Chapter 397: The Wrong Idea

As soon as the staff brought them to a room, he looked them up and down before suggesting, “Actually, you two don’t need to book separate rooms. It’s much more cost-effective to just get one. Plus, we’re offering complimentary upgrades.”

He pointed upstairs and continued, “Our specialty couples suite is available. Would the two of you like to try it out?”

Ellis swore she could see a flock of crows flying overhead. Was the guy blind? Couldn’t he tell she and Maxwell were coworkers? Recommending a couples suite? Really? And come on—she knew exactly what those “special features” meant.

Back when she was Easton’s secret girlfriend, he loved dragging her to hotels to get his needs met. The man was always down to experiment. Not only did he bring his own things, but he’d also use whatever the hotel provided.

Her brain flooded with those memories, and she forced herself not to blush. “No, thanks,” she snapped.

If this had happened before, Maxwell probably would’ve made a mental note to have the staff retrained. But today? Today was different. For some reason, being mistaken for her boyfriend gave him a weird sense of satisfaction.

Looking at her slightly pursed lips, he said, “We’re not dating.”

The staff didn’t seem bothered. He just smiled and apologized. “Sorry about that. You’re both good-looking—I made the wrong assumption.”

Ellis was so over it. So two attractive people standing next to each other automatically meant they were a couple? Come on. Have some common sense.

The guy tilted his head. “So, which of you is staying in this room?”

“She is,” Maxwell answered.

That threw Ellis for a loop. From the look of it, this room was obviously meant for Maxwell. But now she was supposed to stay here? Still, he was the boss. She wasn’t about to argue.

She rolled her suitcase inside and shut the door. Little did she know, the moment she closed that door, Maxwell let out a sigh of relief. This room was clearly the one next to the noisy couple. With how badly he’d been fighting the urge to “get some” lately, he wasn’t about to spend the night listening to that. He didn’t want to hook up, and he didn’t want to handle things himself, either. He just wanted a peaceful night’s sleep.

Once Ellis was inside, the staff led Maxwell to his own room. Back in hers, Ellis wasn’t there to relax. She dropped off her suitcase and left immediately.

The sex noises were still going strong in the hallway. It was impossible to ignore. She felt awkward as hell. Seriously, what kind of hotel had walls this thin? Either the insulation sucked or the people inside were putting on a show. Or both.

Maxwell hadn’t come back down yet. She texted him to say she’d be waiting in the lobby. He didn’t respond for half an hour.

She didn’t bother following up. She just waited. Finally, after another five minutes, he appeared. She walked up behind him, ready to assist.

But the weird part? He didn’t look at her. Not once. He just stared straight ahead, acting like she wasn’t even there, even though he still gave out work instructions like normal.

Ellis was starting to spiral. What was his deal? It wasn’t like she begged to come on this trip. He was the one who said she had to come, and now he was treating her like she’d done something wrong?

She thought back through the entire day. She couldn’t think of a single thing she’d done to upset him. So whatever. She gave up trying to figure it out. She already planned to quit anyway. He could be moody all he wanted—as long as he didn’t short her paycheck, she didn’t care.

When the workday wrapped, she took a hot shower to unwind, then collapsed into bed. She hadn’t slept much the night before, so she knocked out the second her head hit the pillow.

But around midnight, she jolted awake. Dammit. She and Easton had been divorced for almost a year. Why was she dreaming about sleeping with him? And worse—it wasn’t some vague, fuzzy dream. It was one of those crystal-clear, memory-type dreams. Something that had actually happened.

“Ugh, gross,” she muttered, flipping over and forcing herself to calm down. Maybe it’d just been too long since she’d been with anyone? She was actually kind of—

She was divorced. She wasn’t dating. Her ex still hadn’t gotten the hint and disappeared. The last thing she needed was to be thinking about any of that. Besides, when she’d been with Easton, he’d always worn her out. She’d barely recover before he’d go again. If she didn’t give him what he wanted, he’d cling to her like an octopus, dragging her down with him until she was begging for a break. Her throat would go raw from how hard he made her scream, and even then, he still wouldn’t let up.

That was not something she needed to be remembering. No. Stop. She smacked herself in the forehead. Get it together.