Jessa James - Valentine Ever After

I hadn't honestly expected to win the radio contest when I'd called in on my way to work one morning. The romantic trip would be a nice gesture for me and my steady boyfriend, Tim, to share Valentine's together if I did win, I thought. But before I could tell him about my good fortune and the trip, he dropped a bombshell. Obliterating all thoughts that lady luck had decided it was my time to shine.

The doors opened, and I stepped inside the glass elevator, pressing the third floor where my suite was located. It was like being inside a crystal decanter and I felt sorry for the person that had to continually clean the surfaces and keep the smudges at bay.

Reluctantly my thoughts drifted back to my ex. The mischief we could've gotten up to in this very elevator had Tim not turned out to be such a waste of space. There had been a part of me that thought Tim was going to finally propose when he asked me to dinner. After all, we had been dating for two good years—at least I thought they'd been good, maybe a little stale in places, but we loved each other and I wasn't getting any younger as my already hitched friends kept reminding me.

But that hadn’t been what he wanted to tell me at all. No, instead he decided to rip my heart out—in public no less—saying that he was bored. Bored with me, our relationship and wanted to see other people. In fact, he had already found someone else. Proactive as always was Tim.

“I’m sorry, Angel,” he said as I sat dumbfounded in the fancy restaurant. “She’s from work and she’s awesome. I think Michelle could be the one.”

In the event of a breakup, most women had something like this moment tucked away in the back of their minds, what they would say, what they would do to embarrass the man that was breaking their heart.

Me? I went blank. All of those carefully constructed moments went out of the window. I was totally unprepared, stunned with a list of expletives stuck in my throat, like a clogged up drain. I didn't even get a chance to dramatically throw my glass of wine over his head.

It was only until the waiter approached to ask me if I was going to order something that I finally got my voice back. But Tim already had his coat on, a foot out the door, after a job well done of successfully driving a hole into my heart… and the life I thought we’d be spending together.

Embarrassed, I apologised to the waiter and fled the restaurant, the tears flowing as an unscheduled shower burst free from the clouds above.

The elevator doors opened and I shook off my thoughts like they were droplets of rain to follow the porter who was high-tailing it down the corridor of highly polished wood floors. At the door I presumed was my room he dumped my bags then promptly left. “Sorry,” he called with an apologetic wave, “I can’t hold it no more!”

I frowned and wrinkled my nose. Wasn’t it customary for porters to show you around your room? But if it was a choice between that and the young guy making a puddle on the glossy floor, then I knew which I preferred.

Inserting the key, I braced myself for a heavenly sight. More warm wood and plush furnishing just like had been in the brochure online would greet me. I couldn't wait. By the door handle the green light flickered on and I pushed at the heavy door, gasping as I saw the view out from the long windows on the opposite side of the room.

It was even better than I could have ever imagined. The room itself was huge, with plenty of golden tones, hard woods, and the space was bathed in a soothing glimmer. But what really took my breath away was the sweeping view of the slopes from the massive windows.

Dropping my suitcase near the sofa, I crossed the room of the suite and practically pressed myself against the glass doors before quickly reaching for the handle and yanking it open. There was a balcony of all things! I stepped out heedless of the cold air. The sun glinted off the pristine snow for miles around. Skiers dotted the hillside as they enjoyed the new powdery layer. It was magical.

Leaving the balcony, I explored the suite some more. A gas fireplace was already running in the corner with a perfectly positioned cosy sofa in front of it. A small bar sat nestled inside a nook of one wall, complete with numerous expensive bottles for my taking.

Stepping through the doorway, I nearly giggled as I saw the massive king bed. The bedroom shared the other side of the fireplace, and it also housed a number of other pieces of furniture, including a quaint dressing table, fabric-topped stool, and an inviting reading chair. I was in love and I still hadn't seen the bathroom.

More pleasurable moans escaped my lips as I took in the master bath; with its sunken tub, glossy marble tiles, and rain shower. It was a picture of elegance and twice as big as my own apartment back home. And yet for five whole days and nights, this was all mine, my very own slice of paradise.

With another sigh, I walked back to the living room and grabbed my stuff, making sure I shut the door to keep the room warm for now. After the long plane ride from the east coast, I was looking forward to taking a long bath and sipping on some alcoholic beverage I couldn't afford. Now I'd seen the room I didn't care if I ever stepped foot on the slopes or walked through the snow outside.

All I wanted to do was relax and forget about my broken heart, or about the reality that awaited me five days from now.

With a grin, I kicked off my boots. My vacation was officially beginning, but of course, that didn't mean it was going to end well. Because Lady Luck had cruelly decided to hand over the reins to Fickle Fate who had nothing but surprises in mind… and it wasn't long before disaster struck and I was standing face to face with an unknown stranger in my room, my towel in a puddle on the floor, my body naked and on display.

Nick

“Enjoy your stay Mr Lowry and do not hesitate to let me know personally if there is anything I can do for you.”

I winked at the woman behind the desk and grabbed my bags, thinking that I might take her up on her offer. After all, I was on vacation.

After explaining that the porter was missing in action, the receptionist pointed the way and I followed her directions to the elevator. After a long plane ride, I was finally here, in the beautiful Colorado Rockies for some rest and relaxation.

The room couldn’t have been more perfect, but I didn’t look around that much, making a beeline for the bar instead. My flight had been delayed more than two hours, leaving me stranded in the damn airport, a place I wasn’t too fond of to begin with.

But hey, I wasn’t paying for any of it so why did I care?

Selecting a fine bottle of Scottish whisky, I poured a generous glass in an elegant crystal tumbler and took a sip, feeling the fiery liquid slide down my throat and into my gut, warming me from the inside out. I still couldn't believe it when I won the trip. Even when I'd given the same answer as the other contestant at the same time, the station had been forced to double-up on the prizes. And I was awarded the same trip as the other winner. Looking around the luxurious room, I had to hand it to them, they'd honoured their word and hadn't skimped on the prize. I half expected them to shunt me into some flea-pit motel and give me vouchers to the facilities instead.

But now, I had five days to tear up the slopes and burn off some energy and five nights to get myself into trouble and find other ways to drain myself, at least that was what I was hoping. It was after all the week for it; Valentine’s was merely a couple of days away. There had to be some single snow-bunnies around here somewhere. And if not, the receptionist sure looked keen to be bent over her desk.

Downing the rest of the scotch, I stared out at the slopes, thinking of how good the timing was of this trip. After a year of working my ass off, I had finally gotten my security business off the ground and now top-tier clients were starting to roll in. With my two brothers as partners, we had put our damn lives on hold to make it successful.