“Uh, sure,” Leo said. He pulled on his jacket. He felt somehow…discarded. He walked down the long narrow hall to the front door, glancing back over his shoulder into the bedroom brightening with morning light, but it looked as though Gwen had already fallen back to sleep.
Chapter 3
Gwen held her breath and kept her eyes closed until she heard the slam of the front door.
Her heart fluttered in her chest and a sick feeling rolled through her stomach. Thank God Leo was gone. She should win an Academy Award for that performance. Hot giant tears filled her eyes before she even sat up. She grabbed for tissues. She didn’t blame Leo entirely—she’d wanted to spend the night with him. She’d asked him to come to her place, she was a grown woman with her own business, it wasn’t like she hadn’t had a relationship with a man before. She leaned her head back against her headboard. She’d thought…what had she thought?
She had to be honest with herself, painfully honest. She’d thought that her fantasies about Leo Travati were coming true. That he did like her, that he did want her, that she, little ol’ Gwen Fleming, not the prettiest and definitely not the brightest, might just be the one for Leo Travati.
“What an idiot,” she mumbled. Mr. Mouse, her sleek black cat, leapt onto the bed. He circled her then nestled into her lap, kneading the pink satin duvet with his paws. She stroked his fur. What had she been thinking? How could she have been that stupid? The champagne, the night, the New Year’s kiss…my God, he had kissed her, and her head had spun. Usually she was smart enough not to let her desires overwhelm her. Aubrey was her biggest client and her closest friend. There was no way that Gwen should have ever slept with Leo.
Who was she kidding? If Leo had wanted to date her, she would have completely let her personal life interfere with her work.
But he didn’t. Leo did not want to date her. If his attitude before hadn’t been enough to tell her that, he’d made it abundantly clear by trying to sneak out of her apartment before she’d even woken up. Thank God she’d thought fast on her feet—or laying in her bed—otherwise her entire life, a life that was finally starting to feel like a success, would have been shattered. She couldn’t let her best friend and all the fantastic people who were becoming her primary circle of friends disappear simply because she’d let her panties do the talking on New Year’s Eve.
Suddenly, taking all those improv classes when she first arrived in New York to help her with public speaking seemed like the smartest thing she’d ever done. Each little thing she’d learned then had come in handy this morning when she’d needed to convince Leo that she’d wanted nothing but a one-night stand. He’d agreed to never breathe a word about their night together. She didn’t want to share her humiliation with anyone. Nope, she could wallow in her own bad decision-making skills alone.
The light brightened through the window. Despite her act for Leo, she wouldn’t be falling back to sleep any time soon. She reached for her robe and tied it around her body. Damn, these sore muscles would feel satisfying if she hadn’t caught the good-looking man who caused such pleasure attempting to slip away without so much as a good-bye. She lifted Mr. Mouse into her arms, sniffling and dabbing a tissue to her nose with one hand. No. Absolutely not, she would not cry about Leo. She would not feel like a fool. She’d played this morning perfectly. Now all she had to do for the rest of her life, every time she saw Leo, was pretend that she had absolutely no interest in him at all.
But first ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream. “Come on, Mr. Mouse,” Gwen whispered, “I’ve even got a bowl for you.”
*
“Are you okay?” Concern laced Aubrey’s voice.
“Just have a little cold.” Gwen sniffed into the phone for effect. “Maybe I picked something up with all the parties from the holidays. I think I just need a day to relax.” Gwen dug her spoon deeper into her second pint of Chunky Monkey. So far her New Year’s Day accomplishments were moving from the bed to her couch and back to her bed, finishing one pint of ice cream, starting a second, and preparing to order Chinese delivery.
“Okay, you’re sure you don’t need anything? I can have Max or maybe Leo—”
“No!” Gwen nearly jumped from her bed. “I mean no,” she added more softly. “My goodness,” she covered. “Mr. Mouse nearly broke my mother’s vase.”
“Bad kitty!” Aubrey said. “No, but seriously, I hate the idea of you being all alone in your apartment without everything you need to feel better.”