterling placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her forward. As they approached her room, he only pulled his hand away to take out her key.
He ran her keycard, opened the door and placed the card in her hand while propping the door wide with his back. A sudden thought scared her. Did he do this for many girls? What sort of man was he? Though she had asked a number of questions about his family, he deftly avoided giving her any information. What possible reason could he have for not seeing them for so many years? Was he raised in an abusive home? What skeletons was he hiding?
Sterling tried to catch her eye, but she looked down. “I suppose you’re quite worn out,” he said.
She nodded. “It’s been a long day.”
“Tomorrow then.” He paused.
With him so near in the tight doorway, she could feel his warm breath on her neck. She feared if she did lift her eyes, she’d let him kiss her. She remembered the last time this had happened as she got out of the car at the farmers’ market. He’d made his lack of interest so clear shortly after that, how could she even think he felt the same way? She shook her head slightly at herself for how silly she’d been.
He must have noticed because he asked, “What’s that about?”
Then she did look up. “Nothing. Really.” She could see confusion in his eyes, and she realized how naïve she was. Sterling was her coworker and had done nothing to make her think it was anything more. Time to act professionally, she thought.
Putting out her hand to shake his, she said, “I’m really looking forward to seeing how you approach Earth Tech. It could be extremely useful for my own enterprise, like Elaine said. Thank you for everything.”
He took her hand and simply held it. “It does look to be an interesting week. I hope we become a great team.”
Her chest tightened as he entered her room.
She stammered, not sure what to say or feel, as he went to a door she had assumed was a closet and turned the handle. It was an adjoining room.
“I’m right in here if you need anything. It’s locked from my side, so I can’t get in unless you open it, but all you have to do is turn the handle.”
Paige tried to discern any innuendo in his tone. There was none. He seemed to be simply informing her that he was there. Without another word he went into his own room, closed the door and was gone.
Once inside her hotel room, Paige expected to see the bed covered with shopping bags, but there weren’t any. They weren’t on the dresser either. In the closet she found her purchased outfits hung neatly in a row. She opened the drawers and found carefully laid out accessories. Thinking of Sterling alone in her room made her a bit uncomfortable. She couldn’t decide if it was sweet or a little creepy. It brought back the feeling of Blanche lurking in her closet. How strange that someone would lie to become part of her life like that. If the police didn’t find her, maybe she’d hire a private investigator.
So much had changed since that wild day. Although she knew she couldn’t have stayed on her current path forever, it still felt a bit unreal to be whisked off a thousand miles away and surrounded by luxury instead of working endless hours on her little farm back home. This week was a gift to get her moving forward, and she’d accept it as such. She’d learn all she could and then roll up her sleeves with her soap business and make it all it could be. She really was on the cusp of making all her dreams come true.
Lifting out the midnight blue dress from the bag, Paige held it up to her and gazed in the full length mirror. She’d never owned anything so elegant in her life. Though she would never tell him, it was the way Sterling looked at her when she tried it on that made her agree to buy it. His gaze had made her feel beautiful, but it threw her off a little bit to see him in a suit. When she thought of him, he was always in jeans and a Stetson. But that was just a masquerade. Who was the real Sterling? She couldn’t get involved until she found out.
After hanging up the dress, Paige changed into her new nightgown. A lavender silk that reminded her of petunias. She wondered how the goat was doing as she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and finish getting ready for bed.
In the dark a hand clamped over her mouth, and Paige tried to scream but couldn’t. She pushed the man dressed in black away from her. He held on tight. She kicked him and tried to scream louder, but his hand covered her mouth. Lashing out with all her strength, she at last broke free and screamed as loud as she could. The sound shocked her, and her eyes popped open.
It took a moment to adjust to her surroundings. Where was she? The glow of a distant streetlamp brightened the room enough to make out the dresser and closet, and she remembered. She was at the hotel, not the farm. She was safe.
A knock at the door made her jump.
She thought to ignore it until it came again, more insistent. Then she realized it wasn’t from the hall but the adjoining room. From beneath the door, she could see his light was on. Embarrassed, she rose from bed.
Cracking the door, she met Sterling’s worried expression. “Are you alright?”
She put a hand to her cheek. “Bad dream. Nothing really.”
He was only wearing shorts, and her eyes drifted to his muscular torso. He touched her arm. “I’m right here.”
Her breathing grew shallow. “I know.”
“You’re sure you’re alright?” He drew closer to her, and she became more aware of how little he had on.
Steadying herself, she reached out and took the edge of the door in hand. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” She began to close the door, a little concerned that if she didn’t do it then she might not ever want to.
“I know you will,” he said right before she closed the door completely.
Paige rushed to the bathroom and splashed her flaming cheeks with cold water. As she dabbed them dry with a towel, she wondered if they were that flushed while she was talking to him. Did he think she was a foolish little goat farmer with no brain at all? That’s how she was acting. Determined to be the quintessential businesswoman the next day, Paige headed for bed.
As she closed her eyes, the sight of Sterling’s smooth chest flashed across her mind. She thought of the time Sterling was in Uncle Bill’s room and wouldn’t change until she left. At the time she thought he had something to hide. Was it possible to be more wrong about anything? His abs could have been used to sell exercise equipment or sports drinks or been put on a magazine cover to sell anything really, and she’d buy it. As soon as she realized she was obsessing over him, she tried to stop herself. She was being shallow. Still, she couldn’t get the visual out of her mind. Great. Now she’d never sleep.