Hot Sheets

Unable to resist a smile, Laura gazed around the lobby of the inn’s prized new addition. The Wedding Wing…this was her baby, an idea realized from conception through construction and now inauguration. She’d spent the past two years bringing her vision for this fantasy wedding operation to life and she couldn’t possibly be prouder of the result.

Light from a crystal chandelier illuminated the New England antiques arranged in welcoming clusters around the lobby. A small-scale reservation desk ran along the west wall, directly opposite her pride and joy—a Mireille Marceaux oil painting, showcased behind museum-quality glass.

The glass display had depleted a chunk of her budget, but the expense had been necessary to meet the terms of arranging the painting’s loan for the grand opening. And acquiring this art, even for a visit, had been quite a coup. Not only was the nude a regional beauty, but she set the whole tone for the new wing. And to Laura’s mind brought good luck for the all-important grand opening events.

She needed all the good luck she could get right now.

Falling Woman would do the trick. Surrounded by lush forest and mist from the falls, the woman in the painting held a sheer veil that spilled over her curves like a waterfall. Laura believed her sultry smile meant she approved of her new home, a place where newlyweds kicked off sensual happily-ever-afters.

As the name implied, the Wedding Wing’s sole function was to accommodate weddings. Five floors of banquet halls, guest rooms, romance-themed honeymoon suites and even a brand-new full-service spa to pamper guests.

The grand opening had been officially dubbed the Naughty Nuptials, and the ensuing promotional campaign would span three weeks of highly publicized events. Week one was dedicated to Wild, Wild Weddings.

Laura had a typical slate of bridal functions scheduled, but with a Falling Inn Bed twist. A sex-toy shower, bad bachelor/ette parties and racy rehearsal dinner would culminate in a real wedding and kick off week two of the campaign—Risqué Receptions, which would be followed by Hottest Honeymoons in week three.

This grand opening promised to go down in history. It needed to. The management staff of Falling Inn Bed had wagered their personal and professional futures on the Wedding Wing’s success. While they’d never expressed anything but total faith in Laura’s ability to pull off this event, their trust underscored every decision she made, alternately empowering and weighing on her.

As if on cue, the radio affixed to her belt crackled and a Scottish burr rolled out on a wave of static. “Do you copy, bedding consultant?”

Unfastening the radio, Laura glanced down at her watch—almost check-in time. “Whisper sweet nothings, handyman.”

“You’ve got a double date in the main lobby,” the inn’s maintenance supervisor, Dougray, said.

A double date. A couple.

Laura exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she’d held. The special guest she awaited hadn’t arrived yet, but she knew he’d check in soon enough and end her suspense. She’d find out once and for all if he were bringing a date. Knowing what she knew about him, he’d not only bring a date, but a date who’d prove he’d completely forgotten how he’d once flirted with her.

But if luck rode with her and he arrived alone…

Until Laura knew either way, she distracted herself with the full house coming in for the inaugural events. She’d instructed the staff to let her know when her guests started to check in, so she could escort them to the Wedding Wing personally. Attentive service would start off the grand opening right.

“That’s a copy, handyman,” she said. “ETA a heartbeat.”

“Show time,” she said to the front desk clerk, who’d just reappeared from an office behind the desk.

The clerk, dressed smartly in Falling Inn Bed’s gold-trimmed uniform, saluted, and Laura returned the salute before making her way from the lobby to the main portion of the inn.

Once again she couldn’t help marveling at the smooth transition as the new building segued into the original. She could detect no discernible difference between the new architecture and that which dated one-hundred-plus years—a remarkable accomplishment by a brilliant architect, who’d worked for nearly two years to achieve the effect.

A very attractive architect, who would soon arrive for the grand opening events.

Hopefully alone.

Squelching the thought before she made herself crazy, Laura passed through the promenade of shops connecting the main lobby with the Wedding Wing and found herself face-to-face with her Hottest Honeymoon Couple.

Lieutenant Commander Troy Knight and his wife Miranda looked just as picture perfect as they had the last time she’d seen them, only now the Lieutenant Commander wore sportswear rather than an officer’s uniform. Miranda looked…well, like Miranda always did—perfect. She was a vision in her sleeveless silk bouclé suit—with coordinating hat, purse and high-heeled slides, of course—perfectly attired for arrival at a romance resort on a beautiful summer day.

The butter color complemented the striking black hair that curled in an artful tumble down her back, and Laura suddenly felt the linen of her own tailored suit as if it had been hand-woven by someone with ten thumbs. Forcing steel into her smile, she made her way toward the couple.

“Miranda, lieutenant commander,” she said in her most gracious voice. “I’m so pleased you could join us for the festivities.”

She met Miranda’s familiar gaze with a calm professionalism that made nine agonizing years of private school with this woman and a lot of water under the proverbial bridge evaporate.

“Laura.” Miranda inclined her head in a gesture of greeting that was almost regal, but there was no missing the way her gaze flickered downward, taking in Laura with a glance that assessed the linen summer uniform as well.

Her husband extended his hand with a smile that actually reached his eyes. “Call me Troy, please. It’s good to see you again. Thanks for the invitation. Miranda and I were pleased to be included in your grand opening.”

Good thing someone was pleased, but all things considered, she found it much easier to smile at Troy Knight than at his wife. At least he seemed genuine.

Launching into the details of their itinerary, Laura focused on business and treated this couple the way she treated all her guests—as if they were welcome. These two would never know she hadn’t been the one to add their names to the guest list.

“I’ll take you to the Wedding Wing and give you an introductory packet.” She wanted to get this show on the road. The sooner Miranda and Troy checked in, the sooner she’d be on her way to await one very handsome architect. They started walking across the lobby.

“We have a few things to discuss, but as our honeymoon couple, you’ve got the best job around here. You’ll share the spotlight with our bridal couple at the events leading up to their wedding, and after they leave, you’ll be on your own. Since two’s company and three’s a crowd on a honeymoon, all your events are scheduled for two. You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy yourselves while you’re here.”

“We’ll need it,” Troy said. “Miranda hasn’t been home in months. Everyone wants to see her.”

What was new? Only the title as far as Laura could tell. Miss Popularity had married and become Mrs. Popularity.

“You’ll have plenty of time for visiting family and friends. Just make sure you save some time to explore our facilities. We have a brand-new spa that has all the usual massage therapies and salon services, but we also have a few unusual ones like aromatherapy baths and couples massage. Everything for a honeymoon couple to pamper themselves.”

“Speaking of, Laura.” Miranda slowed to a halt in front of the lobby’s fireplace, which had been draped with lush summer blossoms in keeping with the wedding theme. “I do hope you won’t be working the entire time we’re here. You’re hosting so many events.” She waved a perfectly manicured hand and gestured to their surroundings. “It would be a shame not to enjoy them.”

Miranda may have sounded oh-so civil, but the woman was on a recon mission. She wanted to gauge the enemy to determine how much time she’d be forced to suffer Laura’s company.

The moment could have been a time warp back to Westfalls Academy, the prestigious school Laura had attended until finances had forced her to go to a public high school. They might have been standing in study hall or in the dorm or on a sports team or at a dance. It never seemed to matter where, the attitude was always the same.

“You’re defiling the air I breathe, Laura Granger.”

What Laura couldn’t understand was why Miranda hadn’t simply declined the invitation to avoid breathing defiled air. Back at Westfalls they’d been forced to endure each other, but now Miranda had a choice. She hadn’t needed to accept the invitation to participate in the Naughty Nuptials. She could have simply RSVPed with a “Thanks, but no thanks.”

In fact nearly two years later, Laura still couldn’t figure out why her long-time nemesis had chosen Falling Inn Bed for her wedding in the first place. There were plenty of other wedding hotels in Niagara Falls. A romance resort—especially one featuring Laura Granger—didn’t seem in keeping with her stuffy social circles.

But Falling Inn Bed had been the rage ever since winning the “most romantic getaway” award, and Miranda could never resist a spotlight. As much as Laura hated to admit it, her nemesis was a perfect choice for a high-profile promotional campaign like the Naughty Nuptials.

Not only did Miranda present well, but she and her husband had been the last couple to get married at Falling Inn Bed before the inn had broken ground on the Wedding Wing. When her co-workers had suggested the Knights as the Hottest Honeymoon couple, Laura had opted to grin and bear Miranda’s presence rather than argue a case where she’d had no professional grounds to launch a protest.

Only some very personal ones.

But she refused to let past history jinx her grand opening, especially where Miranda Knight was concerned.

“Our staff will participate in the grand opening events, Miranda. The Naughty Nuptials is a celebration after two long years of hard work pulling this Wedding Wing together.”

“Correct me if I’m mistaken, but aren’t these events intended for couples?”

She nodded. “We’re all about two’s-company-and-three’s-a-crowd here at Falling Inn Bed. The Naughty Nuptials events are no different.”

“So who’s your escort? Anyone I know?”