The Hotel Magnate's Demand. Jennifer Rae

laugh and there was nothing Amy liked to do more than laugh. And go out. And work. And stay as busy as possible. Staying busy meant staying high. And staying high meant not thinking about things that made her sad.

      A familiar fleeting pull swept through Amy’s stomach. It shot up her body like a firecracker, passed her brain and went straight for her eyes. Amy stilled. Gulped. Then shook her head. Shook the feeling away. Where had that come from? There was no time for sadness. No time for thinking about anything that made her unhappy. No time for thinking about all the people she’d hurt or those people who had hurt her. She wanted to have fun. She wanted to laugh. She needed to talk to Willa. Now.

      With a somewhat forced skip in her step she headed for the banquette that held Willa and her boyfriend, Rob, as well as their other friends, Scott, Kate, Chantal, Brodie and Jess. Amy counted them all off in her head, knowing she was the last one to arrive. She was often the last one to arrive these days. Work was becoming more manic as she took on more clients but that was the way she liked it. Busy.

      Amy stilled. She counted her friends’ heads again. There should be seven. But there were eight. Another head. An unfamiliar head. A male head with its back turned towards her. Amy wondered for a moment who the newcomer was. Their group was pretty tight. Newcomers weren’t usually a thing, and if anyone was to introduce anyone it was usually her.

      Amy’s eyes skirted to Jess, who was looking at the newcomer with a strange, faraway look in her eye. Aha! That was it. Jess had invited a man. But that didn’t make any sense, because Amy had spoken to her this morning before dashing out through the door and Jess hadn’t said anything about a man.

      Not that she had time to worry about Jess and her man or anything else. She’d won a massive contract. There were tales to tell and cocktails to be ordered.

      Amy swung the Louis Vuitton bag she’d splurged on with her last bonus cheque onto the low seat the strange man happened to be sitting on and used her best PR voice.

      ‘Ladies and gentlemen, hold your applause, but I must inform you that you are about to share copious amounts of alcohol with Bird Marketing’s newest superstar.’

      Everyone looked up and smiled at her encouragingly. Amy focussed on Willa, barely containing her need to say something outrageous and make her laugh. Willa had a strange smile on her face. A smile that wasn’t quite a smile. And her eyes kept looking downward, then scooting back up. What was she doing?

      ‘And, furthermore, I’ve managed to convince the idiots in charge that allowing me full control of their newest and most important client as well as their three million dollars was the best bloody idea they’ve ever had.’ Amy laughed.

      Scott stood and gave her a hug. Jess squealed in delight and called out congrats, and Brodie said loudly that her bosses must be nut-jobs.

      Strangely, though, Willa didn’t move. She smiled a tight smile. Frankly, Amy had expected more. A laugh, a joke, a call for drinks all round. But Willa sat still, that silly strange smile still planted on her face and her eyes now frantically moving up and down.

      ‘Amy…’ she started, finally getting up from her seat.

      Her eyes were still scooting down and Amy finally realised where she was looking. At the stranger. Who Amy could now feel was looking at her. So Amy looked back. Then she looked at Willa. Who had stopped still. As had Amy. Her brain seized. Every cell in her body froze. No air was being released from her lungs and she was pretty sure her heart had actually stopped beating.

      ‘Ames…’

      Willa again. Amy willed herself to breathe. She felt the warmth of her best friend’s hand on her arm and she was grateful for it. Because right at the moment she wasn’t sure that she wouldn’t faint. Her knees gave a little as her eyes met Willa’s, holding them steady.

      A conversation went on between the two friends without one word being spoken. A telepathic conversation that they had a knack for.

       Is it?

       Calm down.

       No. Tell me it can’t be.

       Hold steady. It’ll be okay.

       I’m not prepared. What did I say? Did I make a fool of myself?

       Just look at him.

      So Amy did. She looked down at him. But right at that moment he stood. All six feet of him. Tall. Solid. Strong and dark. Amy forced herself to swallow and made her eyes trail up his chest, past his broad shoulders and to his face. A face she thought she’d forgotten. A face she’d never forget. It was him. He was here. In the flesh.

      Luke.

      Amy tried to speak but nothing came out. She tried again. She knew what she wanted to say. She’d practised what she wanted to say. Ever since she’d got back in contact with her old friend Willa months ago she’d been going over and over what she might say should she meet Luke, Willa’s brother, her former boss and the man she’d had the fiercest crush of her life on. Who also happened to be one of only two people who knew her deepest, darkest secret. But all those words were gone. Somewhere. In the ether.

      ‘Hello, Amy. It’s been a long time.’

      Yes, it has. Hello, Luke. Nice to see you. How are you? There were any number of things Amy could have said right at that moment. She dug her nails into Willa’s flesh and jerked her friend towards her.

      ‘I’m…gonna go get a drink.’ Then she turned and fled, pulling her poor friend with her.

      ‘Now, Amy, before you lose it…’

      ‘Before I lose it? Before I lose it? Willa—I’ve already lost it! Why didn’t you tell me Luke was coming? You should have warned me!’

      ‘He literally just landed today and texted me. I told him to come along but honestly I didn’t think he would.’

      ‘Oh, God, what did I say? I can’t even remember.’

      As was the norm whenever Luke was around, Amy became a little ditzy. That logical, clever part of her brain evaporated when she saw him. Which was crazy. It had been—what? Seven years? No. Eight. Eight years since she’d seen him. Eight years since that night. The swooping roared through her stomach again.

      Amy pulled her face into a smile.

      ‘Okay—that’s okay. It’s fine. I’m fine. I was just shocked, you know…? I want to see him. I’m happy to see him. Let’s get a drink—what are you drinking? Actually. drinks all round! We’re celebrating. remember?’

      Willa’s eyes were soft, her expression so readable.

      ‘Don’t look at me like that, Willa. I’m fine.’ Amy said it firmly. With one of her signature smiles. Before turning to the bearded, tattooed bartender.

      ‘Dave, darling. You look hot tonight! Sweet haircut. Sharp.’ She smiled with all her teeth and winked. It was the smile she used when she wanted people to smile back.

      She wanted everyone smiling tonight. She wanted everyone talking and happy. She needed her heartbeat to return to normal so she could turn around and face Luke. She wasn’t even sure what she was getting so wound up for. Luke was an old friend—that was all. Sure, she’d had some silly little crush on him once. But that had been years ago. She’d only been eighteen then. A teenager.

      She was a woman now. With a lot more confidence and plenty more experience. She’d changed. She’d moved on. And she was sure he had too. He probably barely remembered her. Or what had happened. That feeling again. Swooping through her. Every time she thought that feeling had finally disappeared a night like this would come. A night when it would return and lurk and keep tapping at her like an insistent salesman at a door.

      ‘Go away!’ she whispered to herself.

      ‘Not exactly a warm welcome. I’ve only just got here.’