Hal wasn't giving me anything I could use. Not for a serious news story. I spent some time asking him some more questions about the firms he'd invested in, trying to dig deeper and find some big secret, something I could turn into a major twist. He brushed off most of my questions and gave me useless half-answers. He was friendly enough, sure, but at the end of the day he was better suited to be interviewed by a sports reporter, rather than by someone like me.
Towards the end of the interview he flashed me a smile and asked, “Listen, babe, how about we quit with the business talk and go have a few drinks? My treat.”
“I'm sorry, Mr. Masterson,” I said, gathering my notes. “I really should get going before the storm gets any worse.”
He frowned, looking genuinely disappointed. “You sure I can't change your mind? No sense rushing out into the cold. Not when we can stay here, relax, get to know each other a bit. You seem like a real sweet girl. Not at all like the kind that usually hangs around me.”
He scratched the back of his head and looked down at his feet. If I hadn't known better, I might have thought he was being bashful. Imagine that. A bashful billionaire.
“What kind of girl usually hangs around you?” I asked as I stuffed my notebook and folders into my briefcase.
“Ditzy types,” he said, shrugging. “Brainless sorts that can't hold a conversation. You seem like you're above that sort of thing. Like you know your stuff.”
“I definitely do, Mr. Masterson.”
“Call me Hal.”
He reached out and took my hands in his. His palms were rough, but his grip was gentle, yet strong. The sort of hands that could hold a girl all night long. I swallowed a lump in my throat.
“Just one drink?” he asked.
“I really can't,” I said. This meeting was starting to cross the line from business into something personal, and I didn't want to get personal with Hal Masterson. He was an attractive man, sure, and he was very flattering. But even if I wanted to, this would be a bad time for me to get involved with a man. My last relationship had ended in a whirlwind of fighting, infidelity, and crushed feelings. I still remembered the day I stuffed my ex-boyfriend's clothes and everything else he owned into garbage bags and tossed it out of the apartment window. When he tried to come inside to explain, ready to feed me lies about how the girl he'd cheated with “didn't mean anything,” I'd refused to let him inside. The police had eventually had to come and settle things. Since then, I'd avoided any kind of dating life, instead throwing myself into my work. Sometimes I didn't want to admit it, but my work was all I had anymore. Which is why I'd been so upset when Jim thrust this assignment onto me.
Hal sighed. He gave my hands a gentle squeeze. “All right,” he said. “If you can't. But I want you to know that you're breaking my poor heart.”
I snorted and shook my head. He was trying to play the wounded puppy routine, and I wasn't having any of it. Though the disappointment in his eyes was genuine.
“Maybe another time,” I said.
I finished gathering my things and headed for the lobby. It wasn't until I got there that I saw the blizzard outside had picked up to blinding levels. The snow was piling up so fast that the doors to the hotel were blocked.
A member of the hotel staff stood near the doors. He spread his hands when I approached and said, “I'm sorry, ma'am, but the city has declared a state of emergency. The roads are closed. You're going to have to return to your room. The hotel will give you a discount off your bill for being stuck here an extra night, but there's nothing we can do.”
I stared outside, trying to figure out what to do. “I don't even have a room here,” I said. “I was just here for a meeting.”
“Oh, I'm so sorry,” the man said. “I wish there was something I could do. I'm afraid we're completely booked up.”
“Great.” I huffed and turned away. Not only was I stuck here, but it seemed like I might end up trapped overnight with no place to sleep.
I found Hal in the lobby, checking on the weather. He saw me and hurried over. “Jane, hey.” He touched my arm, his touch gentle against my soft skin. “I just heard they closed the roads. Are you going to be okay?”
“Well, I'm stuck here,” I said, sighing. “I don't know what I'm going to do.”
“I'm sure I can help out,” he said. “I'll pay for your room. It's my fault you got stuck here, really, since I asked you to meet here for the interview.”
“The hotel is all booked,” I said.
“Ahh.” He scratched the back of his head. “Well, we'll figure something out. Hey, how about that drink? Looks like now you could really use it.”