Page 111 of Bonking the Billionaire

I stared at the number on the notepad.

Everything would change as soon as I dialed. I’d have my answers, but our time would end. Morgan and I were supposed to have one more night together. The reality of my past wasn’t supposed to break our bubble. Here in this hotel room, I was just the man with no past, no memory. None of it belonged to me, and neither did the future.

I wasn’t supposed to be Oscar Carrington until morning.

But the news segment changed everything. I knew who I was now, and where I belonged. I couldn’t unlearn that knowledge. Morgan wasn’t here, and the temptation to uncover more truths was too great.

In addition, Morgan was a reality television star. Someone watching this program would surely recognize her and dial in, which would lead to the authorities coming here to the hotel to question her. They’d likely treat her as a suspect in my kidnapping.

I glanced at the room phone on the nightstand. It would be ideal to call and warn her, but after all this time, I didn’t know her number. I knew she was at a different bar than the one we’d gone to the other night, but I had no idea which one, so I couldn’t show up to warn her either.

There was no other option. I needed to take control of the situation while that was still a possibility.

I flipped off the television and made the call.

THIRTY-FIVE

MORGAN

“Oasis is such a boring name for a bar,” Layana said, returning to our small table with a tray of champagne flutes. “They should have called it something interesting like Slurp Hole.”

Eww. Sounded like the kind of place that would make you so filthy, you’d need to bathe in bleach after leaving it.

“I don’t know. Boring matches the vibe,” Glitter said. “Except for the art. That’s…not boring.”

Sporadically-placed posters decorated the walls of the hotel bar, featuring dogs in sunglasses and swim trunks playing poker in the desert.

“I like Slurp Hole,” Chester said.

Of course he did.

If I’d known Chester was coming, I would have asked Oscar to join us. Layana had talked this up as a girls night. The way Glitter kept grinning at Chester, I was certain she’d been the one to invite him.

I’d picked the hotel bar Oasis instead of Pour Decisions tonight because it was so close, so I could do the obligatory celebration with the girls—and Chester—then return to Oscar for our last bit of time together before the whirlwind of the show started back up. Oscar would return to his search for his life tomorrow, but I didn’t want to think about that.

“To insane talent, to the universe finally recognizing that you get what you deserve.” Layana grinned at me, glass in the air. “To Morgan!”

“To Morgan!” Glitter repeated.

“To praying that a phone call saying theywantto hire me actually ends up with me getting the job at some point.” I laughed.

Layana bonked her shoulder against mine. “That is not the spirit. You’ve got the job. You earned it. It’s just a matter of time, now clink my glass and celebrate like you’re supposed to.”

We all clinked and took a sip. The bubbly alcohol went down pleasantly. I took a second swig.

Loud footsteps pounded through the lobby behind us. I turned on my swivel stool to see what the commotion was.

A whole platoon—squadron?—flock of police swarmed the building. One shut the glass bar doors and stood in front of the entry like a bouncer. Well, since he was locking us in instead of out, more like a prison guard.

“What’s going on?” Glitter hurried over to the glass.

Layana, Chester, and I joined her, along with the only other two patrons of the bar.

Layana tapped on the glass. “Hey, what’s going on out there? You can’t detain us without good reason.”

“Yeah,” Glitter said.

The officer didn’t turn to acknowledge us. Did he not hear us? I couldn’t really hear anything that was being said on the other side of the doors, so that was possible.

---