Page 2 of In Bed with the Enemy

"Hey!" I said, lunging towards him. "You're going to mess up the wall, and I don't want to be responsible."

But, the way I saw this playing out up in my head was different than what happened down on earth. Because, rather than pushing him off the wall, he grabbed my wrist and turned me around easily so that I was the one pinned against the hard surface.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were about to trip," he said, his features broadcasting that he was obviously bullshitting. "I couldn't bear the thought of seeing you fall," he said with a smirk as he put his hand against the wall behind me. "That would be so," he paused, before adding, "embarrassing."

I looked up into his green eyes and examined his intense features. He had strong cheekbones, a beard that he kept trimmed close to his face, and wavy brown hair that I imagined he kept a bit longer just so he could run his fingers through it. I cleared my throat and tried to remind myself that 1) I hated Ethan, and 2) he was a notorious playboy. He and his brother, Harrison, constantly made the papers in a way that gave Bruce Wayne a run for his money.

"Something about this afternoon's performance makes me think otherwise," I scoffed at him, trying to slip out from beneath his arm. But, instead of letting me, he moved to the side slightly, keeping me under the spell of his dark eyes.

"Oh, it was all in good fun," he said in a low voice.

"Being publicly humiliated isn't my idea of fun," I said. "I'm not a masochist. Now," I said, pushing his arm aside and turning towards the door, "If you don't mind, I'll be checking in with the front desk and getting you promptly removed from my room." I didn't look back at him as I all but ran out of the room.

"It's definitely my room!" he shouted after me as the door closed.

I fumed all the way to the elevator, pressing the down button multiple times in irritation. "Just who does he think he is?" I muttered under my breath. "Making fun of me and then showing up in my room, taking a shower like he owns the place."

The elevator chimed and I got in, the couple already inside the car moving quickly to the other side. I knew I looked terrifying at the moment, but I just didn't care. I was tired of being messed with. Even though I'd chosen the more honorable route, that didn't mean that there weren't jerks where I worked. It happened with my job and now, the first day of this conference, the one I'd been looking forward to for ages, and within the first twenty-four hours, I'd already been ridiculed.

It stopped now.

I bounded over to the front desk, my hands fisted at my sides, and my arms swinging wildly. The woman at the front desk made a face before her practiced "customer service" mask came back on.

"How can I help you this evening?" she asked in far too sweet of a voice.

"I was given a room key to room 2401 and there was someone inside when I got there!" I all but yelled.

The woman behind the counter looked shocked and started clicking away on her computer. "I'm so sorry," she said. "What room did you say you were assigned to?"

"2401" I ground out.

A few more clicks of her mouse.

"And do you remember who it was that helped you?" she asked.

I sighed. "Honestly, no. I'm exhausted. It was only a few minutes ago, besides."

The woman frowned. "That's," she paused. "Odd."

"What's odd about it?" I snapped, immediately going on the defensive.

"Well," she started to say before looking up at me. "I'm the only one that is working this shift tonight. What was your name again?"

"Amy Reid," I replied, my tone beginning to soften.

She shook her head. "You're supposed to have been assigned to room 1427. It says here that you haven't checked in yet. Do you have the key card for the room?"

I grimaced, realizing I'd left everything back in Ethan's room. "Not on me, no," I said with a shake of my head.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind throwing those keys out at your first opportunity, or bringing them back to me, I can dispose of them properly."

"Yeah," I said slowly. "Of course."

She reached across the counter and handed me a new set of keys. "Again, so sorry for the mix-up. But, here are the keys to your room. Number 1427. It will definitely be vacant when you get there," she said with an awkward laugh.

I took the keys with a nod. "Is there any way someone could retrieve my items from room 2401?" I asked, not wanting to face Ethan again.

"Of course," the woman replied. "I'll send someone up right now. It'll just be a couple of minutes before they're delivered to your door," she said.