When they got to the hotel, Taryn led them to what she said was Jupiter, the largest bar and restaurant in the hotel. Cassie thought she’d done enough fawning over Bernice’s design choices, but the sheer abundance of travertine marble in this bar started her off again. It was clear that particular marble had been chosen because of its remarkable resemblance to how the surface of the planet looked from space. Complementing the marble was an effusion of lava-like moving walls, churning cyclones of fire. All the tables had the same effect. The result was hypnotic. “This has to be my favorite bar in the world.”
Taryn nodded and handed her a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter. “It’s stunning, isn’t it?”
Cassie followed Taryn around the space and was introduced to every member of Taryn’s stunt team from the riders to the engineer to the MC. She didn’t have a chance in hell of remembering any of their names, but she listened to their many stories of Taryn’s death-defying escapades, even though they made her stomach churn.
“Are you okay?” Taryn whispered. “You look a little pale.”
“Can we sit for a while?” She pointed to her five-inch heels. “These look amazing, but they’re not the most comfortable things to stand on for any length of time.”
“Of course.” Taryn tucked Cassie’s hand in the crook of her elbow and guided her toward an empty circular table. “You should’ve said something earlier. I’ve been oblivious to your pain, showing you off—sorry—introducing you to my friends.”
“Though it pains me to admit it, I did like that.” She shook her head. “You bring out all kinds of strange, archaic reactions in me.”
Taryn helped Cassie lower herself onto the insanely comfortable seating and sat beside her. “You can’t be telling me that your previous, uh, lovers haven’t wanted to brag about you to their whole world.”
Cassie shrugged lightly. “I told you, I haven’t had any serious relationships, so I guess I’ve never given anyone the chance to show me off or brag about me.” She pushed her champagne flute in a circle, following one of the cyclone shapes on the table. “And even if I had been with anyone long enough, I’m not sure they would’ve wanted to do that anyway.”
“Are you kidding me?” Taryn asked. “When you’re about to put on your makeup, do you not look in the mirror and see how beautiful you are?”
Cassie gave a small smile and traced gentle patterns on the back of Taryn’s hand. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I don’t behold any beauty when I see my reflection, no.”
Taryn frowned. “It certainly didn’t come across that way when I first met you. You seemed like the epitome of self-confidence; you were the queen of the club, and you could’ve had any woman you wanted in there.”
Cassie leaned close to Taryn and kissed her. “That’s not true, but I did somehow manage togetthe woman I wanted, despite Erin’s best attempts.” She eased back, grinning, and wiggled her eyebrows.
“Erin?” Taryn asked before recognition crossed her expression. “Ah, the vampire you rescued me from.”
Cassie nodded. “You’ve got to remember that I’ve always been too caught up with my career to have relationships longer than a few hours, and even those are only monthly, if I’m lucky. Attracting women takes effort and confidence, and I can usually fake it long enough to have those needs satisfied.” She turned Taryn’s hand over and ran her fingers over her calluses. “I don’t really let people get to know me, and the real me isn’t that super confident person.”
“What about your work colleagues?”
“I don’t sleep with them, so I just have to be good at my job, and thatisone area in my life where I am confident. But I don’t have to be sexually and physically self-assured. And apart from Rachel, I don’t think they really know me either.” She cocked her head slightly. “If I’m brutally honest, Rachel doesn’t know me as well as she thinks she does, but she is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a best friend. Which is sad but unfortunately true.”
“Mm.” Taryn took off her jacket, rolled up her sleeves, and laid her forearm on the table in front of Cassie. She grinned. “In case you want to keep on using me as a fidget toy.”
Cassie laughed and dragged her nails lightly along Taryn’s skin.
Taryn withdrew her arm faster than lightning. “Oh, no way. You can’t do that to me and expect menotto pull you out of this party right now and take you up to our room.”
Cassie pouted. “Fine. No nails.”
Taryn gave her a sidelong glance and narrowed her eyes. “Just fingertips?”
Cassie held out her little finger. “Pinky promise.”
Taryn hooked her finger into Cassie’s then placed her arm back in position. “No nails.”
“Youwantthe nails.”
Taryn wrinkled her nose. “Of course I want the nails. But I have to stay here for another couple of hours, or that would be rude to our lovely host.”
Cassie reluctantly began to use her fingers to follow the lines of Taryn’s veins. “Speaking of Bernice, how are things going with her and Andi?”
Taryn bounced a little in her chair. “I’m glad you asked, and I’ve got great news, but first I want to get to the bottom of your unwarranted lack of self-confidence. You’re a top ER doctor, you’re smoking hot, and you’ve got a wicked sense of humor and stunning intellect. You’re the whole package. If I had to pop-psychologize you, I’d say that your mom managed to undermine it somehow.”
Cassie used her other hand to empty her champagne, and Taryn immediately gestured to a passing waitress for a refill. When the waitress had gone, Cassie arched her eyebrow at Taryn. “Are you sure you want a serious conversation on a night like this? Everyone is here to celebrate you and your rider buddies; the roadblock you’re attempting to plow through isn’t conducive to raucous revelry.”
Taryn laughed. “I do love the way you speak, and yes, I’m happy to have this conversation. I’m enjoying being allowed to get to know the real you.”
