Page 25 of Dirty Little Sins

"But I am?" I said as I whirled around to face her.

Her face crumpled. "No. No. That's not what I'm saying. You aren't any kind of problem. I know we haven't known each other long, but I thought we were becoming friends. Living in a hotel like this comes with certain challenges as does having feelings for a certain kind of man. I thought we kind of understood each other."

I swallowed thickly not entirely sure what she meant. Gabe seemed nothing like Vincent. Although he did give off an intense vibe.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean," I said cautiously. I was starting to sweat and my heart beat harder than it should from such a simple conversation. I nearly choked trying to hold back a laugh at that thought. Nothing that involved Vincent could ever be called simple. That was part of the reason I should have stayed away from him.

"Part of my job here is to know our guests. Vincent is a casino VIP here and when he needs a suite, he always requests the same one. I'm sure you might have noticed during the party the extra touches in there that make it different."

My focus faltered at the same time my body swayed from the onslaught of memories that slammed into me.

The shackles on my wrist.

The fear that Vincent wouldn't let me go.

And the exhilaration that accompanied that thought.

Fuck.

Was I crazy?

I had responsibilities and a reputation to protect. Getting too close to a man like him... I couldn't afford to let him or anyone else in like that. Dark corners were meant to be avoided for a reason. I had to stop thinking about him.

"Zia, are you okay?"

I vaguely heard Nina talking to me, but the words were distant. My chest constricted to the point it felt like my ribs were caving in. I dropped the spoon to clutch at my chest as the room began to spin around me.

"What the hell?" Nina's panicked voice barely penetrated as I staggered away from the stove.

I couldn't breathe.

Black spots crossed my vision and for a second I thought I would pass out.

“Dammit.” Nina grabbed my arm and practically dragged me to a stool and pushed me down on it. "Are you having a panic attack?"

I blinked up at her, but didn't respond. What was she talking about?

"I—I'm fine."

"Screw that. You are not fine. When was the last time you ate something?"

Again, I didn't answer. This was not the time to think about food. Other than what I had cooking on the stove.

"My sauce—"

"Will be crap if you're passed out on the floor or worse." She pulled out her phone and her fingers flew across the screen. It rang a moment later and she pressed it to her ear.

"Gabe," she breathed heavily. "I need a doctor in Zia's kitchen. She's having some kind of attack." She paused and I groaned at the idea of my boss freaking out at the other end.

"Seriously, Nina. I'm going to be—"

"Shut up," she ordered.

Honestly, if I didn't still feel woozier than I let on, not to mention the sweating going on underneath my shirt, I might have said something. Although some of the temporary mental fog had started to clear. Kind of. I guess if I was well enough to sit here and argue with myself, I probably wasn't facing imminent death or anything.

Nina dropped her phone into her pocket. "Gabe's on his way and he's bringing help. I'm going to go and grab you a bottle of water. Are you okay to sit here for a second and not keel over?"

I wanted to roll my eyes, but I didn't really have the energy.

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