Love in the Shadows of Legacy

I fumbled with the key card, struggling to make the green light flash. After the third attempt, the door finally clicked open and I stumbled into what was supposedly the most luxurious suite in Miami’s Grand Palms Hotel.

“Finally,” I breathed as I dragged my bag behind me. The room was nothing short of stunning with marble floors that probably cost more than my yearly rent and furniture that screamed luxury.

I fell into the king-sized bed, still in disbelief. Only three days ago, I had been mixing paint in the back room of Martinez Art Supplies. Now here I was in a five-star hotel suite, all thanks to my boss who'd practically dragged me onto the plane.

“Lily, you're working yourself into the ground,” Mr. Martinez had said, paying no mind to my protests, “You've been here every day for the past six months. It's either you take this trip or I'm firing you for your own good,”

After a long, hot shower that undid the tension in my shoulders, I wrapped myself in the hotel's impossibly soft bathrobe and sank into the velvet couch.

The privacy of the luxurious suite, the wonderful ocean view, and the way the silk robe felt against my skin all relaxed my body.

And slowly, I let my eyes drift closed and my hand moved under my robe. Soon, my breath grew uneven as I let the stress slide out with each stroke of my finger.

I arched into my own touch, biting my lip to hold back the moan…

The door swung open.

“Whoa. What the…”

Standing in the door frame was the most gorgeous man I had ever laid eyes on.

Tall, broad-shouldered, with eyes that were taking in every inch of my compromising position.

“Oh, hell no,” I yelled as I yanked my robe to cover up, nearly falling off the couch in my haste, “What the hell are you doing here?”

He leaned against the door frame, clearly not in a hurry to look away, “Well, this is interesting. I was expecting some room service not…this kind of entertainment,”

“Get out!”I screamed, “This is my room!”

He raised an eyebrow, smirking, “Your room? Princess, I think you're confused. This is my room.”

He stepped inside and let the door close behind him, “Though I have to say, the amenities are better than advertised,”

“You arrogant pig! I have the key card, I have the reservation confirmation, and I was here first! And what kind of psycho barges into a woman's room that way without even knocking?”

“The kind of psycho with a room key that works. Which means – guess what? – It’s mine too. Exclusive suite, penthouse level, non-refundable,”

“Unbelievable,” I hissed. I stared at my plastic key card, “This can't be happening,”

“Oh, but it is, sweetheart. Deal with it,” He said, “I’m Alexander by the way and you are?”

“Leaving,” I grabbed my bag, “Right now,”

When I got to the door, I paused and turned to him, “Actually, no. You're leaving. I'm not going to move out of my room for an entitled rich boy who thinks he owns the world,”

“Rich boy?” Alexander chuckled, “You're good with names,”

I rolled my eyes, “I'm going to get this thing sorted out,”

Downstairs, I stomped towards the receptionist's desk.

“Excuse me, there has been a mistake with my room,” I said to her.

Her professional smile faltered slightly as she looked at me, “Of course, Miss…”

“Rose. Lily Rose. Room 2847. Someone has the key card to my suite,”

Fingers flew across the keyboard and I watched the receptionist's face become more concerned, “Oh my. Oh…I'm so sorry, Miss Rose. It appears there's a booking error in our system. Both reservations for you and Mr. Thompson were confirmed for the same suite,”

“Well, fix it,”

“I’m afraid…” The woman said, looking between her and the computer, “We’re completely booked. There's a medical conference, a wedding…I don't have a single room available,”

“What?”

“I can offer you a full refund and help you find full reservations in another hotel…”

Me? Why couldn't she do that for him?

“No! I need this vacation. I need this room. I need…” Realising I was about to have a breakdown in the middle of a five-star lobby, I paused, “Just…never mind,”

The elevator ride back up was even worse than the one up.

I found Alexander exactly where I had left him. He was sprawled on the couch like he owned the place.

He didn't look up from his phone when I stepped in.

“Let me guess. All booked?”

I pointed a finger at him, “Don't. Don't dare to be smug about this,”

*Wouldn't dream of it,” He said, but his time suggested otherwise, “So I suppose we'll be roommates for the week,”

“There is no ‘we’. There are no ‘roommates’. There is you finding somewhere else to sleep,”

“And where exactly do you suggest? The lobby? Perhaps the pool deck? Or maybe the hallway, like a homeless person,”

“I couldn't care less if you sleep hanging upside down from this balcony. You're not sleeping in this room,”

He stood up in one fluid motion, “We can be adults about this, you know. The suite is big enough. There's a couch and we're both too tired to fight about this all evening,”

“Share,” My voice cracked, “With you? After what just happened?”

“What happened is an unfortunate misunderstanding. I'm sure you're mortified and I'm…I'm certainly not complaining about the view,”

“Oh my God,” I threw a pillow at him but he caught it easily.

“Here’s the deal. You can either storm about here in your bathrobe and sleep on a park bench or you can be practical. Your choice,”

I looked at him from head to toe, “Fine. But I get the bed. You can sleep on the floor for all I care,”

He looked genuinely amused, “Sure. Whatever makes you happy, princess.”

I watched in utter horror as he began undoing his shirt buttons, revealing a chest that belonged to a magazine cover.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Getting comfortable,” He said, “Unless, you'd prefer I sleep in a three-piece suite?”

I turned away from him, saying nothing while he settled in with his laptop.

For minutes, there was silence, interrupted only by the clicking of keyboard keys.

After what felt like hours, Alexander looked up.

“Poker?”

“Are you serious right now?”

“It's either that or we sit here in awkward silence all night,” His smirk returned, “Unless you'd prefer to continue where you left off when I arrived?”

“You are the most insufferable human being I have ever met,” I said slowly.

He smiled, “I’ll take that as a yes to poker.”

I raised a brow, “You carry cards everywhere?”

“You never know when you’ll need to distract a pissed-off woman.”

He leaned back against the headboard shuffling a deck of cards with one hand. The muscles in his forearm flexed, and I mentally slapped myself for noticing.

“I hope you're good?”

“Not just good. I'm competitive. I never lose,”

“Neither do I,” He said, smoothly. “Let's make it interesting,”

“Define interesting,”

“Loser sheds a layer,”

“You're joking,”

“I'm dead serious,” He said, “What's life without a little risk…uh…”

“Lily,”

“...Lily,” He tapped the desk, “Come on, Lily. What’s life without a little risk?”

“This isn't a risk. This is blackmail.”

He chuckled, “Well, good thing you're not a loser then,”

We stared at first hand and he lost.

“Shirt,” I said sweetly as I leaned on my elbow.

“You’re enjoying this already,” He muttered as he shrugged the shirt off.

My eyes ran down his brief, bronzed chest and I gulped, forcing my face to stay neutral,”

“Not bad,” I said, “Do you moisturize?”

“Want to rub it in for me?” He asked as his lips curved into a smile.

“Pass!”

***

Two rounds later, I lost my socks.

“This makes no sense,” I said as I pulled it off with a dramatic sigh.

“You sound like someone who knows she’s going to lose the robe next.”

“You wish,” I glared at him.

Unfortunately, he beat me again in the next round.

“You're cheating,” I clutched my robe tighter.

“I don’t need to cheat. You just need to get better.”

“Maybe I’ll just quit while I’m ahead.”

“You’re not ahead.”

“I’m ahead in dignity,” I shot back.

“That's rich. Coming from someone who was moaning on the couch when I walked in here. That ship has sailed,”

“You're unbelievable,”

“And yet here you are, still playing,”

The next round, I won.

“Pants,” I said, triumphantly.

He pulled his slacks off easily. My eyes ran down the length of his muscular legs. Kicking the pants aside, he dropped back into the couch.

“See something you like?”

“Nope. Just… admiring how dumb those boxers are.”

“Liar.”

As the game dragged on, more items of clothing fell off. By the time I was in bra and underwear, my heart was racing.

“You know, I’m starting to think you wanted me to walk in earlier,” Alexander said as he leaned forward.

I gawked at him. “Excuse me?!”

“Don’t get me wrong, it was awkward as hell. But…if you were desperate for an audience, you could’ve just asked.”

I threw a pillow at him, “You're disgusting,”

“Disgustingly charming.”

“Try disgustingly cocky.”

He leaned closer, voice dropping. “Cocky works better in bed.”

My breath caught.

“I’m not sleeping with you,” I blurted before I could stop myself.

“Good. Because I wasn’t offering sleep.” He said.

Then he set the cards aside. “Look. About that orgasm I ruined…I could make it up to you.”

I laughed nervously. “Is that your line? Do women actually fall for that?”

“Do you want me to answer honestly, or do you want me to prove it?”

My heart literally stopped. I should have pushed him away.

But I whispered,

“Prove it.”

***

The rest of the night dissolved into a blur of heat and whispered words I'd never say in daylight. Alexander's hands knew exactly where to touch, his mouth knew exactly what to say, and by the time dawn crept through the curtains, I was thoroughly ruined for any other man.

I woke to sunlight streaming across the empty bed.

The sheets beside me were cold. Alexander's clothes were gone from the chair where he'd tossed them. Even his suitcase had vanished from the corner.

My heart sank as I sat up, clutching the sheet to my chest.

He'd left. Of course, he had.

I spotted a hotel notepad on the nightstand and my pulse quickened – maybe he'd left a note, a number, something. But when I grabbed it, the page was blank except for the hotel's logo mocking me from the top.

"Idiot," I muttered to myself. "What did you expect? A marriage proposal?"

Still, as I showered and packed my things, I couldn't shake the ache in my chest. Last night had felt like more than just a hookup. The way he'd looked at me, the way he'd held me after…

I shook my head. I was reading too much into it. He was probably already on a plane back to wherever rich, gorgeous men like him came from.

Before I left the suite, I did something impulsive and possibly pathetic. I scribbled my number on a piece of hotel stationery and tucked it into the pocket of the slacks he'd worn during our poker game – the ones he'd hastily pulled on before leaving.

Just in case he came back for them.

Just in case he wanted to find me.

Even though I knew, deep down, that he wouldn't.