The Survivor - Cristin Harber Page 0,14
imposing skyscrapers. She swiped a pass and let herself into the hotel she called home.
Amanda entered and moved through the service corridor until she could access the hotel’s marbled lobby. Cool, jasmine-scented air conditioning met her as she walked toward the elevators. The hotel catered to traveling mid-level businesspeople and families on vacation. It offered luxury without the type of clientele that would increase its security risk.
Once behind her hotel room door, she fastened the deadbolt and leaned against the wall. The day caught up with her at once, and Amanda slid to her bottom. Her focus softened until her eyes slipped shut, completely exhausted.
Still, as tired as she was, her thoughts slipped back to the mystery man and his brilliant eyes. The way he had watched her and whispered and made her feel alive. They’d been so close. So inappropriate. Amanda shivered, then shook her head like it had been a dream she needed to forget. But the man stayed in her thoughts, turning her insides to jelly. She recalled his raw, masculine power and the way he’d towered over her with the hint of a devilish grin. Her stomach flipped, and just that quickly, she recoiled at the memories from the last time she’d let her guard down. Amanda slapped her hands over her face. “Don’t be stupid again.”
The rules were there for a reason. Amanda pulled herself off the floor, searching for a distraction when her cell phone rang. Small miracle. She placed her tablet on the entryway table, then removed her gun and the concealed carry holster from under her shirt, wondering if the man had known what was wrapped around her abdomen. Like athletic wear that packed heat, it held her cell phone and hid her scars. She didn’t leave home without it.
Amanda checked the incoming call, and the distraction she’d been searching waited for her to answer. She answered the call from her office. “This is perfect timing.”
“What’s wrong?” Halle asked.
“Nothing.” The tight answer would do little to convince Halle to move on. Amanda inhaled slowly and let it out as she stared out the window and took in Abu Dhabi’s surreal sunset. “I haven’t had dinner yet.”
“Hangry…” Halle seemed to accept the explanation.
“Hang on a second.” She popped her Bluetooth earbuds in, then headed into the kitchenette. “Can you hear me?”
“Yeah—but you still sound off. Are you sure everything’s okay?”
Amanda and Halle spent more time discussing projects than anything else. Relationships never came up. Halle was in a long-distance relationship that seemed about as exciting as watching concrete set. Shoptalk was their safe zone and the basis of their friendship, just as schoolwork had been when they attended college. “Jared was testy over the punch list.”
“That man scares me.” Halle laughed.
“Harmless as a puppy.” Amanda grinned. “Unless you tell him I said that.” She opened the small refrigerator and perused her options for making a quick meal, deciding on pasta leftovers. She tossed it with butter and Parmesan cheese and popped the bowl into the microwave. “What’s new at the office?”
Halle groaned. “Shah argued with his computer all day and drove me crazy.”
“So nothing new.” The microwave beeped. She removed the dish and topped it with butter and cheese. Not a very exciting meal—but it was safer than Majboos with the mystery man. Her stomach fluttered. Had anyone asked her on a date like that before? No. A slow smile built that left her grinning and daydreaming. He’d been earnest and funny—laughing had made her like him all the more.
“Amanda?” Halle called. “Are you there?”
She pressed a hand to her throat. Her pulse jumped hurdles against her touch. “Sorry. Yeah, I’m here.”
Halle explained that they’d won a competitive proposal. Amanda lowered herself onto a barstool and ate as she listened. A bank wanted a new security system. A famous horse breeder needed to upgrade a surveillance system that monitored rolling bluegrass pastures. Most of their jobs weren’t megaprojects like Titan Group’s hotel. Even with a Rolodex of interesting clients, Amanda had never interacted with anyone outside the contract’s stipulation. Did that make her world small and sad?
She finished her dinner, questioning what the man had asked of her versus what she’d always believed. Her world was as safe as the rest of the world as long as she stayed away.
Halle finished, and they ended the call. The walls seemed to squeeze closer, and the beautiful hanging tapestries dulled. Living in a hotel room had never felt lonely before. Amanda was anonymous and hidden