WALKING the red carpet is a blur, and no one is interested in snapping a ton of pictures of Robert and me because we’re two nobodies in the entertainment world. Both of my palms sweat when I notice Zayn waiting at the end, no doubt to confront me about my choice of date. He specifically told me going out with Robert would piss him off, but I don’t care how he feels about it because he knows I hate the idea of him being with Gia, yet here he is with her.
Robert’s body stiffens next to me when we stop directly in front of Zayn and Gia. “Zayn.”
Zayn’s eyes never leave me, and he doesn’t even bother addressing Robert at all. “What’s he doing here?”
I lift my chin and lock eyes with him. “I invited him. I needed a date, and he was available.”
His eyes harden. “After all the shit he put you through? I thought you were done with him?”
I shrug, and it’s childish to play games like this, but I’m mad at him, and I want him to know it. I can’t come right out and say all the things I want to say to him, considering the mixed company we’re in.
Zayn’s nostrils flare, and I can tell he’s fighting the war within himself to lash out, but I know he won’t. He’s got too much riding on the line to fuck up his date with Gia.
“Oh, come on, you two.” Gia reaches up and pats Zayn on the chest. “It’s a party. Leave the family drama at the door.”
I glare at Gia’s hand on Zayn and fight hard against the urge to rip it off him. I don’t like her touching him, and I hate it even more that he’s allowing her to.
“Let’s go mingle,” Gia orders Zayn. “You can talk with her later.”
Zayn’s eyes thin into thin slits as he notices I’m still clinging to Robert’s arm much like Gia is to his. “Fuck this.”
He turns and heads toward the bar, leaving Gia alone to chase after him, doing her best to keep up in her long, blue feathered gown.
“Wait up,” she calls after him, but he doesn’t bother looking back.
I watch his retreating back, and find I’m both sad and glad, which is an odd combination. It breaks my heart we are fighting like this, but I’m glad he’s feeling the pain I felt seeing that picture of him and Gia at the club and hearing about the two of them flirting with one another.
“Shit. He hates me,” Robert says, breaking me out of my thoughts. “I doubt we’ll ever have any kind of relationship now after the things I said about him and the way he damn near choked the life out of me. Maybe at some point I can corner him and apologize.”
My face pinches. “I think you need to stay away from him.”
I don’t go into detail on why he needs to avoid Zayn like the plague and allow Robert to believe Zayn’s reaction to his presence here has to do with the argument that went down when he showed up at Zayn’s place. If Robert goes anywhere near him right now, Zayn may damn well kill him.
“You’re right. Now isn’t the time,” Robert agrees and then pats my hand. “Want a drink?”
“Yes. That would be great.” The idea of throwing back a few shots sounds like heaven because I’ll need all the help I can get to make it through tonight.
Before Robert returns with our drinks, Bella weaves her way through the crowd to get to me. “Have you seen him yet?”
I don’t need her to clarify who he is because there’s only one man she’s nervous for me to see.
I nod. “Things got heated between us.”
“Oh, shit,” she whispers. “Does Robert know?”
I shake my head. “No. Robert’s convinced Zayn is still pissed over when he showed up at his house, and I’m not going to tell him any different.”
“I don’t like this. It feels dangerous, and I don’t want to see this blow up in your face.”
“It won’t,” I assure her. “Zayn won’t make a scene while we’re out like this. He’s in far too much trouble as it is, so I doubt he’ll risk making a spectacle.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Bella stays by my side for the next hour as we mingle with our coworkers. Robert at first tried to introduce himself as my boyfriend, but I interrupted him, reminding him he was here as my friend and nothing more. Robert doesn’t like to be corrected, and it was one of the things I disliked about him when we were dating. He always had to be right, and it was fucking annoying. I always used to let it go because I thought I was in love with him and could overlook things, but I can’t do that anymore.
The group in front of us parts ways, leaving our director and another woman alone, facing us.
A half smirk crosses Harry’s face as he puts his hand on the small of the woman’s back and leads her in our direction. When they get closer, it’s clear to see like Harry, this woman has a bit of age on her with some gray mixed into her light blond hair. “Hello, girls. Isn’t all of this fabulous?” He swings one chunky finger around, motioning to all the Love in the Sands décor all over the place. “I think everyone is going to fall in love with the show.”
“Me too,” Bella says. “I think season two is shaping up to be even better. We’ve got a solid crew working together, which always makes things better.”
“That it does.” Harry’s gaze lands on me, and a chill runs down my back. “Have you ladies met my wife? Margret, this is our dynamic duo from wardrobe, Bella and Vivienne.”
“It’s just Vivi,” I correct him, hating whenever anyone calls me by my full name—a name only my mother used when she was ready to scream or beat me over something that most of the time wasn’t even my fault. I especially don’t want a married man, who is also my boss who propositioned me, calling me that because it only solidifies how much of an asshole he is in my mind.
“It’s nice to meet you girls. Keep up the amazing work because I want to stay here in Florida. I’ve grown quite fond of the place, and it’s my ideal state to retire in,” Margret says to Bella and me.
“It is nice here,” Robert chimes in, pulling all of our attention to him. “Hi, I’m Vivi’s boyfriend, by the way.”
My head snaps over to Robert’s direction. Why does he insist on pushing my buttons after we went over our relationship status moments ago? He’s only doing this now to tick me off, it seems.
Harry’s blue eyes light up after hearing what Robert says, like everything is clicking on why I turned him down. “Oh. I wasn’t aware Vivi was attached because she spends a lot of hours on set. I bet you miss her.”
Robert throws an arm around my shoulders and tugs me to his side. “I have. I only got here this week, but I plan on staying with her here as long as she likes.”
I want to shove him away, but I don’t. It’s good Harry believes I’m attached. Maybe it will stop him from making any further advances on me.
“Good for you,” Margret says before turning to her husband. “Let’s go get another drink before the premier starts. We need to get the best seats.”
“Of course, dear,” Harry says before turning to us. “Enjoy your evening, ladies.”
The moment we’re in the clear, I slip from under Robert’s arm. “Stop telling people you’re my boyfriend.”
“Old habit,” he tries to justify.
I hold my hand up. “Just stop doing it. I don’t like it.”
He frowns. “All right.”
All the nerves in my body feel jittery, and I need a break from the overload of emotions I’ve been through in the last forty minutes. “I need to go to the restroom.”
“Want me to come with you?” Bella asks.
“Yes, please.” I grab her wrist and pull her along with me, leaving Robert alone and not feeling a tad bit guilty about it.
When we’re out of earshot of Robert, Bella says, “That guy is convinced the two of you are getting back together. He’s not getting it that you’re not into him anymore.”
“Robert is pushy and always has to have his way. It’s a classic case of only child syndrome at its best,” I tell her.
“That explains it,” she says. “I think you are going to have to tell him point blank to get back on a plane and go back to Vegas.”
Bella and I weave through the crowd and before I can make it into the hallway, a hand reaches out and grabs my wrist, pulling me to the right. I yelp and release Bella as I fall into Zayn’s hard chest.
I stare up at him as I right myself, taking a step away from him, but he refuses to release me. “What are you doing?”
“We need to talk,” he growls.
I jerk free. “No, we don’t.”
I storm down the hall, and I hear him call my name, but I don’t turn around. We can not do this here—not if he wants to keep our business private—because all I want to do is yell at him right now for being with Gia.
“Shit, Zayn’s mad,” Bella whispers harshly as she catches up with me. “What in the hell happened? One second, you were with me, and the next, he yanked you away.”
“He wanted to talk, but I don’t want to talk to him right now. There’s too much at stake for the wrong people to overhear us fighting.”
“Good call,” Bella says. “We don’t need Gia throwing a tantrum when she finds out the truth about the two of you and going straight to her grandfather.”
“No shit,” I say.
The last thing Zayn needs is for me to cause more trouble for him with the Devils. I may be upset with him right now, but I don’t wish any harm to the career he works so hard for.
“The two of you should talk about all of this at some point, though. It’s clear Zayn still has a thing for you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so pissed to see you with Robert and trying so hard to talk to you. I think Gia is full of crap and is making up stories to make herself feel better about Zayn being into her.”
I would like to believe that, but Zayn confessed Gia sent him dirty texts. However, I was so angered by the idea of Gia and Zayn talking about sex in any context, I didn’t hear his side of the story out. Knowing Gia, the texts she sent him were unsolicited, but after hearing her brag, my head wasn’t in a good place, and the minute Zayn confirmed Gia’s nasty texting was true, I lost my head.
“You’re right. I should hear what he has to say,” I tell Bella. “Now, I wish I hadn’t brought Robert here. He’s making things worse by telling people we’re together when we’re not.”
We stop outside the bathroom door, and Bella turns to face me, flipping her dark curls over her shoulder. “I can tell Zayn to come find you and then keep Robert distracted so the two of you can talk. You need to get to the bottom of all of this.”
I throw my arms around her shoulders. “Thank you for this.”
“No problem.” She pulls back and smiles. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for true love and all that sappy stuff. I want to see the two of you work out because you seem so good together.”
When she leaves me, I rush into the empty restroom and lean against the counter to stare into the mirror. I take a few deep breaths, hoping to calm my nerves and center myself before I go out to face Zayn. I need to be levelheaded and listen with an open mind to what he says and reserve my anger for him being with Gia unless it’s called for.
I study my green eyes in the mirror and smooth my dark curls so they flow over my shoulders to reach the black fabric of my dress. Bella wants Zayn and me to be a perfect fairy-tale couple, but as I look at myself, I don’t look like a Disney princess at all. I look more like a temptress in black with my smoky eyes and pouty lips and could pass for a villain in one of those movies, but I want the happy ending they all get.
I blow out a breath through pursed lips. “Go out there and listen to what he has to say. You can do this.”
I roll my shoulders back and head for the door but find myself before someone else I don’t want to be alone with.
Harry’s gray eyebrows shoot up in surprise when he spots me alone, and then one corner of his mouth pulls up into a smile. “You could’ve told me the reason you didn’t want to accept my offer before was because you had a boyfriend, Vivi. I would’ve understood that and promised you no one would find out if you went through with it. I’m very good at being discreet.”
My breath hitches as I’m surprised by my boss’s presence. He wasn’t who I expected to see in this abandoned hallway.
He takes a step closer to me and traces a finger along my forearm. “My offer still stands if you want my help.”
“Don’t fucking touch her,” Zayn growls from behind Harry.
Harry’s eyes widen as he spins around with his hands up in surrender to face Zayn. “I assure you, there was nothing sordid going on. Vivi and I were merely having a conversation about her future in the television business.”
“Is that so?” Zayn takes a step toward us while his enormous fists clench at his sides. “Are you telling me you aren’t asking her to fuck you for a promotion again?”
“Now, hold on a minute,” Harry’s typically confident voice wavers. “I don’t know what she’s told you, but I assure you—”
“Shut your lying-ass mouth, and don’t say one more word,” Zayn growls as he takes another step toward us while his vicious glare remains on my boss. “I’ll be damned if I allow a little pecker stain like you try to force this girl on your cock because you’re in a position of power over her. If you value your fingers, you won’t ever attempt to lay them on her again, or I will break them one by fucking one.” Zayn stops inches from Harry and stares down at him. “Are we clear?”
“Y-Yes. Cry-Crystal,” Harry stutters.
The muscles of Zayn’s jaw work beneath his skin as he his vicious glare is locked on Harry. “Good.” Zayn grabs the lapels of Harry’s tux, roughly at first causing him to tremble, and then smooths the fabric back down into place. “Nice jacket. Now, run back in there and have a good night.”
I’ve never seen my boss move so fast as when he rushes down the hall back toward the party, checking over his shoulder every few steps to see if Zayn is following him.
When we’re alone in the hallway, Zayn turns to face me. “You all right?”
I nod, and it hits me that if it wasn’t for Zayn showing up when he did, who knows what Harry may have been capable of. He’s very persistent and still approached me for a second time after I made it clear I wanted nothing to do with him the first time. My face twists, and I fight back the tears threatening to fall. I hate the fact this gross man has affected me this much. I hate to cry. Crying shows weakness, and I don’t like being vulnerable in front of people.
“Hey,” Zayn whispers as he pulls me into his chest and wraps his arms around me. “It’s okay. I’ll never allow anything bad to happen to you. I promise.”
A sob tears up from my throat, and Zayn holds me in place for a moment, trying to calm me down. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you dare be sorry,” he says as he rubs circles along my back, doing his best to comfort me. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that asshole, and I’m sorry I wasn’t there the first time he tried shit with you.” He releases a long sigh. “I’m sorry for a lot of things when it comes to you.”
“Zayn…” I glance up at him, and he slides a thick finger under my chin before running his thumb across my lower lip.
There are so many things I want to ask him—things I want to know, especially about what’s been going on between him and Gia, but the way he’s looking at me with such a soft expression reminds me of all the times when spent alone at his place, cuddling, making love and just being together. I miss him.
“I need to be alone with you.” Zayn’s head swivels around and then stops when he finds what he’s looking for. “Come on. Let’s go somewhere more private so we can talk.”
“Okay,” I agree, and he takes my hand a leads me to a closed door across the hall from the restrooms.
The empty ballroom is unlocked but dark except for the red glow coming off the exit sign above our heads. He twists his hand in mine, interlocking our fingers as we stand in the darkness.
“I get why you wouldn’t answer my texts. If I had to sit and watch you date Robert…” He shakes his head while a look of disgust crosses his face. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it. It took everything in me not to rip his fucking hand off you when you walked in here with him tonight. It tears me in two to see you with him.”
I press my hand against his chest and feel the pounding of his heart against his ribs. “I feel the same when I see you with Gia. I hate her. I hate that you’re with her.”
“But I’m not with her. She means nothing to me,” he defends.
“Then why are you sexting with her?”
His lip curls. “What? I’m not.”
“She said you were, and when I texted you to ask if she’d sent you nudes, you said yes.”
His facial features relax, and an expression of what I can only describe as understanding washes over him. “That’s why you blocked me.” He pinches the bridge of his nose and then sighs. “Yes. She sent nudes, but I didn’t see them. Gia kept texting and ordering me around about how to behave and dress for these events I was to take her to, so I stopped replying. Beckett was by my phone when it was lying on the kitchen counter as they came in, and I told him to deal with her. He freaked out when he saw them, and I ordered him to delete them from the other side of the room.”
I stare up at him and blink. “So you’re saying you didn’t even look at them?”
“Yes.” His voice is firm and doesn’t waver. “You can ask Beckett right now if you don’t believe me.”
“Why wouldn’t you look at them?” I question, curious why a man wouldn’t be interested to see photos of a hot naked girl on his phone.
“Why would I? I’ve told you a hundred times, I’m not interested in her. I don’t want anybody who isn’t you, Vivi.” He cups my face in his big, powerful hands. “You’re the only woman I want.” He leans down and presses his forehead against mine. “I’ve missed you so much. The house hasn’t been the same without you.”
I smile. “I’ve missed Dobby.”
Zayn feigns mock shock on his face. “Only Dobby? That hurts, gorgeous.”
I laugh. “Okay. I’ve missed you too. A lot.”
“Good,” he says, and his warm breath dances across my lips. “Why don’t you come home with me tonight?”
“I can’t,” I whisper. “I can’t come back there while you’re still obligated to date Gia.”
“Fuck Gia,” he growls. “I can’t stand being without you, so if you want me to tell her to shove my last obligated date straight up her uptight ass, I will. I’ll do anything to get you to come back to me.”
“What about the Devils? Won’t Bruce Bayne come down hard on you for not following through with his orders to date his granddaughter?” My fingers curl around the lapel of his jacket. “I don’t want you in any more trouble over me.”
“You’re worth the trouble, and besides, I’ve already met with my attorney, and he said the organization has no authority to tell me who to date or to even stay away from women in general. They have not charged me with a crime for the woman in the hotel, so they have no grounds to suspend me.”
“What about the fight with Taber?”
Zayn sighs. “That problem could’ve easily gone away if Taber’s friend hadn’t taken it upon himself to post a video of the scuffle. Taber hasn’t filed charges, and even the viral video clearly shows Taber as the aggressor in that situation.”
“And if it comes down to needing a witness, I can vouch Taber started everything,” I add, causing Zayn to nod.
“Yes. You can.” He tucks a strand of my dark hair behind my ear. “So like I said, I no longer give a shit what the Devils have to say in my personal life. If you’re willing to take me back, I’m willing to tell the entire world about us.”
I bite my lip and stare up at him. “You mean that?”
“Of course I do. I don’t say things I don’t mean—not when it comes to important things like you.” The pad of his thumb trails along my jaw. “We need to cut our date baggage loose and send them on their way, then we can be together. I’ll go tell Gia to find her own way home.”
I laugh. “As much as I despise the girl, I think you need to at least give her a ride home because I owe Robert an explanation as well.”
“You don’t own him a damn thing. Not after all the shit he put you through. Let’s make Robert take Gia home.”
I shake my head. “No. I think you need to at least get through the evening with Gia. It will lessen Bruce’s anger, knowing you didn’t leave his precious bitch of a granddaughter stranded at her own premier party.”
He sighs. “This rational thinking kind of sucks, but you’re right. I’ll take her home and tell her our deal is off. No more dates and you get rid of my twerp of a nephew for good.” He presses his lips to mine in a soft, chaste kiss. “I want you to move back in and be in my bed every night, Vivi. I’ve been miserable without you. Beckett says he’s tired of my depressed ass, so he’ll be happy you’re back too.”
“Give me a couple of days, and I’ll move back in.” I reach up and run my fingers along the nape of his neck as I stare into his eyes. The way Zayn looks at me, like he wants to ravage me on the spot, causes my heart to do a double thump inside my chest. I could stay locked inside this dark room with him forever and be content, but I know we don’t have much longer to stay in here without our dates growing suspicious, so I don’t want to fight with him about needing more time to break up with Robert properly.
Robert doesn’t deserve much kindness from me after the way he dumped me so viciously at the airport, but I’m not an asshole like him. I need to sit him down and tell him I’ve moved on so he knows there will be nothing else between us.
“We should get back out there,” I tell him.
He squeezes me tighter against his hard chest. “I don’t want to let you go again, but if you insist we be civil to these jerks we brought here, then we should. I just have one request before you go.”
I lick my lips slowly, having a feeling of what he wants from me as he stares at my mouth. “What’s that?”
“Kiss me before you go,” he says in a gruff whisper. “I’ve been dying to taste your mouth since the day you walked out on me.”
I close my eyes and rise on the tips of my toes and then pull his face closer to mine. Electricity shoots through me the moment my lips part and our tongues meet. Zayn’s tongue can do magical things and cause my brain to scramble, allowing the primal part of me to break through, acting on the lust I feel for this man. A low growl emits from the back of his throat, and I swallow it down between frantic kisses as my fingers dig into the white fabric of his crisp dress shirt underneath his jacket. What I wouldn’t give to rip this shirt off and feel the ripples of his abdomen pressing against me.
Zayn’s hands cup my ass, and it’s easy to feel his huge erection pushing against my stomach. He wants me just as much as I want him, and while the thought of another round of public, exhibitionist sex excites me, the door to this room doesn’t lock, and this dress isn’t the most accessible given it flows down to the floor as it clings to my body. Besides all of this, I’m here because of my job and I don’t want to do anything to screw it up.
I pull back, both of us panting as we stare at one another.
“Damn, baby, I want you so damn bad,” he says between jagged breaths before he presses his lips to mine. “Are you sure we can’t just leave now? I want to be inside you.”
As tempting as that sounds and as bad as my body wants him, I have to stand firm to keep him out of more trouble. “We’ll be together soon,” I promise. “We need to tie up our loose ends first.”
He locks my face in his hands and kisses me one last time. “All right. Call me as soon as you get back to Bella’s apartment. I want to know you made it home safe.”
“I will.”
He takes a step back and adjusts his hard cock in his slacks. “You head out first. It’s going to take me a minute to calm down.”
I’m tempted to kiss him one last time, but given his current state, I refrain and head for the door. I smooth the silk fabric of my dress, and a smile tugs at my lips when I’m out in the hall. It won’t be much longer now before I’m back in Zayn’s arms again, and I can’t wait.
