as they want.”
With as many women as they want… Laila pushed the image of the tall, attractive model-type woman airily waving her cigarette at Mason out of her head.
“That, and he must still feel bad about tackling me,” she added with a shrug. Her happy buzz dampening, she rose to wash her hands in the bathroom. She came back, kicking off her shoes and taking a running leap onto the bed.
She hit with a soft crash, the mattress engulfing and supporting her at the same time. It was perfect. “Oh, yassss queen.” She rolled over. “Get your bootie over here. You have to feel this.”
Rosamie stood, copying her running leap to the bed. She landed with a crash that barely jostled the thick mattress.
“Holy crap! We have to steal it,” Rosamie said, flopping next to her. “Seriously, do you think they would notice if we carried a humongous mattress out to my car just before check out?”
“I’m afraid they might, so we better make the most of it.” Laila stretched out her arms and legs, pushing them up and down. “Look, I can make a mattress angel and not even come close to touching you.”
Chuckling, Rosamie did the same, twisting and reaching out to brush Laila with her fingertips. “I have to stretch way over to reach your fingers. Is this a California king? Cause it seems bigger than that.”
“I don’t know, but it’s the widest bed I’ve ever seen.” Laila could roll over more than half-a-dozen times without falling off.
Rosamie sat up and grabbed a pillow, pointing it at the headboard, the couches, and a lamp in turn. “I love you, I love you, and I especially love you,” she said.
“Don’t forget about this,” Laila said, getting up on her knees to touch the art-deco design on the wall above the headboard. The pattern was in shining tiles, similar in style to the one in the lobby but different in execution.
“The amenities folder over there says each room has a unique design. It gives this place that perfect personal touch.”
“That is pretty cool.” Rosamie wasn’t even looking at the design. Her eyes were closed as she wiggled on the dense mattress. Eventually, she raised her phone to check the time. She groaned. “I better get going.”
“But you’ll come back tomorrow?” Laila asked hopefully.
“Try to stop me!” Rosamie laughed, heading for the door. Laila followed her, picking up the cake plate and setting it on the tray.
Her friend paused at the threshold. “Well, I’ll come back if you’re alone. However, if Mr. Marvelous decides to drop by to help you test out that mattress, be sure to let me know so I can make other plans.”
The velveteen pillow Laila threw hit the closing door. Once Rosamie was gone, Laila hurried to make sure the pillow wasn’t damaged. “There you go,” she said, laying it gently on the couch as if it were a baby bird.
Spinning around, she twirled like a ballerina before hurrying to the bathroom, undressing as she went. Once there, she uncapped the bubble bath and took a deep sniff. Unused to the perfume, she couldn’t identify the scent, but it was delicious. Impulsively, she grabbed the bath salts as well, determined to make the most of her time with the glorious tub.
When the bath was ready, she jumped inside, holding the iridescent bubbles in her palm before blowing them out of her hands with a giggle.
Then she lay back, trying not to fantasize about the man who’d gifted her this experience.
Chapter Seven
Gardullo’s Gourmet Grocery, the specialty store where Laila worked, had a large lot relative to the size of the building. Mason locked his car and put his hands in the pockets of his bomber jacket, vacillating on whether to go inside.
You were just passing by and decided to get something for dinner. Laila might not even be working since it was close to closing time. Most of her shifts were earlier in the day so the goods she baked could be stocked fresh.
In all likelihood, she was on campus in class or at a lecture. He didn’t know her schedule well enough to guess.
Mason was almost at the store’s entrance when he stopped. He could still hear Ransom ribbing him about Laila.
His friend had made a lot of noise when Mason had come straight back to his apartment alone. Soon, his friends joined in, but he’d ignored them, kicking back with Louis and Julio in front of the flat screen and joking around about their house