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Once outside in the thick, hot Vegas night air, she called an Uber and waited for it to pick her up and take her back to the penthouse.
It's not like he'd notice she was gone, anyway.
* * *
Holly lounged on her bed and flipped through the page of her fashion magazine while her cell phone vibrated with yet another text. Miss snoozed comfortably at her side, oblivious to the world.
Judging by the way her phone had been blowing up the past fifteen minutes, Eli must have finally figured out she was gone.
While he'd been socializing with his public, she'd come back to his condo, showered, changed into her tank top and sleep shorts, and taken out her contacts. And in a little while, she'd be heading to bed.
The sound of keys in the door alerted her to his arrival home.
"Holly!" His voice boomed through the penthouse. "Are you here? Holly!"
Sighing, she climbed from the bed. Closing the door behind her so not to disturb Miss, she wandered down the hall and out into the kitchen.
"Yes?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
He stood near the front door, his brown eyes blazing with anger. "What the fuck was that, huh? You just get up and leave and don't even tell me?”
Holly padded over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. "I didn't even think you'd notice I was gone."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He yanked off his suit jacket and threw it on a nearby chair. "You came with me. I'm going to notice if you aren't in the fucking car on the way home! And what's with not answering your goddamn phone? Jesus, I didn't know what happened to you! I wandered around the club looking for you. I sent you like twenty texts!"
"Yeah, well, too bad. I didn't want to talk to you," she shot back.
Eli yanked at his tie, loosening it. "Do you mind telling me why you're so pissed off? Because the way I see it, I should be pissed atyoufor disappearing into thin air without so much as a word."
She stared at him, then let out a harsh laugh. "You really don't know, do you? You truly have no idea."
"Why don't you enlighten me? Because I thought we were having a good time. We had a few drinks, and we were enjoying the music. Then you vanished."
"Ivanished?" she sputtered. "Me? You're fucking delusional!"
To her complete surprise, her eyes filled with tears, and she blinked them back before turning on her heel toward her bedroom. "Just forget it, okay? I'm going to bed."
He reached out and gently caught her wrist. "No. Holly—"
"How can you possibly think that I was having a good time?" She whirled back around. "You're the one who vanished!" She poked him in the chest with her finger. "You didn't speak to me for over two hours. I sat on that couch by myself while you rubbed elbows with half of Vegas. I didn't exist to you in that club."
"Wait, what?" he asked, releasing her. "What are you—"
"You asked me to come out with you tonight, Eli. You told me you wanted to celebrate the win with me. You went on about how we were friends now. Newsflash: friends don't leave friends behind like they're dead weight the second they're surrounded by adoring fans."
He stared down at her, an unreadable expression on his handsome face. "Holly..."
"No. I've been humiliated enough for one night, Donnelley. I'm going to bed."
She tried to push past him, but he slid in front of her again.
"Please Holly, wait. I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. You're right. I completely fucked up. I didn't think. I wasn't thinking."
She crossed her arms and looked down at the floor.
"Look, this isn't an excuse, but I just get into this zone after a game, and it's like automatic pilot. I guess I like to be surrounded by people after a win."
She grew still, letting his words wash over her.
