“Yeah, we need to fix that,” I say at one point.
“You think?” Vincent shoots back, then brings Alex up to speed with the details of what transpired prior to his arrival.
Alex curses under his breath. “Dammit, Max is right. We need to fix this. And we need to reassess our host list for next year.”
“Easier said than done,” Vincent grumbles and crosses his arms. “I hate to say it, but Deanna is our most requested host. We’ve got a Brunei sultan offering three times her already-insane submissive fee for next winter, among many others.”
“Then you need to have another talk with her,” I tell him.
10
RAINA
The dinner service is over, and my kitchen is spotless.
Despite his ongoing fling with Deanna and despite his still-snotty attitude, Matty has proven himself to be a trustworthy sous chef, so I let him finish what’s left of the prep work for tomorrow while I head upstairs to my room. Alex, Max, and Vincent will want to take me to the playroom, but for the first time, I’m having second thoughts.
“Raina,” Alex calls, startling me as I walk down the stairs. “Are you okay?”
Slowly, I turn around to face him. Max and Vincent are with him, the three of them looking way too good in their dinner jackets.
“I’m okay,” I reply.
“Don’t lie to us. You’re not okay,” Alex replies and comes closer, stirring my heart into a frenzy.
“Does it have anything to do with what happened in thelounge room earlier?” Max asks, a deep shadow drawn between his brows.
“No.”
“What did I just say?” Alex takes another step forward and closes the distance between us. The closeness becomes unbearable.
“Fine, I’m not okay!” I snap. “And yes, it has everything to do with what happened earlier, with Deanna grinding in your damn lap!”
Max replies, “I assure you there’s nothing going on between us.”
I can’t help but scoff. “Why should I care, right? I mean, our contract ends tomorrow night, anyway. It’s not really my business.”
And that is the core issue. I think we all know it. Alex caresses my cheek, his gaze softening as it searches my face.
“You’re ours until tomorrow night, and we’re yours, Raina. Nobody else’s,” he says. “I do apologize if it didn’t seem that way earlier. Deanna has a way of?—”
“Getting on my nerves? Oh, yes, she’s an expert,” I reply.
Vincent sighs deeply. “You don’t need to?—”
The doorbell rings and the guys glance at each other, frowning
“I take it you’re not expecting anyone?” I ask.
“We’re not, otherwise, we’d have a concierge present,” Alex says, his brow furrowed.
I open the door to put some distance between myself and the guys, but I quickly regret the decision as Jeremy greets me with a broad, luminous smile.
“Hey, gorgeous!”
“What in God’s green earth are you doing here?” I croak, my blood running hot and cold at the same time.
He holds up a bouquet of roses for me. “I brought you these.”
