Chase nods toward the VIP area. “Come back into the room.”
The elevator opens again, and a few people get off. I step inside. “I got to go.”
Chase rides down with me. “Xander, leave her alone tonight. Let her cool off.”
Angrily, I glare at him. “Charlotte isn’t just a girl to me, Chase. I love her.”
“Okay. Still, let her be tonight.”
“Advice coming from the king of players himself. Sure, Chase,” I tell him.
He snarls, “What the fuck does that mean?”
“Nothing,” I mutter.
“No. You said it, so explain yourself.”
I sneer. “Okay. Fine. What the hell is up with you and Vivian? Are you playing her like you play all your other girls?”
Chase steps closer to me. “What’s going on between Vivian and me is none of your concern. But, for your information, no, I’m not playing her. I like her. And I don’t play girls. They all know the arrangement.”
I take a deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s not my business.”
He pauses for a minute. “Nothing good will come of you going after Charlotte tonight. I’ll talk to Vivian. Come back upstairs with me.”
I shake my head. “No. I’m done with this place for the night.”
The elevator opens, and we step out.
“Okay, then, let me come with you. We’ll go grab a beeror something.”
“Thanks, but I need to be alone.”
Chase sighs. “Don’t you think you’ve been alone enough this year?”
I scoff. “Apparently not.”
22
Charlotte
Not only didhe kiss another woman, he kissedher.
My gut flips so fast I think I’m going to get sick.
We’re in the cab, on the way to my place, and tears are streaming down my face. Images of Xander holding her in his arms, bent over, with her hands on his head, and passionately kissing him play like a broken record in my head.
And she’s beautiful. There isn’t a thing I could say about how she looks to try to make me feel better. She’s flawless from her head to her toes.
They looked like they belonged together. She fit in his arms perfectly.
My gut flips so bad I roll down the window, scared I might get sick.
“Char, you okay?” Vivian softly asks.
I shake my head and more tears fall. Vivian pulls my head onto her shoulder, and we say nothing more until we pull up to my building.
When we get into my apartment, I throw on pajamas and come back out to the living room.
