Page 70 of Fake Dating Adrian Hunter
“No styling.” Darius tells me. “I need to look disheveled, like we just had shower sex.”
Oh…
OOOHHH…
Now I understand his plan.
Genius.
I said I needed something that would push Adrian to confess his feelings for me, and this might just be it.
As soon as Darius struts out of the bathroom, I huddle up on the bathtub ledge, biting my nails as I listen for Adrian’s voice.
The front door opens, but no words are spoken. Not aHellofrom Darius, nor even aCan I do something for you?I’m imagining a stare-off between the two men, and it’s beautiful in my mind.
“Can I open my eyes yet?” Zac asks me.
“Shush. I’m trying to listen.”
Finally, Adrian speaks with a tight voice, “Is Verena here?”
Darius winks. “She’s taking a shower.”
Okay, I totally imagined that wink, but I know the guy and I’m ninety-five percent sure the wink happened.
There’s another long stretch of silence. I can visualize Adrian’s face perfectly as he puts two and two together—strained and bitter, much like when he would have seen the messed-up bed sheets in our bungalow. Oh, I would pay good money to see his reaction firsthand.
“Can you tell Verena that our families are waiting for her.”
“Look, man…” There’s a patting sound. I will give Darius a pay raise if he’s patting Adrian’s shoulder. “I don’t think she’ll make it to your family board game thing. She’s kind of busy, if you know what I mean.”
The front door closes, and Darius returns to the bathroom. He folds his arms and leans against the door frame, giving me no information other than a devilish grin.
Zac dares to open his eyes. “Well, what happened?”
“Verena, I wish you could have seen the look on Adrian’s face. That guy is pissed off. I’m pretty sure he wants to smash my face in.”
ChapterTwenty-Three
Darius and I spend the next several hours locked in his bungalow. We don’t leave for dinner, and instead order room service like any normal sexed-up couple who can’t get enough of each other would do. I’m not going to lie, I was expecting Adrian to admit his feelings for me by now. But so be it. I can keep playing his game. I send the concierge to retrieve my makeup and an outfit for the evening, then spend another hour turning myself into a bronzed goddess.
It’s nine o’clock when Darius and I decide to leave our love nest and make an appearance at the cocktail lounge. I’m in a white bandeau top that wraps around my chest and ties behind my neck, accompanied by a sarong skirt with a deep split up my thigh. Along with that, my hair is messy, like I’ve been thrown around in bed all day. My eyeshadow is smoky and my lips bright red.
When we enter the cocktail lounge, I don’t dare search for Adrian. I’m confident he’s already here and will be alerted to my arrival when everyone starts whispering and pointing at Darius and me. Spotting Zac alone at the bar, the two of us join him for a round of drinks. As expected, we have a herd of eyes following us.
The young bartender from the first night I was here is serving drinks. She turns around, finding Darius and me waiting to order, and her mouth opens in a perfect circle. “Verena, you’re killing me. I love this guy!”
“Everyone does,” I say. “Darius, meet Samaya.” The two empty glasses in front of Zac tell me Samaya is already well acquainted with him.
“I’ll take another whiskey,” Zac tells her.
“Still no luck finding Penny?” I ask.
“Obviously not.”
“Adrian alert,” Darius whispers. “Three o’clock. He’s with Isabelle.”
“Is he looking at us?” I ask.
