ETHAN

I hear the sound of the door closing and walk the other way, while little strands of their voices continue looping through my mind. There was something incredibly familiar about that woman, wasn’t there? Or are they all just a little bit the same?

I’ve always had a thing for her type, but she really had me going. Those hips, the way she was practically spilling out of that conservative button-down top… Yes. Definitely my type of girl.

And a little too easy in my arms, honestly. It was so simple to catch her before she hit the floor, like I’d done it a million times. I almost felt like I’ve really looked at her before. Probably just a common look. Bright blue eyes, caramel-colored hair… not an unusual sight in San Francisco, for sure.

When I saw her coming up to the executive suite, she took me aback. No one else is supposed to be on this floor today. I’ve got a speech to prepare for. At first I was annoyed, but then sort of amused because it looked like she was going to stumble straight over the luggage in the hallway. Then when she did, I’m not really sure what came over me. Instincts took control, and I automatically reached out to retrieve her, right before she landed on the floor. She just fell right into my hands, like a bird falling out of a tree.

But I don’t have time to think about that now. I stare at my laptop, trying to refresh my memory of the last few slides in the presentation. It’s the same old same old, but I like to keep it fresh. People expect me to say things like follow your dream. Work hard. It’ll all happen for you if you are ambitious and worthy.

I know that it’s complete horseshit.

The truth is, you can work the same amount and still spend your life digging ditches and flipping hamburgers. CEOs don’t work harder than bowling alley cashiers or nurses. What really separates us is luck. I just got lucky.

Who wants to hear me give a speech about that?

Perry comes in to the presidential suite. I hear him in the parlor, refilling the ice buckets and making himself useful.

“Are you just about ready?”

“Just another moment,” I say, waving him off. Then I think better of it. “Actually, Perry? Can you come here for a minute?”

He reenters in the room, pulling the plastic sheeting from my dry-cleaned suit. This beautiful Asian girl spilled a daiquiri all down the front of me yesterday. I’m sure it was an accident.

“I’m sure the speech is going to be another winner, sir,” he begins.

“Perry, why are there people in the executive suite?”

He shakes his head emphatically. “There’s no one else on this floor,” he says. “You booked the whole floor.”

“No, there are definitely two women staying in the executive suite.”

“I’ll have them removed immediately!” he huffs, clearly offended.

“No… don’t do that,” I shrug. I almost still feel her weight in the palms of my hands, her smooth skin, the sweet gust of air that burst from her lips and landed at the pit of my throat. “Just give me some information. Names, backgrounds, that sort of thing.”

“Right away, sir!”

Perry hurries off, and I force myself to look at the slides again. Arrowing back and forth, I try to remember the last time I gave this speech. Philadelphia, I’m fairly certain. Tech conference. Now, a lot of those bastards really will get lucky. Maybe I inspired a few of them.

I know I inspired that cosplay girl. I could see her all the way in the back of the room, so ready and willing it was like a lighthouse. Like a neon sign: fuck me. She was pretty good. Eager and big-titted, bouncy hair, and a giggling warcry when she came.

But then I think about her again: the girl from the hallway. She went completely the opposite way, into silence. Still she had that deer-in-headlights look that women sometimes get. Maybe she recognized me. The interview in Rolling Stone really did a lot for my reputation. People believe that rock star stuff if you say it long enough.

“Does the name Ava Harrison ring a bell? Bea Tyde?” Perry asks, reentering the room.

I stare at him, unbelieving. “What did you say?”

He approaches with his hands out apologetically. “It seems there was a double-booking error. Their rooms were given away, so some newbie at the front desk decided to book the executive suite on this floor. Can you believe that? The nerve of her!”

I hold up a hand, stop. “I don’t care about that. Let them have the suite. But did you say… Ava Harrison?”

Perry nods. “Yes… wait, isn’t she from your old neighborhood? Did you know her?”

I swallow, hard. I knew her. My best friend… former best friend’s younger sister. I remember her in the swimming pool, stroking back and forth in a bikini that was still a little bit too big for her. She liked to pretend she didn’t know I was watching. But I was. I remember making a mental note that taking her sweet, innocent ass was at the top of my to-do list.

And then after all the drama between our families, I guess the to-do list got scrapped.

“I’m sure I can find them another room. I’ll have a talk with the manager.”

“No, don’t do that,” I say, snapping my laptop closed and standing up. “It will be nice to be reacquainted, I think. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

Perry scowls, but I know he’ll do as I ask. He is always the first one to defend me, to make certain my orders are carried out to the letter.

I am supposed to have this floor to myself, but what’s the harm in sharing it? Maybe Ava could be a little bit of fun. Little taste of home, as they say. She certainly isn’t a little girl anymore. Now lush and curvaceous, she’s exactly the kind of woman that I want. Someone strong. Someone who can take anything I throw at her.

Could she do it? Certainly worth finding out.