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Chp. 23
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The Lovelane Motel Chp. 24
*** Mark ***Mark watched from the window as the Mazda SUV backed out of the front of his driveway back unto the street. He knew that car, but he couldn't be certain if that was whom he suspects or another person entirely. Maybe she ran into Phil and he offered to drop her off. Or that was some other guy whom she was seeing.From his window, he observed Solana walking back towards the lobby. She raised her hand in a salute gesture to someone near the kiosk. He could easily guess who that was. 'And there he is.' Joe was sauntering toward her, saying something Mark could not decipher. For no reason, he reminded himself that they knew each other before she started working here"Yeah, but how?" He asked aloud eyes still on the girl.That question had bothered him from the moment he learned those two knew each other. Why? He didn't know. Why was it even important how they knew each other? He had no reason to think they were romantically involved or had been involved. He just hated that sh
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 25
*** Mark ***After the brief meeting with Solana, Mark spent the next hour and a half reading different blog posts on the internet. Even though these articles had nothing to do with running a hospitality business, Mark told himself the knowledge was of utmost importance. To him, the majority of the blog posts he came across were plain trash. Others promoted 'modern feminism,' which didn't quite answer his question. But amidst the garbage and feminist articles, he found a handful that offered meaningful insights into the very subject that interests him. Solana Jang found him intimidating. Was that a good or bad thing? These internet guys thought it was a bad thing, and they offered a strong argument to back it up. Mark agreed. Bosses should be approachable and a woman should not feel intimidated by her partner. Not that she was his woman. Boss and employee dynamics naturally carry an undertone of a subtle sense of intimidation. Ugo, for instance, would not address him and Joe the sa
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 26
*** Solana ***The rest of the day was quiet for Solana, although not in her head. The day's most important event was stuck on replay up there - Mark's voice calling her by her first name. He hadn't called or asked for anything else after that little meeting. She'd seen him leave the office with his Macbuuk some two hours after that. He hardly came back to the motel till late at night whenever he left with his laptop, so she didn't expect to see him until tomorrow. Maybe that was good for her.She'd spent the rest of the afternoon accomplishing minor tasks such as a brief meeting with the receptionist and the brand ambassadors whose jobs would be over in a few days. And Research on the third-party food service for the motel. It was time to close officially for the day. Sol found herself wondering again - 'What had ticked 'him' off?' She and Mark had seen before she went out for lunch, and the meeting had been cordial. For her, it had been more than that because he'd given her 'the l
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 27
*** Solana ***The next day, Solana was looking forward to having Mark ring for her for one of their usual brief meetings. She was curious about what their interaction would be like after yesterday's episode. In truth, she just missed him and looked forward to coming down for work every day because of his face and smell. And voice. But Mark did not come in for work on time that morning. Her desk phone did not ring and when she took a casual stroll downstairs, his car was not in the driveway. Joe also confirmed he hadn't seen 'the boss' all morning.She thought about calling his mobile but reconsidered quickly. He was the boss. He could choose to sleep in. He could take the day off whenever he wanted. What would she even say if she called him? She decided that calling him was a bad idea. Trying to focus on the task he gave her yesterday, she kept her eyes on her laptop screen. Jumping every once in a while when her phone rang or beep because she thought it was him. It was now past n
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 28
*** Mark ***The auditor was late for their meeting. He'd texted that he was in another meeting that was taking longer than expected, so Mark sat in front of his laptop, waiting patiently for another thirty-five minutes. Besides, something else kept his mind quite busy and preoccupied, so he forgot to get impatient with his auditor. The meeting eventually started, and Mark found his mind drifting in and out of focus.'Philip Gonza was the mystery guy that dropped Solana off yesterday afternoon, huh? And he'd devised the perfect excuse for another lunch date, huh.' "Recommendations..." He muttered to his laptop screen while clicking and unclicking his pen. Mr. Iduh stopped clicking on his mouse and asked, "What?" It was about time she returned from her break, so Mark unwittingly strains his neck to look through the window. He didn't realize he was still clicking and unclicking his pen, eyes on the parking lot.Tap! Tap! Tap! The auditor tapped on the laptop screen. "Hey, Marky. You
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 29
*** Phil ***Phil was in such a good mood since he returned from his lunch break a few hours ago. He was feeling light and full of anticipation for the coming days or weeks. Just a friendly lunch with Solana was making him feel this way - like a lovestruck schoolboy. It turned out her boss, little Marky, already came up with the same idea for their room service. But it was up to her to develop the plan and process. From the way their talk went this afternoon, she would be calling him often from now on for advice until they were thoroughly established.After their lunch meeting, Phil had decided there was no need to hold back. He was into her 100%. She was not his employee anymore, so there was nothing wrong with making a move. She was all friendly now, but he was confident he could make her want him, too. 'In time.'The afternoon was not a romantic date. Well, except on his side. But he'd enjoyed her company so much. He'd craved to hold her hand. To kiss her sensuous mouth as she lau
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 30
*** Mark *** It was Saturday morning and rather than using his treadmill, Mark had decided that running outside would clear his head better. He'd spent the night in his suite and had left very early for his morning run. As he jogged past the motel, he looked up the building and checked his fitness wristwatch. It was 6.25 AM. Solana was probably still in bed since it was the weekend, he thought. He'd forbidden himself to be anywhere near the suite when she was off duty. He didn't trust himself across the hall from her when she was home and idle. They could run into each other and he'd learned she dressed care-free at home. She could knock on his door, too, to ask something about work. Or worse, he'd probably find an excuse to knock on hers. So it was better to avoid her on her off-duty days, at least. If Phil mentioned anything to her about his little visit the day before, she was not showing any sign of it. Then again, he imagined Phil couldn't have said anything to her except - "Yo
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 31
*** Solana ***It was Monday morning, and Solana half-dread seeing Mark. That weekend was the longest for her. She spent every moment waiting for a knock on her door or to run into Mark in the hall again. That was after the nervousness had passed. But there was nothing like that. He also didn't call her phone again that Saturday, and at first Solana appreciated the space because she was a little unsure and extremely anxious about what he'd say. On Sunday, she expected to see him. To have him knock on her door. He hadn't. Then he called finally in the evening, after keeping her anxiously waiting all day. She'd watched the phone ring, unable to answer. After calling the second time, he'd given up. Why was she too anxious to answer the phone? Because his calling her, instead of knocking at her door, could only mean one thing - rather than taking it further, he wanted to put an end to it. "I'm not avoiding him." She mumbled into her cup of coffee as she sat waiting at her office desk.
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