Page 104 of Prelude To You

The foyer was quiet, but no less spectacular than last time. Dance music filtered through the closed double doors of the Grand Ballroom, where festivities were ongoing. I thought of the newlyweds embarking on lives that consisted of fulfilling their duties. For all their money, they definitely faced more unhappiness than I did.

My gaze traveled over the foyer, from one familiar spot to another. Where Roman and I tarried, where we talked, where we kissed, and the wine bar where everything changed. The memories unspooled one by one. I could map out our entire story, from the hotel entrance to the elevators, with the occasional detour in between.

When I reached the entrance, the doorman was already opening the door with a pleasant smile. “Your car will be here in a minute, ma’am. Goodnight.”

Did everyone just know who I was?Great. Not that I’d ever show my face here again. But still. It was the proverbial walk of shame, but on a five-star level. I was beginning to lose the struggle to hang onto my already flimsy composure.

I smiled back at the doorman, gritting my teeth. “Thank you, goodnight.”

As I stepped from the hotel, the first thing I saw was the ornate iron bench where Roman had been waiting for me after my not-so-subtle descent from the top of the lawn. If I could start there again, I was almost sure things would be different. Maybe.

Or probably not.

An agonizing feeling of weakness hit me. Why send that creature over to make sure I didn’t do anything inappropriate? Was Roman such a poor judge of character that he thought I needed a warning? Why leave the fucking note then?

“And another one bites the dust,” a voice rang out. It was Celeste, standing a few yards away, waiting for her car. Still not a platinum blonde hair out of place. “You’re alone, and you look a bit disheveled,” she babbled on. “Not the best look for leaving the Belmont Hotel at two in the morning. But maybe that’s just me.”

I figured getting into a catfight in front of the hotel was probably not the best idea. Although if anyone could push me to that point, it would be Celeste Van Buren. I dug deep inside and managed to cast her a you-know-how-it-is glance. “This is my many-hours-of-glorious-sex-with-Roman look. Not much I can do about it, sorry.”

Celeste winced and took an exasperated breath. But her pained expression was instantly replaced with a fake smile. “Well, it’s not like you’ll ever come back here so, you’re good.”

Agony assaulted my already fragile psyche when she threw that reality my way. This bitch was testing my patience to the max. At least it put some of this searing grief on the back burner, if only for a short while.

Behind us, just out of hearing range, Porter Van Buren was talking to another man. He glanced up briefly, his small watery gaze traveling over me. Like he was calculating my worth, and perhaps how he might use me to get to Roman.

But he dismissed me just as quickly, deciding I didn’t carry enough weight as a bargaining point. I was creeped out beyond comprehension, and for one spectacularly insane moment I felt sorry for Celeste.

A cold breeze whispered through the trees, and I was glad for the cashmere coat folding around me for safety against the chill. In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder why Roman could be bothered about me standing in the cold for a few minutes if he didn’t really care.

I ventured a glance at Celeste and held her stare. “Just curious, are you happy with your life, Celeste?”

The question caught her by surprise. “What are you talking about? Of course I’m happy, I’m ecstatic, look at me, I have everything anyone could ever wish for.”

“Except Roman.”

“And you know this how? So he ventures out and makes Orphan Annie queen for the night. Don’t let it go to your head.”

Orphan Annie. Dear God, grant me the serenity not to strangle this bitch right now.

Two cars pulled up, a Bentley and an SUV. It wasn’t hard to figure out which one was my ride. In less than a minute, all ofthis would be in my past. I would never see Celeste again, and I’d most likely never set foot in the Belmont Hotel again.

That knowledge gave me courage, as well as an outlet for my mounting frustration. I knew words would stay with Celeste far longer than a slap to the face. So I turned to her one final time. “Just remember the next time that creepy old man climbs on top of you, that no matter how hard you shut your eyes and try to imagine it’s Roman, you’ll never come close to the real thing.”

Celeste stared straight ahead, a pillar of ice. “Shut up, you stupid bitch… I’m not dignifying that with a response.”

I managed the friendliest tone possible. “You just did.”

My driver came around to open the back door of the SUV.

“Evening ma’am. I’m David, I’ll be your driver tonight.”

“Hello David… Do you need my address now ?”

David smiled, professional and efficient. “I already have the address, thank you ma’am.”

My mouth opened and closed. I shifted into the back seat, flabbergasted. I hadn’t given Roman my last name, or any information that would make it easy to find my personal details. He wasn’t kidding about how easy it would be for him to find out which pastry chef was fired last night.

Like I didn’t have enough to agonize over. Now I had to worry about that Steven creature knowing where I lived. Was this just Roman wielding his control, or did he genuinely care enough to make sure I’d be safely delivered to my doorstep?

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