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Siri

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While I wait, I think about last night.As soon as we were back in our room, Aurei received a text from Mia with pictures of the two of us posted on social media.

As we scanned the candid shots of us grinding and dancing, coming back to the hotel, entering hand in hand looking like a couple in love, then kissing as we waited for the elevator, I told him, slipping off my shoes."I think the coverage and pics are tasteful."

He translated the captions, laughing, "The first woman Maximus Moore of the Liotine Oil Dynasty appears in public with is a STRIPPER.Has Maximus Moore, American Heir to the Liotine Dynasty, turned irresponsible Playboy?"

He looked up at me and grinned."Aka lost his mind?"

He looked back at his phone."Will his bad choice of bad women," he looked up and winked, "bad woman," he corrected the plural to singular.Then added, "Bad to the bone, Baby."

I laughed out loud, and he continued reading the headline, "drive a wedge in the otherwise conservative family?"He rolled his eyes.

"Will his party habits reveal a secret drug and alcohol problem?"He shook his head."These Fuckers will just make up shit."

But his whole demeanor changed when he read Mia's text.I stopped undressing and asked, "What's wrong?"

He didn't answer me.He called her.She shouted at him, and someone else, whom I assumed was poor, sweet Angelo, in Italian.

Pressing his phone to his ear with his shoulder, he went into the closet, grabbed a couple of suitcases, and began to pack.When he hung up, he shoved it into his pants pocket.His jaw set, his eyes scowled, and his thunder threatened.

I asked, "What's wrong?Why are you packing?"

"Nothing is wrong.We are leaving immediately to avoid the media frenzy in the morning."He tossed me a t-shirt, along with a pair of jeans, and walked out with my converse tennis shoes in his hand.

I quickly but carefully removed my beautiful toga dress and asked, "Why is Mia angry?"

"She's upset she's out of the loop."

"What loop?"

He paused but didn't answer.Then went back into the closet and began sliding hangers looking for something.

"What loop?"I asked again because he was distracted.

"Yourloop."

"Myloop?"I asked, confused."Why didn't you tell her about me?"

My voice made him stop and come back.We stared, eyeing each other.I searched for the hated word as the reason he kept me hidden from her.

But his honest green gaze pierced and pinned me down."Need to know."

Then he looked away, distracted again.I thought about what he meant when he searched a shelf for something.Surmising he meant nothing more, no hidden alternative reason, accepting he communicates concisely, I put my hands on my hips, "Aurelius!"

He reached for an item, and then he tossed it to me."See if you can stuff all your hair up in this."

I tossed the ball cap on the bed next to the clothes.He came walking out with his brown leather bomber jacket and stopped when he saw I wasn't dressed."Get dressed.We don't have time to fuck.I want to hit the road right away."

I took the jacket but laid it on the bed.As he went back into the closet, I waited.When he returned, he had similar attire in his hands.

"What?"He asked as he got dressed, watching me watch him with my arms crossed under my tits and my eyebrows raised.Assuming he was rude and I'm pouting like some other woman he's had to deal with, he adds, "Please, get dressed?"