He pulled the brand-new bedspread off the bed, and they put it on a chair together and then she fell into his arms and lost herself in his caresses and kisses. The bed enveloped them like a cloud, and all the pent-up longing of the last months and years and a lifetime without each other took them to a place that neither of them had ever dreamed of or ever hoped to find. She felt as though she had belonged to him forever as she lay in his arms after they made love, and he looked at her with the tenderness of a man who hadn’t loved a woman in more than twenty years. He couldn’t keep his eyes and hands and lips off her, and finally around four A.M. they wound up in the enormous bathtub, and when they got back to bed, they fell asleep instantly in each other’s arms like happy children.
The sun was streaming into the room when they woke up the next day, and he couldn’t resist making love to her again, even though it was later than they had planned, but he still thought he could get her out of the hotel without causing comment or having anyone notice. And they both forgot about that as they made love again, and then they showered together. He couldn’t stop watching her as she dressed. He was in love with her mind, her heart, and her body.
“Have I told you yet this morning how much I love you?” he whispered into her hair, as he kissed her again once they were dressed, sorry that he had to leave her and go to his office. He wanted to stay with her forever.
“I love you too,” she whispered back. They could hardly tear themselves away from each other as they kissed for a last time and finally left the room. He put the tag on the door for maid service and led her down the back fire stairs, just as Heloise had done with Billy. He knew they would appear on the security screens, but he knew that Bruce Johnson would never comment on it if he saw them; nor would the others. The security staff dealt constantly with indiscretions committed by their guests, in the course of their illicit affairs, and their security men were like tombs. The guests of the Hotel Vendome counted on its discretion, and so did Hugues. He pushed open the outer door downstairs and led Natalie out into the chill November morning.
“Do you want to come to my place tonight?” she asked him, and he nodded. They both knew they would never forget their first night in the brand-new suite. It had felt so right that they should be the first ones to stay there. And the adventure they had just embarked on, after two months of preparing for it, felt right to them both. “I love you,” she whispered when he kissed her, and then hailed a cab for her at the corner.
“See you tonight,” he promised and waved as she drove away, and he felt as though a piece of him were going with her, the best part, his heart. And there was room in it, he knew now, for both Natalie and his daughter. There was no conflict there. He loved them both, it was just that simple.
He walked around the corner to the front entrance then and said good morning to the doorman, who looked mildly surprised to see him since he hadn’t seen Hugues go out, but he was too busy to think about why that was. And a moment later Hugues strode into his office with a peaceful, happy expression and smiled at his assistant.
“Good morning, Jennifer,” he said, and walked into his private office. She picked up the phone immediately and ordered his usual cappuccino, and she brought it in to him when it arrived five minutes later.
“Did you sleep well?” It was a question she asked him often at the start of their day.
“Actually, I did. I tried out the new suite last night, just to make sure it’s all in order for the senator on Wednesday.”
“How was it?” Jennifer asked with interest.
“Absolutely perfect. You should go up and look at it later.” He knew she hadn’t had time to the day before, after the final installation. “Natalie did a fantastic job. By the way, I want her to start on the three other suites we discussed, right after Christmas. Just wait till Heloise sees this one.” It had a younger feel to it than the previous decor, although the changes were very subtle and in no way shocking. And Jennifer wasn’t surprised by his decision to let Natalie redo the other suites. She had expected that, for a variety of reasons. And just for a flash of an instant, she wondered if he had spent the night in it alone or with the woman who had decorated for him. She almost hoped that was the case but rapidly decided it was none of her business. All she hoped was that he was happy, and he looked it, more than he normally did on a Tuesday morning.
He called Natalie after he checked his messages and drank his coffee. He was sitting at his desk, thinking about her, and decided to call her. She sounded as happy as he was when she answered and saw his number appear on her phone.
“I’m crazy about you, Natalie,” he confirmed to her, and the best part was that loving her was not crazy at all. It made perfect sense to them both.
