Page 21 of The Perfect Lie
Twisting my head like I was possessed, I looked over to Davian with confusion. “What do you mean, a mistake?”
“Jesus, Reyna. Please just let it go. I knew I should have waited to tell you about Crosby McCall.”
It might have been childish, but I was no longer interested in going to our next destination. This evening was already ruined, and all I wanted to do was go back to Atlanta. “I’m not feeling very well. Can we just go back to Atlanta?”
Releasing my hand, Davian hit the intercom button on the console. “Patton, change of plans. Let Matthews know that we will be returning back to Atlanta.”
“Will do.”
∞
Davian hadn’t said one word since we left the airport in New York. I was to blame. He went to so much trouble to plan an amazing night for us, and my stubbornness caused our night to come to an end before it even started. If that wasn’t bad enough, he made damn sure I saw him tear up the tickets to Shen Yun's ballet performance that cost him a small fortune. No words could describe the guilt I had. No amount of regret would make up for the trouble Davian went through to make this night special for us, for me.
The silent treatment he was giving me was his way of getting back at me, and I deserved it. I thought for sure that he would put aside his hurt and forgive me once we got to the hotel. I was wrong. Instead, he went to the complimentary liquor cart and poured himself two fingers of whiskey into a crystal tumbler. There was no use apologizing again, he wouldn’t accept it if I had. Moving to the bedroom, I closed the door behind me and began undressing. As hard as it was to get out of the dress, no way could I ask Davian for help.
Hearing the door open, I turned my head toward it and found Davian standing in the doorway. I must have been a sight because he walked behind me and lowered the zipper to my dress. As though the last four hours didn’t happen, he did the unexpected. Placing a kiss on my shoulder, he sent goosebumps down my spine and said, “You didn’t eat anything for dinner, so I’ve ordered room service.”
If that just didn’t open the flood gates. I was a mess, and a babbling one at that. “I’m sorry about the ballet. I’m sorry about ruining the evening. I’m such a bitch.”
Turning my body to face him, Davian pulled me close to him, and his scent felt like home. “It’s okay, princess. There will be another ballet.”
“You… aren’t mad at me?” I blubbered as I sucked in an emotional gasp of air.
“I could never be mad at you. I’m the one who should be sorry. I shouldn’t have torn up those tickets the way I did. It was an immature move.”
Just as I was getting used to his warmth, there was a knock at the suite door. Davian released me, but not before giving me one last kiss before leaving. “Put something comfortable on while I get the door.”
Nodding, I waited until Davian left the bedroom before closing the door behind him. Getting undressed the rest of the way, I placed the gown on the silk-covered hanger that Lee Quan left hanging in the closet. The dress was gorgeous, and as bad as the evening went, I still felt like a princess.
Grabbing one of the hotel robes since I was short on clothes, I headed out of the bedroom. Davian was standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows with a drink in his hand. Instead of snuggling against his body like I had this morning, I moved by his side and admired the view. He was still fully dressed in his black suit, and I thought for sure that, at the very least, he would have taken off his suit jacket and removed his tie. “Are you planning on going out? You still haven’t removed your suit jacket or tie.”
Downing the rest of his drink, he turned away from the window and walked over to the liquor cart. “Something’s come up that I need to take care of.”
“How long will you be? I was hoping we could hang out together, maybe watch a movie or something.” I wanted so badly to make up for my behavior earlier and hoped we could spend the night in each other’s arms.
“I shouldn’t be too long. Eat before your meal gets cold.” Davian slammed back the drink he just poured and left me with a kiss. The kiss was more like a peck. Maybe deep down, he was still mad at me. The kiss sure felt like he was. I guess this meant I would be eating alone.
~15~
Reyna
It had been two hours since Davian left, and still no word as to when he would be coming back to the suite. I was bored out of my skull. The television provided nothing that I wanted to watch. I tried working on the crossword puzzle inside the entertainment section of the complimentary newspaper, but I ended up getting frustrated since most of the questions took a genius to answer, and the questions I did answer didn’t provide me with enough letters to figure out the right answers to the others. I found myself filling the empty spaces with letters just to complete the damn thing.
I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to leave the suite since Davian hadn’t said otherwise when he left. Then again, I couldn’t exactly wander around the hotel in a robe, but I couldn’t put on the same clothes from this morning. Before I made an effort to leave, something told me to check the door. If I knew Davian, he would have one of his men guarding the door to make sure I didn’t leave. Once I got to the door, I placed my eye over the peephole only to find that back of Patton’s bald head obstructing my view.So much for leaving.
Sucking in a breath of defeat, I sauntered back to the couch and fell against the cushions. I wasn’t sure what was worse—being held hostage in a five-star hotel suite with nothing to do or back at the warehouse. At least at the warehouse, I had my friends to talk to.
Looking down at the diamond on my finger made me smile. I wasn’t sure when it would happen, but one day I would Mrs. Davian Cross. Reyna Cross had a nice ring to it. Bored, I pushed from the couch and went to the small desk, where I spotted a hotel notepad. With the notepad and pen in hand, I returned to the couch and began practicing my new name. Just then, it hit me. The only people that knew about our engagement were Davian and me. I couldn’t even call Kenzi to let her know, or could I? Maybe Patton would agree to call the warehouse so I could talk to her. It was late, but not so late that she wouldn’t still be awake. Pushing from the couch, I walked over to the suite door and pulled it open. Patton didn’t waste any time blocking the door. “Reyna, I hope you aren’t planning on leaving.”
Did he actually think I was that stupid? “Of course not. I was just wondering if you could call the warehouse so I could talk to Kenzi.”
Tipping his head to the side, he was just about to pull out his cell when he hesitated. “Wait. Do you know what time it is?”
“I am perfectly aware of the time. Kenzi never goes to bed before midnight.” I placed my hand on my hips and gave him a don’t-mess-with-me kind of look.
Submitting to my request. Patton proceeded to pull his phone from his back pocket and dialed one of the guys at the warehouse. I could only hear Patton’s side of the conversation, but I knew that whoever he spoke to was probably getting Kenzi per his request.
When Patton handed me his phone, I knew Kenzi was on the other side. Once I had his phone in hand, I was ready to close the door when Patton used his foot to block the door. “What the hell, Patton?”
