Page 73 of The Work Wife

According to the itinerary, they would fly to the island, where they would stay at a hotel the first night. The next day they would take a van to the resort and would start workshops and relaxation.

The flight was uneventful. No one from their group was seated next to them, so it was easy to be themselves. It was as if they were mentally preparing for the acting they would be doing soon enough.

Their hotel room had two queen-size beds. Jamie took the one closest to the door and he took the other without discussion. There was no reason for them to sleep together when two beds were readily available.

“We’re supposed to meet everyone in the lobby for dinner,” Jamie said as she flopped back on her bed. “Do you think they’d believe we were too busy having sex to come down?”

His body twitched at the thought. Sex with Jamie?

Long ago when she’d first walked into his office, he’d noticed she was female and attractive. Then they started working together and this knowledge dissipated into nothing.

Her cotton sundress had pulled up to her thighs when she’d fallen on the bed. He’d seen her thighs many times, and in general, a thigh wasn’t enough to get him going. But he could feel the pull in his groin and the tightness growing in his khakis. What the hell was this? Maybe they were piping Viagra-laced air into the hotel rooms. He needed to get out of there.

“You don’t want to pass on a free dinner, do you? Wasn’t this the whole point?” he said, to get his mind off of Jamie with that dress pushed up to her waist and him on top of her. Why was he thinking about this? Even the times they’d slept together it had felt comfortable and nice, but not . . . this. “The McCaffertys will be there.” Along with their other co-workers and their spouses.

“Yes. Okay.” She frowned and sat up, adjusting the top of the sundress so it covered her more fully. “Let me check in with my dad and we can go.”

After two minutes on the phone, some kind of fluffing to her hair and a reapplication of lip gloss, Jamie was ready to go. He was impressed by her efficiency.

When they got off the elevator in the lobby, he held out his arm, ready to play the doting newlywed. She took it and gave his arm a little squeeze of reassurance before she pasted on the big smile and waved at the group.

Game on.

Drinks and laughter flowed freely during dinner. He knew Jamie was a lightweight when it came to drinking. She’d once gotten tipsy at a breakfast meeting after her second mimosa.

He generally played the role of DD when going out with friends, but since they were staying at the hotel and no one was driving, he nodded to the waitress to bring a third beer.

Jamie’s cheeks were flushed and she was laughing at anything remotely funny. Even Rob Blain’s poorly delivered jokes received a giggle. Wes couldn’t help but smile at her. She had already won over the McCaffertys with her charm. Next would be winning them over with her design ideas. But not tonight.

By ten he noticed how tired she was.

“Well, I think it’s time for Jamie and me to call it a night.”

“It’s only ten,” Rob complained.

“Let them go. They have better things to do,” Curt said while raising his brows and giving them a knowing nod.

“Oh, right. Newlyweds.” Rob laughed and his wife playfully smacked him on the shoulder. “Maybe we should pretend we’re newlyweds too, Beth.”

Weston turned before he had to watch Rob making out with his wife. Some things were better left unseen.

“Thanks,” Jamie said when they got on the elevator. “I’ve been pretending to be tired for an hour now.”

“You’re not tired?” She’d had him fooled.

“Exhausted. But I wasn’t an hour ago.”

“Maybe we need to work out hand signals or something,” he said as they got off the elevator.

“I think real married people do that,” she said.

“Huh. Well, it’s a good idea.” He slid the key card for the fourth time. Maybe he should have passed on that last beer. “Ah!” The green light came on and they were in.

“I’m going to take a shower,” she announced louder than necessary. He chuckled as she closed the bathroom door.

While she showered, he walked out on the balcony. A warm tropical breeze greeted him, blowing off the chill from the air-conditioned room. It reminded him that Jamie didn’t like sleeping in air-conditioning. She was cold in the middle of a Boston heat wave. He turned off the unit and opened the sliding door to let in the fresh air.

He turned when the bathroom door opened, and there was Jamie, brown hair snaking down over her shoulders and nothing but a white fluffy towel wrapped around her body.