I shuddered as I lowered to my knees and lost myself in the fantasy, bleeding out the passion that I'd tucked away for companionship.
Something told me I'd found it, but the thought alone scared the hell out of me.
Chapter 11
Vivian
"Wake up, sleepy head." Casey's voice pulled me from a dream about my parents getting a divorce. I stifled the need to cry and pressed my face into my pillow. I slept like shit the night before.
"Go away," I mumbled, not communicating in a way that she could hear me at all.
"Get up! It's almost ten and not only am I starving, but I want to hit the strip today! Let's not mention the fact that you own me all the deets on your date with Easton last night." She jumped onto the bed next to me as I rolled onto my side and smiled.
"It wasn't really a date, though he treated me like a princess." Warmth burned my cheeks, and I forced my eyes open.
"He is interested. I can see it all over your face. I told you that he was into you." She poked at me, and I swatted her away.
"I think he's just a horny guy looking for a good lay." I rolled onto my back and giggled as she poked at me some more.
"A good lay? Are you a good lay? You know that Jackson is going to be missing out now that you're finally moving on." She turned to lie on her back and pulled the covers up around both of us. "Did you guys sleep together?"
"What? No." I turned to pin her with a stare. "I wouldn't sleep with someone on the first date."
"Ugh. Such a prude." She teased me. "Did you at least let him kiss you?"
"Nope. I kissed him on the cheek, but he wanted to kiss me." I smiled so hard I thought my cheeks might crack. There was no hiding from Casey or myself just how much I was starting to like the handsome businessman.
"How do you know?" She turned on her side, facing me and snuggled up next to me like she'd been doing our whole lives. "Did he tell you?"
"Yeah. He said, 'you know I really want to kiss you', and I said no." I turned on my side to face her. "Besides, he's just a traveling, career-focused kinda guy. He's not looking for anything more than a few kicks, and honestly, I'm not looking for anything right now."
"Whatever. Are we seeing him again tonight?" She brushed my hair from my face. "I think we should."
"I don't know. I'm not sure that's a good idea. I had four drinks last night, and it took everything inside of me not to take his invitation to join him in the penthouse." I lifted my eyebrows and spoke with snooty authority.
"He invited you to the penthouse?" She sat up and slapped the bed dramatically. "What in the world? So fucking unfair."
"I'll ask him if you can take my place tonight." I pushed at her. "Get off my covers and I'll get up. We can grab a breakfast sandwich at the coffee shop downstairs and get to shopping."
"Yes on all counts. Sex, food, and shopping. Get to it. Hook me up with the billionaire playboy, or try to. I think he's far too into you for any hope for me." She moved off the bed and worked to tame her crazy blonde locks.
"Those do sound like a great combination." I got up and tugged my tank top over my head before walking to the dresser beside my bed and pulled out a couple of tank tops, a bikini top and some shorts. "We were almost mugged in one of the back alleys too. That was interesting in the wrong sort of way."
"What?" Casey's voice turned to steel. "What do you mean you were almost mugged?"
I turned as I worked the bikini top over my breasts. "Some guy asked for our cash and when we didn't have it, he pulled a knife. Easton took care of it quickly. It was scary as hell, but pretty impressive to watch him put down the threat so fast. He said his father had been a cop his whole life."
"That's fucking scary, Viv. Now that you're okay, it's hot, but no more dark alleys. Okay?" She moved toward me and put her hands on her hips, demanding my compliance.
"Yeah, I agree." I turned and tugged my two tank tops over my head. "He works for a critique company. He mentioned something about them looking for more food critics. It would be pretty cool to get an interview, if nothing else, from this crazy encounter."
"Then sleeping with him is out. You know that, right?" She moved up beside me as she tugged at the strings at the top of her bathing suit top. "Can you tie this for me?"
"Yeah, turn around." I worked on it as I thought through her words. She was right, of course. If things started to progress between me and Easton, then working for the company would be off the table, not that I had a prospect of doing so yet. Relationships never lasted. The last thing in the world that I'd be comfortable with would be working alongside him and hating each other.
"You're awfully quiet." Casey moved away from me and worked to get her sandals on. "What are you thinking about?"
"Lots of things. He's the perfect guy from what I can see, but so was Jackson. It's just crazy how you can be with someone every day and yet not really know them at all." I pulled my bathing suit bottoms over my hips followed by my short shorts. "Does this look too slutty?"