[18+] Mark just wants a quiet life. With plenty of action at work, he has no interest in bringing the drama home with him. But he does need a flatmate, and when blonde bombshell Zoe crashes onto the scene, she's more than he bargained for.
Zoe is a...
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October 2016
MARK
Two evenings later, I turn up at Zoe's armed with ice cream. She's in a good mood, bouncing around her kitchen and humming. Hopefully I'm not about to dampen her spirits.
"How's Ed?" she asks. "Is he back at his place yet?"
"He's with Jeremy tonight." I take the bowl she passes over to me. I'm not normally an ice cream fan, but Zoe loves it and I need to butter her up.
She curls up on the sofa next to me. "God, I can't imagine being so famous that people stalk my house. It must be violating."
"He handles it well most of the time. This last year has been big for him. He just needs to keep that layer of privacy in place."
With a sympathetic frown, she nods. "Your home should be your private space."
"Exactly."
"You can always stay at the hotel more. I just need notice, but if it helps then we can book regular slots for you."
I reach over to place my bowl on the coffee table. It's cluttered with remotes, magazines, mail and mismatched coasters, but I find a free spot.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," I say. "He's comfortable there, but we need something more permanent, and I can't ask you to give up your most expensive rooms on a long-term basis."
"Can't you?" Her lips quirk into a teasing smile.
"Learnt my lesson."
She chuckles and stirs her melting ice cream. "No, you're right. We can't take the premium suites away and only offer limited configuration options to customers. It won't fly with management. But... Maybe there's something else."
"Did you have something in mind?" I ask.
"Renovations on the east wing are nearly finished. It took longer than expected, and we were well over budget, so I'm guessing the bosses will want to recoup the investment as soon as possible."
"Could we bulk book there instead, then? I'm sure we could work something out where we pay a year in advance, and that would help the ROI."
At this point, Helen would sign anything off, especially if I put forwards a strong case for Ed's safety and mental health.
"So..." Hesitation clouds her face as she tucks one leg beneath her body and twists to face me. "I'm purely speaking hypothetically here, as obviously I would need to discuss with the powers that be first... But you say you want something more permanent, right?"
"Right."
"What if we could lease a floor to you? You'd pay a monthly rent, and that part of the hotel would be all yours 24/7 with nobody else allowed access."
