A knock at the door intrudes on my thoughts, adding to the aggravation building inside of me.
“Mr. Black,” the knocker says without waiting for acknowledgement.
“What is it, Mrs. Penny?” I snarl.
“I just need you to go over these before I go for the night,” she says through the door. I stand and open it, taking the wine and champagne forms for what was consumed this evening.
“Is this all?”
“Yes, actually. Several guests left early after meeting up with their targets for the night so we saved a lot, especially since David Darden wasn’t here like last year, drinking like a fish. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my husband is waiting for me in the lobby.”
“I’ll walk you down.”
“Thank you.” It’s the least I can do. She throws fantastic parties and handles problems like earlier with a sense of grace and elegance.
I walk her to the elevators that conveniently open for us with a press of the button. “Besides, I have a special event I’m going to need planned. I don’t have the details, but it will be sooner rather than later.”
“If you don’t mind me asking…does it have to do with the young lady that was here earlier?”
“Yes.”
“Of course I will help.”
“You don’t have any of the details yet.”
“For you? Anything.”
“Hello—that’s not something I should be fucking hearing,” Detective Penny says, pulling his wife to him for a deep kiss in a wasted display of ownership. Until Lara, I thought I was dead inside, the years of neglect, abuse, lies, haunted memories, and fear leaving me impotent.
She pulls her upper body back just slightly to slap his chest. “Oh, honey. You’re silly. Mr. Black wants me to plan another event for him. Although I’m assuming everything is hush-hush?” she says, turning to me on that last bit.
I shrug and nod. “Yes. I kind of have to convince the bride-to-be.”
“It shouldn’t be too hard,” he mutters, still sore about what he overheard and misinterpreted. The only thing Mrs. Penny likes about me is the money she gets paid to do these events.
“I think I have real trouble on my hands.”
“Yeah, considering she gave you the slip tonight.”
“Are you serious? You’re a billionaire, and she ran?”
“Yeah. Well, like I said, she’s trouble, but I’m not one to back down from a good fight, and this is one I can’t afford to lose.”
“Good luck,” Mrs. Penny says. “I’m beat. Take me home, Detective.” He scoops her up in his arms, cradling her and stealing another kiss before they leave the hotel lobby.
My phone buzzes again. “What happened?”
“Everything is good. She’s inside her dorm.”
“Are you sure she made it to her room?”
“Yes, I texted her roommate to make sure.”
“You got her number?”
“We needed their information, remember?”
“Okay. Well, I’m going back to my condo. You can head home too. The rest of the staff will call if there’s an issue during the cleanup.”
“Sure thing, Landon.”
I have my car brought around and drive to my condo, which isn’t too far from my hotel and office. All I can think about is my woman and what she’s doing. Morning can’t come soon enough.