Chapter Text
The hotel room door barely clicks shut before Kate shoves him against it.
Anthony makes a startled sound that disappears instantly beneath her mouth.
“Well,” he manages between kisses, hands already sliding to her waist, “this is new.”
“This,” Kate mumbles as her hands loosen the knot of his tie, “is your fault.”
Anthony reaches for Kate’s hands, laces them together, and flips them, Kate flat against the door, their hands together above her head.
“My fault?”
“You spent the last 2 days provoking me.”
“I was networking.”
“You were being insufferable.”
“I–”
But he loses the rest of his sentence when his lower lip slides between Kate’s teeth.
Anthony laughs against her mouth, the sound warm and rough and entirely too pleased considering she’s attempting to ruin his ability to think.
He lets his hands slide down the length of her arms until they settle on her waist as his mouth trails kisses down her neck.
A sound catches in her throat as he finds a spot beneath her jaw.
“I can stop,” he says, pausing for a moment and pulling away slightly.
Kate’s fingers dig into the lapel of his jacket as a smug smile appears on Anthony’s face.
“Absolutley not,” Kate replies, trying to pull him back into her.
“It’s really not—”
“Do you want to stop?” she asks, loosening the hold of his lapel.
He swallows. “No.”
“Then shut up and kiss me, Anthony.”
“Hi, Anthony Bridgerton, signing in,” Anthony says to the front desk worker.
He’s been to dozens of conferences in his life, and this one isn’t substantially different—people milling about in boardroom apparel, the sounds of conversations mingling above the background music playing over the speakers, the polite smiles, nods, and handshakes.
“Alright, so this is the conference packet, and this is your hotel key-card, if I can just have your passport please.”
“What room did you get?” he hears a sultry voice behind him that immediately raises the hairs on his neck.
He turns around, just slightly, as the owner of the voice has joined his side, now leaning against the front desk counter.
“Show me yours, and I’ll show you mine?”
“Is that the way you usually talk to your co-panelist?”
Anthony opens up the packet, searching until he finds his panel ‘Founders and Investors, The First Consumers.’
There, between his name and Will Mondrich—
“Kathani Sharma?” he reads.
“So he does know how to read.”
“You’ve never used Kathani in a panel.”
“Well it’s my full name, I’m allowed to use it.”
“Kathani,” Anthony groans as her lips leave his and begin traveling down his neck.
“I thought we agreed, there were better things to do with your mouth besides talking?” she breathes against his skin.
Anthony cups one of Kate’s cheeks, leading her back to his lips, the other hand sliding down her zipper, until he can feel her back beneath his fingers.
Kate shiver against his touch. “Took you long enough,” she mumbles as she pushes his jacket off.
“So the no talking rule was just for me?”
“Yes,” Kate says.
“You’re a little–”
“Bossy?” she finishes for him.
“Assertive,” he corrects.
Kate stills against him. Just a fraction of a second, but enough to make Anthony think his assessment has caught her off guard.
“Does that threaten your manhood?” she asks, quickly recovering.
Anthony looks down, “It’s incredibly hot.”
Which was perhaps the most alarming part.
He didn’t generally do impulsive.
But something about the way Kate unapologetically demanded what she wanted—that was new.
Most people responded to Anthony, deferred to him, performed around him.
Kate observed him, toeing against the carefully drawn line he’d created before unabashedly stepping right over it.
Kate smirks as she slides her arms out of the dress and lets it drop to the floor to reveal a laced set, “I believe I was promised you’d show me yours if I’d show you mine?”
“You—” Anthony attempts.
“Typical man,” Kate mutters as she pushes him down onto the bed, and sits. “The only thing I needed to do to make you quiet was take my clothes off.”
“Are you allergic to compliments?”
Kate shrugs and begins unbuttoning Anthony’s shirt. “I didn’t hear a compliment. I heard you mutter the word ‘you.’ Similar to a caveman.”
“Or, you left me speechless. But if you prefer a caveman—”
Kate’s eyes flicked to his face. “What I prefer is that you go find a condom.”
There it was again.
That unvarnished way she just said exactly what she thought.
“Please,” Anthony says over his shoulder as he moves to dig in his suitcase. “A ‘please’ wouldn’t kill you.”
“You're in my chair.”
Anthony recognizes the voice before he even turns around.
“Kathani Sharma,” he says, not even trying to bite back the smug smile playing on his face. “Ready for this?”
Behind him, Kate is standing with both arms crossed, her black dress hitting at a spot on her thighs that makes Anthony suck in a quick breath through his teeth.
“I’ve done enough panels with you over the years to know exactly how this is going to go. The moderator is going to ask a question, and you’ll deflect with a quick joke and a pleasing smile while Will and I do all the work.”
Anthony crosses an ankle over his knee. “So you think my smile is pleasing?”
“I think you should get out of my seat.”
Anthony looks briefly to the name plate in front of him, and then apologetically at Will—the reason he’s in said chair.
“Was there a question in there somewhere?”
“Move.”
“Please,” Anthony says, as he stands and holds his hand out gesturing for her to sit. “A ‘please’ wouldn’t kill you.”
Kate hums, “Please Anthony, pretty please, will you please give me what has my name on it?”
He fights the urge to chuckle, thinking it will only escalate matters further. But he can’t help himself from pushing her chair in for her before he leans down next to ear. “See? That wasn’t too hard was it?”
“Don’t get used to it”, she smirks, “now, shall we?”
Anthony holds the condom between his fingers, placing it on the bedside table, close enough that Kate can reach, before leaning on both his hands, and pressing a kiss on Kate’s lips.
“Tell me if I do something you don’t like,” he says against her neck. “You’ll know, I promise,” Kate replies, her hands on his shoulders.
Anthony doesn’t doubt that as he huffs a laugh against her skin and begins traveling down Kate’s neck,toward her chest, his hand traveling down her body until it’s splayed on her thigh.
He moans as Kate arches her chest toward him.
“Off,” she mumbles.
“Off,” he confirms, and easily unclips her bra and throws it across the room.
He pauses just long enough to take her in.
“You are so bloody gorgeous.”
Kate hums, but doesn’t say anything else, instead letting her fingers lace through his hair.
His lips continue traveling down Kate’s body, letting her hums and moans lead him, until he’s kissing right above her panties. His fingers trailing toward her core.
Anthony leans back to look at Kate,and is met with her eyes, staring right back at him.
“Condom,” she says, once again, now holding it between her fingers.
Anthony smirks, and takes his boxers off, enjoying the way Kate attempts to hide her smile.
He rolls the condom on, and crawls up until he’s once again leaning above Kate, her head between his hands.
Kate leans up, and Anthony leans down to catch her lips with his.
“You know, when you weren’t belittling every single thing I said, I think that was a pretty good panel,” Anthony tells Kate, as he leans against the bar.
Kate barks a laugh, “It’s not my fault that my thoughts were better.”
Anthony shrugs, “Is this an intimidation trick? Are you trying to see if I’ll run away?”
“Depends, is it working?”
“Do you want it to work?” Anthony asks, leaning forward.
Kate’s eyes grow wide, for just a second, before she shakes her head just briefly.
“And Kathani,” he says, his fingers brushing the nametag on her lanyard. “You never did tell me why you decided to use your full name for this one.”
Kate shrugs, her eyes locked with his. “I’ve spent enough time trying to make myself check a box to please others. I’m done hiding it.”
His fingers linger on the plastic as his thumb brushes over the bold print.
“It’s a beautiful name.”
Kate just rolls her eyes, but Anthony steps closer.
“It’s not the only thing about you that’s beautiful.”
Kate’s gaze flicks over him, sharp and assessing.
He doesn’t give her the chance to respond. “I’m glad you’re done hiding it.”
He gives the plastic one final tap before letting his arm drop back down to his side.
He turns to leave, but pauses. “You were incredible today, as always Kathani.”
“Anthony—” Kate says before he’s more than two steps away.
He raises a brow as Kate steps toward him.
Her gaze lifts to his while her hand reaches into the front pocket of his blazer and pulls out the hotel key card.
“Room 408?” she asks.
“Room 408,” Anthony confirms.
“Shall we?”
“Yes.”