The first thing Corinne did was call Xavier when she closed her room door, but when his phone went to voicemail on the sixth ring, she realized it was because it was the middle of the early morning back in Chicago.
“Damn it.”
She pulled her rollaway suitcase to the bed and sat it on top. Unzipping, she removed a pair of panties and a silk nighty that she would wear after her shower. Thinking about Monica’s words made Corinne question her work ethic.
Had she been away too long? She missed Xavier every moment they weren’t together. They constantly left voicemails or text messages but missed each other’s calls. Sometimes those messages wouldn’t come through for a while, but when they did, they were like heartwarming gifts that she cherished.
Entering the bathroom, Corinne checked the cleanliness of her suite, then turned on her shower.
Twenty minutes later, she was still held up in the shower's steam, resting in the hot soak of beating water, when there was a knock at her adjoining door.
“Just a second!”
She stayed underneath the spray for another five minutes before pulling herself from the clutches of the bath, where she dried her body and covered herself in a towel. She slipped on her panties along with the nighty in her room and unlocked the adjoining door.
Monica twirled from the mirror she was staring at to face Corinne. Their eyes traveled up and down each other then they laughed at both wearing similar things.
“Great minds,” Monica said.
“If you had told me when we first met that this would be us, I would’ve called your bluff.”
Monica snickered. Their friendship had gotten off to a rocky start when Monica had put her two cents into Corinne’s relationship with Xavier. Before they were married, Xavier had the reputation of being a part of the mile-high club, and the thought of him having frivolous, one-night stands in the air made Corinne’s stomach turn.
Monica’s warning at the time had sounded more like a hater trying to steal
Corinne’s joy, but they had a pow-wow session and got past it. Now they were each other’s buddy system when they were on a layover. After what had happened to Corinne with a stalker, she and Monica made it their business to have each other's back and front while they were on business together.
“Tell me about it.” Monica strolled to her mini fridge and pulled out two small bottles of stocked wine. “Do you want one of these?”
Corinne twisted her full lips into a pout. “I have real wine over here if you want a glass.”
Monica’s eyes widened. “How do you have real wine, and I don’t?”
Corinne stuck her tongue out, laughed, winked, then turned and left the door open.
“Oh, I’ve been bamboozled.” Monica followed her through. “You have a bar? A real deal bar?”
“You can thank my husband for that.”
“So wait, how did he know you would be here?”
“He has my full itinerary.”
“Wow. He’s making sure you’re all set. I love that for you.”
Corinne giggled and poured them a glass of Moscato Villa Rosa. Handing Monica a glass, Corinne strolled to the terrace doors and opened them, stepping out to view the night sky.
“It’s so cozy out here.” Monica eased through the doors behind her and sat on one of the lounge chaises.
“And quiet.”
Monica nodded. “I could vacation here all the time and never get tired of it.”
Corinne chuckled, taking a sip of her wine. “Me and you both.”
“What’s stopping you and Xavier from coming here?”
Corinne thought about it. “Nothing, actually… Well, me.”