Page 20 of Wife By Accident

The elevator doors opened with a ding, and Olivia and Leo stepped into the hallway. Olivia led the way to her room and swiped for them both to enter. As soon as she was inside, she began gathering her things into her small suitcase. There was no time to waste.

“Can I help?” Leo asked.

“It’s fine, I don’t have much.” Olivia stepped into the bathroom to grab her toiletries, and when she reemerged, she saw Leo sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at his phone. She took advantage of his distraction to look him up and down.

He still wore his slacks and now-rumpled button-up from the day before. His sandy-blond hair was smooth again, not messy as it had been when they’d woken up. He had handsome features and a strong jawline, and there were smile lines around his eyes. He was clearly wealthy, confident, and ready to take what he wanted. And she knew, even without knowing much about him, that he must almost always get what he wanted.

He wasn’t the kind of guy Olivia would have imagined herself ending up with, but something had drawn her to him last night at the roulette table. And something even stronger must have drawn her to him later on, when she’d married him. Olivia wasn’t entirely sure what that had been, but she was very curious.

Part of her had wanted to say yes to his offer of taking her back to New York. But the part of Olivia that had worked hard for the little she had, all her life, refused to be a burden or a charity case. And she hardly knew this man, so agreeing to stay in his penthouse would probably have been a mistake. Still… there was something about him. She wondered whether, if the two of them had lived in the same city, gone on normal dates, and gotten to know each other, they might have ended up a real couple.

Then again, they clearly traveled in different circles and would probably never have met.

“You said you need to apply for jobs,” Leo said, not looking up from his phone. “What do you do?”

“I just quit my current — or last — job at a camera equipment company. I was a saleswoman.” Olivia spotted a pair of jeans and a T-shirt in her suitcase. “Just a second; I’m going to change.”

She washed her face, pulled on her new clothes, and finger-combed her hair. When she emerged from the bathroom, she felt a little more like herself and a little less like the kind of person who married a stranger while drunk in Vegas. Her head still ached, though, and she was still very married.

“I wouldn’t have imagined you as a saleswoman,” Leo said. He’d straightened up the room while she’d dressed, and now he held out his hand to take her suitcase.

“Should I be offended?”

“No. I just would have thought you’d do something a little more creative.”

“Thanks, I think. To be honest, being a saleswoman wasn’t my first choice,” Olivia admitted.

“What was?” Leo asked. Olivia shouldered her handbag, and they headed for the door.

“I love photography,” Olivia explained. “And it would be great to work in that, but jobs are few and far between, and I have bills to pay. You know how it is.”

Or did he know? Did a man who threw down five thousand dollars on a random number know anything about matters as mundane as paying the rent, shopping for groceries, or buying car insurance?

“Sure,” Leo said, as though he did know all about those things. They were in the elevator again, traveling down to street level, and he turned to look at her. “Maybe what you need is a little time to think over your next steps.”

“Are you trying to convince me to go with you to New York again?” Olivia asked, smiling despite herself. “That seems a little forward.”

“I would never dream of being forward, especially with my wife,” Leo winked. “If you don’t want to come, I’m not going to force you. But I believe it would be the right choice for both of us. You could take a few days to think about your next job and maybe work on photography again. We could both figure out how to end our marriage in the best way possible, without any lasting difficulties or hard feelings. If even a part of you sees the benefit in coming with me, I urge you to do so.”

“I…”

The elevator doors opened, saving Olivia from having to answer. They crossed the lobby and stepped onto the street. As if by magic, a red convertible pulled up in front of them. The driver hopped out and tossed the keys to Leo, who caught them with one swift motion.

“How…” Olivia asked.

“This is my valet. I messaged him while you were packing up and asked him to bring the car around to this hotel.” Leo smiled as he opened the passenger-side door for Olivia. “Please, get in.”

Olivia did so. The valet stowed her case in the trunk as Leo slid into the driver’s seat. They started down the busy road. The radio came on to a classic rock station, but Leo turned it off before the first song could really start. Outside, casinos and statues and giant billboards advertising beer and wedding jewelry rolled past. Olivia was pretty sure she was done with both of those things for now.

“Are you still taking me to the airport?” Olivia asked.

“Of course. If you want to go back to Seattle, I’d never dream of stopping you. But is there anything I can say that would make you come to New York with me?”

Olivia glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “I just… why?”

“Why?”

“Why do you want me to come?”