He ended the call. “Well, so much for a quick drink. I’ll see you two in Vegas.” He looked at Penelope. “Preferably in a pantsuit.”
He shook my hand, and I walked him out and to the elevator.
I waited for it to go down before returning to Penelope. “Did you not get my text message?”
“I did.” She shrugged. “So?”
“So, I like living. Comprehend it a bit better next time.”
“I didn’t think he would suspect anything.” She pulled the dress over her head, revealing her breasts. “What do you honestly think he would do if he found out we were dating?”
“Before or after he hid my body?”
“Before.” She laughed. “Way before.”
“I think he would end our friendship, then he’d go out of his way to ruin me.”
“You’re kidding. I don’t think my brother is that irrational or petty.”
“Then you don’t know your brother.” I trailed my thumb against her bottom lip. “He would fucking kill me if he knew what goes through my mind when I think about you.”
“Are you saying that we should put a stop to this before he finds out?”
“No.” I pressed my lips against hers. “I’m saying, turn the lights off … ”
Thirty-Four
Present Day
Penelope
Las Vegas, Nevada
Sometime between being named The Humble Kid from the Emerald City and The Punisher, my brother evolved into a cocky asshole.
Not to me, per se, but he’d definitely let the fame and the attention get to his head.
He was now the highest-paid athlete in MMA with the most endorsements, and he knew it. He talked trash in the media about his adversaries, torched their accomplishments as worthless compared to his own, and went out of his way to make it clear that he was the best.
Still, his pre-fight routine was a legend around the UFC, and he followed it to the letter each time he was up for a championship fight.
He also made me follow it as well.
It started with a midday brunch with the closest members of his entourage, his cornerman, and a bevy of personal trainers.
They sat at one end, watching practice film on a massive screen over high-price steak and waffles, while friends and “family” sat on the other end in utter awe of how much bigger his ego had become.
“When I win the match this weekend, I won’t be allowing bum ass photogs to come to my parties anymore,” he shouted. “Unless they want to pay to get a picture of this face, of course. They’ll probably make more of my picture than they will all year at their little journalism jobs.”
Ugh! I stabbed a salad tomato with a fork.
As I was raising it to my lips, Hayden’s hand lightly grazed my inner thigh.
My eyes widened, and I looked over at him.
“What?” He smiled.
“You’re touching me,” I whispered. “In public and in front of Travis. I thought you liked living.”
“You’re worth dying for.”
I blushed and pushed his hand away, but he placed it back minutes later—giving my thigh a soft squeeze.
“So, Crown …” Travis’s voice made me look up. “Hayden hasn’t told me much of anything about your new boyfriend. When will I get to see him?”
He’s sitting right in front of you. “Sometime soon.”
“So, never?” He smiled. “You should’ve invited him to come here this weekend. I think he would’ve enjoyed it.”
Tatiana choked on a piece of bread and signaled for the waiter.
“If Hayden likes him, he must be a good guy for you,” he said.
“Yes.” Hayden squeezed my thigh again. “He’s a really good guy for her.”
Travis looked as if he wanted to say something more, but the wait staff began serving the second course.
It was now time for the next part of his routine: Watching his most recent match one final time to inflate his ego.
It was good that he always encouraged everyone in the room to cheer and shout as if it was happening in real-time.
Otherwise, I’m pretty sure they would’ve noticed that my shouts weren’t for the sport at all. They were because Hayden used his fingers to bring me to back to back orgasms under the table.
Later that afternoon, I avoided Hayden’s request to meet at the aquarium.
When he asked me to join him for a late lunch at the Aria, I turned him down and regretted every moment of agreeing to go to a three-hour anime cosplay show with Tatiana instead.
By the time I returned to my suite, it was a little after midnight, and he was sitting on the sofa waiting for me.
“I don’t remember giving you my other room key.” I dropped my purse to the floor.
“I took it at brunch.” He smiled. “Are you having a good time in Vegas so far?”
“Yep. You?”
“Not particularly,” he said. “My best friend is avoiding me for some strange reason.”
“You think so? I’m not really getting that vibe at all. I think you’re misreading things.”