Free A Week in New York (The Empire State Series Book 1) by Louise Bay Page A

wanted more responsibility, so he shouldn’t fucking whine when I
gave it to him. I was going to have to look over various documents over the
weekend, but I was going to be able to get out of the office. My biggest client
was on vacation, which couldn’t have come at a better time. I looked at my
watch. Jesus. How was it 6 p.m. already? Would she be at the hotel by now or
was she spending the evening with Armitage’s girlfriend? Had she said? I
checked my cell for messages but there was nothing.
    Me: Hey sexy. What are you wearing?
    Nothing. For thirty minutes.
    Anna: Hey.
    Hey?
    Me: Are you at the hotel?
    Anna: No.
    Me: When will you be there? Make sure you bring your case so we can get
straight off in the morning.
    Anna: Later. Okay.
    Me: Let me know when you’re at the hotel. I should be back by midnight.
    Three hours later and I’d just come off the least useful conference call
in my career. At least it hadn’t generated more work. The ball was in the court
of the Chinese. We had the weekend off.
    Back at my desk, I checked my phone.
    Anna: At the hotel bar.
    The text was sent over an hour ago. The hotel bar, for Christ’s sake? It
was close to 9:30. No doubt a million sleazy guys had hit on her.
    Me: On your own?
    Anna: You haven’t died then.
    Me: On your own?
    Anna: I’m making new friends.
    New friends? New friends with dicks? My fists clenched. Jesus. I was
going to end up in prison by the end of the weekend if I wasn’t careful. I put
some papers together quickly and left the office earlier than I should have.
    ***
    I saw her as soon as I entered the bar. She was sitting at the bar, her
head tipped back, and she was laughing at something the bartender had said to
her. He looked like he’d just hit a home run. I knew how that felt—it lit me up
when I made her laugh. I didn’t like that he got to feel that, too. I’d never
felt jealousy over a woman before now.
    I came up behind her and rubbed her back. She was mid-laugh and she
jumped when I touched her. I hated that.
    “Hey!” she said a little too loudly and both her hands flew into the air.
“He’s here,” she said to the bartender.
    The bartender nodded at Anna and turned to me. “Can I get you a drink,
sir?”
    Anna interrupted my response “You’re here! I’d thought you were gone and
now you’re here! My New York lover.”
    “I think she’s had enough for both of us,” I said.
    “No! Have a drink. I have lots of new friends to show you. Which one do I
like best?” She looked imploringly at the bartender.
    “You like them all, ma’am.”
    “I do. I like all these cocktails. They are my friends. My New York
friends.” She pointed at a list of at least twenty drinks.
    “Tell me you’ve not served her all these?”
    He shook his head. “Just the first five or so. She was working her way
down the list.”
    “Come on, beautiful. Let’s get you to bed.”
    I signed the tab and helped her off the stool.
    “My case, my case, my case,” she said as she spun around and went to grab
a small silver suitcase, which I took for her. I put my free arm around her
waist and guided her back to the elevator bank.
    “Why didn’t you leave it in the room?” I asked.
    “No key, no key, no key.” She was pretty unsteady on her feet, but her
mouth was working just fine, if a little slurry.
    “Did you lose your key?” I asked.
    “No, of course I didn’t lose it. I left it in the room because of your
weirdness this morning.” She prodded her finger into my cheek. “And then I
wouldn’t have to bring it back and run into you when you dumped me, which would
definitely happen because I have the worst luck with men, and that would
be weirder and awkward so I left it, and then you texted me and then it was
weird and now I’m here. I’m so tired.” She slumped against the elevator door.
    That was a lot of information to process in one go. “We’re going to get
you to bed, beautiful,” I said and pulled her against me. I kissed the top