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Marcus smirked over his shoulder as he went to make their arrangements. When he returned, he looked at Panthea and held out two different keys.

“They only have two rooms left. Do you want the good or bad news first?”

Panthea’s eyebrow slowly crept upward. “Good or bad news? Hmm, it’s so hard to choose,” she said, bringing a finger to her lips.

“Okay, since you can’t decide, I’ll just break it to you. They only have two rooms left, one’s a suite and the other is their regular guestroom,” Marcus smiled.

Panthea sucked her teeth and crossed her arms at her chest. If she took the suite, she’d seem greedy. Panthea took the regular guestroom key from him and turned to leave.

They made their way to the elevators. “So, Mrs. Daniels, I believe that should be enough distance to make you feel safe,” Marcus offered.

She moved to one corner of the elevator and nodded. “Yes, Mr. Douglas, like I said, I am still a married woman, so I thank you for the separate rooms.”

He smiled and when the elevator doors opened again on the sixth floor, they stepped off and walked away in different directions. At her room door, Panthea glanced down the hall to see Marcus smiling as he entered his room.

Panthea’s room was done in a warm combination of brown and beige. Her surroundings were comfortable enough, but each time she tried to get settled, her mind would linger to thoughts of what was happening down the hall.

What was Marcus doing?

Was he thinking about her?

She flicked on the TV and tried to concentrate on the HBO program, but finally gave up after a few minutes. Despite how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop fidgeting. One minute she was sitting on the bed, the next she was on the wing chair, then she was up and pacing.

“Damn, we’re both adults here,” Panthea said aloud.

Frustrated with the sense of loneliness she was fighting, Panthea grabbed her purse and room key then stormed out of there. She was about to go and give Marcus a piece of her mind. Just because she didn’t want to share a room didn’t mean she was ready for their evening to end, and she was prepared to let him know how shallow his actions were. It was as if her reluctance to show him some action meant the evening had come to an abrupt end.

As she walked up to his room, she tried to listen for any signs or sounds that might indicate what he might be doing behind the door, but she couldn’t hear a thing.

Before losing her nerve, she started knocking and stood with her arms crossed at her chest and one-foot tapping on the floor. Panthea was poised for a confrontation.

When he didn’t answer right away, she knocked again, more irritated than before.

When Marcus finally pulled the door open, wearing a towel and droplets of water all over his body, Panthea suddenly began to lose her nerve.

“Oh, you’re in the shower,” she said, trying not to lust over his body so obviously.

“Yeah, did you need something??

? Marcus asked.

Suddenly Panthea realized all of her courage had disappeared. She no longer had the desire to light into him about his petty behavior. It was in the past, she had told herself once she saw his muscles flinch.

When he stepped aside and said, “Here, why don’t you come in. I’m freezing, you know with the water and all.”

She didn’t hesitate to walk inside his room. Panthea looked around. She knew she had entered the danger zone, but she didn’t mind the temptation. After all, she knew she was quite capable of holding her own.

“Ah, I can’t believe this room. It’s like twice the size of mine,” she said as Marcus went back to the bathroom.

“Then you don’t even want to come in here and see this bathroom,” Marcus yelled trying to talk above the sound of the shower.

“Is that right,” she yelled back.

“Oh, yeah, it’s awful in here. I mean, hardly enough room for me to move around.”

Panthea immediately sauntered into the bathroom where her breath was nearly taken away. She wasn’t sure if it was the sight of marble trimmings or the silken look of Marcus’s lean body through the glass shower door. The water gave his skin a glistening appearance. He didn’t even flinch when he turned to find her standing there.

When their eyes met, it was as if she was under a spell she didn’t attempt to fight. She gave in like a lightweight going down for the count. He watched as she stripped down to nothing and opened the shower door.


Tags: Roy Glenn Marcus Douglas Crime