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Dorian
Briana chose notto stay with me, and at this point, I'd come to expect it. I couldn't tell whether she just didn't want to, or if there was something else holding her back, but either way, I didn't press it. I'd never bully her the way I saw her bastard ex do.
I tossed and turned in bed, blood boiling as I thought about that asshole. Why did he seem to think he had such a claim on her that he could confront me like that? Was it just part of his personality? I shuddered to think how he treated her when there wasn't anybody else around. I'd never met someone I wanted to throttle quite so violently.
I was still imagining all the ways I wanted to beat the shit out of him when I finally fell asleep. My dreams were much more pleasant, replaying the firework display on a loop that left me waking up with morning wood so hard it hurt.
I didn't see Briana at all that morning. I knew she was due into work later in the afternoon, so I didn't think too much of it. Instead, I wiled away the hours with gambling and a couple drinks, preferring to stay close to the hotel rather than heading out to enjoy some of Vegas' other pleasures. I didn't want to miss seeing her.
I was all too aware that I was acting like a love-struck teenager, and I didn't really like it. But what could I do? Whether I was down at the craps table or across the city, I'd be waiting for her text. It was better to do so here.
I was halfway through a game of poker when I saw her. She was just walking through the casino, doing the rounds that I often saw her doing. I didn’t want to take her from her other duties, and I still had my hand to play, so I didn’t catch her attention as she walked by. I'd find her later.
When I was finished with my game a half hour later, I got up to go find her. I tried to make my stroll around the casino look as leisurely as possible. The last thing I needed was to be known as that guy who chased after the pretty hostess. So when I turned the corner to the slot machines and saw her talking to someone, I held back.
Then I saw who she was talking to.
Kendall. My blood churned and boiled as I watched him flirting with her. His hands were thrust casually in the pockets of his slacks, eyes wrinkled with laughter as he leaned in ever closer to whisper something in her ear. Then she laughed too, and even though she took a little step back, she was being friendly enough with him for it to sting.
What was he doing here? More importantly, what the hell was he doing with her?
After a minute or so more, Briana took her leave, waving a brief goodbye to him before she headed in my direction. I was off to the side, and she didn’t see me right away. I waited until Kendall was nowhere to be seen before I stepped into her path.
Her eyes widened with recognition. Behind the recognition, I saw a trace of something else. Fear. Guilt.
Each one went through me like a knife.
“Dorian! What are you doing here?”
“I’m staying here. I’m more interested to know what the fuck my cousin is doing here, and why you two look so friendly?”
Her mouth gaped open. “I-I don’t actually know why he’s here. He didn’t say.”
“Oh really?” I stepped toward her, looming above her.
The claws of jealousy had sunk into me and weren’t letting go anytime soon. Even though I recognized stress on her features. Even though I knew I was just adding to it. Even though the words that came next were cruel.
“It looked like you two were getting pretty friendly, so is it just that you don’t spend much time talking? Are you too busy providing him with the same kinds of ‘perks’ you give me?”
Briana went white. Her mouth opened and closed, but she said nothing in her defense. Nothing to tell me that I was an ass. Her silence was more condemning than any excuse she could have offered. And then, without so much as a word, she turned and walked away, posture stiff, hands clenched, leaving my vicious words hanging in the air between us.
