章 36: Time to get that one-night stand
Rowena's excitement was palpable the moment we walked away from the staff. She was practically vibrating with energy, her feet almost skipping across the sand as we made our way back toward the main hotel.
I couldn't help but laugh at how giddy she was, though her antics were already attracting stares from the lingering tournament spectators.
"Can you believe it?" she exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air. "An actual forbidden place! With secrets just waiting to be uncovered! Do you think there's a vault? Hidden treasures? Secret scrolls with ancient demon recipes?"
"Rowena," I said, shaking my head. "It's probably just an off-limits storage area filled with old furniture and broken equipment."
She gasped dramatically, spinning around to face me. "How dare you crush my dreams like that? This is why you lack imagination, Rhiannon. Where's your sense of adventure?"
"I prefer my adventures to involve less trespassing and fewer rules being bent," I replied, though the smirk tugging at my lips betrayed my amusement.
"Pfft. You're missing out." She turned back around and kept walking, her steps quick and bouncy. "I'm telling you, I'm going to uncover something amazing. Mark my words, Rhi."
"Yeah, yeah," I said, laughing. "Just don't get yourself banned from the hotel, okay?"
Rowena whirled around again, walking backward now as she pointed at me. "And what about you, huh? Asking for a whole night with the tattooed chef? That's way more scandalous than me sneaking into some dusty room!"
Heat rushed to my face, and I crossed my arms defensively. "That's completely different."
"Oh, totally," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You're just going to, what, discuss cooking techniques all night?"
"Maybe I will!" I shot back, though the flush on my cheeks probably gave me away.
Rowena cackled, throwing her head back as if I'd just told the funniest joke in the world. "Sure, Rhi. Sure. Just cooking. Nothing else. Definitely not anything spicy."
"Rowena!" I hissed, mortified.
She laughed even harder, drawing more attention from the people around us. I glared at her, trying to will my face back to its normal color, but her laughter was infectious, and soon I was laughing too.
As we approached the hotel, Rowena's antics only escalated. She started spinning in circles, nearly tripping over her own feet as she shouted about all the "forbidden wonders" she was going to discover. At one point, she grabbed a beach umbrella from a nearby table and used it as an improvised sword, declaring herself the "Queen of Forbidden Realms."
"Rowena, put that back!" I said, trying and failing to keep a straight face.
"Never!" she declared, raising the umbrella high. "I am unstoppable! No one can—"
She tripped over a chair leg and nearly faceplanted into the sand, but she recovered quickly, throwing her arms out as if she'd meant to do it. "Behold my grace!"
I was doubled over with laughter at this point, tears streaming down my face. "You're ridiculous," I said between gasps.
"And proud of it!" she replied, twirling the umbrella one last time before setting it back where she'd found it.
By the time we reached the lobby, my sides ached from laughing so much, and Rowena still had that manic gleam in her eyes. She practically skipped up to the elevator, pressing the button with an exaggerated flourish.
As the elevator doors slid open, she leaned against the wall, looking at me with a wide grin. "So, when's your big date with the mysterious tattooed chef?"
"It's not a date," I said quickly, though my heart skipped a beat at the word.
"Sure, sure," she said, winking. "But you'll tell me everything afterward, right?"
I rolled my eyes. "Maybe. If you behave."
"Oh, come on! You know you love me," she said, batting her eyelashes dramatically.
"Unfortunately," I replied, though I couldn't help but smile.
The elevator ride was mercifully short, and we parted ways at our respective rooms. I was still grinning as I stepped inside, the chaos of the day replaying in my mind like a whirlwind.
But my thoughts came to a screeching halt when I saw the note on my bed.
The handwriting was neat and precise, the letters flowing elegantly across the paper:
"Come find me in 1 hour in this private kitchen."
Below the text was a map of the hotel, with a specific kitchen circled in red ink.
My heart skipped a beat, and I stared at the note, my mind racing. She had left this. The tattooed chef.
This was it. This was really happening.
I stared at the note, my pulse racing. This was my chance—my one chance—to make the most of what I'd asked for. If I was going to walk into that private kitchen and spend the evening with the tattooed chef, I couldn't just stroll in looking like I had five minutes to spare. No, I needed to bring my A-game.
With determination flooding my veins, I stepped into the bathroom and gave myself a once-over in the mirror.
My hair was still a little wild from the day, and my skin was flushed from all the excitement. I needed to dial it up—a lot.
First things first: a quick shower. The hot water cascaded over me, washing away the beach sand and stress from earlier.
I grabbed my favorite shampoo, the one that smelled faintly of vanilla and jasmine, and worked it into my hair, the rich scent immediately making me feel more confident.
As I rinsed, I imagined walking into that kitchen with all the allure of someone who knew exactly what they wanted.
After drying off, I set about taming my hair. I left it loose, the soft waves tumbling down my back, giving me that effortless-but-still-sexy look.
A dab of gloss on my lips, a touch of highlighter on my cheeks to make them glow, and a hint of eyeliner to bring out my eyes. Subtle, but undeniably effective.
Next came the outfit. I rummaged through my suitcase until I found the dress—a sleek black number that hugged my curves in all the right places, with a neckline that was daring but not too much.
I paired it with my strappy black sandals, the ones that gave me just the right amount of height without making me wobble.
I checked myself in the mirror again, and this time, I grinned. Perfect. I looked confident, alluring, and just a little dangerous.
As I sprayed on a touch of my favorite perfume amber and musk with a hint of citrus I glanced at the clock. It was almost time.
"Alright, Rhiannon," I said to my reflection, my lips curving into a smirk. "Time to get that one-night stand."
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