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  I forced myself to lift my gaze to the mess of tangled sheets on the other side of the bed. Oh.My.God! We had sex and I had no recollection of it! You’re a dirty tramp, my mind whispered to me in a cruel voice.

  A shuffling noise coming from behind made me turn my head. For the love of… Standing there, looking down at me was a bare-chested Ryan, with a very well defined torso and a mouthwatering V-shape line. Was that a six, no, an eight pack? Really? I guess that answered last night’s question: the guy did look exactly like the posters underneath his shirt. Couldn’t this perfectly sculptured, divine creature, have just one flaw?

  “Good morning, sunshine,” Ryan sang in a playful tone.

  I ripped my wide-eyed gaze away from his abdominals and looked up at him, instantly narrowing my eyes. He had an overbearing smile on his face but he wasn’t focused on me, he was busy staring at something just below my— Shoot, my boobs! I yanked the blanket up as fast as I could; making sure it covered all of my bare breasts.

  I was still bright red by the time I found the courage to look him in the eye again.

  Ryan was chuckling softly to himself, standing over me with both hands on his hips. He must’ve just gotten out of the shower because his hair was all disheveled and sticking up all over the place as if he’d attacked it with a towel. Speaking of towels… a large white towel hung very low on his hips and was the only thing covering his lower half.

  “Did we have sex?” I blurted out, trying to ignore the crazy thoughts running around my head of him without the towel.

  My serious question seemed to amuse him. With a cocked eyebrow he said, “And I thought you said that I’d let the ‘one girl’ willing to sleep with me get away last night?”

  I gasped at his careless response. “This isn’t funny,” I growled, before hitting the palm of my hand against my forehead. “Shit! I’m such an idiot!”

  Ryan walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down beside me, stretching out his long legs then folding one over the other. He lifted his arms up over his head and used his hands to rest his head against the black leather headboard. I tried not to gawk at the sight before me but I couldn’t help myself. His biceps were freakin’ huge! The guy worked out, that’s for sure. There was not an inch of fat on the man; just layers upon layers of muscle.

  “Relax. We didn’t sleep together,” he said tilting his head slightly to face me. “Although, a great deal of naughty stuff went down,” he added with a wink. Ugh. I rolled my eyes.

  “Then why am I in just my underwear?” Lifting the blanket high enough so that I was sure Ryan couldn’t see, I looked down at my almost completely naked body. “And why on earth is my stomach sticky?”

  Ryan let out a laugh. “Oh yeah,” he said sounding as though something amusing had just occurred to him. “I forgot about the body shots.”

  My head shot up. “Body shots?” What the hell? He had to be lying. I would never…

  “Ah-ha. You let me lie you down on the kitchen table and suck tequila off your stomach. It was so fucking hot.” He adjusted himself so that he was lying on his side, facing me, with his elbow propped up. “You’re quite the little minx after some drinks.”

  I threw him an irritated glare. “We drank more tequila when we got home?”

  “Sure did, babe.”

  My face blanked. How could I not remember leaving the Mexican bar? I didn’t have that much to drink did I? A few margaritas, some tequila shots… the vodka martinis at the club…

  Ryan’s brows suddenly furrowed and he scratched his chin with his free hand. “Perhaps that’s where we went wrong? If we’d stopped drinking sooner, we would’ve definitely done the deed.”

  I blinked. Was this guy being for real? “So you’re telling the truth about not sleeping together?”

  His hand dropped from his chin. “Of course I am! I love having sex but I’m not a damn somnophiliac. I don’t like having sex with unconscious women, Evangeline,” he replied in a stern voice.

  Without asking how he knew the word for that kind of thing, I nodded once to show him that I believed him. I was still watching him when a tiny smile broke his serious expression. The smile quickly turned into a wicked smirk. “But you know we’re both sober and very much awake now. So how about it?” Ugh.

  I managed to pick up one of the smaller pillows nearby and launched it at him without exposing my boobs. Ryan just laughed and blocked the attack with a quick flick of his arm, sending the pillow flying towards the ground somewhere. Impressive reflexes.

  “I’m joking! I’m only joking,” he exclaimed, roaring with laughter.

  “Yeah, well, I can never tell with you.”

  “Listen,” he started, losing his smile and going serious again. “I did want to say how sorry I am for your loss. I know it doesn’t mean much coming from a stranger but I’m just glad you weren’t alone when you found out, and I hope last night was able to take your mind off it, even if it was for a short while.” Was he really saying all this to me? Who was this guy?

  We stared at each other for a moment before I eventually replied, “Thank you… And yes it did, even though you tried to take advantage of me.”

  His cheeky grin returned, which I found strangely calmed me. “That’s where you’ve got it all wrong. It was you who took advantage of me, don’t you remember? How did you expect the little guy to react when all of a sudden a beautiful woman is straddling him and rubbing up against him in public?”

  I hit him with another pillow.

  ****

  I left Ryan’s shortly after and took a cab home. He offered me coffee and breakfast but it felt odd to hang around when I barely knew the guy. I guess it served me right for going home with a stranger in the first place. On my way out of his huge apartment, I couldn’t help but notice all the nice furniture he had and the artwork hanging his hallway. The guy had money; heaps of it. Maybe that explained his cocky attitude? That, and the fact he looked like Adonis and was obviously a very popular male model.

  Ryan also offered to drive me home, but I insisted on taking a cab. Just because he was rich and was acting polite didn’t mean he couldn’t still be a crazed lunatic. And there was still a nagging thought in the back of my mind that the guy could very well work for or sell my story to the press. So, it was agreed that it was best that he didn’t know where I lived or knew anything else about me.

  I rang Derek as soon as I was safe inside the cab.

  “You’re a dirty tramp, you know that?” I laughed into my cell at Derek’s statement. “I’m sorry about your father baby girl and I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

  “It’s okay, Derek. You can’t be expected to be there for me all the time.”

  “But as your best friend I should damn well try! Look, I’m sure you don’t want to talk about anymore sad and upsetting news, so, tell me the name of this handsome man that has you blushing and what did he look like?”

  That’s what I loved most about Derek; he never allowed me to drive myself crazy over a situation that was out of my control. Ever since we were young, Derek made it his mission to keep me happy. I spent a lot of my childhood avoiding everyone, not wanting to speak to the other kids because all they ever wanted to do was ask questions about the accident. I preferred to be alone, that is until Derek came into my life. He seemed to understand me. He distracted me with other things and helped me keep my mind off everything that worried me. He was the perfect best friend.

  “Ryan and he―”

  “Does Ryan have a last name?”

  I fell silent. I never caught his last name. That’s because you didn’t want him to know yours.

  “That’s it? You didn’t catch a last name? Damn, this really was a one-night stand, huh? I am so proud of you!”

  I laughed. It kind of was. I was upset and wanted to get drunk, and then I got horny. Holy shit. Except.... “Well, we didn’t actually sleep together…”

  “What?!” He screamed the word so loud I had to pull the phone away from my
ear until he stopped.

  “Apparently I passed out. But Derek, he was delicious. Very arrogant and annoying most of the time, but the guy oozed so much sex appeal.”

  “You’re making me hard.”

  “Oh, eww!”

  I heard him laugh loudly.

  I described Ryan to Derek in very fine detail, even the way the dimple appeared on his left cheek when he did that ridiculous panty-dropping grin. I did, however, purposely leave out the part that he was actually a male model and there was a huge billboard of him posing seductively wearing only white Dolce and Gabbana briefs right outside my apartment. Derek was already in love and if I mentioned that a giant poster of him giving me bedroom eyes could be seen just outside my balcony, he’d never leave my place.

  I tried to remind my best friend that it was pointless getting excited, because Ryan and I never exchanged numbers and I was never going to see him again. It was probably for the best anyway.

  After arriving back at my house, I quickly showered and freshened up. Even though, I was in desperate need of some sleep, I headed over to Connor’s house. That’s when reality sunk in. My father was gone and I’d missed my one chance of telling him what he really meant to me. I was furious at myself for how weak I was. Not only did I have that weighing heavily on my shoulders, Connor and I now had to help with the funeral arrangements. I had no idea what that entailed but I helped out the best I could. I tried to be there as much for my brother, since he had known my father far better than I had, while the guilt continued to build up inside of me with each passing day.

  We’d spent almost an entire week arranging the funeral. My father had known a lot of very important people in the fashion world, and supported a lot of charities his entire life, as well as, a few professional sporting clubs. Connor notified each of them about his untimely passing, even though most of them knew already. It was going to be a difficult day for everyone.

  CHAPTER 6

  By the time Friday came I was a nervous wreck. I spent the morning trying to calm my nerves by taking a long, hot bath and listening to upbeat music. In the past, I found that music often helped but today wasn’t one of those days.

  It was the day of my father’s funeral. Even though it meant that I’d get to see my grandparents again, I also had to confront my biggest fear: the spotlight. After today, the short, quiet life I’d become accustomed to would no longer exist and I’d get thrown back into the media mess that terrified me. There was no way reporters would miss this event for anything.

  Many people around the world had adored both my mother and my father, not only because of their remarkable high fashion culture but also for their admirable generosity. They were great humanitarians. No matter how demanding their own lives were they always found the time to give money and help out hundreds of charities all around the world.

  It shocked the world to learn that they’d lost a great woman twelve years ago and now, it was the death of multi-billionaire, Rupert Montgomery. Nobody would dare miss this.

  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I didn’t have any other choice; I had to be ready for this.

  I checked myself in the mirror once more and adjusted the small veil that just covered my eyes, and then smoothed out my black Chanel pencil dress before heading out the door.

  Connor had arranged for his driver, named Clifford to come pick up both Derek and I. Only Derek had decided to meet up with a friend of his late last night, which meant I had to travel to the other side of the city to get him from the hotel he stayed at. I silently prayed that this little detour wouldn’t cause us to be late.

  During the car ride, I wondered if anybody was expecting me to make some kind of speech. Connor hadn’t asked me to and he would never force me to do something I wasn’t comfortable with doing. Even if I had wanted to say a few words, what would I say? And how would I handle standing up there, with thousands of eyes all on me? Watching me… Judging me…

  Goldie, the twenty eight year old, gold-digging girlfriend was making a speech. The very thought of her having held my seventy-year-old father’s hand brought up a vile taste in my mouth. She was only two years older than Connor, and would’ve been one year younger than my brother, Alex, if he were still alive!

  Arriving at the front of the hotel, I asked Clifford to wait while I hopped out of the black Bentley, and walked into the lobby of the fancy hotel where Derek had told me to wait for him. Jeez, that boy knew how to get by. Judging by the look of this place, the ‘friend’ he met up with was loaded with cash.

  The young girl at Reception informed me that Derek would be down in a moment so while I waited, I went over to explore the large fountain covering the center of the entrance hall. A large, in-ground, rectangular pool, about ten feet long, stretched out across the lobby floor. Large, colorful koi fish swam around, unmoved by the short spurts of water that spat out spontaneously from the jets and landed on top of them. The longer I stared the more I realized that there was a pattern forming between the spurts of water― like an upbeat rhythm. I felt like a conductor while each jet was an instrument, and together we were playing in a grand symphony. A tiny smile crept up on my face as I hummed a random tune in my head.

  “Evangeline?”

  I spun around at the sound of my name. You have got to be kidding me!

  A few feet away stood Ryan, with yet another young, beautiful, blond woman in tow. Both were elegantly dressed; Ryan in a fine black suit and the girl in a black lace dress. What were the odds of running into him at the same hotel? What were the odds of ever running into him at all? New York was a big city and it wasn’t like I ventured out much. And how stupid had I been for drunkenly hooking up with him? Clearly, it wasn’t enough. The player needed to get his fix from someone else and that someone else was attached to his side.

  “What on earth are you doing here?” he questioned curiously.

  I wanted to ask him the same thing but kept my mouth closed instead.

  He covered the small distance between us with ease and the next thing I knew he was standing in front of me, towering down with that intimidating grin of his firmly in place. I felt my breath hitch in my throat as he leaned in closer. Control yourself!

  “Are you going to just stand there and act like you don’t know me? I’m finding it a little embarrassing,” he whispered into my ear. Although his words weren’t meant to be seductive, I felt my whole body shiver impulsively with delight.

  My eyes fluttered closed and I began to imagine what it would be like to have those soft lips kissing my entire body again, just as they had a week ago. When I opened them a short moment later, I came face to face with a wide, ear-to-ear grin and a twinkle of amusement in his eye as he studied me intently. Shit, what is wrong with me?

  “Hello, Ryan. Sorry… I’ve just got a lot on my mind right now,” I finally replied. I could feel the heat slowly rising in my cheeks. He was too close. Way too close.

  I somehow managed to take a step back out of the hot zone.

  “I can definitely see that. I hope I appear in there somewhere,” he teased just loud enough for only me to hear. He took a step back, giving me even more room to breathe again. The air around me cooled almost instantly but I struggled to relax knowing he hadn’t taken his eyes off me.

  “Are you going to keep me waiting while you flirt? You are such an ass sometimes, Ryan,” the girl behind him complained, throwing her hands up to her hips.

  I blushed again. Could this strange and awkward situation get any worse? Did all the girls he messed around with act like this? How could they stand him being this way?

  Our connection broke when I cowardly looked away. I swear I saw him blush but I had to be dreaming it.

  I heard him let out an exasperated sigh. “Annabelle, will you just shut it for one minute?” he said sternly with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. He didn’t turn away. He kept his eyes locked on me, leaving me completely dumbfounded. These two clearly had some strange relationship going on.


  “Stop telling me to ‘shut it’, Ry.”

  The girl stormed up to us, nudged him out of the way and held her hand out towards me. I eyed it warily for a moment before slowly accepting it. Was this some kind of a joke?

  “Hi, I’m Annabelle. I don’t often like introducing myself to any of the women Ryan has slept with but he’s acting rather strange so I thought I’d see what the fuss was all about.” The Annabelle girl actually looked me up and down before the smile on her face widened. “Well, this will be very interesting…” she muttered.

  I stood there utterly speechless. I didn’t know what to make of this bizarre situation. Was this his girlfriend? Were they in some weird open relationship? Maybe they were into the whole ‘swingers’ scene?

  Seeming to have collected himself, Ryan stepped in at that precise moment. “Annabelle, you’re such a brat. Stop terrifying the poor woman and quit embarrassing me.”

  I turned my attention back to him. He was looking at me with a casual grin on his face but I could still see evidence of pink in his cheeks. He was blushing! “Evangeline, I’m sorry, this is my loud mouthed and extremely nosey baby sister.” He directed the ‘nosey’ part at his sister.

  A strange feeling of relief washed over me. She wasn’t his girlfriend after all. But why did I even care?

  Annabelle raised her arms and placed them on her hips again, turning away to give her brother a playful glare from over her shoulder, but Ryan was too busy staring at me to even notice.

  “Now that... I have never seen you do before!”

  Ryan scowled and turned back to Annabelle. “Quit it!”

  She threw her head back and let out a light, girly laugh.

  “You must have used some incredible bait to catch this fish, Evangeline. He’s never bothered introducing me to any of his women before and I have never seen him blush this much in my life!”