“No,” I tell her. Even though the sign-on bonus really was a swaying factor.
“So you don’t hate it? Your boss isn’t an asshole?” she asks.
“Oh, he’s an asshole,” I tell her while pinning the veil into her hair, and she laughs. “But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Well, you look cute as hell,” she says, while her eyes run down the pink dress I am wearing. It’s from my work wardrobe, and I’m surprised he picked it. If Damien isn’t a fan of red, I really can’t picture him liking pink. But I like it, and right now, that’s all that matters to me.
“Thanks. See? My job has its perks.”
“Then why is there hesitation in your voice?” she asks.
I think about it for a moment. I wish so badly that I could tell her everything. That I could confide in her about why I reallytook the job (my electricity was shut off, and I had no choice) and tell her all about the overtime. I also wish I could tell her about my ever-contradictory feelings about Damien. How one minute he makes me furious and the next, I find myself drawn to him.
But I can’t.
So I lie.
“I guess it’s because I miss my old job. I miss working in event planning and having a say in decor and advertising. Being a personal assistant at the level I am at is great, and the pay is phenomenal. But it’s not the same. I’d like more actual responsibility, you know?” I ask.
Rachel smiles at me, the way she always has. “I do. And you know what? You’ll get there. You’re amazing at what you do, and your boss is going to see that. You have too much potential for him to ignore, no matter how much of a dick he is.”
Her words make me laugh, and she does too. Then we hug, and we both hang on for a moment. My eyes tear up again, and it’s because I’ve missed this. I miss her.
“Alright,” she says, pulling away. “No more crying. My mascara can only handle so much.”
“Right,” I nod. “Are you ready to say yes to the dress?”
“I’m ready to say yes to everything,” she says.
I follow my sister out of the fitting room, carrying her train behind her. And while I am completely elated for her, I can’t help but be a little jealous of her and all that her future holds.
Chapter 23
Damien
“We’ve been fucked in the ass again.”
Diego tosses a brochure for another hotel on my desk, and I recognize it immediately. It’s Decker’s place, but I still ask the obvious question. “What the hell is this?”
He picks it up again and opens it, then sets it back down. “Check out the hotel room corners.”
“They have floor to ceiling windows, no seam. So what? A lot of strip hotels have that feature.”
“Look closer,” he says. I shake my head, giving him an impatient look.
“In floor jetted tubs?” I ask the obvious.
“Look at the brand, Graves,” he says, and just as the words leave his mouth, I see it.
“Fuck,” I let out.
“I thought we had Sauna Spring locked down,” Diego says. “We signed with the company to ensure that we are the only hotel in the city that can use their tubs in our suites. How the fuck do you think he got away with that?” he asks.
“Fucking beats me, but you better start making phone calls right fucking now,” I tell him.
“Oh, I was planning on it. I just wanted to show you first. I swear, Decker is getting slimier and slimier.”
“I’m done with it,” I tell him. “I don’t know where he gets off, but it’s not going to happen again, I can tell you that much.”
