At that moment, Fenton appeared in the doorway. There was the pull that Kev was talking about. Fenton Morris pulled me in to his orbit. I was about to give in and go to him when a tall blonde and blinding camera crew appeared behind him.
All hope of Fenton being himself vanished as he grabbed the reality show star and sauntered into his party. With the cameras rolling, Fenton was in full-on party mode. Tequila appeared in front of him and he tipped it back, taking a lime wedge out of Sienna's mouth. The crowd cheered as Sienna's entourage poured into the suite.
Kev gave me an apologetic look, and then swooped in to wrap his arms around two of Sienna's skinny, sequined friends.
"Let's get some music going!" Fenton yelled.
The DJ started and the living room became a dance floor. Fenton pulled the reality star into the center and ground himself against her. She shrieked and danced, writhing against him while the cameras ate up every bit of it.
"Not really your scene?" Aldous asked. He appeared behind me with a small plate of snacks, but no alcohol.
"Is it really his?" I asked.
Fenton's coach chuckled. "He plays it up good for the cameras. Saves money on a publicist, I guess."
So this is all business to Fenton, I told myself. It was only fair. I had let my dotted line get in the way, and now he was letting his one-man brand keep me away. I s
traightened my shoulders and finished the glass of champagne Kev had poured me. Then, I dove into the dancing crowd. It was hard not to smile as everyone was having such a good time. I finally gave into the music and found that dancing was a much easier way of getting through the crowd.
In fact, I was having so much fun dancing that I was surprised when Fenton slipped his hands around my waist and turned me to face him. Sienna refused to relinquish her hold and gyrated against his back, but Fenton's blue eyes were on me.
"I just wanted to say congratulations," I said over the music.
"Where's your date?" he asked. "The golfer?"
"Jackson? He's not my date. I'm not interested in him. I told you, I was just pursuing him for the vitamin supplement people. That way I don't have to bother you anymore," I said.
"You don't bother me," he said. He shrugged off Sienna and moved closer to me.
His whole body changed, became less rigid. I watched as the act slipped away and it was just Fenton that stood before me. He took my hand and pulled me off the dance floor. My heart pounded harder than the music as he handed me a glass of champagne. People patted him on the back and congratulated him. He smiled and nodded, but focused on me.
"Is your eye bothering you?" I asked. I wanted to reach up and soothe the swollen area, but stopped myself.
He shook his head. He took another swig of tequila and watched the surging party.
"It was an amazing fight," I said. "I watched from the casino. It was terrifying to see you on the big screen."
His lips quirked up in a smile, but he said nothing.
"We need to talk, don't we?" I asked. "Can we talk?"
"I wanted to thank you for the black cat," Fenton said. "My mother had a black cat that she loved. It was the whole reason I don't believe in luck. You make your own luck, right?"
"You're welcome," I said. "I don't think tonight had anything to do with luck. You might not show it, but you work hard."
"Maybe it’s time I start working smarter, too," he said. "I talked to Kev and Aldous and they deserve a raise. I'm willing to sign your deal. Tell your clients they've got my endorsement. Build in a percentage for my manager and coach and send over the new contract. I'm ready to sign."
"That's great, it's a great deal. You won't regret it," I said. "But that wasn't really what I wanted to talk about."
"Let's just get the business out of the way," Fenton said. He pushed away from me and was swallowed back up by the happy crowd.
I stumbled back against the wall and leaned there. All he was interested in was the business deal. It hurt. Now, I knew how it felt and now I knew why I had kept it between us this whole time. Everyone I cared about disappeared. The only constant was my work. A steady paycheck took care of me and new clients filled my days. That was all I had needed. Until I met Fenton Morris.
I watched him rejoin the leggy blonde. Together, they flirted for the cameras and danced late into the night. Finally, the camera crew put down their equipment and joined the party. The dancing got wild, then sloppy, then slow. People broke off from the crowd in pairs and small groups. The party broke up somewhere close to dawn.
The wild hope that Fenton would be different when everyone left died when Sienna stayed behind. I thought maybe once everyone was gone that Fenton would change back into the man I had seen glimpses of before. I hoped I would be the one to see him drop his act and be himself. Instead, he was wrapped up tight with Sienna on the white sofa and I felt sick from drinking too much champagne.
I tipped the catering staff as they started to clean up and then slipped out onto the balcony. If I kept my eyes on the horizon, I could see the desert and forget about all the fool's gold and glitter. I leaned against the railing and was glad for the cool breeze. I had nothing to complain about. Fenton would sign the deal, I would get my bonus, and with it, I would be able to convince my boss to let me set up my office in Las Vegas.