Текст книги "Finding My Prince Charming"

Автор книги: J. S. Cooper

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Finding My Prince Charming
J. S. Cooper

Prologue

There are the three things you should know about me:

1. I don’t believe in love.

2. Every night, I dream about finding my Prince Charming.

3. I’m a walking contradiction.

Chapter 1

I was flipping through my museum guide when I walked into him. It felt like I had walked into a brick wall, and I reached out and grabbed his arms to steady myself. “Sorry,” I muttered and looked up as I apologized.

My legs froze and my stomach did flip-flops as I stared at him. With his dark black hair, sparkling emerald-green eyes, and tall, muscular build, he looked like sex on legs.

“Sorry,” I muttered again and attempted a smile.

He looked back at me with an imperious expression. His eyes connected with mine for one glorious second before he looked at my hands still on his arms.

“Oh, sorry.” I stepped back and removed my hands from his body. My face was a deep shade of red and my fingers felt hot like fire.

“Watch where you’re going,” he said finally, and I stared at his lips in a daze. “Are you okay?” His voice was coarser and deeper this time, and I looked up at him and nodded.

“I’m fine. Sorry,” I mumbled again and blushed. Stop saying sorry, Lola!

“Good.” He nodded and then smiled. He looked even hotter when he smiled. I felt a secret thrill run through me as he looked me over slowly and sensuously.  “Have a good night.”

“You too.” I swallowed and fumbled with my guide.

His eyes caught mine again and he nodded before walking away. I stood there for a few moments, wishing I had said something else.

“Lola!” Anna ran up to me and grabbed my arm. “I just talked to the hottest guy I will ever see in my life.”

“Oh?” I answered her, but I couldn’t stop myself from looking around the crowded room to see if I could see the hot guy again.

“His name is Max and he’s absolutely gorgeous,” she continued. “I think we’re going to go back to his place and—”

“Wait, what?” I frowned at her and sighed. “You’re not going back to a strange guy’s apartment. You’re drunk, Anna.”

“What’s better than drunk hook-ups?” She grinned up at me and winked.

“No.” I shook my head. “No way, no how. Not going to happen.”

“You can come too. Please? I just want to kiss him.” She puckered her lips. “We’re in London. We’re here to have fun.”

“Anna, I don’t think—” I started, but she cut me off.

“I came to this boring show with you. Why can’t we just go and hang out with Max?”

“Fine.” I rolled my eyes at her and then froze. My body had suddenly tensed up, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck standing to attention.

A warm feeling rushed through me, and I turned around. The guy I had bumped into was standing there staring at me. I looked into his eyes and he looked over my body slowly and seductively. There was a small smile on his face, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling back.

He looked like a sex god.  And I do not use those words lightly. He really did look like sex on legs. And all I could think was, Whoa, as I stared at him from across the room. And then he winked at me and my face went a deep red—the sort of deep red that you see in vials on True Blood. But it was when he smiled at me and licked his lips that I thought I was going to faint. The sex god is flirting with me.

I wanted to look around and make sure I was seeing correctly and that he was eyeing me and not some other girl. But I didn’t. I was cool, calm, and collected. Well, I pretended to be cool, calm, and collected. Inside I was a bundle of nerves, and I just wanted to scream or text someone. But I didn’t. Instead, I smiled back coyly and lowered my eyes like I’d seen the women do in James Bond movies. Then I looked back up and he was still smiling at me with the most devilish look. He slowly licked his lips again and his gaze fell to my breasts. I thought my panties were going to fall off then and there from his expression alone.

“Lola, are you listening to me?” Anna grabbed my arm, and I looked at her with an annoyed expression.

“Anna, can you just hold on a second?” I sighed. “I was kinda flirting with a guy,” I hissed.

“Ooh, who?” she giggled.

I turned around again to show her the sex god, but he was gone. I surveyed the room quickly and sighed.

“It doesn’t matter.” I shook my head, feeling disappointed. “Who’s the guy you’re talking about?”

“Oh, Max is absolutely delicious.” She grinned. “I’m so excited. He’s even got this cute little accent.”

“Where’s he from?”

“Who cares?” She giggled. “Kisslandia, I guess.”

“Kisslandia?”

“Yeah, the land where he can kiss me all day and night.”

“Anna,” I groaned. “That’s totally ridiculous.”

“What’s totally ridiculous?” a deep voice behind me said.

I turned around quickly with my heart beating fast. It was him.

“Nothing.” I gave him a small smile, not wanting to appear too eager.

“She’s talking about my new boyfriend.” Anna smiled widely, making it very obvious that she also found him attractive. “She thinks it’s ridiculous that we’re going to make out all day.”

“Anna, he’s not—” I started, but the man interrupted me.

“There’s nothing wrong with making out all day.” His voice was smooth. “Though making love is much more preferable.”

“I’ll say.” Anna grinned as my face turned a deep red.

“Enjoy your night, ladies.” He looked into my eyes and then leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Though it would be more preferable to me if I were to see your face turning red because I was making you come rather than making you uncomfortable.” He pulled back and laughed as I gasped in shock.

I wasn’t sure whether I should slap him or shout at him, but he was gone before I could make a decision. I felt oddly disappointed that he had left so quickly. My body was burning up inside, and while I was disgusted by his vulgarity, I was also incredibly turned on.

“He was pretty hot, huh?” Anna grabbed my arm. “If I didn’t have Max, I might have gone for him.”

“You don’t have Max, Anna.” I rolled my eyes. “You can’t go around telling people that some guy you just met is your boyfriend.”

“Who cares?” She laughed.

“What if he hears you?”

“So what?” She laughed louder this time, and I frowned.

“Just how much have you had to drink?” I leaned down and looked into her eyes. “You’re so much drunker than I thought, aren’t you?”

“Stop ruining this for me, Lola.” She gave me a petulant look. “I need some fun. Shit, we both need some fun. Isn’t that why we came to London?”

“We came to study abroad.”

“We came to study abroad and expand our horizons. Shit, if we want the same boring lives we had in Florida, then we might as well have just stayed in Florida. Let’s have some fun. Let’s be wild and crazy.”

“I don’t know,” I sighed while surreptitiously looking around the room to see if I could see the sex god again.

“I’m going.” She shrugged and then stumbled as she walked away. “I don’t care what you say.”

“Anna.” I grabbed ahold of her arm. “This isn’t a good idea.”

“Hello. I’ve been waiting for you.” A tall man swooped in and grabbed Anna around the waist. “We should leave.” He looked around the room quickly and started walking.

“Okay, Max,” she giggled and leaned into him.

I felt annoyed that I was going to have to leave the exhibit before I even got to meet my professor and get to hear him give his talk.

“You owe me,” I hissed as I followed Anna and Max out of the room. I grabbed ahold of Anna’s arm and she smiled at me happily.

“Yay to a fun Lola.”

“I think we will have a lot of fun tonight.” Max’s eyes lit up as he realized I was coming with them.

I was pretty sure he thought he was in for some sort of threesome, but I didn’t bother to correct him. He’d find out soon enough that I had no interest in doing anything with him aside from punching him in the face if he tried anything on Anna. What sort of guy wanted to hook up with a drunk girl anyway?

Every guy, Lola, a voice in my head whispered, and I smiled to myself as I realized what a hypocrite I was. I wasn’t sure I would have said no if the sex god had tried to make a move on me. In fact, I was pretty sure I’d be in a back room somewhere, pulling up my skirt and hoping he’d have his wicked way with me. Not that I’d ever done that before, but what Anna had said was true. We’d come on this trip to live a little dangerously, and steamy sex with hot strangers qualified as dangerous. Not that I was sure I’d actually be able to go through with it. I wasn’t that type of girl.

I stared at my reflection in the big mirror in the foyer of the museum and took in my appearance. I looked the same as ever. Long, light brown hair, light brown eyes, slender-ish body—definitely not skinny. I’d never be skinny; I enjoyed sweet goods too much. My skirt and top looked plain and boring. Though, ultimately, I was happy with my reflection. My makeup had held up well. My eyes looked big and bright, thanks to the mascara and eyeliner, and my red lipstick was killer. I looked pretty, if not gorgeous. And I was fine with that. I wasn’t really one who liked to be the center of attention. Not normally.

Though, I wouldn’t have minded if the sex god had grabbed me and kissed me in front of everyone. That would have been hot and awesome.

I sighed to myself as I realized how pitiful I was being. Anna and her kookiness were rubbing off on me, though at least she had found someone. Even if that someone looked like a sleazeball.

“We shall take a cab.” He pushed Anna into the back seat and then grabbed my hand. “I’m glad you are coming as well.” He smiled down into my face and held my hand for longer than was polite. I shuddered as I realized that he was going to be even more annoying than I had anticipated.

“I’m coming for Anna.” I gave him a defiant look and he laughed.

“Sure you are.” He leaned down towards me and I felt his tongue in my ear.

I was about to push him away from me when I felt someone staring at me. I looked up and my eyes met those of the sex god. He gave me a hard look and shook his head as I stared back at him with wide eyes.

“Let’s go.” Max’s hands fell to my waist and he pushed me into the back of the cab before getting in quickly.

I closed my eyes in anger and embarrassment. Well, that was that. The sex god thought I was a tramp. Not that it mattered. I’d never see him again, but still, I felt empty inside, as if I’d ruined my reputation to him before I even knew him.

“Who’s ready to party?” Max looked at Anna and me in the back seat and grinned as I groaned.

I turned to look at Anna, but her eyes were closed. I resisted the urge to shake some sense into her. Tonight, I’d go along with her craziness, but tomorrow? Tomorrow, I was going to let her have it.

* * *

His View

I noticed her as soon as she walked into the room. There was a light about her that was fresh and bright. It didn’t hurt that she was beautiful. An innocent beauty as well. She looked around the room with an eagerness that captivated me and I could tell that she was here for the art. Unlike her friend. Her friend looked scatty and on the make. I saw her eyeing Max from the moment she entered the room. Her friend was cute as well, but not as beautiful as she was.

I smiled to myself as I watched them make their way around the room. There weren’t many women under forty who came to art exhibits on Friday night; especially to just see the art.

“Xavier, thank you for donating these pieces. We are blown away by your generosity.” The curator gushed in my ear and distracted me. He was a very wimpy man, small in stature and low in voice. His suit was ill fitting and obviously cheap.

“It was my pleasure.” I gave him a small smile, annoyed that he had made me lose the mysterious girl. “I’m glad to share art.”

“I bet you can’t wait to start your class on Monday. It seems like it will be right up your alley.”

“It should be a good experience.” I nodded and looked around the room quickly, bypassing the stares of the many women who were obviously interested in me. Aha. I felt a rush of excitement as I spotted her again. She was unassuming in a crowd with her brown hair and plain navy skirt and a boring top. Yet her eyes sparkled in excitement and her cheeks were flush from the warmth in the room. Her body was curvy in all the right places, and I admired the long expanse of leg that she had on display.

“So what do you think, Xavier?” The curator asked me eagerly and I frowned at him.

“Later, I have to talk to someone.” I left him standing there and walked across the room. The girl was standing by herself now. This was my opportunity to introduce myself and make my move.

I walked over to a painting about two feet away from her and waited for my opportunity to talk to her. I’d have fun showing her some of the paintings and then I’d take her back to my hotel room for the night. We’d spend the weekend together and then I’d go back to my house and she’d go back to wherever she came from. It would be a weekend of hot sex, and that was just how I liked it. I grinned to myself as I stood there waiting. It was going to be easy as pie.

Then she walked into me. I looked up in a daze as I felt her soft body hit mine. It was unexpected, and I was caught off guard.

“Sorry,” she muttered and gave me a wide smile. Her brown eyes looked embarrassed and they widened in awe as she gazed at me. I frowned at her. She was too guileless. Too innocent. Too beautiful. I didn’t speak.

“Sorry,” she whispered again. This time she looked unsure of herself. I stared at her pink lips and felt my stomach drop. I could imagine her soft lips on me, kissing me, bringing me to the brink of orgasm. Her face turned red and she stepped back. It was then I felt her hands on my arms. Intimate and soft in their touch.

“Oh, sorry.” She snatched her hands back and I wanted to grab them and hold them in mine. Instead, I muttered something, still frowning. She shouldn’t be here, in a room full of men. Men like me with one thought in their mind. Men who wanted to take her home and fuck her senseless. I walked away from her then, not liking the protective feeling I had felt when I’d made eye contact with her. She had an air of vitality and truth about her that I wasn’t accustomed to. I knew that she wasn’t a woman who would be happy with a weekend of sex and fun. I didn’t know if I’d be happy with a weekend of sex and fun. She would cling on to me and I would like it. I shuddered as I thought about that. It would be my worst nightmare. I was smart to walk away.

I tried to ignore the heat of my body as I made my rounds in the room. The girl I’d seen earlier had somehow ingrained herself in my mind and pants, and I was starting to feel frustrated. I watched Max flirting with her best friend and I sighed inwardly. Max was a predator and should know better. He wasn’t here to party. He was here for business. I was about to go and talk to him when a better idea struck me. I’d wait to see how it played out. I wasn’t to be disappointed. About thirty minutes later, I stood at the front of the museum and watched Max get into a cab with the two girls. I was about to go back into the museum when the girl looked at me. Her expression looked embarrassed and ashamed and she gave me a weak smile. I kept my expression hard as I stared at her. She definitely was not the girl to have a weekend fling with, but I wasn’t sure if I could convince my body of that fact.

Chapter 2

“Omg, Anna. I’m in a strange guy’s hotel room. You are in the bathroom puking. I’m sending you this so that when you are sober tomorrow you will remember why this was a bad idea.” I hit send quickly as I heard the door open.

“Are you okay?” Anna’s date Max walked towards me with a smooth stride.

I tried not to stare at his naked chest. “I’m fine,” I squeaked out, not really believing I was in this situation. I’d never been the girl to have a one-night stand, and I never would have come to this guy’s hotel room if I hadn’t been concerned about Anna.

“You don’t look very comfortable.” He stopped in front of me and frowned as he looked me over.

He had a slight accent I couldn’t quite place. He sounded slightly English, which would make sense because we were in London, but he also sounded French. I wasn’t sure if I was going crazy, because how could I not tell if he was English or French?

“I’m fine.” I smiled up at him and took a deep breath.

I wasn’t exactly sure what he expected me to do. I mean, I was pretty sure Anna and I had come back to his room so that they could hang out and maybe make out.  But now that Anna was in the bathroom puking, I wasn’t sure if he thought I was down to pick up where she left off. Part of me felt like I was in Pretty Woman, with the extravagant hotel room and hot guy. However, I wasn’t down with hooking up with him.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a prude, but I wasn’t about to hook up with a guy my best friend had come to hook up with. My stomach churned as I realized that he really didn’t care which of us he slept with tonight.

“You’re still dressed.” He sat down next to me, and I felt his warm thigh press against mine. I tried not to shiver as a feeling of displeasure coursed through me.

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” I mumbled out. Damn it, Lola, I thought to myself. He’s going to think I’m the bumbling idiot that I am. “Why don’t we chat while we wait for Anna to come out of the bathroom?”

“Chat?” He raised an eyebrow at me. “What would you like to chat about?”

“Well, you know. Things.” I smiled at him, and he sat back with a puzzled look on his face. He reached a hand over and I felt his fingers tracing my collarbone before brushing my light brown hair back away from my face.

“You’re very beautiful.”

“Thanks.” I smiled weakly and he laughed.

“You are American, yes?” He smiled to himself as I nodded. “Let me guess. You are from a Midwestern state. Yes, somewhere in the country. Maybe a farm?”

“No,” I shook my head and laughed. “I’ve never even been to the Midwest. I’m from Florida.”

“No!” He shook his head in surprise. “You do not seem like you are from Florida.”

“I am.” It was my turn to frown. “What do you mean I don’t seem like I’m from Florida?”

“Nothing, mon cher.” He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. “Let us not talk of mundane things.”

“What do you want to do?” I asked stupidly and groaned inside, pulling my hand away quickly.

“What do you think?”

“I’m not really that sort of girl.” I swallowed as he leaned in towards me. His lips were mere inches from mine, and I froze in panic. I wanted to slap him and accuse him of being a dirty leech, but I was scared he would get mad and force me out of the room. There was no way I was going to leave without Anna.

BANG BANG BANG.

My eyes widened in shock at the loud banging, and I saw his eyes darken with anger before he jumped up and walked towards the door. I sat there, thanking God that we had been interrupted before he had made his first attempt to kiss me.

“Who is it?” he growled through the door.

“Maximillian, open up the door. It is Xavier.” The voice on the other side of the door sounded irritated and angry, and I sat up straight, my bones tingling.

The voice sounded vaguely familiar. I was hopeful that Max would let the other man into the room so that I could grab Anna and leave. I jumped up, about to walk to the bathroom, when Max looked back at me.

“Sorry.” Max shrugged as he looked at me, and he opened the door quickly. “I thought you were going to give your talk, sir.” He seemed to be apologizing to the man on the other side of the door, whom I couldn’t quite see.

“Don’t tell me you have another whore in here, Max.” The other guy cursed in another language. “I won’t accept this behavior. Not in my room.”

I stood still in shock as I realized that this Xavier guy thought I was the whore. I blushed, even though no one was looking, and grabbed my bag.

“I’m sorry, Xavier. I...” Max muttered, and I stuck my tongue out at his back. What a wimpy asshole he was turning out to be. I couldn’t believe he had no backbone after just trying to bed me and my best friend.

“No more excuses. Go to your room. I’ll deal with you in the morning.”

“Please, Xavier.” Max was practically begging now. He gave me a quick look and then ran out of the room.

I stopped still as I saw the man in front of me. It was the guy from the museum. Surprise and then anger flittered through his eyes as he stared at me with derision. He was glowering at me with a murderous look in his dark green eyes. He stood tall, muscular, and dark. He had an olive complexion and dark, almost-black hair, and he oozed power and sex appeal.

“Who are you?” His voice was as arrogant as the look on his face, and I felt an immediate dislike for this man who stared at me so disdainfully. He didn’t even look like he recognized me. There was no way he couldn’t recognize me, right?

“I’m Lola.” I attempted a smile even though my face was burning up in shame. “From the museum ...”

“Typical,” he sneered.

“Typical what?” I glared at him.

“Typical name for a girl like you.”

“Girl like me?”

“Bimbo,” he spat out, his eyes looking over my body in a way that caused me to shiver with excitement and annoyance.

“Excuse me?”

“Bimbo. B-I-M-B-O” he spelled out. “You are a bimbo.”

“You’re a jackass. Capital A-S-S.” I tried to push past him, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him, his eyes glittering.

“How dare you talk to me like that? Do you know who I am?”

“More like, do I care?” I pulled away from him. “Excuse me. I’m leaving.”

“Where are you going?”

“To my home.” I bit my lip as I realized I didn’t know the address by heart and that Anna was still in the bathroom.

“I don’t think so.” He closed the door and grabbed my hand.

“What are you doing?” I stared at him with wide eyes and shivered as I watched his chest rise and fall angrily.

“I will not let you leave this hotel room at this hour.” He shook his head in disgust. “In my country, it is not becoming for a woman to walk around the streets by herself at night.”

“We’re not in your country.” I pulled my hand away from him, wanting to ask what country he was from but not wanting to be nosy and give him the satisfaction of knowing that I was interested.

“It’s a pity.” He laughed sardonically. “And lucky for you. If you were in my country right now, I’d ...” He paused and leaned towards me. I could feel his breath on my lips as he stared deep into my eyes.

I froze as I stared back at him in anticipation. Was he about to kiss me? I swallowed hard. This was the moment I’d been waiting for all night but not in these circumstances. At the museum, he’d seemed sexy and naughty. Now he just seemed like an arrogant prick. I knew I should slap him or something, but instead I closed my eyes and waited to feel his lips crush down on mine.

“Open your eyes.” His voice sounded like a growl, and I opened them reluctantly. His face was mere inches from mine, and his eyes sparkled into mine. I could feel his breath on my lips, and I swallowed nervously. “If I were to kiss you, your eyes would remain open because I would want to watch the pleasure dilating your pupils as my tongue sought out the secret spots in your mouth.” His voice was low and seductive as he spoke, and I trembled at his words. I had completely forgotten Max and Anna at this point. My mind went back to the museum and what he’d whispered in my ear then. My body felt hot and achy as I waited to see what he was going to do.

“I don’t want you to kiss me.” I pulled away from him sharply and lied. “I don’t date cocky bastards.”

“But I don’t think you came here for a date, mon cher,” he laughed sardonically. “Unless you considered a rendezvous in a hotel room a date?”

“I’m leaving.” I tried to push past him again to walk to the bathroom, and he grabbed my wrists and pushed me against the wall.

“You are not going anywhere right now.” All humor and light was gone from his dark eyes, and his features looked dark and controlled. “You will stay here tonight, and in the morning, you may leave.”

“You can’t tell me what to do.” I tried to push against his chest, but he was immobile. My strength did not compare to his, and I realized that there was nothing I could do to get away. “I’ll scream, you know. If you don’t let me leave, I’ll scream.”

“You won’t be the first bimbo who screams in the throes of passion.”

“But we’re not in the throes of passion.”

“And that disappoints you, does it not?” He cocked his head to the side and surveyed my heaving breasts. “I think right now you are disappointed that I don’t have you in my bed, caressing your—”

“Stop it.” I blushed at his words and looked away. There was no way I wanted him to know how very right he was. I was intensely attracted to him. My brain was fighting my body and just barely winning.

“Come now.” He stepped away from me. “Please spend the night and relax. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. I wish you no harm, beautiful Lola.”

I blushed as he complimented me. “I’m not beautiful.”

“Do not tell me you’re modest as well?”

“Well, you know. Some of us bimbos can be modest.” I winked at him and watched as his face transformed in laughter.

He stared at me for a moment and sighed as he stepped away from me. “You’re not English?”

“Disappointed?” I raised an eyebrow at him, not caring what he thought of me at this point. It was unlikely I’d ever see him again.

“No.” He shook his head. “English girls are polite. I like a girl with some bite in her.”

“All English girls aren’t polite. You shouldn’t make generalizations.”

He nodded his head. “You’re right, of course.”

“Where are you from?” I peered up at him curiously. I figured that he was Italian or something. His skin was too olive for him to be for him to not be from one of the Romance language countries.

“You will not know it.” He smiled and walked into the bedroom. “Would you like a drink?” He called back to me. He walked back to the door with a decanter of whiskey.

“No thanks.” I shook my head and then yawned.

“I bore you?”

“I’m just tired.”

“Five minutes ago, you were ready to make passionate love in my hotel room with my assistant. Now you want to go to sleep. I think I’m losing my touch.”

I shrugged my shoulders and looked away, not wanting him to see how every fiber of my being was hoping for him to touch me. I wanted to feel his warm, strong hands on my body, trailing a line of fire across my skin.

“I wasn’t about to make love to—”

“I know you want me, Lolita.” He cut me off as he sipped from his glass of whiskey and loosened his tie. “But I’m not a man that—”

“What’s your name?” I interrupted him.

“I’m Xavier.”

“Xavier?” I looked at him in surprise. It wasn’t a name I was familiar with.

“It means I last all night.” He paused, and my heart stopped beating as we stared at each other in silence.

“In what language?” I whispered, unable to stop myself from playing his game.

“In the language of love.” He moved towards me smoothly and before I knew it, his lips were crashing down on mine, softly and firmly. I melted against him, and my eyes widened as I felt his tongue doing things to mine that sent a sharp thrill down my body. His eyes twinkled as I gasped against him, and he pulled away from me and whispered in my ear.

“I told you my kiss alone could make you wet.”

I looked up at him with an incredulous expression, but he didn’t wait for me to respond. Instead, his lips came crashing down on mine again, and his hands found the crook of my back and pulled me in towards him hard. I reached my hands up and placed them around his neck, needing the support of his body to remain on my own two feet.

This time, his kiss wasn’t soft and sweet. It was hard and searching. His tongue explored my mouth while his teeth nibbled on my lip. But then he stopped, took my tongue in his mouth, and sucked, and it was all I could do to not cry out in surprise and pleasure. I had thought that he looked like a sex god, but this man—this Xavier—was sex himself.

“Shall we?” He took my hand and led me to the bedroom, pausing at the door with a question in his eyes.

I nodded mutely, not trusting myself to say anything as I stared at the handsome man in front of me. All reason had left my mind, and all I could think about was being taken by this man, roughly and gently, all night long.

It was at that moment that Anna finally emerged from the bathroom. “I’m feeling better now, Max.” She twirled into the room and I tried not to groan.

“Who are you?” Xavier looked at her in shock.

“I’m Anna. Where is Max?” She looked at me in confusion.

“He left.” I shrugged.

“Oh, no?” She made a face. “Was I in the bathroom too long?”

“What’s going on here?” Xavier pulled away from me and eyed us both. “Don’t tell me you’re a pair of working girls?”

“No, we’re in grad school,” Anna responded, not really understanding his comment.

“You’re a jackass. We are not prostitutes.”

“Prostitutes?” Anna’s eyes widened. “What?”

“So you weren’t about to have a threesome with Max?”

“Hell no,” Anna responded. “I didn’t even want Lola to come back with me, but she said she wouldn’t let me leave with him unless she came.”

“Oh, she’s your watcher?” He gave me an assessing look as he spoke to Anna.

“No, I’m her friend.” I glared at him. I didn’t care how good looking he was. I wasn’t going to put up with his rudeness. “We were at the museum earlier,” I stated, trying to see if he remembered me. I knew he had to remember me. I just wanted him to acknowledge it. I wanted him to say that he’d thought I was hot from the first moment he’d seen me in the museum.

“I see.” His eyes darkened and he walked to the side of the room. “I will get you girls a room. You’ll stay here tonight. You’re too drunk to go anywhere now.”

“We don’t—” I started as Anna nodded eagerly.

“Thanks.” She held her stomach. “I’m still feeling a bit sick.”

I gave her a look. “I told you not to drink so much.”

“Oh, not now, Lola.” She made a face. “Save the lecturing for tomorrow.”

“I need a suite,” Xavier spoke into the phone. “Is the junior penthouse available? Good. Send someone up with the keys.” He hung up and walked back over to us. “You’ll have your room soon.”

“Thanks.” I sighed and stared at his lips.

“Next time, you girls need to be more careful. You never know who you’re going to end up with.”