Just arrived! See you soon. Jx

Holy crap! Only a couple of minutes to go!

I ran back into the room, took off my robe and flung it into the closet, then arranged my nude self on the bed and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

More than a few minutes went by, then I finally heard the key-card in the lock. I sucked in my stomach and pursed my lips.

And then died of utter mortification.

It wasn’t Josh. It was the bellboy. The same bellboy. With Josh’s luggage. And then it was Josh.

They both wore the same shocked expression, while I plummeted into the depths of horror. When I finally came to my senses, I rolled off the other side of the bed onto the floor, grabbing a pillow to cover me as I went.

“Oh, my god,” I said to myself over and over.

I heard Josh tell the bellboy, “Thank you. I’ll take it from here,” which was even more mortifying, and then the door closed.

“You can come out now,” he said, an annoying lilt of laughter in his voice.

“I’m just going to stay here.”

He came around the bed to where I was lying on my back with a pillow covering my torso. “You probably made his day.” I squeezed my eyes shut, which was worse, because the whole scene replayed vividly in my mind. I opened my eyes. “Maybe even his whole week.” He grinned down at me.

“You were supposed to come alone. I thought that was very obvious.”

“Very obvious? Is that like super-duper obvious.” I frowned at him. “I’m really sorry that happened.” He didn’t seem particularly sorry. “Can I at least help you up?” he said, extending a hand.

“No thank you. I’d prefer to stay down here. It’s very comfy.” He took a pillow off the bed and put it on the floor next to my head, slipped his shoes off, and lay down next to me.

We both looked up at the ceiling. “Hmmm, you’re right. This isn’t bad.”

My giggles started silently and took over my whole body. By the time I was laughing aloud, Josh was too, and we lay there on the floor laughing until tears streamed from my eyes onto the carpet. Eventually, I got a hold of myself and took a few deep breaths.

“Would you like me to go out and come back in again?” That set us both off again and it was another few minutes before I could compose myself enough to get off the floor.

“Close your eyes,” I commanded. He didn’t even ask why, he just did it. I got up, taking the pillow with me, and climbed onto the bed. I arranged myself as elegantly as possible for a woman who’d just humiliated herself in front of a bellboy and her long-distance boyfriend. I hoped I hadn’t scarred him for life—the bellboy, that is.

“Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

Josh’s head popped up beside the bed and our eyes met. Then his gaze trailed the length of my nakedness and made its way back up to my eyes. “If it’s possible, I think you look even better than you did the last time I saw you.” That made me smile.