Chapter 9 NINE

That smile irritated me. I despised it, I knew what it meant whenever Joey flashed that grin, that pearly-white sliver of teeth, one corner of his mouth pulled up slightly more than the other, his dimples deep-set.

It meant he knew exactly what I was thinking.

He'd given it to me on the way to the airport, when he'd asked about the lights and such in my place. I'd put on a show, but he'd been right – that was exactly what had been on my mind. And it'd been the same when he'd asked me what was going on between us. I'd been erecting a wall of cold professionalism in the hopes that it would be enough to deter him.

It was usually effective. When I put up that front, most guys who wanted more from me than what I was willing to give them seemed to back off. Something about a self-assured woman who knew exactly what she wanted and didn't take crap made the type of man I didn't want anything to do with leave me alone.

Joey, on the other hand, was unique. He was aware of what I was doing and that I was erecting a large barrier to prevent him from bringing up the subject of our past. He breezed through it, only pausing when I told him there was nothing to talk about. Of course, that was another lie.

And I was certain he'd seen through that one as well. But he hadn't gone any further, having come to a halt just as he approached the line.

Instead, we conversed. Joey was mostly interested in my life since high school and the business I'd founded, so we didn't talk about anything important.

"So you got into the party-planning business," he said, topping off both of our glasses. That comes as a bit of a surprise to me."

"Why?

" I inquired, my face solemn. "Do you believe it's stupid?" "

"No way, no how. More than that...with a mind like yours, you could have accomplished anything. I'd believe you if you told me you were working for NASA, designing the next generation of space rockets.

So I was intrigued when I learned you ran a party planning company."

He was such a smooth operator. He'd managed to compliment both my intelligence and my job with a few words. It was easy to see why he had no trouble getting any girl he wanted in high school – including me. The man had a way of making you feel like the only female in the room.

"I'll be honest, it surprised me as well. When I graduated from CSU, I began working part-time for a party-planning company in Fort Collins. But the more I did it, the more I realized how much I enjoyed it. It's difficult, and there's never a dull moment.

Nothing beats being in the middle of a planned event and seeing it all come together perfectly."

"Not to mention the fact that you get to meet a lot of interesting people, including yours truly."

I laughed like I always did when he told some too-cocky-for-his-own-good joke. "Yeah, I get to live a nice, simple life until men from my past show up, ask me to participate in a phony auction to exact revenge on their ex-wives, and trick me into going to Bora with them."

Then there was silence, and the thought occurred to me. What had happened between him and Crystal? And where had the child gone? Words tumbled out of my mouth in response to the question in my mind.

"So, what's it's like to be a dad?" "

I asked the question because I suspected there was more to the story than him having a child with Crystal and raising it with her. After all, he hadn't said anything about it to me or anyone else, as far as I knew.

"What?

"

"Your child. When you went off with Crystal, it was because she was pregnant with your child; I'm not hung up on it, but I'm curious how being a father has changed you."

"So, what's it's like to be a dad?" "

I asked the question because I suspected there was more to the story than him having a child with Crystal and raising it with her. After all, he hadn't said anything about it to me or anyone else, as far as I knew.

"What?"

"Your child. When you went off with Crystal, it was because she was pregnant with your child; I'm not hung up on it, but I'm curious how being a father has changed you."

The obvious-as-hell answer slammed into me like a ton of bricks – a miscarriage. He must have absconded with Crystal in order to marry her, only for her to miscarry. What other explanation could there be for him not having a child and his marriage to Crystal falling apart?

"I was simply inquiring out of curiosity." We don't have to discuss it."

He nodded and averted his gaze, as if he was aware of how intense his reaction must have appeared. Joey swallowed and cleared his throat. "This is nice," he said quickly, as if he needed to change the subject as soon as possible. "Believe it or not, I don't have anything like this," he said, waving his finger between us.

"Like, like what?" A sense of relief washed over me. He smiled, and I knew that the subject of his baby with Crystal was officially off the table.

"You know – a woman's friendship." I haven't had a female friend since high school – since you."

The mention of our history made my heart race faster.

"What's more, I don't deserve one."

At this small display, I couldn't help but smirk and roll my eyes. "Come on," I encouraged. "There's no need for melodrama."

He smiled, letting me know he was putting on a show. "But seriously, that's one of the things about you and me that hurts the most. We were more than just a couple; we were friends."

His remark was a little too close to the subject of our history for me to feel at ease.

"All right," I said. "If you're that upset about how things turned out between us, there's a very simple solution."

"And what is it?"

I drew in a little closer. "You must stop sleeping with them."

For a few moments, our gazes were locked on one another. I hadn't meant to, but leaning in brought me very close to him, close enough to smell his rich musk and see the little flecks of gold in his electric blue eyes.

He laughed, which relieved the tension. "Come on, that hasn't been an issue in a long time."

"Yeah, I'll bet. I'm sure a wealthy, attractive doctor has a difficult time attracting women."

He shrugged. "I mean, if I wanted to date, I could. But the thing is, I don't want to."

"Then just make friends with these women whose friendships you obviously crave, and don't sleep with them."

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Whatever was on his mind, he seemed to change his mind. Was that also a show? It was difficult to tell with Joey.

I sipped my wine, and as soon as I swallowed it, the plane lurched gently.

"Oh, we're descending," Joey said. "Snuggle up. We should be on the ground in about 20 minutes."

I took advantage of the situation and finished my wine quietly. As the plane plummeted lower and lower, I realized I'd gotten too comfortable – I'd gotten a little tipsy. I'd have to keep my guard up throughout the journey.

The last thing I wanted to do was get drunk and end up doing something I should not be doing. And Joey had to make matters worse by being unbearably hot.

As the plane came to a stop, the whirr of the engine faded.

"We should have a car waiting for us," I said as I unbuckled my seatbelt and stood up.

"We did," Joey said. "But I took care of that as well."

"Why?"

He smiled. "I called the weekend rental place they'd reserved. They had a car reserved for us, but I decided to upgrade."

"Upgraded? To what end? "

"You'll see," he said as he approached the door, which opened as he approached.

"You know," I said as we took the first step down the stairwell to the tarmac. "The whole point of a weekend package like this is that you don't have to deal with any of that."

I came to a halt on the stairwell, taking in the oven-warm air and the clear, blue sky. We'd only been in the plane for a few minutes, but we'd arrived in a completely different environment.

"I understand, but if you're going to spend a weekend in Bora, you might as well spend a weekend there." The whole point of visiting the city is to get a taste of opulence."

I had to admit that the man made a compelling case.

"Let me ask you a question," he said as he took our bags from the plane's storage compartment. "When was the last time you truly treated yourself, when you let yourself go?" "

I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off before I could finish.

"And I don't mean staying in with wine and old horror movies on a Saturday night."

The man had me figured out. One of the drawbacks of spending time with someone you knew well was that they could always spot your attempts at bs.

"What's the deal with wine and Dracula?" " I inquired. "That's entertaining."

"Sure," he replied. "But that's not what I'm referring to."

He loaded the luggage into the back of the car that was waiting for us.

"I mean, complete luxury."

We climbed into the back of the car and were driven across the runways by the driver. The airport was small and private, and I preferred it to the maddening hustle and bustle of a typical airport.

Joey carried on our conversation. "A day at the spa, a day off to go on a hike outside of town, that sort of thing."

The question made me want to laugh. When would I ever have time for something like that? "Um, never," I said, my hair blowing in the wind. "To be honest, I don't know what it's like to unwind. "Aside from wine and horror films,"

"Then I've got a goal for this weekend," he chuckled. "I'm going to make sure you leave more relaxed than you've been in years."

"And what sort of unwinding did you have in mind?"

"I realized what kind of implication I'd made by emphasizing what I had the moment I spoke the words. My cheeks were flushed with heat.

"When you're embarrassed, you're always so damn cute."

"I'm not embarrassed," I said as the car drew closer to the airport. "It's the sun," he says. It's extremely bright. And I'm fair-skinned, so..." I trailed off, clearing my throat.

He said it all with a smirk on his face. That smug grin. Fortunately, we arrived at the airport before the conversation could continue. Joey zipped out and grabbed the bags from the back of the car before I could even set foot on the ground.

"Are you sure you're serious?

" I inquired, hands on my hips.

He smiled. "I don't get a chance to be a gentleman very often – let me have this one, pretty please," he said, with an exaggerated pout that made me laugh.

"All right, all right," I said. That's right, gentleman...

"Are you all right over there?" " he inquired as we approached the airport.

"Yeah," I said, taking control of my thoughts and focusing on the present moment. "I was just distracted for a second."

We entered the airport. "We're in town for that." There's so much to see and do here that we'll have trouble fitting it all in on one evening."

"You're beginning to sound like a local expert."

"I'm no expert, but I've been here a few times." You're going to enjoy it a lot. The lights, the excitement, the palpable energy in the air. It's unlike any other place on the planet."

"There," he said, pointing ahead to a man in a dark suit holding a Garcia sign.

"Wow," I exclaimed as we approached the driver. I had to admit that his enthusiasm was catching on. "I've never before been picked up by a guy holding a sign."

When we approached him, Joey confirmed our identities, and the man quickly took our bags.

"You have to let him do it," Joey chuckled. "It's his responsibility."

I didn't bother to argue. We were soon in the back of a sleek, black luxury car, the cab outfitted with leather seats, one row facing the other, and a small bar tucked away in the futuristic control panel. Joey opened it and poured two glasses of wine from a small bottle. I knew I should've said no when he handed me one, but I couldn't.

"Cheers," he said as the car pulled away from the airport, raising his glass.

"Cheers," we said as we tapped the rims, and I felt a rush of adrenaline the moment my lips touched the glass. The trip's excitement was catching up with me.

"You're going to enjoy Caesar's Palace," he predicted. "And don't be concerned –"

"Give me a guess," I said. "You made a minor improvement to the room."

He smiled. "Of course I did. The room they chose for us is nice, but the penthouse suites are something else entirely – some of the most incredible hotel rooms in the world."

And how many beds will be in this suite? I was curious.

"We have the show tonight, but the rest of the day is ours." We can get something to eat, see the sights, and gamble a little."

As he spoke, I looked out the window. Bora's downtown grew in the distance, creating a breathtaking sight. I couldn't have sworn I wasn't a Bora fan. The lights, the noise, the...everything had always struck me as a little gaudy. But as we got closer, the excitement grew. Maybe it was the way Joey set it up, or the couple glasses of wine warming my belly, but I was getting a little giddy.

Then we went to the Strip. Even in the bright sunlight, the famous street was a sight to behold. As we drove past the casinos, my face was pressed against the glass.

The Hotel was extravagantly grand, and Treasure Island was incredible. I wanted to look into every hotel and gawk at the scenery as we drove by.

A palace-style mansion, on the other hand, was something else; all white, with gorgeous marble statues of horses with their legs raised in the air positioned around a gorgeous fountain. The beauty of the water jets shooting high into the blue sky above mesmerized me. The front façade was adorned with intricately trimmed greenery. I was completely engulfed in the opulence at the time, as if I'd been transported back in time.

As soon as we arrived, everyone rushed to the car. Joey took a step forward and introduced himself. They took our bags and walked into the hotel.

"Are you prepared for this?" " he asked, a grin on his face indicating he knew exactly what we were about to go through.

"About as prepared as I'm going to be," he said, taking my hand in his, and I didn't even bother to let it go.

"Let's do it," he said as he drew me through the doors. And what I saw on the other side was unlike anything I'd ever seen.

Circles. That's the first thing I noticed. The rooms were massive and circular, with beautiful Romanesque frescoes on the ceilings and intricate tapestries beneath our feet. Straight ahead were rows and rows of gaming machines, with chimes and colorful lights echoing across the expanse.

Hundreds of people were playing cards, tossing coins into slots, drinking, and having the time of their lives at the hotel. Pretty waitresses zipped around, handing out free drinks with a wink and a smile, all in an attempt to entice tourists to toss whatever money they had into the machines and onto the tables.

"It's something else, isn't it?"

" Joey inquired. "Come on, the Octavius Penthouse is waiting for you."

"What is it?"

"

He didn't respond. Instead, he led me to the front desk where he checked in. I was so overwhelmed that I didn't mind if Joey took charge.

A smiling clerk handed him a keycard, and a pair of men in sharp suits appeared to lead us up. We took the elevator up, and the walls were a stunning mirrored gold. Before I knew it, the doors had reopened and the room had spread out in front of us.

It was a huge space, two floors, with a large living room, glass walls, and an amazing view of the city. The room became even more dreamlike as light poured into it.

All I could do was sit on the huge, half-circle couch and stare in awe. I noticed Joey, out of the corner of my eye, handing a hundred dollars to each of the men and thanking them before they stepped back into the elevator.

"Does this have the same layout as the room Joven chose?" I recall him saying that they made sure to get a multi-bedroom suite so that neither of the people going felt obligated to do anything."

He raised his brow. "What kind of anything are you considering?" "

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Don't be a fool."

Joey snatched the bags from the floor and carried them to the large, circular glass dining table near the window. He unzipped one and took out a few items of clothing.

"You're just busting your chops. And, yes, I did book a suite with multiple bedrooms."

"Multiple? "

"There are a total of three. But I wouldn't be surprised if we only used one of them."

I remained silent for a moment, taken aback by his audacity. "Please tell me you didn't say that just now. Please tell me you're not serious."

He gave a wink. "I'm completely joking. "There's not a shred of seriousness here," he said, still going through his bag, then looking over his shoulder at me. "Unless..."

I rose to my feet. "You can't possibly be suggesting we hook up again, Joey."

Joey shrugged as if I'd turned down a lunch invitation. "What's the harm?" I mean, you're not still stuck in time, are you? "

The goodwill he'd managed to build over the last few hours with his usual charm and warmth vanished in an instant. It reminded me of the type of man he was: a selfish jerk who was only concerned with his own needs.

I gave him an uncouth grunt and hissed, "Prick," before storming over to him, yanking my bags off the table and stomping up the stairs.

"What?

"Something I said? " he called after me.

"

I went to the nearest bedroom, slamming the door behind me and not even taking a moment to appreciate the luxury before plopping onto the king-sized bed and grunting into the pillow.

Prick. He's a jerk. And I had to put up with him for the next day and a half. What's the worst part? My own mind was my worst enemy. I conjured up an image of what it would be like if I accepted Joey's offer the moment I closed my eyes.

I imagined him striding into the bedroom, unconcerned about what I said or did. He'd stand over the bed, that cocky-as-eff smirk on his face, taking in the sight of my body in front of him. Then he'd take his shirt off and toss it into the corner, exposing his sculpted body.

"What in the world are you doing?"

" I'd ask, trying to ignore the fact that my pants were getting soaked by the second.

"Giving you exactly what you want," he'd say as he stepped to the bed's edge.

"What I want is for you to get the fuck out of here," I'd rub my thighs together, trying to distract myself from the arousal that was building in me.

But he was deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly deafening Instead, he'd leap onto the bed with surprising speed, one hand on the small of my back and the other on my breast. "Tell me what you want again," he'd say.

"I want...I want...you," he'd say, then press his lips against mine.

Angry with myself, I let out another grunt into the pillow.

What a fucking shambles. And I was smack dab in the middle of it