The Hotel 2 (The Billionaire Seduction) (8 page)

I look at Dominic. He’s
nodding. “Are you sure?” I check.

“Anything you want,”
he says, like an order.

Well, I guess I don’t have
a choice.

I try on several gowns, modeling
each for Dominic. The look on his face excites and humbles me. The
way he’s staring at me with heat in his eyes, appreciating
me…making me feel beautiful. Nothing works for a self-esteem
boost than the hungry gaze of a handsome lover.

After the gowns, the assistant
brings out dresses, shoes, bags. It’s a dizzying array of
glamor, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, and I can’t
help but be swept up. I don’t say a word, but Dominic nods in
approval over certain outfits, and murmurs to the staff who rush to
pack things up in tissue paper and elegant boxes. Soon, we’re
emerging from the store with a whole mountain of bags. I’m
riding high by the time we get into the limo.

“I don’t know what to
say, Dominic. Thank you.”

“Actually, you didn’t
get nearly enough.” He grins. “When I said anything, I
expected you to go a little crazy.”

“This isn’t crazy?”
I look around at the bags and laugh. “Any more, and we wouldn’t
be able to fit them on the plane!”

“One of the perks of a
private jet,” Dominic agrees. “No excess baggage fees.”

Dominic pulls a small gold box
from his inside pocket. “To a job well done.”

My pulse races as I take the box
from him and untie the delicate ribbon. I lift the top, but I pause
before opening it completely. Everything he’s done for me, with
me, has already been life-changing.

I kiss him lightly on the lips.
“Thank you, Dom. I love it.”

He looks confused. “You
haven’t even opened it yet.”

“Exactly.”

I finally lift the box and remove
the paper. “Oh my God!” My mouth falls open. Inside, a
diamond bracelet twinkles at me, set with tiny square-cut emeralds.
The design has a delicate, antique quality to it, and my thoughts
flicker again to the costume party at the Rexford.

Dom lifts it out and clasps it
around my wrist. “What do you think?”

I’m surprised to see a
flicker of uncertainty on his face, as if he’s not sure I’ll
like it.

“It’s perfect,”
I whisper, overcome. “I love it.” I lean over and wrap my
arms around him, resting my head against his chest. He holds me
tenderly, and my heart feels so full it could burst.

We
drive straight to the airport. Our things were packed up from the
hotel, and are already loaded onto the jet when we arrive. I wish we
could stay in Paris longer, but he’s needed back in Chicago –
and so am I. The big nineteen twenties themed party is at the Rexford
tomorrow night, and I have a ton of coordinating to do in order to
make sure it goes off without a hitch.

I fall asleep on the flight as
soon as we take off, but wake sometime later. Dom is dozing in the
seat beside me, leaning to drape an arm around my shoulders. I move a
strand of hair away from his eyes and let my touch linger, enjoying
this moment of him so vulnerable and defenseless.

He’s a good man.

Kind when he thinks no one is
looking, hardworking. Dedicated to his staff and his family legacy.
It’s not his money or his status that have taken ahold of my
heart like this…hell, it’s not even the amazing sex.

It’s him. Only him.

Smiling, I lay back down and
snuggle into him, drifting back to sleep. It only feels like minutes
before the flight attendant wakes us and we land in Chicago. We’re
both still sleepy for the limo ride into the city, though he seems to
recover better than I do. I guess he has more experience jet-setting
around the world.

“Do you mind if we make a
quick stop at the hotel before I drop you off at home?” Dominic
asks. “I need to check on some things as soon as possible.”

“Sure,” I yawn.
“Whatever you need.”

The limo pulls in to The Rexford,
and Dominic cups my face. “I hope you enjoyed yourself,”
he murmurs with a kiss.

“I really did.”

His lips travel to my ear. “We’ll
have to repeat Paris sex very, very soon.”

“God, I hope so.”

We keep a slight distance between
us as we walk into the hotel. I have to remember, we’re not on
vacation anymore. I’m back to being the intern now, but I don’t
mind. I have the sweetest memories of being his lover to hang onto.

“I’ll wait down
here,” I tell him. From where I’m standing, the plush
couches in the lobby look great to my tired eyes. “Take as long
as you need.”

Dominic begins to say something,
but then he looks past me. The color drains from his face. He looks
like he’s seen a ghost.

"What is it?" I ask.

But I don’t need to wonder
for long. A stunning blonde saunters across the lobby, decked out in
a white linen dress and massive sunglasses. She pauses in front of
us, and slowly looks over the dark lenses at me. “Well, isn’t
this interesting.”

I look at Dom, confused. The
woman lets out a melodious laugh. “Oh, poor darling, he hasn’t
told you anything. Typical Dom, always likes to keep the upper hand.”

She holds out a hand to me, and I
can’t help noticing that the diamond bracelet glittering on her
wrist looks awfully familiar.

“I’m Lillian.
Dominic’s ex-wife.”

Ex-wife?
What the hell!

I’m still reeling from her
bombshell when Dominic steps forward. “Emphasis on the ex,”
he growls.

“Always one for the
details.” Lillian keeps her sunny smile.

Dom isn’t so friendly.
“What do you want, Lillian?” He glares at her.

Lillian flips her hair, but her
gaze doesn’t move from my face. “You know, you look very
familiar…”

I recover. “Umm, I work
here. Maybe you’ve seen me on the front desk?”

She considers that, then shakes
her head. “No, that’s not it.”

Dominic sighs impatiently. “Did
you need something?”

Lillian tuts at him. “I
know you’re busy running the universe, but we have some final
details to work out for the divorce.”

“Everything is settled.
It’s over.”

“I thought so, too. But you
know how lawyers are, Dominic. Always hiding something until the last
minute.” Lillian shrugs, as if to say it’s out of her
hands.

He scowls. “Fine.”

The elevator arrives, and Lillian
steps inside, holding the doors. “Are you coming?” she
asks him lightly.

He takes a step towards her and
my heart sinks. Dominic finally looks at me. “I won’t be
long.”

“No,” I say, my
emotions finally firing to life. “Take as long as you need. I’m
not waiting.”

“Juliet—” he
starts, but I just glare and turn on my heel. I need to get away from
him while I still have some composure, before I collapse in tears
from the betrayal of it all.

The distance to the exit feels
like the longest walk of my life. But he doesn’t follow.

I’m on my own.

I
go to the basement to collect my car, somehow holding back my tears,
my hurt and my rage until I get home to the apartment.

Callie flings the door open
before I’ve even turned the key. I look at her and a tear rolls
down my face.

“Oh honey.” She
gathers me into her arms and pulls me inside. “What did he do?”

“It’s more like what
he didn’t do. Like tell me he used to be married.”

Callie
pats my back and sighs. “That asshole!”

I wipe my eyes and flop down onto
the couch. Emily comes out with a plate of fresh baked chocolate chip
cookies. She looks upset. “I was making these to welcome you
home.”

“Bring ‘em here,”
I demand. “I need to eat my feelings.”

The three of us jam onto the
couch with the cookies and I tell them everything.

“So, he’s divorced,
or not?” Callie asks.

I shrug. “I don’t
know. She made it sound like maybe it wasn’t final.”

“So it’s recent,
too.” Emily looks grim.

“I don’t know what
hurts more.” I mope, “That he was possibly still married,
or that he didn’t think enough about us to tell me about it. I
mean, isn’t that something you’d mention sometime?
Especially on a ten hour flight to Paris! It’s not as if he
didn’t have an opportunity.”

Emily puts a hand on my shoulder.
“You care about him, don’t you?”

I shrug, but I know they see
right through me. “A little. A lot.” Callie gives me a
look. “OK, I’m completely head over heels for him,”
I finally admit. “I told myself to keep it professional. But I
just…I couldn’t help but be swept up in it all. He’s
not like any other man I’ve ever met. As cliché as that
sounds.”

“But now what?” Emily
asks.

“I don’t even know.”
I think for a minute. I can’t go back to not caring about him.
It’s not that easy. I can’t block him completely out
since I’m still his intern.

So where does that leave me?

The doorbell rings and we all
look at each other.

Emily gets up. “You better
not have ordered pizza, Callie. I’ve got lasagna in the
oven!”

She opens the door wide. A man
stands there with a long white box tied in a red ribbon.

“Juliet Evans?”

I brush crumbs off my shirt and
get to my feet. “That’s me.”

He hands me the box. Callie and
Em peek over my shoulder. There’s a card on the top, and I open
it right there in the doorway.

“What’s it say?”
Emily asks.

I’m sorry.

It’s written in Dominic’s
flowing cursive. It’s only two little words, but I read them
again and feel a surge of regret. Does he mean it, or is this another
lavish gesture that won’t mean anything in the end?

“Oh, he’s smooth. See
what’s in the box!” Callie impatiently pulls it open.

It’s one of the dresses
from the boutique in Paris. Laying on top is a diamond necklace that
matches my bracelet.

Callie snorts. “Girl, you
must be really good in bed.”

I know I should laugh off the
attempt to buy my favor, but my emotions are a mess. Then there’s
the sound of footsteps on the stairs. The delivery guy moves aside,
and then Dominic is in front of me, filling the doorframe.

My heart flutters in my chest.

“That’s our cue,”
Emily says, dragging Callie into the back room. The delivery guy
leaves.

We’re alone.

I stare at Dominic, still hurt.
“You’re supposed to be at the party.”

“I need to be right here.”
A muscle jumps in the side of his jaw. “We have to talk.”

“So talk.” I take a
breath to calm my nerves. I can’t believe just a few hours ago
I was on cloud nine, and now I don’t even know how to feel. I’m
hurt, betrayed. But his pull on me is still going strong.

Dom looks tense. “What do
you need to know?”

Everything.

I start with, “How long
have you been divorced?” I ask, sounding calmer than I feel.

He doesn’t look at me. “A
month or so.”

I think back. We met roughly a
month ago…so, was he still married when I first slept with
him? I feel sick. “That’s about the time we met.”

“So?”

“What do you mean, so?”
I echo. “Were you still with her when I met you?”

I’ve been trying not to
think that I was just an intern to him, just a fuck. It’s
changed now, I know, but I still can’t shake that feeling.

Dom looks reluctant. “I
don’t have time for jealousy, Juliet. Lillian and I were over a
long time ago. She’s my past. And I need to move forward.”

“But in all the time we’ve
spent together, you never once thought to bring her up?”

Dom is blank. “Why would
I?”

Because that’s what
people in relationships do!
I want to scream it at him, but I don’t. He never promised a
relationship. He never promised anything. My eyes sting and I know my
composure is going to slip.

Then Dom softens. I see real
regret in his eyes as he reaches to take my hand. “Juliet,
Lillian was a hard time in my life. Everything about our marriage
was…difficult. I wanted to put it behind me, start over.
That’s why I didn’t tell you. You were a chance for a
fresh start. To wipe the slate clean.”

His words strike through me,
tugging at my heart. We both take a step at the same time, but he
touches me first. I lean into the warmth of him, letting it chase
away the pain and the doubt.

“I’d like to start
over with you.” Dom says, cradling me to him. “Be my date
to the gala tomorrow night.”

“You mean not as your
intern?”

“My
date
,
who also happens to be a brilliant intern.” He smiles.

He loops a hand around my neck
and leans down to kiss me. It’s sweet and heated and leaves me
breathless.

I pull back to catch my breath,
realizing that I’ve crumpled the card in my hand. I show it to
him as he slowly sets me down.

“You know, Rexford, this is
the first time you’ve actually apologized to me.”

“Hopefully, I won’t
have to do much more of that.” His smile is humble and
apologetic and the lightness inside me feels like it has no end.

Apparently Dominic and I didn’t
need Paris to be happy, just the dimly lit hallway in my crappy
building.

“So, will you be my date?”

How could I refuse?

“Of course I will.”

I can’t wait to see how
good starting over is going to be.

The gala is the social event of
the year – just the way we planned it. People are lined up
outside, press is everywhere. As Dominic and I get out of the limo in
front of The Rexford, I hear the click, click, click of cameras, see
the flash in the corner of my eye. I’m nervous, but I focus on
him as we enter and head for the ballroom. He looks amazing in a
fitted tux, with a green pocket square that matches my dress. It’s
one slip of fabric, but leaves no mistake that he and I are together.
For the first time, I’m not afraid to display what’s
between us.