Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Many others, I’ve never met, but I can guess they’re either rich or influential or both. And looming at the center of it all, with his back to us, is the great and powerful Henry Wolf himself.
Is it worth losing this job for a chance at waking up next to someone I care about? “If it comes to that, absolutely.”
Connor regards me intently for a moment. “Well, giddyup, then. This is going to be entertaining to watch.”
The ladies’ room door swings open, and Sloane strolls out, her flyaway hair tamed, her dress smoothed out as best she can. “Better?”
“Sure.” I rake my gaze over her chest, searching for a glimpse of those perfect nipples I know are hiding beneath. “Though I liked you in the hut too.” When she was naked and riding my dick.
Heat sparks in Sloane’s eyes. She may call herself a vanilla lover, but I’ll bet she’s more risqué than she thinks, and I can’t wait to test that theory out.
“The sex hair was hot. See you two on the other side.” Connor hobbles away.
Sloane watches him with concern. “His limp is getting worse. Is he okay?”
“He will be.” And I’m sure his encounter with Belinda will become another one of his legendary stories. I hand Sloane the lavender drink. “What is it, anyway?” Something on our menu, I guess? Though it doesn’t look familiar.
“No idea.” She sniffs it before taking a sip. “But it’s what I needed.”
“Our little walk was what I needed, so thank you.”
“Yeah?” Reaching up, she finger-combs a few strands of my hair into place. “There. That’s better.”
“I can still taste you on my tongue.”
A slight flush pinks her cheeks as if she’s remembering the moment her fists clenched and her pelvis rolled against it. “That’s what the beer is for.”
“Nah. I like it. Repeat, later?”
Her mouth parts, and excitement sparks in her eyes. “Let’s get through dinner first, okay?”
“Fair enough. Ready to meet your favorite guy?” All I want to do is take her back to her place and keep her there forever. Ideally, naked.
Her chest rises with a deep inhale. Hard to believe I had her trembling beneath me only twenty minutes ago for an entirely different reason. Now, she’s full of trepidation. But she rolls her shoulder, and the simple act seems to steel her nerve. “Let’s do this.”
I slip an arm around her back to hook her waist—in case there’s any mistake that she’s here with me—and lead her in.
Eleanor and her team have spared no effort in organizing tonight’s “casual” dinner, rearranging candle-clad tables into two lengthy, wide rows, giving everyone a seat with a view of the aquatic tank. A woman plays the white grand piano in the corner, the soft, classical music serving as quiet background noise against the bursts of laughter and chatter.
My goal to find Abbi is momentarily forgotten as a mermaid glides effortlessly through the water, her pink-and-cream iridescent costume shimmering under the lights.
“They do actually look like mermaids.” Sloane pauses to watch the performer with awe. “Honestly, I was thinking it’d be tacky, but her costume is art.”
The costume might border on obscene for the prudish, hugging the performer’s body like a second skin, leaving little to the imagination in some areas. “For what it cost, I should hope so.” When I saw the byline in Lena’s budget, I nearly choked.
“It’s not just what she’s wearing. The way she moves and the tail and … everything.”
The performer spins and twirls, a small line of bubbles escaping her nose as she moves gracefully.
“Where do they learn to swim like this?” Sloane asks.
“I told you. Mermaid school.” I give the same answer as before, because I still don’t fucking know.
“Oh, right, yes, that place.” She cuts me a dry look, but it slips off just as fast. “You know, they have these kinds of aquatic shows in other places too. Did you hear about that one where a performer was attacked by a fish?”
“Uh, no, I did not hear about that.”
“Yeah. Same idea as this. It was a few months ago. I can’t remember where it was.”
I eye the marine life with renewed wariness. “What kind of fish?”
“A big one? I hope that doesn’t happen here.”
“If it does, that’s Lena’s department.” Add it to the list after chefs who maim themselves and housekeeping staff who fuck in the guest rooms.
Sloane takes in the room. “This is different than I expected.”
“And what did you expect?”
“With some of the crazy headlines I’ve seen about him and his friends? I don’t know. Strobe lights and EDM? Whips and chains? A sex den?”
“That’s not until later,” I deadpan.
She falters. “You’re joking, right?”
Not as much as you might think. And that’s not a question I can answer without divulging secrets better taken to my grave.
A cobalt-blue dress catches my notice followed quickly by lengthy red hair. Abbi’s in deep conversation with a server carrying a silver platter. Bonus, Henry is nowhere nearby.