"What?"
Alan.
She was upright and wide awake in an instant, the sheet gathered around her hips, revealing how very naked she was. She yanked it up and covered her breasts.
"What did you say?"
"I said Alan," she lied. "Sorry, I was asleep. What did you think I said?" Idiot. She banged the heel of her hand against her forehead, then looked around her bedroom, but all signs of the man whose name she'd really spoken were gone. For a moment, disappointment warred with mortification in her belly. Then she remembered that he'd warned her he'd be leaving before she woke.
Which meant he hadn't walked out without a trace.
Which was good for her ego.
On the whole, though, it really didn't much matter. He hadn't suggested they go out again, and they'd made no plans to see each other after work or on the weekend. And why would they? He was a local celebrity, after all. He was probably booked with a different woman every night from here to eternity.
And that was just fine by her. Because while Nolan Wood might have been a fun diversion--a very fun diversion--he didn't fit into her life plan at all. He was a guy whose show title was a double entendre, and whose drive-time program was known for being raucous and racy.
So, no. He just didn't fit. Not like the man on the other end of the phone line did.
"I woke you?" Alan chuckled. "You and the girls must have had one hell of a time at that bachelorette party."
"Oh, well, yeah. You could say that." She felt the slow burn of embarrassment creep over her body. "Wait. What time is it?"
"Almost nine."
"Ack. I need to get out of here." She leapt out of bed, then looked immediately around for her robe since she was naked and talking to Alan. She couldn't find it. "Listen, I need to go. Can we talk later?"
"Sure, sure. I only called to remind you about tomorrow. Dinner at your parents."
"With the dean of the department," she said. "I remember. Meet you there?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I'll pick you up at six."
/> She smiled as they ended the call. Alan had impeccable manners, and they always had a lovely time when her parents put on a faculty event. It was sure to be an absolutely wonderful evening. The kind she inevitably enjoyed, with lots of interesting conversation about the kind of theoretical mathematics she found fascinating but didn't need to keep up with in her job.
She showered and dressed quickly, ignoring Hannah's crumpled dress on the floor of the bathroom--then hurried to the office, hitting every red light on the way.
She was already up the elevator and through the reception doors when she got Hannah's text. Where R U?
Frowning, Shelby tapped out a reply, hoping there wasn't a crisis brewing. Lobby. Overslept. Tell me F's not looking for me.
F was Frank Talbot, Shelby's immediate superior. And the one who'd trained her to always get to the office by eight so that she had time to get herself organized before the day began in earnest.
Just hurry.
Shelby sighed, but picked up her pace, wondering what kind of crisis had landed on her desk. Major, if Hannah knew about it, since that meant the legal department was involved. Shit. She trotted the rest of the way, thankful to be back in her comfortable, sensible shoes.
"What's going on?" she asked, bursting through her office door and finding Celia, Hannah, Leslie, Kayla, and Ria huddled around her desk.
"Girl, what did you do last night," Kayla asked. A stunning black woman, Kayla wore her hair so short you could see her scalp, a style that accentuated her huge eyes--which right now seemed even bigger than normal as she stared down Shelby with what looked like a mixture of surprise and respect.
Ria giggled. She was sitting on the edge of Shelby's desk, her swinging feet decked out in two inch platforms sporting four inch heels. At four foot three, Ria was always trying to compensate. "I think the question is what didn't she do."
"I know, right?" Hannah said. "I swear, my little girl's all grown up. I'm so proud."
All five women laughed at that, but Shelby continued to stand in front of her desk, her mind spinning. "So this has nothing to do with Frank?"
"Shut the door," Hannah said, even though she was moving to shut it herself. "Go ahead," she said to Celia, who hit a button on her phone and put it in the middle of the desk.