After a quick shower, there are still two hours left till my meeting. I put a fresh suit on and head back to the front of the resort, thinking I’ll kill some time by grabbing a bite to eat.

Lily clouds my thinking. Specifically, her firm body, easygoing nature, and her tight cunt. Suddenly I’m not so eager to get to Florida and into the bikinis of a stranger or two. Not every random woman is fun to be around. Some can be downright uptight, demanding, and clingy. The way Lily just let me fuck and run makes me want to hang on for a while.

That time against the wall was just an appetizer.

Now, I want the five-course meal.

Already I’m formulating ideas for the evening ahead. I haven’t seen her naked. There’s a whole lot I want to see and do with that body. The image of her nipples sticking up from her round, full breasts as she lies back on my bed causes a groan to rumble up from deep in my chest. I push it down before it becomes audible.

Soon.

I’ll take care of this meeting, wrap up one hell of a deal, and will have the rest of the evening to play in Lily’s playground. For now, I focus.

The resort’s dining room is just as dead as its bar, with only a few occupied tables. The hostess shows me to a little oval one by the back wall. I order a scotch and settle down into the cushioned chair. Reaching for the menu, I look up and freeze.

Lily is here, speaking on her cell, seeming stressed as she leans forward in her seat halfway across the dining room. She’s wearing a different outfit, but I wonder if I can catch a whiff of her and find that my scent is still all over her. She hasn’t noticed me. Gerome Forer should be here soon, but I can’t resist pushing away from my table and heading over to her.

“Everything all right?” I ask.

Her lips purse in annoyance, but as she drops her phone and looks up, her expression relaxes. Our eyes lock. Her mouth falls slightly open. I’m pleased to see my presence makes her eyes light up.

“I’m actually waiting for a potential client,” she smiles. She checks her phone. “But now he’s twenty minutes late and he hasn’t answered my calls.” Her face falls again, clearly mulling over her client meeting. I take the seat next to her without asking.

“Something probably came up,” I tell her. “That’s why he hasn’t gotten in touch. This snowfall is getting pretty serious. Have you looked outside?”

Both our heads turn to the swirling mass of white on the other side of the windows. The sun has only just set, but the storm makes it seem dark as midnight beyond the snow.

Lily’s elbows come to rest on the table and her head drops forward. “I can’t believe this.”

“Hey, let me buy you a drink.”

“I don’t need a drink,” she mutters at the mistletoe centerpiece. “I need a contract.”

“The client will reschedule.”

She finally looks at me. “Or hire someone else.”

I shrug. “Then fuck him.”

She looks appalled.

“Seriously,” I say. “If he’s so eager to sign without meeting you, he’s screwing himself. Fuck him.”

Her eye twitches.

My waitress finds me and sets my drink on Lily’s table.

“A bottle of Merlot,” I tell the waitress. “Two glasses.”

Lily slumps back in her chair when it’s just us again. “I wish I could say that. Fuck him, I mean. But it’s not so simple.”

I scratch my jaw and think about what to say next. With all the profanity being uttered, the only thing I can think about is getting Lily back to my room so I can do just that to her. I’m almost too relaxed around her to say anything that doesn’t have to do with me being inside of her.

“What’s so important about this meeting?” I ask.

“I’ve never been invited to pitch for a deal this big. I’m the small fry startup, and for the first time, a major news media organization is open to working with us. That’s a huge deal in this brave new online world. But don’t let me bore you. I’m a software designer.”

I blink and stare at her. “And that’s for which news media company again?”

“Tapped.”

It takes a moment for me to get my jaw moving. “Interesting,” I breathe out.

Lily looks at me like I’m crazy. “What?”

I clear my throat. “We’re here to meet the same guy. Gerome Forer, right?”

Her eyes go wide. “What?”

“So, that’s a yes.”

“I don’t understand,” she mutters in confusion.

“I do. Mr. Forer is a busy man. Meeting us both on the same day makes sense.” I look around the room. “I’d put money down that one or two of these restaurant patrons are also here for the same reason.”

Lily’s lips part and she sputters. “B… but...”

“Hey. It’s not a huge deal. At least we can fill our time…creatively.” I chuckle. “Here’s an idea. Room service. I’ll take the wine sent up to my room, or yours.”

Her face darkens. “This isn’t fun and games for me. It is a big deal.”

I cock my head. “It was a meeting. We’re early on in the process. You really thought Forer would show up and just hand you the gig?”

“A girl can hope. Or maybe you just assumed he’d give your company the contract,” she snaps.

I recoil back. The viciousness is a new side to her. Still, if she’s a startup, she just doesn’t have a clear idea about how long these business deals can take to finalize. I decide I won’t hold it against her.

“Wait a second,” Lily says. “Are you… are you Nick Marshall?”

I nod. “In the flesh.”

All the color drains from her face. “That’s how you can laugh.”

“All right, now you’re really not making sense.”

“You’re one of the top dogs in this niche area. I’ve heard about you. Your firm is well-positioned. Losing another client is no big deal to you.”

Her words are full of spite. They get under my skin and prick me like a thousand tiny knives.

“Now hold on a second. Don’t just assume you know how important a deal is or isn’t to me.”

She stands. “I need to get out of here.”

“You’re not serious.”

“I just had sex with my competition. I’m about as serious as I can be.”

Lily grabs her purse and stalks off.