Something was up with Roxanne and I couldn’t put my finger on it. She seemed like she was hiding something from me. I felt like PJ might have been right about her, at least, a little bit. I didn’t think she was working for Stephano, but there certainly was something that she was trying to hide from me.
I was willing to wait and see what happened, but only because Roxanne wouldn’t be involved in the case.
“I’ll call Nate and get him on his way. You check in with your CIA contact. Let’s see if we can get a better plan together than just trying to buy Ana. Maybe we could all decide on something together,” Chase said as he went to the corner of the room and dialed Nate’s number.
“So, Nate is my brother. He’s really good. I trust him. I also have a friend named PJ who I’m texting right now. We will wait to move forward until we can all discuss the plan. Does that make you feel better?” I asked Roxanne.
“You don’t need to be condescending to me.”
I honestly didn’t mean to sound condescending. I was genuinely trying to keep her in the loop. But again, something was up with Roxanne and I couldn’t figure out what it was.
“Listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a jerk.”
“Okay.”
She allowed my apologies much faster than most women I had known in my past. Typically, my experience with women showed that they liked to stay mad for a very long time before they accepted an apology.
“Is there anything I can do?” she asked.
“You can keep Jordan company. I’m sure she is really upset and doesn’t like being alone,” Chase said as he interrupted us.
I could tell Chase was trying to keep things professional and didn’t want me getting close to Roxanne. I understood where he was coming from and took both a literal and figurative step back away from Roxanne.
“Where is she? Should we move hotels?” I asked.
“Sure. I got us a room on the other end of town at the Holiday Inn. We can get a couple more rooms there. I think it will be safe. It’s not like Stephano can search every single hotel in the city.”
We all gathered our things and made our way over to the new hotel. I sent a text message to PJ with the new address and that I would send the room number as soon as we settled in.
“PJ will be here soon. We can get settled into the hotel and meet up later this afternoon,” I said.
When we got to the hotel, Chase got Roxanne her own room next to him and Jordan. My room was just a few doors down, but it was clear that Chase was trying to keep us apart. It was funny how things had changed in only a couple of days. Roxanne hadn’t been someone I was tempted by when I had first met her.
Sure, the idea of having sex with her crossed my mind. Who wouldn’t think about that after a naked woman sat on their lap in a dance club? But I had been prepared to keep things professional between us.
Things had changed, though. I was going to be watchful of anything suspicious with Roxanne, but I felt closer to her than I had ever imagined. Something was going on with her, but I didn’t think it was because she was working for Stephano. I thought it was because she had feelings for me and was angry that I didn’t want her to help with the project. She also seemed really worried about the money that had been promised her and I would make sure that Chase paid her. Roxanne had done a good job at the club and it wasn’t her fault that Stephano had been angry with her and tried to have her killed.
“Get yourself settled and then we can all get together in a little bit to discuss things in my room,” Chase said as he helped Roxanne into her room.
I stood off to the side and tried to keep my distance. At least, I would keep my distance while Chase was around. But I had plans to visit with Roxanne later that evening and maybe even finished what we had started. I couldn’t help but imagine her naked body underneath me. I knew Chase would kill me for giving in to my desires, but I couldn’t help it.
About an hour after settling in, I texted PJ with Chase’s room number and said we would all be there at six o’clock. Nate had been up in Atlanta at his cabin and was already at the hotel.
As I walked down the hall toward Chase’s room, I slowed down at Roxanne’s and tried to decide if I wanted to knock on it or not. I was trying to keep my distance, but it was professional to knock and tell her we were meeting. Maybe just walk with her to Chase’s room.
Just as I was about to knock on the door, Roxanne opened it.
“Oh, my God, you just gave me a serious heart attack.” She laughed as she leaned up against the wall.
“That’s my goal. I like to scare people to death when I work with them.”
“You are very good at your job,” she teased me.
“I’m sorry about Chase. Please know that I think we can keep things professional still. We will just keep our distance around him. Does that sound all right?”
“Sure,” she said as she walked in front of me and knocked on Chase’s door.
She didn’t turn around, but I felt a desire for her as I stood behind her. My eyes looked down at her ass and all I could think about was what it would feel like with my hands on it. Maybe it was going to be harder than I thought to keep things professional between us.