"I booked two separate rooms and even confirmed it last night," I said to the desk clerk, explaining things in a calmer manner than Eden.
"I know, I see that right here, but one of the rooms you booked had a water leak in it this morning. We've been trying to find a solution for you, but as of right now, we don't have another available room."
"That's it. Let's go to another hotel," Eden snarled, clearly pissed off.
"The meeting is here."
"We can't change it? You can't call him and let him know what's happening?"
"No, he's staying here, too. We decided to meet here because it was close to the airport. He's coming in from out of town and the reservations have already been made."
"Good, then you can stay in their room," she said with her arms crossed and the huff of a petulant child.
I couldn't help it. I found it amusing. The thought of sharing a room with Eden scared the shit out of me too, but there was nothing else we could do at the moment. I laughed at her attitude, furthering her anger toward me.
She narrowed her eyes. "You think this is funny? Let's call Gabi and see what she thinks about it. Let's see how humorous she finds the idea of us sharing a room."
I turned to the receptionist. "That's fine, we'll take it. But if there's a cancellation, could you let us know, please?"
She agreed and got us checked in. As if one bedroom wasn't bad enough, it was one room with only one bed. I really began to think God was fucking with me. Either that or it was Satan. Who knew. All I knew was that I was stuck in a room with Eden, the temptress herself, overnight.
We got dressed-separately-and then made our way down to the restaurant to meet with the men looking for my help in salvaging their company.
Everything went smoothly, and I ended up making an offer. Eden didn't speak much to me, but she did interact with everyone else rather politely. No one could even tell she harbored such resentment toward me over the room situation.
It wasn't until the music started to play, the lights dimmed, and people began dancing that the night suddenly turned. I was content sitting in my seat, watching everyone else. But Kyle, the owner of the business I had just agreed to take over, suggested Eden and I take the floor to celebrate. He had his wife with him and they stood up, waiting for us to follow. If he had seen the look on Eden's face, he probably would've given up, but he didn't. She reluctantly stood and took my offered hand.
When we made it out to the floor, I wrapped my arm around her waist, holding her close with her hand in mine. She placed her other hand on my shoulder and started to slowly sway with the beat of the song. It oddly felt a lot like my sixth-grade dance. Cold and awkward. But we had the attention of everyone at the table, so we had to make the most of it.
Eden had on a simple black dress with heels that put her much closer to my height. The dress itself was modest, nothing fancy about it. But on her, it was anything but. It fit her curves perfectly, like it was made for her. Her breasts were completely covered, not even an inch of cleavage showing, and the bottom part clung to her thighs.
At some point during my assessment of her wardrobe, she became impossibly closer as we danced. Either she grew more comfortable in my arms or I drew her nearer and she didn't protest. Her hand slid up my shoulder, rested at the base of my neck, and she pressed her face against my cheek.
"Talk to me … tell me something," I whispered into her ear as we swayed gently to the music.
"What would you like to hear?" She almost sounded out of breath, exactly how I felt.
"I don't care. Just tell me something."
"My parents don't know I'm alone in Florida. I lied and told them I moved with a friend from NYU."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because I moved to Florida to find my birth mother."
My steps faltered. I didn't expect to hear her admit that to me. "I thought you moved because of Kauffmann? And why wouldn't you tell your parents the truth?"
"I did move because of Kauffmann, after I found out my birth mother works there."
I froze. I literally stopped moving and pulled away enough to look into her eyes. It was like she just admitted to kidnapping a child or something. "She what? Who is it?"
Eden shook her head and moved closer to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. She began to sway as if nothing had happened, as if she hadn't confessed that I employed her birth mother, a woman she apparently hadn't met and was searching for.
"I'm not ready to talk about that yet," she said into my ear. "I was already taking accounting classes because I love numbers, and that's when I found out about her. I learned she worked there and then I began looking into the company. That's why I didn't really know anything about you because I was too busy looking at other things."
"That's what you were upset about last week?"
"That and other things."
"Me?" I didn't want to hear her answer, but then again, I did.
She hesitated. I didn't like the hesitation. "Don't you think it's weird that I go looking for my birth mother and she works for you? I go to a bar the night before my interview and you're there. Not just there, but we were both alone. That moron tried to hit on me and you stepped in. I find a nice and quiet place on the beach and you appear again. At what point do you stop thinking it's a coincidence and start thinking it's something bigger?"
I didn't answer her. I didn't know how to. I'd wondered the same thing and found it strange to hear my thoughts come out of her mouth. It wasn't that I disagreed with her. It was more along the lines of not knowing what to do about it. Leaving Gabi while she was hurting so badly was nothing but a selfish thing to do. The only person benefitting from that scenario would be me. I'd always thought of Gabi, always put her first-still did. I thought about how much it would hurt her to know I'd confided in Eden-about her, about us.
"I don't know what this thing is between us, but it's driving me crazy," Eden whispered while lightly running her nails through the short hairs on the back of my head. "I feel like I'm sitting on the sidelines waiting to be called in to play the game. I don't want to be that person."
Her confession took me by surprise. I knew we had chemistry, and I knew she felt it as much as I did. But not once did she ever admit how she truly felt about me. Then again, it wasn't like I'd acknowledged it, either. Until now, it'd been nothing more than an invisible line we didn't discuss. We tiptoed on either side, but never crossed it. She'd shown me and my relationship with Gabi nothing but respect, all while silently torturing me with an illusion I'd never be able to grasp.
"I know." I lowered my mouth to her ear. "But you have to understand it's not an easy decision to make. It's not like I'm deciding to trade in a car. I've been with her since I was sixteen years old. Infatuated with her since I was fifteen. I've been in love with her for over ten years and have spent every day of my adult life taking care of her. She needs me right now; I can't just walk away from that."
"I understand. I hope you're both happy. And if she gets better-when she gets better-I hope you find that again. I meant it when I said you deserve it."
She kissed my cheek, released me, and then walked away. I was left standing in the middle of the dimly lit dance floor, watching her leave.
I could physically hear my time ticking away. But I wasn't sure what time that was.
My time with Gabi … or my time with Eden.
But one of them was coming to an end.
8
Not too long after Eden returned to the room, I said goodnight to the men downstairs, excusing myself with feigned exhaustion from such a long day. Since we'd had a few drinks at dinner, we waited until the following morning to sign the contract, leaving no reason for me to stay. I certainly didn't contribute much to their conversation with Eden on my mind.
Eden was on the bed with the covers up to her neck, facing away from the door, when I walked in. I assumed she'd fallen asleep, so I grabbed my bag and headed for the bathroom.
It wasn't until the hot water streamed down my bare body that I really took a mental step away and thought about what I was doing. I was out of state, in a hotel room with Eden, my assistant. I was in the shower, naked, while someone other than my fiancée slept in the bed mere feet away. As if that wasn't bad enough, Eden's whispered words on the dance floor echoed in my head.
This wasn't the man I aspired to be.
I'd spent years sacrificing for others. Work, home, friends, family. I always made sure everyone else's needs were met before taking care of my own. I had a deep desire within me to be there for others, to offer myself to anyone who needed me, despite what I needed from anyone else.