12: Hiding

When Vivienne finally reached her hotel, she felt a wave of relief wash all over her. The doorman nodded politely as she entered, and she hurried through the lobby, hoping to avoid any curious glances. The elevator ride felt interminable, each floor a reminder of the distance she had tried to put between herself and Noah.

But she seemed to have crossed all that distance within one night and came so close to Noah that she didn't dream of it before.

She used her key card to open the door of the presidential suite she had been staying in. Once inside the room, Vivienne leaned against the door, taking a deep breath. She changed her shoes and put on the hotel-provided slippers as she entered the suite. She strutted in and opened the door of the bedroom. The untouched and pristine bed reminded her of the tangle of sheets that she had left behind at the mansion. The events of last night played through her mind like a film reel: the intensity of Noah's gaze, the heat of his touch, the undeni