It’s Only Temporary by Iona Rose

Connor

The only thing that was going to see me through the next two days was the last few days with Bianca and keeping busy.

“I haven’t been this excited about a trip in a long time,” Samantha exclaimed. “Have you been to San Francisco before?”

We were in the hotel car that had picked us up from the airport and was driving us to the hotel. I wished I could share in Samantha’s excitement but all I could think about was Bianca. I missed her. We had spent the last four days together, alternating between her apartment and mine.

After Jenna and Jerry’s wedding, we had gone to my place, spent the night and spent Sunday morning lazing in bed. The perfect weekend. In the evening we had returned to her place for the night.

We’d talked about our future more than we ever had. Bianca wanted the same thing that I did. A life together. The thought of it filled me with a deep sense of satisfaction. The pieces in my life were coming together very nicely. Everything was falling into place and I couldn’t wait to see what the future held for us.

The only blight in my life was my work situation. We couldn’t go on like this. Sure, going to a conference like this was great for networking purposes but the late dinners with Samantha had to stop. We needed boundaries and the only way to handle it was to bring a stop to it.

On the flight back home, I was going to discuss it with her. I didn’t care if she got hurt and fired me. I wanted a professional relationship with my boss. I wasn’t interested in her or any other woman.

“Have you?” Samantha asked, bringing me back to the present.

“No. What about you?” I asked for the sake of politeness rather than real interest.

If I had a choice, I’d have preferred to be left alone to reminisce about the last few days with Bianca. I felt like the luckiest man in the world.

“Several times but it still gets me excited every time I come,” she said. “The food in Frisco is the best in the country. They have every cuisine known to man.”

Samantha went on about the food which was puzzling since she ate very little and mostly stuck to salads. Maybe she liked to look at it, not eat it. I drifted off as she spoke and was relieved when the car reached the hotel and came to a stop at the entrance.

It was busy with people milling about everywhere. Being with Samantha was like being with the mayor of a small town. Everyone seemed to know her and wanted to shake her hand. We finally got to the check-in desk.

I stood back as Samantha checked in for us. When she was done, a porter carried our luggage to the elevator. Our rooms were on the third floor. We followed the porter out of the elevator to the heavily carpeted hallway.

I waited outside the room while he took in Samantha’s luggage.

“Come in,” Samantha said, peering out.

I entered her room. It was big and fit for royalty. But I wasn’t interested in the décor, I just wanted to settle in my own room and text or call Bianca.

I couldn’t see my bag and when the porter walked back in from the walk-in closet, I asked him about it.

“Where’s my luggage?”

A look of confusion came over the porter’s features. He shifted his glance to Samantha.

“It’s okay, you can leave,” she said to him.

“I don’t understand?” I said to her when the porter left.

“We’re sharing a room. The hotel was full and I thought since we’re both adults, we can share a room comfortably.” She shrugged.

I stared at her, aghast. “Share a room? No! I’m sorry but I enjoy my own privacy.” I was fuming. “I’ll go to reservations and see if I can get another room.”

“I already asked but go ahead,” Samantha said, unperturbed.

I left the room and headed downstairs. She was insane if she thought I was going to share a room with her. I thought about Bianca and shuddered. Which woman would be comfortable with her boyfriend sharing a bed with another woman?

Bianca was pretty chilled but even she had her own limits, I was sure.

Downstairs was milling with what looked like hundreds of people. The reservations desk was surrounded by people and I had to wait a good ten minutes for my turn.

“I’m looking for a room,” I said to one of the reservations clerks.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry but we’re full because of the conference happening at the hotel.”

“I’m here for the conference as well,” I said, growing desperate.

“Didn’t you book a room earlier?” she said.

I sighed when realizing that the conversation was going nowhere. An idea came to me. I didn’t have to sleep in the same hotel. I could get another down the road and come in every morning for the conference.

“It’s fine,” I told her and strolled across the lobby and out of the hotel. I fished out my phone and searched for nearby hotels.

There was one across the road and I hurried there. It was just as busy and on inquiring at the reservations desk, it was the same story. They had no empty rooms. I went to three more hotels, each time striking out. Frustration welled up in me, plus I was tired from the five-hour flight.

What if I did share the room with Samantha and insisted on sleeping on the carpeted floor? It would only be for two nights after all?

I trudged back and rode the elevator to the third floor.

Samantha was seated on the edge of the bed, wearing a bathrobe with her hair wrapped in a towel. She was scrolling through her phone and laughing softly. She looked up when she heard my footsteps. “My friend Aurora is here, we started working in the same agency together, years ago.”

“That’s great,” I said.

“You should take a bath. It will do wonders for your exhaustion,” she said.

“Okay.” I crossed the room and entered the bathroom, locking the door behind me.

The bathroom was just as luxurious as the room and I filled the huge tub with water and slipped in. It was a relief to enter the perfectly hot tub and let my weariness melt away. If I ever had to travel with Samantha again, I’d make sure I made my own sleeping arrangements. I couldn’t believe that she had booked us in one room.

I relaxed in the bath until the water became cold. I was relieved not to find Samantha in the room but she’d propped up a note on the side table.

Find me in the Magnolia Bar.

I dressed unhurriedly and then made my way to the bar downstairs. The conference program was beginning the following day at eight and I couldn’t wait. I found Samantha at the bar seated with a few other people.

She saw me and waved me over. She introduced me to everyone as ‘her best talent’ and then invited me to sit with them. When Samantha wasn’t trying to hit on me or doing stupid things like booking us in one room, she was great company. I ordered a cold beer and sat back and listened to them discuss the industry.

Later, we all sat at a table and ordered dinner. Being with them was like being with my tribe, all who spoke the advertising language. It was fun though every so often, I thought about Bianca and wished she could be here with me.

It was late when we parted ways and I’d had a few beers to drink. Apprehension came over me as we made our way to our room.

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” I said to Samantha as I shut the door behind us.

The guys were going to shit themselves over this one. I grabbed two pillows from the bed.

“Don’t be silly. This bed is more than big enough for the two of us,” Samantha said.

“I’ll be fine on the floor,” I said stiffly.

Memories of sharing a room with Bianca came over me. We had been relative strangers but I hadn’t hesitated to sleep with her. Okay, that was different. I was already attracted to her and I was officially a single guy and was free to do as I pleased.

“Suit yourself,” Samantha said. She pulled off one of the covers and handed it to me. “I’ll just pop into the bathroom to change.”

The bathroom door banged shut and I stripped down to my boxer briefs and lay down on the carpet, the furthest I could get from the bed and covered my side. It wasn’t the most comfortable position but it would do for two nights.

Ten minutes later, the bathroom door opened and Samantha’s soft footsteps sounded in the room.

“Are you asleep?” she said softly.

I pretended to be asleep. She let out a sigh and the next thing I heard was the ruffling of the bed. Relieved, I relaxed and allowed myself to fall asleep.

Sometime in the night, I woke up in the middle of an erotic dream. Bianca was stroking my cock like she did in the mornings when we slept together. I rolled onto my back and froze. I was not dreaming. The hand stroking my cock was real and it was not Bianca’s.

The movements were too frantic. Bianca’s were smooth and unrushed. Startled, I reached down and gripped the hand tightly, pulling it away from my cock.

“Connor, relax, it’s me,” Samantha’s voice said.

I dropped her hand and sat up. “Samantha, what are you doing?”

“Just having a bit of fun. We’re both adults and your girlfriend doesn’t have to know. Let’s have a wild night together,” she said and sat up too.

As my eyes adjusted to the semi darkness, I could make out her face. “I’m not that kind of man Samantha. I love Bianca and I’m committed to her. I would never do anything to jeopardize what we have. I’m sorry but I can’t be that person.”

She was silent for a few seconds. “I don’t get it. What’s the big deal? We’ll just be two adults pleasuring each other. I know you find me attractive.”

It dawned on me that anything I said would be a waste of time. She wasn’t listening. “Please go back to your bed.”

“You really mean that?” she said and when I didn’t respond, she got up and looked down at me. “You’re a fool Connor. I could open so many doors for you. Help you get to the pinnacle of your career. All you have to do is do a few things for me too. Like being there for me when I’m lonely. Like now.”

It took me aback to hear her speak so openly about the arrangement she wanted us to have. It was such a turn off and nausea swirled in my belly. “I can’t.”

“Fine. Don’t complain if and when someone else in the company takes the opportunities I would have given you,” she said.

I was ambitious but not so much that I would swap my dignity and my morals for opportunities. Even if I wasn’t with Bianca, I still wouldn’t have taken up her offer. I respected myself and believed in my abilities. I was going to be successful, with or without Samantha.

“I won’t,” I said.