I start to go dizzy, a stupid smile appearing on my face. “Definitely not.”
I hear his exasperated breath. “Scarlett, you’resick.Your entire face just went pale.”
“Not possible,” I mumble.
And then I can’t say anything else. Because I’m rushing for the trash can in the reception and dispelling stomach contents that don’t exist.
Miraculously, Nico manages to get me upstairs between bouts of heaving. I take the tiny bin with me—not that much is coming out. Since I didn’t eat today, the only thing my stomach can get rid of is bile.
“Fuck, Scarlett,” I hear him curse as he carries me into his condo. With my arms latched tight around his neck, he’s carrying me with only one arm, the other hand holding the trash bin.
I whimper into his neck. “I’m so sorry.”I hate this. I hate letting him down.
“What? No, that’s not what I—” I feel his steps hurry. I have no idea where we’re going until he sets me down on the softest bed I’ve ever laid on. His hand brushes my hair out of my face. “I just hate seeing you in pain, baby,” he says softly.
“I’m okay,” I try to say. But it’s undercut by my desperate reach for the trash bin.
His gentle hands hold my hair back as I retch into it. When I stop heaving, I can’t handle the shame at him seeing me like this. All I can do is let out another pathetic whimper as I fall back into his bed.
But my heart squeezes when I see how concerned he looks.
“It’s probably the stomach bug,” he says, continuing to brush his hand over my hair. It feels like he’s looking for the contact. “Iknow you can’t eat anything right now, but I think you should try to drink some Pedialyte so you don’t get dehydrated.”
I frown, my brain fuzzy. “Pedialyte? Do you have a baby? Why wouldn’t you tell me that?”
I can make out his amused tone. “I do not have a baby. But fighters drink Pedialyte to rehydrate all the time. Didn’t you ever use it for hangovers after a night of drinking?”
“I’ve never been drunk,” I slur, my eyes sliding shut. “A lady never drinks to excess.”
I might doze off for a second during his silence, but then another wave of whatever this is hits me, and I curl over the edge of the bed to vomit again.
I groan as I fall back into bed again. “Ugh, this is so not sexy. Why are you still here? Just send me to a hotel. You don’t need to see this.”
“Fuck that,” he growls. “I’m not sending you anywhere. I’m going to take care of you.”
At that, some of the haze clears, brought on by confusion-fueled anger. I force myself to a half-upright position on my elbows.
“You don’t makesense,” I spit at him with a glare. “Why on earth would you want to deal with this? Look at me, I’m disgusting. I can donothingfor you in this state. Not even the conversation youclaimto love.” I scoff. “Even if you’re not paying tonight, it doesn’t make sense why you wouldn’t just reschedule and ship me off.”
For the first time since I met him, there’s a flash of frustration in his eyes. I watch as he leans over to open the drawer in his nightstand beside me, revealing a giant wad of cash.
“Here,” he grits out, splitting half of it off and pressing it into my hand. “I told you I’m paying foryou, in every sense of the word.”
I just stare at the cash.
“Matter of fact, here.” He smacks the rest of it on top of what’s in my hand. “I’ll pay you double what we discussed. I’ll pay you anything you want. Whatever it takes to get it through your head that I don’t want you as anescort, I want you as agirlfriend.”
My eyes widen.
And then I keel over again.
I hear Nico sigh as he brushes a hand over my hair. “I’m not going to take that personally.”
When I fall back this time, I’m trembling with exhaustion. I have no idea how long I’ve been here, or how long I’ve been throwing up. My head is pounding and I’m both shivering and sweating.
“Goddamnit, Red…” My eyes close as he pulls the blanket over me. “I’m going to get that Pedialyte.”
I think I doze off because it feels like no time at all has passed when I feel a straw pressed against my lips. I try to take a sip. I’ve never felt this weak before.
