her and raced to the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, Drake was washing the rounded curves of her cheekbones after she’d brushed her teeth. “All clean.”
“Thanks.” Still drunk, she smiled sadly. “I tossed up six grand worth of wine.”
Evan laughed. “We’re not keeping tabs, neither should you.”
Drake looked her over, thinking everything else appeared clean, even her hair because he’d held it from the toilet.
“I don’t belong in your world.” She cupped her forehead as Evan and Drake led her from the bathroom. “Even your wine agrees.”
“Enough about the wine,” Drake said as he scooped up Vania and situated her in bed. “Get some sleep.”
She yawned. “No goodnight kisses?”
Drake’s hard-on pulsated.
With care, Evan turned Vania on her side. “That’s not a good idea.”
“Mr. Easton, I didn’t think you were a good idea, either.”
Drake chuckled while turning off the bedside light.
Vania nestled in the down pillows. “But how could I love Matt, if I’ve wanted you two all along?”
Chapter 9
Vania opened her eyes, blinking up at hanging red poppies made from Murano glass. She must have missed the glorious chandelier once she’d settled in The Easton Hotel last night. The way the morning light glimmered through the red and black flowers was mesmerizing. She wondered what it would look like all lit up. But a vicious icepick was going to work in her brain, pounding and hacking, until she closed her eyes on a groan.
Feathers tickled her nose, rough pounding feathers… “Oscar!” Vania swatted away her cat’s paw. “Stop playing with my nose.” She bolted upright, vaguely hearing Oscar hiss as he landed on all four paws and pounced across the golden, hand-knotted rug. “And don’t pee on anything.”
Her hand felt suspiciously lighter. With a flex of her fingers, Vania noticed her engagement ring was missing. “Where did I leave it?”
“If you ask me,” a sultry voice full of dark promises called from the corner, “a doctor could’ve afforded a larger diamond.”
She found Drake still wearing yesterday’s suit, sans his jacket and tie. His shirt was unbuttoned past the collar, revealing smooth, tan skin. Vania lifted her eyebrows, realizing he must be waxed. She wondered how far he took it… Something glimmered between his forefinger and thumb.
“Hey, what are you doing with my ring?” Then, she realized she was addressing a man who could snap his fingers and give her job to another. Vania clamped her mouth shut.
He pushed away from the table, where he’d set up his laptop, and walked to her. “You tried to throw it from the The Compromise’s balcony last night.” He towered over her, his hair as dark as his pants, both glistening from the sun peeking through the French doors. “Don’t you remember?”
Truth told, she didn’t recall much after she’d packed and convinced Drake and Evan that Oscar didn’t deserve to be left in Matt’s clutches. “No, I don’t remember.”
“No?”
On the nightstand to her left, Vania spotted two empty bottles of wine. “Oh, shit, I got drunk.” And since Drake was still wearing yesterday’s suit, she whispered, “And you stayed with me, all night?”
He walked even closer, watching her face as he stepped right up to the bed. “You shouldn’t get drunk with men you don’t know, Vania. One night, you might not be with Evan or me.”
“I stopped getting drunk in my twenties. Last night was…” She reached for the covers that fell to her waist and yanked them over her chest. “I’m practically naked!”
“You’re wearing more than some wear to the feature pool.” He cocked his head. “Relax.”
She sat in only her corset slip and panties. The lingerie was an old set, but the underwire plumped her heavy breasts to a semblance of perkiness, yet obviously he’d seen everything else. She wanted to cry, wanted to scream at him for seeing her dimply thighs. “Where are my
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