Page 11 of Tell Me You Want Me

“Um, no, we have to get Jett on the line first,” Seraphina says, already dialing Jett and waiting for her to answer the video call.

“TEA!” Jett answers on the second ring.

“Yes, spill, right this instance.” Gennie walks in last, shutting the door behind her, her wide eyes taking in the spread, the wine, and my lack of professional composure. We pile into the living room after pouring drinks and grabbing snacks. I’m not hungry, but the crisp Riesling with a few grapes dropped into the glass is calling my name. I settle cross-legged in my beloved velvet armchair, clutching my glass, while the girls crowd onto the sofa and floor around the coffee table.

“Okay,” I begin, taking a massive gulp of wine. “As you know, I went to Vegas in place of Vik for a conference and a side of negotiations.”

“Right, thanks by the way,” Romy says, nodding slowly. “You secured the real estate contract. Vik has been singing your praises all morning.”

“Yeah, well, before that was secured, I secured a husband, too,” I blurt out. Gennie nearly chokes on a grape and Cory drops her cracker.

“You what?!” Mischa shrieks.

“It started at the hotel lounge,” I explain, my face burning as I plunge into the story. “I was drinking champagne—swearing to never let that touch my lips again, by the way. And then Dante was just, I don’t know, there. Brooding, broad, and looking sinful as hell in a suit. He pulled some kind of move, cleared the bartender out of the way, who was flirting with me, and suddenly, we were drinking together.”

“Dante Lombardi?” Romy asks, though I don’t know why she’s bothering; the girl put two and two together the minute she walked in the door. Which means Vik has a big mouth or Dante made good on his threat.

“Yes, Vik’s friend,” I groan, pressing my hand to my warm cheek. “One thing led to another, the champagne kept flowing, and he looked at me and said something ridiculous about how I didn’t belong to something or other, I belonged to him. And then we walked past a chapel.”

“No,” Seraphina gasps.

“Tell me you didn’t,” Jett says with a wicked grin spreading across her face on the screen.

“We did,” I confess, holding up my left hand. “He bought this ring, dragged me to a minister, and married me. I woke up the next morning naked, in my bed at the hotel with a set of rings on my finger and zero memory of half the night.”

“Oh, Alex,” Gennie breathes, fanning herself lightly with a napkin. “That is… wild.”

“It gets worse,” I continue, taking another sip of wine. “I panicked after reading the possessive note he left me, packed my bags, snuck out of the hotel, and flew back home. I blocked his number and tried to pretend it never happened. I even hid the rings in my pocket at work today.”

“And?” Mischa prompts, leaning forward on her elbows. “I sense more plot holes that you’re not telling.”

“That’s because he’s an insane, overbearing, relentless pain in my ass!” I throw a hand in the air. “I’m also a glutton for punishment. I hightailed it to his penthouse, demanded an annulment. That didn’t happen, seeing as how he kissed me senseless and carried me into his bedroom.”

“Wait,” Romy chimes in, a sly smirk playing on her lips. “He carried you into the bedroom and then what?”

I can feel my entire face flush crimson. I look down into my wine glass, biting my bottom lip. “Well, I tried to argue. But I do have to mention, the sex is hotter than hot. Like, mind-melting, forget-your-name-and-lose-control hot.” The room erupts into a chorus of cheers, laughs, and scandalized gasps.

“I knew it!” Mischa claps her hands. “Look at him. The man looks like he was built in a lab specifically to ruin women.”

“So you went back for seconds,” Jett teases, raising a can of soda in a toast.

“I didn’t have a choice,” I protest. The memory of his hands, mouth, and weight pressing me into the mattress makes my core pulse all over again. “And then this morning, I snuck out again. I went to work, started researching about Plan B because we didn’t use protection.”

“Alex!” Gennie gasps.

“And he showed up on my floor,” I practically yell. “He dragged me into a closet after he caught me looking up birthcontrol, lost his mind, told me there was ‘no fucking way’I’d be taking it, and then realized his rings weren’t on my finger.”

“He did this all outside of Vik’s office, and you let him?” Romy is laughing so hard she’s wiping tears from her eyes.

“Yes, and then he marched me out after putting the rings back on my finger, sauntered into Vik’s office, summoned the guys, and told me I needed to tell you guys before he did.” I fall back into my chair, blowing out a puff of breath and closing my eyes.

“That is the hottest thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” Gennie declares, grabbing a slice of prosciutto. She leans back against the couch cushions as she looks at me, taking a slow sip of her wine. A dreamy, thoroughly amused smile spreads across her face. “This is kind of romantic in a morally gray, possessive way.”

“Gennie!” I groan, tossing a pillow in her direction. “He’s an overbearing asshole.”

“He’s obsessed with you, Alex,” Mischa corrects, her tone turning warm. “The man isn’t willing to let you go, cornering you at work, inviting his best friends to brag about it, and making you keep your rings on. I mean, come on.”

“He said we’re tied together,” I murmur, staring down at the sparking diamond on my hand. “Annulment or not.”