Page 32 of Room Service

“Yes, sir,” she said with a bobbing nod.

I walked into the office, frowning to myself. I didn’t pick a pastry because Jessi was the primary pastry chef in the hotel. I was just… tasting what the hotel had to offer. I also pushed aside the fact I wanted to see her again. That was just… because of last night, so she could explain to me exactly what went down and how she ended up in my arms.

Should I ask how she ended up in my bed, too? I pushed the thought aside.

I took off my coat and laid it on the back of my chair as usual. Then I sat down and pulled the folders I’d left on the desk last night closer to me. I did a quick perusal of them. About ten minutes later there was a knock on my door, and I looked up, closing the folder I’d just finished with.

“Come in, please,” I called.

The secretary opened the door, and someone with a uniform from the hotel kitchens pushed a tray inside. I caught myself thinking it could have been Jessi and pushed the thought out of my mind. It was probably not her job to move food around, just to make it.

The staff worker stopped the tray beside my desk and transferred it from the trolley he was pushing. There was a mug and a carafe of coffee, and under the tray were a few pastries. It wasn’t something I often ate so I didn’t recognize what was on the plate. The staff worker left it all in front of me, gave a short bow, then made his way out.

I didn’t get immediate word from my secretary about the lower management and the paperwork I needed. I wondered if they were even awake and if I’d need to change business hours, so they could be in their offices when they were needed.

That would only be convenient for me, I decided. Besides, the old man would probably get mad if I messed things up for him before he got back.

I poured the coffee and took a sip, then eyed the plate of pastries. After some thought, I picked a small, round one that had a slight hollow at the top. I bit into it, paused, then chewed. I nodded slowly to myself as I took another bite of it. The bread had just the right level of crunch without being too flaky and breaking off in my fingers, it was slightly sweet, and it had melted cheese in the middle.

I wanted the name of it. It tasted so good it seemed a waste that I hadn't been taking it every day with my coffee. When had I decided black coffee alone would be a good breakfast? I'd been missing out. I finished the first pastry then took another, and another. By the time the plate and my mug were empty, I was tempted to lick my fingers. I looked up, realized I was alone and did it anyway.

Afterward, I grumbled to myself for doing something so un-classy, whether or not someone was watching me do it, and wiped my fingers on a napkin.

The secretary chose that moment to come in, and I was relieved she hadn't come in just a few seconds earlier. She’d knocked first, but then I wouldn’t need to have a guilty expression on my face that would clue her in.

“Yes?” I said as she stepped up to the desk.

“I spoke to the manager and he said he’d be passing by the accounting and financial departments and have someone bring up the documents for you. You should have them in an hour. Was there anything else you needed?”

I frowned because what I needed was those documents a lot earlier than an hour. It would seem there was nothing I could do about it and there was no use in complaining.

“No,” I said. “Just let me know when they come in, thank you.”

I gave her a dismissive nod, but she blinked at me a couple of times in surprise. I frowned, wondering if it was because I hadn’t made a complaint about the tardiness. Did I always do that? Well, whatever. I gave her a pointed look, and her expression turned sheepish before she walked out of the room.

Alone again, I poured myself more coffee and took my time with it. I pulled the files I was looking through before breakfast came. Since it was just a quick perusal, I did it at my leisure, feeling relaxed for the first time in a long while. I had an hour to do that before getting down to serious work.

At the moment, I found my thoughts drifting back to Jessi, and I frowned slightly. It was strange, how I felt about her after last night. She wasn’t the first woman I’d had a one-night stand with, so why was I still thinking about her? She’d been in my thoughts on and off for over a decade, but last night should have got her out of my system.

There was a part of me that felt terrified. I wasn’t sure if last night was a one-night stand to Jessi, and I hoped not because I did want to see her again. I wasn’t sure I wanted to sleep with her again—okay, that was a lie, I just didn’t know if I was going to—but I would be looking for her at my earliest convenience.

Oddly, no matter how terrified I should probably feel that I wanted to see her again, I was calm. It was only sex, after all. We had been good in bed together, Jessi and me. That had been unexpected, and I was wondering what it would be like if we did it again with a bit more knowledge about each other now.

Only sex, I thought to myself. I would want more of that.

Another knock on my door brought me out of my revelry, and I looked up as the secretary walked in with two people behind her. One of them had come for the tray, while the other had come with an armful of folders that were set on the edge of the desk.

Had an hour passed already? I’d barely noticed. I finished my coffee so my mug could be taken down with everything else.

“These are all the relevant files you’ll need, sir,” the secretary said. “Will there be anything else?”

I shook my head as I pulled the pile closer. “No, all this is fine. I’ll let you know if I need anything more.”

With that, she walked out and left me alone again. I started up the computer to access the company database so I could look through the documents and match them to the information we had in the database. Tomorrow, if I still had no word from Dad, I’d start looking into his planned meetings.

I spent the day working, going through my business and Dad’s. Jessi drifted out of my mind, and I lost track of time. It was hours later when I pushed back into the seat, clenching and unclenching my fists.

My mind, of course, drifted right back to Jessi.