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And just like that, I was surfing.
Or at least I was until I completely lost my footing and went tumbling into the surf.
The water swallowed me up, currents pushing me down...down... I kicked toward the surface. Or was it the bottom? Being under water, it was incredibly difficult to figure out which way was up. Where was I?
A bright flare of panic went through me, mingling with the disorientation until I could feel it taking over. I knew if it did, I'd be lost...
A strong hand wrapped around my arm and tugged me. Dorian. Even though I couldn't see him, I knew it was him, and the knowledge pushed away the fear.
We surfaced, and I inhaled, then coughed up the little bit of water that I'd inhaled in my panic. One arm held me around my waist while his other hand pushed the hair back from my face. The gesture warmed, me and I forgot why I'd been scared at all.
I started to laugh, the sound rough from the salt water. “I can't believe I just wiped out like that on the smallest wave the world has ever seen.”
His handsome face, first pinched with worry, shifted into a relieved smile. The arm around my waist tightened, telling me how scared he'd been. I ran my hands through his hair, my fingers lingering on his cheek a moment longer than necessary.
“I'm going to have to keep my eye on you, aren't I?” His gaze was warm.
“Apparently.” I shook my head, not wanting the mood to get too serious. “Who knew surfing was so hard?”
He laughed again, reluctantly releasing me so I could use my ankle leash to pull over my board. Once I had mine, he got his, then we both headed to shore. I'd had enough of surfing for now. Maybe I'd try it another time. Maybe I wouldn't. But I'd never forget today, though not because of my new experience. I'd remember it because, even if I'd eventually been able to figure it out on my own, Dorian had saved me. He'd pulled me to the surface before I could drown, and that was something I'd never had before.
I was more used to the men in my life being the ones to hold me under.
* * *
After a delightful Mondayand most of Tuesday spent doing the sorts of touristy things that Dorian never would have indulged in if he'd been alone, Tuesday evening promised another unique experience. A double date with Enzo and his wife, Elina. I'd seen her around and made polite small talk, but I hadn't really gotten a chance to know her. She seemed nice enough, but I'd been around enough women to know that sometimes the ones who put up the sweetest expressions were the fiercest underneath.
Things started off well, with me discovering that Elina was just as quiet and kind as she seemed. I had to coax answers from her at first, but once she relaxed a bit, the conversation between us flowed easily, giving Enzo and Dorian a chance to figure out whatever was going on between the two of them.
The more I talked to her, the worse I felt about how much Enzo had flirted with me, and even though I never reciprocated in any way other than the sort of harmless teasing I would've done with just about anyone, I felt guilty. After all, I knew that the brothers had prostitutes with them in Vegas. And Enzo had shown up outside my door when we first arrived here. I wanted to reassure her that I had no intention of doing anything with her husband, but I didn't know how to do that without alerting her to what had been going on in the first place.
My initial indifference toward Enzo in any way that wasn't work related morphed into a dislike that only grew throughout the evening. I didn't understand how any man could treat someone like Elina with the blatant disregard Enzo showed. By the end of the meal, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to accommodate any requests he made during return trips to Vegas since I'd always be thinking about his lovely wife sitting at home alone while he enjoyed himself with hookers and alcohol.
I was almost relieved when several of the cousins showed up and took the table next to us. Even Charisma and Kenny were a welcome distraction to the new problem I'd discovered about the position I wanted.
I wasn't an idiot. I knew married men picked up prostitutes as much as unmarried ones, especially in Vegas, and I knew that if I was moved into this job permanently, I'd almost certainly be contacting some of the escort services on behalf of hotel patrons. I'd seen plenty of men with rings playing craps with a woman on their lap and had never really given their wives much thought.
But this wife had a face now. And I liked her.
I put those thoughts firmly in the box labeled To Think About Back Home and drained my champagne. There was no point in getting worked up if I didn't know for certain that I had the job.
I said goodnight to Elina as she left, then pasted on a half-honest smile and turned to the conversation the others were having. Fortunately, Kenny and Charisma seemed determined to monopolize it, even for just a while, and I didn't have to do much of anything but smile and nod. After a while, however, my jaw began to ache, and I'd reached the limits of my boredom.
“I'll be back,” I said quietly as I got to my feet. Dorian nodded to show he'd heard me but didn't say anything.
I was halfway to the restroom when I remembered that I needed to call Mikala to tell her goodnight. The problem with jet lag was, when it was over, you completely forgot that everyone else wasn't in the same time zone as you. I didn't really need to use the restroom for anything more than an excuse for a few minutes of quiet, so I decided that my time was better spent talking to my daughter, so I headed back to the table to grab my phone.
In the short time I'd been gone, Enzo and Dorian had apparently moved from talking to their cousins to having a hushed discussion that looked more than a little heated. My instincts told me to go back to my original plan, but my curiosity was stronger. I slipped around one of the partitions so I could approach from the side without being seen.
As soon as I was close enough to hear what the brothers were saying, I wished I hadn't.
“Yeah? And how do you think she'd feel about you if she knew that besides just getting her to Hawaii, getting her on her back was also part of the bet?” Enzo sneered.
Dorian's voice was hushed but full of venom. “How do you think you would feel if I broke your nose?”
I froze, my stomach churning. Surely they weren't talking about me. They couldn't be. Even if Dorian didn't feel anything but physical attraction for me, he wouldn't have done something like that.
“Wouldn't matter,” Enzo slurred, clearly two sheets to the wind. “It's not like pretty princess Briana is going to sleep with me anyway. So I guess that means you win.”
