Free Elements of Retrofit by N.R. Walker Page A

looked right at him. At his smirking lips, the slight dimple in his cheek, his bright and smiling eyes. And I smiled.
    “Oh, you’re hopeless,” he said, shaking his head. Then he sighed dramatically. “Four days, huh? We’ve got four days before we have to go back to reality?”
    I nodded. “We do have work to do on this trip.”
    “Oh, I know,” he said. “The list Jennifer gave me is taller than the Empire State.” He shook his head. “She gave it to me, I looked at it and she said if I couldn’t manage it, she’d find someone more competent.” Then he looked at me. “She doesn’t like me, and now you tell me she knows we’re…seeing each other?”
    “She doesn’t not like you,” I told him. “She does it to keep you on your toes. In fact, she told me you were one of the best interns she’d ever seen.”
    “She said that?” he asked brightly. He sat back in his seat and smiled. “I knew she liked me.”
    I laughed at him. “Don’t let on, though. She likes everyone to think she’s mean.”
    He grinned like he had her all figured out, but as soon as we were at elevation, he pulled out his laptop and made a start on Jennifer’s list.
     
    * * * *
     
    We arrived at the Hilton in Sydney to check in, to find Jennifer had booked only one room.
    “Is that a problem, sir?” the clerk asked.
    Cooper answered quickly, “No, it’s fine. We’ll take it.”
    I glared at him, but he just grinned, signed us in and took the key.
    The room was extravagant and lovely, overlooking the city and the view was spectacular. But the very large, only bed made me nervous. Sure, we’d slept in the same bed before, but this was different.
    I knew what we were going to do in this bed.
    I put my bags down, and despite how long we’d just spent on a plane, despite the time it was in Sydney, I looked at him nervously. “Wanna go and check out some sights?”
    Cooper looked at the clock on the bedside table. “It’s almost ten. What sights can we see at ten o’clock at night?”
    “Let’s go find out,” I said.
    “You know,” Cooper said. He was staring at the huge, white bed. “This bed won’t bite.” I looked at him quickly then chuckled, embarrassed. He laughed at me. “I might bite, but the bed won’t.”
    I cleared my throat. “Come on, some air will do us good.”
    He rolled his eyes, sighed for effect, but then opened his suitcase and pulled out a jacket and woollen beanie. “I can’t believe we left summer to go somewhere it’s winter. Who the hell does that?” he mumbled to himself.
    I grabbed my coat too, and after I’d put it on, Cooper grabbed the key, then he grabbed my hand. “We can hold hands here,” he said as we walked towards the elevator. “No one knows us.”
    I didn’t object, and when I looked into the mirrored wall inside the elevator, Cooper smiled at us in the reflection. “Looking mighty fine tonight, Mr Elkin,” he said.
    I looked at him in his winter coat and the beanie pulled over his hair. “Not too bad yourself, Mr Jones.”
    He kissed my cheek quickly before the elevator doors opened and he pulled me out through the lobby of the hotel and onto the street. He’d never been to Sydney before, and his excitement and enthusiasm was adorable.
    It was cold, but we walked a few blocks, looking in shop windows and there were even some souvenir shops and 7-Eleven style shops still open. Cooper dragged me into some. He bought a few things as we went, some I looked at, some I waited outside for, and when he’d obviously seen enough, he declared he wanted to go back to the hotel.
    We’d slept on and off on the plane, but figuring he must still be tired, I didn’t mind. When we walked in, still holding my hand, he led me straight to the bedroom. “Cooper, what are you doing?”
    Then he upended one of the bags of things he’d just bought, and the contents spilled onto the bed.
    A box of condoms and a bottle of lube.
    I looked at Cooper and before I could say anything,