“I’m sorry,” I rasped, barely able to get out the words as I fought back nausea.
“Don’t be.” He smoothed my hair along my scalp and then twisted my long platinum braid around his fingers.
“Rihanna’s underwear!” I mumbled, the events of the night whirling around in my head.
“Don’t worry.” He pressed his warm lips against my forehead. Even in my drunken stupor, his touch zapped every fiber of my being.
I gazed up at him. Gah! There were two of him! Double the gorgeousness. “Do you have an identical twin?” I slurred.
“Ah, my Gloria.” He chuckled. “You’ll soon find out that I’m a one and only. Just like you. ”
The muffled sound of late night traffic of the city that never sleeps drifted into my ears. Somewhere during the ride back to the hotel, everything faded to black.
Chapter 5
Jaime Zander was pounding into me. His thick pulsing cock going to the hilt. Hitting my magic spot again and again. Driving me insanely wild. I moaned with ecstasy and dug my nails into his flesh. He was on top of me, the weight and strength of him holding me prisoner.
“Let go, Gloria. Come for me,” he barked, his hot breath in my mouth. He grinded faster and deeper, each stroke bringing me closer to the edge. I clung onto his biceps as the muscles of my core began to convulse. Inside my body, a spiraling tornado was taking everything in its wake. My head was ringing, spinning out of control.
The loud ringing wouldn’t stop. Reality set in, and I realized it was my room phone. It stopped before I could answer it.
Drenched in sweat, I pried my eyes open, one at a time, and after blinking several times, took in my surroundings. I was back at the hotel…in my bed. My head was pounding and my tongue was stuck to my parched, foul-tasting palate. It must be morning; a ray of sunshine beamed through the blackout curtains. I had kicked off the fluffy duvet sometime during the night. Splayed on the bed, I was draped in a sexy lavender lace Gloria’s Secret baby doll with matching bikinis.
Wait! How did I get back here? What happened to my little black dress? My lingerie? My shoes? The events of last night spun around in my head. Slowly, the fuzziness gave way to clarity. Fuck! I got drunk last night! I vaguely remembered Jaime Zander escorting me out of the club and lifting me into his SUV. And after that, I couldn’t remember a damn thing. Oh, God! I must have passed out.
My breath caught in my throat. Had that cocky asshole brought me up to my room and undressed me? My mind raced; my heart raced. Holy, holy shit! Had he taken advantage of me and fucked me? Was that a dream or was that for real? A wave of panic swept over me.
The phone on my nightstand rang again. This time I managed to reach for it with an outstretched arm. It was Nigel, my driver.
“Good morning, Miss Long,” he chimed, his voice bright and chipper. “I shall be waiting for you at the entrance of the hotel at ten a.m. as you requested.”
My brain still in lockdown, it took me a long moment to remember what I was doing today. Gloria to brain. Come in now. Yes. I was going to visit my beloved mentor, Madame Paulette. Thank goodness, Nigel had called because I hadn’t arranged for my customary wake-up call. Raising myself to a sitting position, I freed my tongue from my dry as cardboard palate.
“Thank you, Nigel.” And then I remembered something else. “A boy or girl?”
“A six pound four ounce baby girl!” exclaimed Nigel on the other end. “Her name is Annabelle.”
“That’s wonderful, Nigel!” Despite my sorry state, a smile spread across my face. “Congratulations! I’ll see you soon.”
After returning the phone to its cradle, I made myself a mental note: Make sure the gift is sent today. I had already purchased an expensive stroller along with a travel bag full of baby care necessities. It gave me pleasure knowing that Nigel’s daughter would appreciate everything. After my visit to Madame Paulette, I was also going to give him the rest of the day off so that he could spend it with his daughter and new grandchild.
The mental diversion was short lived. My mind jumped back to Jaime Zander. A shudder rippled through me. I’d made a total fool of myself and now, I was fucked—in maybe more ways than one. How could I ever face him again?
I picked up the phone once more and dialed room service. I ordered a large pot of coffee—something I desperately needed if I was going to make it through the day. At least, I had some time to figure out how I was going to handle Jaime. His pitch meeting wasn’t until late afternoon tomorrow. Getting out of the city might give me some clarity.
My visit to Madame Paulette was something I looked forward to as much as I dreaded. It would probably be the last time I saw her. She was, along with Kevin, the most important person in my life. With a heavy heart and hangover from hell, I dragged myself out of bed and staggered to the bathroom.