Page 42 of Between Never and Forever
“Did Dex give you all the details on this arrangement?”
“Nope.” Her eyes narrowed on me and I saw her straighten her small frame though, like she wanted me to respect her in some way. “I can put two and two together though.”
“I don’t doubt that.” I took a breath and took a leap of faith. “We’re old friends. This benefits us both.”
She nodded, but I caught the small gasp from her lips like she couldn’t believe I was divulging anything personal. Then she smiled and I saw how her eyes crinkled at the corners before she said softly, “Thanks for trusting me with that. I’ll do my best to be discreet and accommodate you both.”
Before she left, she let me know that movers would be coming soon.
I sighed. Taking a bath in that tub overlooking the city would have to wait. I wouldn’t risk people I didn’t know walking in and out of the suite while I wasn’t on full alert. Instead, I walked around my new home and realized Dex’s resort and casino, as well as the design of this penthouse, was everything I wanted. He had splashes of color through every room, clean lines of granite countertops mixed with dark wood floors and chandeliers above. It was classy, chic, and luxurious.
Even with the perfect furnishings and decor that I loved, it occurred to me I had to make this living space mine for the time I’d be here. The primary bedroom was as much mine as it was his. Plus, he had an office, a workout room, and a damn sauna down the hall. He would be just fine. This was an equal partnership. So, I was going to get equal treatment.
Although it didn’t feel that way. He could abandon this deal at any second, and my world would crumble. If I walked away from him, he’d probably be better off.
One of the movers grumbled that they needed to hurry. He didn’t want to be here when Dex got home. Clearly, Dex had a reputation around this resort. People were afraid to mess up the order he created, and I saw it more and more around his house. His fridge was stocked with drinks all lined up perfectly. His cabinets held mugs with the handles all turned the exact same way.
I was going to mess up all his order, and a part of me knew it would make him mad enough to lose control. A part of me wanted that. The fact that I was looking forward to it clearly showed we were heading toward having a super healthy relationship.
Even still, I felt lighter than I had in months, maybe years. We’d weighed each other down, and we were going to be able to shuck that weight off one way or another.
I called Olive to share the news, then Dimitri. I shared the reality of it with them because there was no way they’d believe I’d actually gotten engaged. When I tried to tell Dimitri I’d see him tomorrow for a meal, he balked. “We’re discussing this now. Where are you?”
“I’m…well…” I plopped down on the plush white couch and glanced out the window at the city before I breathed out, “We decided to move in together.”
“What? You’re absolutely not doing that.” His tone sounded final. “That’s never going to work.”
“It might actually work just fine, Dimitri.” I brushed at the plush fabric so as not to get concerned that I was making him worry too much. “You know, because then I’ll be at the resort all the time and—”
“You’re staying at the Black Diamond? Are you in his fucking penthouse right now, Kee?”
“This isn’t a big deal.”
“Itisa big deal,” he grumbled. “My brother’s gone completely off the deep end. And you know what? I dealt with the damn breakup last time. Withbothof you.”
“Did you not want us to work things through?” I countered as I got up to pace. Then, I speed walked to my room and plopped down on the bed and then straightened as I watched another mover breeze by. They didn’t seem interested in me at all, but I’d been wrong before.
“I’m coming up,” Dimitri grumbled and then clicked off the phone. And honestly, I’d feel better with him here anyway.
It wasn’t long before Olive, being more of an assistant than hairstylist, had rounded up our makeshift fashion designer, Pink, and was on her way over with her too.
Dimitri bickered with me for all of five minutes before succumbing to the fact that initially this had sort of been his idea, and he didn’t want many more details about it. I didn’t want to share them either.
Instead, I tried on the clothes Pink had brought with her from the entertainment dressing rooms, and we all stared at my outfit in the mirror. I was in a yellow pleather skirt that stopped just below my butt and a yellow pleather bralette that tied in the back like a corset.
“That’s not going to work,” Olive announced, glaring at her fashion friend.
“It will.” Pink flipped her bangs and came over to me to wiggle the top more into place over my chest. There really wasn’t any helping the fact that my boobs were spilling out.
“Well, it would work for a school bus look. Like a sexy school bus driver that shouldn’t really be sexy because you’re driving kids to school and—” Dimitri stood there grumbling in his three-piece suit like he was important.
“Stop,” Olive cut him off. “It doesn’t work, Pink. This is what you see as sexy chic?”
“This is what I could round up quickly,” she corrected. “The designers are behind on getting Kee’s clothing in, okay?”
“Of course they are,” I grumbled, because what else would go wrong during my stay here.
“It’ll be fine,” Pink reassured me. “But right now, this wardrobe is what we had for casino performers. We’ll have everything we need in a month, and now we can make changes. Who cares if they’re behind on the old designs when you need new ones anyway? So, for this week in rehearsal, we’re going to need to improvise. Plus, pop stars are supposed to show a little skin.”
