by Parker, Ali
I felt like I was on a downhill ski slope with no way to stop. Everything was happening way too fast with Trent. I met him one day and gave him my virginity practically the next. I was head over heels for a guy that I didn’t even really know.
I knew I should slow things down. Put the brakes on. What my brain knew, my heart refused to listen to.
I liked him. I liked him a lot, and I didn’t want to slow things down. I felt completely wild and crazy and, most of all, spontaneous. I couldn’t ever remember feeling so free. I was always following all the rules and never rocked the boat. With Trent, I was ready and willing to shake things up.
Or was I?
If I was really ready to make it official with me and Trent, wouldn’t I be more willing to tell my dad? I was holding back, and if I was being completely honest, I could admit I was holding back because I was a little scared it was all going to end. I didn’t want to tell my dad about Trent and then have it end in a month.
My dad would kill him. Literally. I knew Trent respected my father, and I didn’t want to ruin their relationship by getting my dad involved in a relationship that may not last more than a month. It was easier to just kind of keep things on the down low. If it looked like Trent and I were the real deal, then I would break it to my father.
Over the phone.
I did not want to see his face when I told him I was dating a man that he knew. A man that was just a tiny bit older than I was. I checked my phone, a little bummed to see he hadn’t called or texted. I wasn’t going to call again. I didn’t want to appear needy.
Despite my desire to play it cool, I sent him one tiny, quick text.
I miss you.
I held my phone in my hand, waiting to see if I would get a response. I must have waited a good five minutes and got nothing. I sighed, hoping it was just him being busy with work and not busy with another woman. I put the phone down on the bedside table and closed my eyes.
It was his face I saw. His blue eyes staring into mine. I wished like hell he were there with me.
Chapter 34
Trent
Today was the first day of what I hoped was going to be a smart business decision. Gabe was at the new hotel—alone. He was going to be taking meetings with contractors and putting out any of the little fires that always came up during a renovation. Richie and I were only a phone call away, and ultimately, the contractors would come to me with anything big, but it was up to Gabe.
I was slowly buying into the idea of the kid managing the hotel and Richie taking over the day-to-day stuff at the other two. I had already hired extra office staff to support them. They didn’t know my real reason for adding extra help.
I clicked the mouse, zooming in on one of the hotel properties for sale in Fresno. I should have been catching up on the pile of paperwork and the unanswered emails, but I was thinking about my future. I knew what I wanted for that future. Sade. I wanted Sade.
My idea was to buy a hotel in Fresno and move closer to her to run said hotel. That meant Richie and Gabe would have to hold down the fort here. I wasn’t sure how Richie was going to handle that news. I read through the information posted about the first hotel. It wasn’t bad.
There was one other hotel on the market that could be an option. I clicked through the pictures, already imagining the changes I would make, and bookmarked the sight. I needed to focus on the real work staring at me in the face. I’d revisit the hotel situation later. I smiled imagining the look on Richie’s face when I told him my plans. He would probably break my other kneecap.
That was a problem for another day. I reached for the stack of invoices that had been flagged for my approval. I was expecting a large pile with all the work going on at the new hotel. It was a lot of money going out, and my finance department was probably having heart attacks right now. I wasn’t worried about the money. I had to spend money to make money.
And just then, I wasn’t all that concerned about making more money. My thoughts went back to Sade and the two phone calls I had missed. I had felt horrible. Gabe and I had been at the hotel working with the contractors, taking down walls, and doing general demo until after midnight on Saturday.
Part of me did it to punish the kid for putting us behind schedule. Part of me did it because I wanted to prove I was still capable of swinging a sledgehammer and getting my hands dirty. I had to show Gabe who he was working for, and that meant putting in the long hours. For now. It wasn’t going to be forever.
It was a means to an end. I had a goal in mind, and everything I was doing was getting me closer to Sade. Would she be okay with my plans? I was moving fast. Was it too fast for her? She said she missed me, and she acted like she wanted to spend time with me, but packing up and moving a couple of hundred miles to be with her might freak her out a little.
I would talk to her about it over the weekend. I would cautiously broach the subject and try to get a good read on how she felt about me buying another hotel and living close to her. Hell, the goal would be to have her move in with me. It was a lot. I kept trying to remind myself she was fresh out of school and had just started working her first real job. Moving in with her boyfriend might be a little too much, too soon.
I didn’t want to wait. I had waited my whole life to find a woman like her, and I didn’t want to wait any longer. When a woman like Sade walked into your life, you didn’t wait. I found myself pulling up the listings for the hotels once again. I looked more closely at the details of the property and then enlarged each picture.
I was already mentally planning the changes I would make. Estimating the cost for repairs and upgrades and thinking about how to make it happen. Richie was going to kill me. Then again, a fourth hotel meant more revenue coming in. He’d get a fat raise for taking over the base of operations in Tahoe if I moved. I could make it a very lucrative package for him to help sweeten the pot.
My phone rang. I checked the screen and saw it was Gabe. That didn’t take long.
“Hello, Gabe,” I answered.
“Trent, we have a situation with the plumbing in the basement,” he said, sounding a little panicked.
Every building had trouble with the plumbing in the basement in my experience. “And?”
“And should I have the guy fix it?”
“Do you think it should be left to continue to be a problem?” I answered his question with my own.
“Well, no, but you said we needed to be mindful of the budget. This is going to cost about ten grand.”
I nodded, expecting these things to come up. “Gabe, anything plumbing, electrical, or structural related has to be fixed. While I don’t want you spending money haphazardly, we can’t very well open a hotel with safety issues or problems that will interfere with our business.”
“Okay. You want me to tell him to fix it?”
I rubbed my temple. “Yes, Gabe, I want you to tell him to fix it.”
“He says it will set him back a couple of days,” he added.
“I imagine it will.”
“All right, I’ll call you if there’s anything else,” he said and hung up the call.
The kid was green. He was also trying to do a good job. I didn’t mind that he called for little things. He was taking the job seriously, which was what I needed. I just hoped he would be able to make some of the basic decisions on his own without having to call me or Richie. If he couldn’t, he wasn’t going to be doing me much good as the manager of the place.
I got up from my chair, needing a shot of caffeine or sugar or both. I ventured down the hallway, taking in the sight of the new office addition being added to the back of the building. More administration meant I needed more room. If my hotel empire continued to grow, I was going to have to think about finding some real office space. We were pretty crammed into the building we were in.
I pushed open the door to the breakroom and found Richie staring into the refrigerator.
“Anything good in there, or should I go to the restaurant?” I asked him.
> He stood up and closed the door. “I don’t know. What are you looking for?”
“Sugar.”
He chuckled, opened the door, pulled out a can of soda, and handed it to me. “Then you’re set.”
I opened the can and took a long drink. “What are you looking for?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Something to snack on. I’ve been on the phone with Gabe all morning.”
I laughed. “That explains why he just called me. Are you hiding from him?”
“I needed a break.”
“He’s going to do okay once he gets comfortable,” I assured him. “I do have high hopes for him. Right now, I think he’s trying to impress us, and he doesn’t want to make any major mistakes.”
“He can’t make a mistake because he can’t make a decision,” he retorted.
“In good time. I don’t want him writing blank checks. It’s good he’s clearing stuff with us.”
“I suppose.”
“What do you think about looking for some office space?” I asked him, slowly broaching the subject of expansion.
He leaned against the refrigerator, crossing his arms over his chest. “You think we’re ready for that?”
I shrugged. “We need more admin to manage three hotels. More admin requires more space.”
Richie smirked. “Remember when you talked to me about buying this hotel?”
“I do.”
“Who would have thought you were building an empire that would one day rival Hilton?” he joked.
I smiled. “It wasn’t my intention. Maybe it’s a sickness. I see these properties, and I just can’t stop thinking about what they could be.”
“I can start checking around for offices for rent, or do you plan on buying that too?” he asked with a laugh.
I thought about it. “It wouldn’t be a bad investment.”
“Oh shit, I was joking.”
“It makes sense to buy a building. If we don’t need all the space, we could rent out the empty offices.”
He shook his head. “You’re serious?”
“Yep.”
He let out a long sigh. “Okay, I’ll start checking today.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you going out of town for the weekend?” he asked casually.
“No. The plan is to bring her here for the weekend. But I’m still going to be out of reach. It’ll be two weeks since I’ve seen her, and I don’t plan on coming in for any reason.”
He chuckled. “I know the drill. Don’t call unless the place is burning down.”
“Now you got it.”
“You’re hooked on this one,” he said.
“I am.”
“Be careful. She’s young.”
I smirked. “I know how old she is. She isn’t the typical college grad. She’s different.”
“You’re a wealthy man, Trent,” he said it as a warning.
“Trust me, that’s the one thing she doesn’t like about me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t believe that.”
“It’s true. She doesn’t even know just how wealthy I am.”
“Bullshit.”
I laughed, fully expecting his skepticism. “She gets uncomfortable when I offer to buy her things or do anything that costs money. She isn’t with me for my money.”
“Okay, just be careful,” he warned before leaving me alone in the breakroom.
I took my soda and walked down the hall to where the head of housekeeping had been given a very small office. I wanted my people to know they were appreciated, and that meant giving them a space to work where they could function their best. I needed office space.
I knocked on the door. “Knock, knock.”
I quickly went over some issues we’d been having with the linen company and assured the woman it was being taken care of. She thanked me for my time and attention to the matter, and I headed back to my office. I sat down at my desk and stared at the screen with the hotel for sale still on it.
I reached for my phone, staring at the number of the realty company on the screen. Not yet. I couldn’t pull the trigger just yet. Instead, I decided to send Sade a quick text to let her know I was thinking about her.
Miss you. Can’t wait to talk to you tonight.
I put the phone away and focused on work. I couldn’t afford to drop any of the balls I had in the air. I spent the next several hours working, completely focused on the job. Around three, I decided I had enough and called Bentley to pick me up. I was a little fried after the long weekend and couldn’t wait to get home and hang out with Leia. The poor girl probably felt neglected.
Truthfully, I wanted to go home, sit on my couch, and take another look at the real estate market in the Fresno area. If I was going to buy a hotel in the area, I was also going to need a house. Leia couldn’t live in an apartment. She needed plenty of room to run.
Big changes were coming my way. Assuming Sade was okay with me moving closer to her.
Chapter 35
Sade
I was feeling the loneliness. Living alone had been fun and new at first, but it quickly got old. I didn’t think I was cut out to be alone. I was bored. Every night I sat on my couch, flipping through channels and texting Trent—assuming he was able to text. I talked to myself—a lot. Probably more than was healthy. I ate alone. I did everything alone.
I was feeling the distance between Trent and me, as well as the distance between me and Khloe and Julia. As expected, they were both busy with their new lives, and the texting between the three of us was already starting to slow. I felt that part of my life slipping away. I needed to make new friends.
“Hey,” I said to Holly, popping my head in her little lab space.
“What’s up? Are you done for the day?”
I nodded. “I am. You?”
“Just finishing up.”
“Do you want to grab some dinner?” I asked hopefully.
“Sure!”
I sighed with relief. I had been worried she would shoot me down. I was starving for some company and dreaded the idea of eating alone again. “Awesome. I’ll wait for you in the breakroom.”
I felt giddy. I liked Holly, but trying to get to know each other at work was difficult. I needed a friend, and we at least had work in common. I pulled my phone from my purse and saw the usual messages from Trent. I smiled, getting the warm fuzzies as I read through each message. He missed me.
I texted him back, letting him know I was going to dinner with Holly and would call him before I went to bed. Holly came in a minute later. We headed out of the lab together.
“Any ideas about where we should go?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Do you like barbecue?”
“Uh, yeah!”
She laughed. “There is a little joint not too far from here. It looks a little scary from the outside, but I promise the food is amazing.”
“Sounds good to me.”
She showed me the way to her secret place. It was very small, with about ten tables in the restaurant and a few more out front. The requisite bibs were rolled up alongside the napkin, which told me it was an authentic barbecue restaurant.
“Have you been finding your way around okay?” she asked.
“I haven’t really tried to find my way around. It’s usually work, home, and maybe a stop at the grocery store.”
She smiled. “I can take you out to the best clubs if you’d like.”
“I would normally say yes, but I do have a boyfriend,” I reminded her.
“Oh, that’s right, Mr. Magazine Man.” She winked.
“Yes, Trent.”
“How did the two of you meet?”
I smiled, thinking of the chance encounter. “My girlfriends and I went to Lake Tahoe for a mini vacation in celebration of us all graduating college. I saw him in the hotel, not realizing he owned the place. I was immediately attracted to him. He came over, talked with us, and it just kind of took off from there.”
“Damn! You are so lucky!”
I laughed. “I certainly feel lucky. He’s an amazing man. He flies over to see me on the weekends or sends his helicopter to pick me up.”
“Oh my god. Seriously?”
I nodded, feeling very fortunate. “Yep.”
“Wow. I need to find a man like that. I seem to find every loser in town. Maybe I need to take a trip to Lake Tahoe.”
“You never know,” I said. “You might find what you’re looking for.”
“I’ve never been there. Is there anything to do besides look for a boyfriend?”
I laughed again. “I didn’t go there looking. In fact, he is my first real boyfriend.”
“No way! That is so unfair! I’ve had to kiss way too many frogs, and I still haven’t found my prince. You find one right out of the gate.”
I grinned. “I’m lucky.”
“Is he coming this weekend?”
“I’m going there after work on Friday. I’m not sure if he’ll make the trip over to pick me up.”
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t know I was working with royalty.”
I laughed. “I’m definitely not royalty, but I do like how he treats me like his queen. I’m still in awe of him and just how awesome he is.”
“Does he own a house there or live in his hotel?”
“He owns a very nice house on the lake,” I replied.
“Of course, he does.”
A waiter came by and brought us some water. We both ordered ribs after Holly insisted I had to try them.
“It is really hard to do the long-distance thing, though. I miss him all the time.”
“Maybe you should move over there,” she suggested.
“I just got the job here. I really like my job, and it isn’t easy to get into a job like ours. Plus, I just got picked for that project. I can’t leave.”
“You know what they say about long-distance relationships?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t think I do.”
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
