“Thank you very much.”
She slid into a black dress that sculptured perfectly to her body as the fabric poured over her curves.It had elbow-length sleeves—that would explain why I didn’t notice the bruising last night.No doubt in my drunken state, I would have demanded answers before threatening to discuss with whoever left them on her otherwise unblemished skin.It was one of the qualities that tended to come up when I had liquid courage running through my veins.
“I’ll be sure to speak kindly of you when I tell my grandchildren about my first husband,” she offered with a roll of her eyes in the mirror over the sleek, shining dresser.
I couldn’t get a read on her.Most women would fall over themselves kissing my ass, doing everything short of offering to suck my dick if it meant warming me toward them.
It finally hit me.“You don’t know who I am, do you?”I asked while she went about the business of finding her shoes and purse.We had stripped down and fallen asleep in a hurry after drunkenly stumbling in.An entire narrative existed in the debris strewn around the room.
My question stopped her dead.She slowly turned, her eyebrows practically leaving her forehead, they were arched so dramatically.“Did you seriously just ask me that?Next thing I know, you’ll tell me you’re areally big deal.”The sarcasm leaving her lips was real.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” I scoffed.“What I meant was?—”
She held up a hand.Unfortunately, it was the hand where I’d placed a cheap ring overnight.I had to look at it while she almost growled, “Let me stop you there, Mr.Whoever You Are.No, I don’t have the first idea who you are, and that has nothing to do with whateveractuallyhappened last night.To be honest, I amnotinterested in who you are or how much money you have.”
“Oh, no?”I asked, skeptical.
“No.The fact is, I’ve spent the past two years studying at Oxford University.Ever heard of it?”
“Yeah, we do hear about things like that in a little town like Las Vegas,” I retorted.“And now you sound exactly the way you accused me of sounding a minute ago.”
“The point is…” she continued, ice dripping from every word, “… I have not been back in the country long, and since your face is unfamiliar, I’m guessing you only came into your fame while I was gone.So, whoever you are or whoever you think you are, it makes no difference to me.That’s all I meant.”
“Then allow me to educate you,” I offered.“I am not a man who can get away with scandals like the one we might have started last night.I need your word you aren’t going to turn this into news.”
“You have a very high opinion of yourself, don’t you?But don’t worry,” she continued before I could react.“Nobody needs to know.We can handle the whole thing quietly and quickly, Mr.Whoever You Are.”
Yeah, that needed to stop.“Vaughn Eastman.”
That got her.She could give me the cool-girl act all she wanted, but she knew the name.“As in Eastman Casino?”
With a smirk, I observed, “So you aren’t too high above the rest of us, after all.”
“You don’t need to worry, Eastman Casino,” she assured me while stepping into the bathroom.The water ran in the sink while she continued, “I’m not interested in blackmailing you or dragging your name through the mud.Like you said, this can be done quickly and quietly.I won’t rake you over the coals or take you for everything you’ve got.”Why did she still sound so combative?
When she stepped back into the room, she was using a towel to pat her cheeks dry.Gone was the smudged makeup, leaving her fresh-faced, younger-looking.She said she went to Oxford, right?Two years.Graduate work?Practically a baby, eight years younger than me.“Thank you for all the fun last night,” she announced.“Really, I had a good time… at least, from what I remember.”
I wanted it over but on my terms.She was already halfway across the large room before I thought to ask, “Can I at least have your number, Oxford?It would help if we knew how to contact each other.”
“It’sNova,” she reminded me in a dry voice, rattling off her number once I found my phone in the back pocket of my dress pants.By the time I finished programming it as a contact, her hand was on the door knob.
“Thanks again.Sorry for the inconvenience, really.”She hesitated, though.Like there was something else she wanted to say, then decided against it.I waited until she was on the other side of the door before releasing a sigh of… what?Relief?Sure, I was relieved.Who wouldn’t be?She hadn’t tried to trap me.There were no tears or accusations, no suggestions that we wait around, let it ride, see what might come of whatever this was—a drunken night of poor choices.
Looking down at my phone to double-check her contact, I caught sight of the time.“Shit,” I muttered before dragging myself to the shower against my will.We were supposed to have brunch downstairs this morning.The entire wedding party had been invited, along with family and friends.Would Nova be there?I hated the indecision churning in my stomach.Of all things I didn’t need, coming face-to-face with her again with my friends present and fully aware was not a happy prospect.
What a relief, then, that I didn’t catch sight of her twenty minutes later while standing in the doorway leading into the small event room set aside for our brunch.A lavish buffet had been set up along one wall, filling a long table with chafing dishes, bowls of salad, fruit, platters of smoked salmon, deviled eggs, and even sushi.A bartender prepared elaborate Bloody Marys, the sort with all kinds of unnecessary additives sticking out from the top—shrimp, bacon, olives and celery— which I never understood the point of.
Rather than bother with the hair of the dog, I kept an eye on the room before I located my friends seated around a small table in the far corner, thanks to the way Aiden’s thick shock of reddish-brown hair stood out.From the look of it, none of them were in much better shape than I was, though at least none of them could say they married a stranger last night.Then again, who was I to say?I didn’t know I was married, either, until less than an hour ago.Maybe we all had announcements to make.
The thought of telling them hardened my resolve against it.I would never hear the end.I had already tossed the ring before getting in the shower.It made me wonder how many such rings were discovered by the cleaning staff.
I could clear up this mess quickly and quietly without them being aware.
That was definitely for the best.
A carafe of coffee sat in the center of the table.I took advantage of it, pouring a generous amount into the mug sitting at one of the untouched place settings.“Good morning,” I murmured, keeping my voice low.The herd of elephants hadn’t completely cleared out from inside my skull.They had only been drowned out somewhat by other concerns.
“You look like shit.”Aiden offered a wide smile as I took the chair across from him.Asshole.It didn’t look like any of them had eaten yet.I didn’t have to imagine them sitting around, nursing their hangovers.That’s exactly what they all were doing.
