"Hello, love," Rhodes says, all soft and smooth after I open the door. He's dressed in the same suit he was wearing this morning, though his hair is slightly more disheveled. He's probably been running his hand through it, so now it stands slightly taller on his head, fluffy, and practically begging me to run my hands through it; maybe later. I step aside and let him in before I lock the door behind him.
"Hi," I smile shyly and lean against the door after it's been locked. I don't know why I feel so shy; it's just the Rhodes effect, I guess. I'm relieved when he leans down and presses his lips to mine. I reach my hands up and tug on the collar of his white button-up shirt with one hand and place the other on the nape of his neck. His arms snake around my waist as he pulls me close to him, bringing me home flush against his chest.
"Hmm, I guess somebody missed me, huh?" Rhodes's lips slip from mine to reveal a gentle smirk, his every syllable teasing slightly. I roll my eyes but can't help the grin on my face or the blush on my cheeks as I nod slowly. I did miss him; it has only been twelve hours. Maybe now that we've slept together, I'm feeling more attached to him?
"Good, I missed you too," He places one last gentle kiss on my lips before he stands back up to his normal height, towering over me. I ache from the loss of contact.
"How was your day?" I ask, leading him by the hand over to the couch and sitting down on it. I pray that the particular spot where he sits has no springs sticking up from the fabric underneath him. He sighs as his head tips back against the couch, a look of exhaustion taking over his face.
"Pretty brutal, to be honest. The management in the Paris hotel isn't doing its job properly, so it's causing quite a few problems for me. It should be one of our most popular and high-class hotels, but instead, it's one of the weakest. Now I'm going to have to go there and get it back on track while we look for a new set of employees." My heart sinks as he talks, both from the subject matter and his tone of voice. He works so hard all the time, and yet he has to do so much of the work. Surely, as the owner of an empire, you would get to have a bit of time to yourself, let others handle all of this day-to-day stuff.
"How long do you have to go for?" I ask him quietly as I reach my hand up to run through his hair. I know from past experiences that this can calm him down, so maybe it will help in this scenario too. It seems to do the trick, as a soft smile is now visible on his once-frowning lips as he tilts his head to the side to look at me.
"I'm leaving tomorrow morning, for a week, maybe a little longer. I'll be back in time for my uncle's birthday, which I'm hoping you'll still attend with me." I nod my head with a soft pout as my fingers gently massage his scalp.