emblem embroidered on the breast pocket looked down at me.
“We have to close the pool, sir. You’re welcome to come back in the morning when it reopens.”
“Already?”
“I’ve been trying to get your attention for ten minutes. It’s after ten o’clock.”
“Shit. Okay.”
I heaved myself out, dripping a puddle as I snagged the towel I’d brought from a lounge chair on the deck. My limbs quivered from overexertion as I made a half-assed effort to dry myself. With the towel wrapped around my waist, I followed the lodge employee out of the pool area and headed back to my room as he locked the door behind me.
After a long shower, I threw on a pair of underwear and flopped onto the king-sized sleigh bed. I’d left the curtains over the large window drawn open so I could enjoy the view, but it was dark now, and the mountains were nothing more than silhouettes in the distance.
I checked my phone and saw I had a missed call from Andy in Edmonton. Hitting the voicemail and speaker options, I closed my eyes and listened.
“Hey, it’s me. Where the hell are you? I went by your place two nights in a row, and you weren’t there. We need to get together. Call me.”
The voicemail had come in while I was in the pool. I hit Call Back and waited while it rang.
“You are alive. Are you home? I just left your place twenty minutes ago.”
“I’m away on business. It was last minute.”
“Shitty. Where are you?”
“Jasper.”
Andy’s laugh boomed through the phone. “Again? Are you serious? Oh my god, you poor thing. How long are you stuck in nowhere-ville this time?”
Easton’s degrading words flew through my head, fresh as when he’d said them earlier. “No idea. At this rate, a while. This deal is souring fast, and Dad isn’t taking no for an answer. If I don’t start shitting horseshoes, I’ll be shredded when I get back to Edmonton.”
“Shit. I’m sorry, buddy. That sucks. I don’t think I could stand such a small town like that for more than a day. God damn, it’s not even skiing season.”
“Believe me, I know. There’s a pool at the lodge where I’m staying. At least I can swim. The scenery’s nice. The people are weird. I miss my bed.”
“You’re going to need a night out when you’re back.”
“Let’s plan one as soon as I’m home.”
“Deal. What are you doing for entertainment? And I don’t mean swimming.”
No, he meant clubs and guys. Andy was an anything-goes type of man, so long as the person and establishment met his quality assessment. We’d met at an exclusive, members-only gay nightclub a few years back. Apart from our common interest in expensive drinks and exquisite fashion, we weren’t compatible as lovers. We each had a type, and the other wasn’t it, but we’d developed a solid friendship and enjoyed each other’s company when out prowling for a hot night.
“There isn’t any entertaining happening.” Mostly because the one guy I’d set my eyes on was a prude who didn’t fuck on a first date.
And he had a stick up his ass.
And he was insulting and rude.
And snarky.
And cynical.
See, I could make a list too.
Andy said something, and I missed it.
“I should let you go. I’m beat, and I have to figure out a new game plan for tomorrow.”
“No problem. Call me when you’re home.”
“Will do.”
We got off the phone, and I stayed on top of the covers for a long time, lost in thought, sulking at Easton’s stupid list of criticisms. My thoughts drifted to Dad and the demands he’d made before I left Edmonton. I couldn’t go home again and tell him I’d failed. It wasn’t an option. But with Easton’s firm refusal to make any kind of deal, I was looking at being in Jasper indefinitely.
What a nightmare.
At some point during the night, I crawled under the covers, missing the silk sheets and feather duvet on my own bed, and fell asleep.
The following morning, I awoke to my phone ringing. The room was bright, and for a second, I didn’t remember where I was. I’d been dreaming of a sexy cowboy with firm hands and a sinful mouth. My cock was at full attention and aching for release. But I was disappointingly alone.
I rolled over, reaching blindly on the bedside table for the assaulting device. When I found it, I squinted at the screen and groaned when my dad’s number appeared. Clearing my throat, I answered.
“Hello?” A rasp was still present in my