Lily was poison, just as I’d feared she would be. I’d woken up in my bed to find her gone, no sign of her anywhere except for the lingering scent of her hair on my pillow. I’d felt like a fool chasing a ghost around my house at 4:30 AM. She could have at least had the decency to leave me a note, but instead she disappeared, ignored my calls, and shot me a one-word text: “Home.”
When I first spotted her at the airport, I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. Lily in a sundress, tan and glowing, was a sight that didn’t belong on a business trip. Whereas I felt like shit from my lack of sleep, Lily was radiant. Her blonde hair was twisted up in a bun, revealing the slender slope of her neck and collar bone.
Had she not snuck out of my house in the middle of the night, maybe I would have given her a warmer welcome, but I was pissed. My patience with her was shot and it was only the first day of our Vegas convention.
I worked through the entire plane ride, doing my best to block out her and Zoe’s laughter. Eventually, the flight attendant brought me a pair of headphones with a little wink. She probably wouldn’t have left my house at four in the morning, I thought as I took them from her and blocked out the sound of Lily.
By the time we arrived at the Bellagio, I was exhausted.
“Oh, VIP check-in? Very fancy,” Zoe quipped as I lead the group past the front of the lobby. The Bellagio was packed with people waiting to start their Vegas vacation. Sweaty tourists in Hawaiian shirts fidgeted on their feet, anxious and impatient.
“I rented one of their private villas for a few days. It was the only thing available.”
Everyone nodded, seemingly impressed. “Unfortunately, it’s a three bedroom.”
Julian arched a brow. “I could have made arrangements at a different hotel.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “No. You have to stay with us.”
I knew she was nervous. This was her first big work trip and she thought Julian was her only ally. I could have been her ally had she not left at 4 AM.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said to Julian. “You can have your own room. I’ll bunk with Hunter and the girls can take the last room.”
Zoe coughed. “No can do. I snore. Like really bad.”
Lily laughed. “Is there a couch? I’ll just sleep on that.”
I nodded and spun around before Lily could see my shocked face. Most women I’d dated would have cut my balls off if I’d suggested that they sleep on a couch.
“Do I have time to change before our meeting?” Lily asked, sidling up beside me at the check-in counter. This was supposed to be VIP, but there was no one manning the desk. I pushed the bell two more times and finally slid my gaze to Lily.
“Actually, I won’t be needing you at the meeting any more.”
Her face fell. “What do you mean?”
“The meeting with Antonio Acosta is tomorrow. That’s what I want you to focus on. The meeting today is just with a graphic designer I may hire.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip and then her eyes shot up to me with excitement. “I could still go with you. I’d like to see what kind of graphics—”
I cut her off with a sharp shake of my head. “No need.”
Finally, a skinny kid in a suit two sizes too big for him pushed open the door from behind reception. He looked flustered and the sweat coating his brow warned me not to berate him for making us wait.
“Hello, I’m sorry. I was helping another guest with a, er, bathtub situation.”
He faltered at the end of his sentence and Zoe started laughing. Clearly some kinky shit was going down in the rooms of the Bellagio.
The kid’s face went beet red and he started typing away on his computer. “What name is the reservation under?”
“Dean Harper.”
The entire time he checked us in, I tried to ignore Lily’s presence beside me. She seemed hurt that I didn’t want her at the meeting any more, but that didn’t make sense. She was the one who’d wanted to leave my house before the crack of dawn. She couldn’t get away from me fast enough. I stared down at her hands, clasped in front of her dress. She was picking at her nail, focusing all of her attention on that one cuticle. Those hands had been around my neck, gripping onto me for dear life just a few hours earlier.
“Lily,” I said hesitantly, unsure of where my sentence would lead.
Her gaze shifted to me and she offered up a fake, flat smile. “Have fun at your meeting. Zoe talked about hitting the pool, so I guess I’ll join her.”
“Woohoo! Let’s go now, Lil. This is dullsville.”
Lily turned back to her and laughed. “I guess the guys can take our bags to the villa.”
Julian nodded. “Go ahead. I got your stuff.”
She thanked him and bent down to retrieve her bikini from her suitcase. It was a little white string thing and suddenly I wasn’t sure I wanted her to go to the pool.