Room Service Read online

  He shook his head.

  ‘You don’t need my forgiveness,’ he said in a raspy voice. ‘You did nothing wrong.’ His fingers squeezed the railing so tight his knuckles bulged.

  ‘God, what you’ve been through…’ He shook his head again and placed a hand over hers. ‘I’m so sorry about your sister… and about everything else.’

  Tears slipped down Natasha’s cheeks. She turned her hand, palm up, so that she could hold his.

  ‘Thanks, but still, last night…’

  ‘I don’t want to hear it. Last night you did what you did… God, Natasha, you sacrificed your virginity for your readers.’ He squeezed her hand and let it go before raking his fingers through his hair. ‘That goes above and beyond a writer’s duty. You did it because you didn’t want to let your readers down. You’re amazing.’ He shook his head. ‘I just wish I hadn’t been such a sleazy jerk about it. You deserved a better experience. I wish…’ He stared out at the cars below and sighed. ‘You know, your novels are the first I ever read. When I was fifteen, I developed a sort of crush on you and I Googled you more than once.’ He shook his head. ‘Not in a creepy way, but… I don’t know. You were sort of my hero, a very sexy heroine.’ He sighed. ‘And when I heard you were coming here, I asked my boss at the hotel to give me a couple of extra shifts, even though I was attending the conference myself. I was praying you’d ask for… for room service.’ Jace rubbed at his forehead and closed his eyes. ‘Okay, so now it does sound creepy.’

  Natasha put her hand on his arm and gently ran her fingers along his warm skin. His muscles tightened beneath her touch. He turned to face her, his jaw set and his cheeks tinted pink.

  ‘It’s not creepy at all, Jace.’

  He shook his head. ‘I always imagined us meeting under better circumstances than last night…’

  Natasha blushed and then her heart stuttered.

  ‘So you didn’t like last night?’ She swallowed thickly and couldn’t believe she was going to ask her next question, but she did. ‘So I’m no good?’

  Jace’s eyes widened.

  ‘No! I mean, yes, you were good alright.’ He smiled and dipped his head. ‘I had a cold shower in the staff bathroom after I left your room. Then I couldn’t work and left for the night, swapping shifts. That’s why I worked today.’ He grinned. ‘I was booked into your workshop, actually.’

  Natasha was still getting over the cold shower part. She had gotten him so hot he had needed a shower!

  She was about to ask him if he wanted to go and get a coffee with her but the sliding doors whooshed open.

  ‘Jace! The manager wants to see you. Now!’ said a female staff member, her eyes stern, her lips a thin line. She glanced at Natasha and snorted with disgust before beckoning Jace to follow her with a crook of her finger.

  Natasha looked at Jace, her heart pounding. Had somebody found out about last night?

  But how?

  ‘Wait. I can explain. I ordered… room service.’

  7

  ‘Natasha.’

  Sheryl-Ann stood clutching Natasha’s laptop and her notes and handbag. Natasha nearly hugged the woman, but she was too busy looking out for Jace and that nasty woman who had ushered him away to the manager’s office. He was probably gone already. Perhaps she would never see him again. The thought unsettled Natasha, making her chest constrict.

  ‘Thanks so much, Sheryl-Ann. I’m so sorry for what happened in there.’

  Sheryl-Ann shrugged. ‘Don’t worry. We’re writers. We all love a little drama.’

  Natasha took her gear and on second thought, quickly drew Sheryl-Ann in for a one- second hug.

  ‘I hope your husband knows he’s missing out on an amazing woman.’

  Sheryl-Ann beamed and waved Natasha away with her hand.

  ‘Go now before the others get out. Morning tea’s on in two minutes. If you don’t want to speak at the closing ceremony tomorrow night, I’ll understand.’

  Natasha started to nod her head but then she shook it. ‘No. I’ll be there.’ It was about time she stopped running.

  Once in her room, Natasha threw herself into the task of writing a new closing ceremony speech, but by morning, she had nothing to show but scrunched up balls of paper.

  To take her mind off everything, she ordered scrambled eggs, grilled bacon and a pot of hot coffee, but she barely tasted any of it.

  It was only hours later, as she made her way to the ballroom podium, that she realised what she needed to say.

  I’ll tell the truth. Then, love or hate me they can decide. And if my editor and publishing house dumps me, so be it.

  Half an hour later, Natasha was forgiven with a standing ovation. Many in her audience had tears streaking down their cheeks, including Natasha’s editor, who rushed up to embrace Natasha in her arms once she stepped down from the stage.

  Two hours later, while Natasha tried to cram her clothes and make-up into her tiny suitcase, there is a knock at the door of room 1127.

  Jace stood leaning against the doorframe, dressed in jeans and a pale blue shirt that complimented his eyes.

  ‘What happened?’ Natasha asked.

  Jace shrugged his muscled shoulders. ‘I got the sack. But I deserved it.’

  ‘No you didn’t. How did they find...?’

  ‘One of the cleaners found my name badge beneath your pillow.’

  Natasha felt heat rush to her cheeks as she remembered clutching his name to sleep.

  ‘That’s so unfair. Let me say something to your manager. It’s the least I can do.’ Natasha started to charge past Jace, but he caught her arm and drew her back into the room. The heat of his skin made her legs weaken.

  ‘I don’t care about the job. I just got a six-figure deal, remember? ‘ He grinned. ‘I only stayed on because I knew you were going to be staying here for the conference. I was planning on leaving soon after.’

  ‘Oh.’

  Natasha looked at the ground, realising all too soon that this may be her last moment with Jace — ever.

  ‘So you’ve come to say goodbye, then?’

  Jace’s warm fingers brushed Natasha’s chin and tilted her face so that she could meet his eyes.

  ‘Not yet.’ He sighed and shook his head. ‘You’ve gone through so much and I can’t shake the way I treated you last night. A virgin should have an amazing first experience.’ He shook his head again and focused on the doorframe, colour warming his cheeks. ‘I wish…’

  ‘I wish we could pick up where we left off,’ Natasha chimed in.

  Jace swallowed thickly and his eyes seemed to darken with desire almost instantly.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  Natasha nodded and sucked in a nervous breath. ‘Only if you want to.’

  Jace smiled and stepped into the room before slamming the door shut behind him.

  He drew Natasha into his arms and gently pressed her against the wall.

  ‘What do you reckon,’ he breathed against her ear while he brushed his hardness against her stomach.

  Natasha gasped as Jace rained light kisses down her neck, before trailing back up again to seek out her lips. His hot mouth moved over hers in slow, sexy kisses, before he teased her open with his tongue. She groaned and threw her arms about his neck, sinking her fingers into his hair.

  His hands went to her hips and he lifted her so that her legs could wrap around his waist. Natasha arched her back against the wall.

  ‘There’s one condition,’ Jace said between ravishing kisses.

  ‘What’s that?’ Natasha asked, while raking her nails lightly over the hard muscles in his back.

  ‘None of this ends up in either of our books.’

  Natasha smiled.

  ‘Not a word.’

  She didn’t need to have sex with countless men each time she wrote a new character. She was a writer after all — a writer of fiction.

  Jace was real.

  And she was keeping him to herself.

  The End

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  About the author

  Vanessa Stark lives on the coast of Western Australia with her husband, their three chatty children, and three calming goldfish. When she is not writing, Vanessa can be found at the local bookstore where she works part-time.

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  ISBN: 9780857990211

  Title: Room Service

  Copyright © 2013 by Vanessa Stark

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  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

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