The Hotel 2 (The Billionaire Seduction)(13)

If Xander is hurt by Dom's attitude, he doesn't show it. "I just wanted  you to know, Blaine Prescott is here." He nods to the ballroom, where  Prescott is sauntering over to greet us.

"I gotta hand it to you, Rexford. You put on a good show." Blaine's  words are a little slurred. He puts an arm around Dominic's shoulders  and smiles big for the photographer lurking nearby.

Dom looks icy. "I might take that a compliment if you weren't drunk."

"You're right. It is the alcohol talking." Blaine's smile gets bigger as  another photographer joins in. Dominic's carefully schooled expression  is at least believable, not to mention that he looks model-perfect.  "This is a lovely attempt, but you have to realize that nothing can save  you now," Blaine continues. "This place is a dead man walking."

"Can you gentlemen shake hands, please?" Another photographer has joined in. Jesus, it's like a school of sharks over here.

"No," Dominic says firmly. "We're done. Thank you, gentlemen." He breaks  away from Blaine, who drains his glass and looks around, presumably for  a waiter. He's a bit unsteady.

"Actually," Dominic calls out to one of the photographers, "you may want  to follow Mr. Prescott this evening. You never know when he'll give you  that perfect, front-page ready shot."

The orchestra begins to play as servers in crisp white coats begin weaving through the room to escort people to their seats.

Ah, dinner time. Thank God, because I'm starving.

People mill around us to find their tables. It's a flurry of gorgeous  gowns and handsomely dressed men, but I barely see any of them.  Dominic's profile is to me and he's striking, tall and in command. He  really does take my breath away.

I take his arm, and when he looks at me, I feel a surge of tenderness  and warmth like never before. I was falling for him in Paris, but this  is stronger, more complete. It's not falling anymore; I'm all the way  there.

I'm completely.

Undeniably.         

     



 

In love with Dominic Andrew Freaking Rexford.

"I'm liking this look on your face." Dominic finally cracks a smile. "Do we need to go somewhere private?"

Yes! I think he's teasing, but the heat in his eyes sways me toward not teasing. Suddenly, he scowls and looks over my head.

"What the fuck is she doing here?"

I glance behind me to see Lillian coming toward us, stunning in  floor-length white silk. There's a man behind her wearing a business  suit and a scowl, briefcase tucked under one arm. Lillian stops in front  of Dominic.

"You always did dress up nice." She touches the lapel on his tux and his eyes turn dark. "We need to talk, Dom. Alone."

Nerves start to creep through my body. The room is beginning to hush and  I'm aware that people are looking at us. I don't hear the click of  cameras, but I'm sure photos are being taken. Her very presence is  threatening to overshadow the event. Who wants elegance when they can  have gossip?

"Whatever it is, you can say it right here and then go," Dominic almost growls.

"You really want to do this here?" she retorts. "Air your dirty laundry in front of everyone?"

Dom clearly thinks better of it. He looks to me. "Go ahead and start dinner without me. I'll be right back."

"No," Lillian says, with a strangely satisfied smile. "She should come, too."

What's going on? I follow them out of the ballroom, and down a hallway  to a side room. Tension edges every line of Dom's body, but he doesn't  even look at me.

"Well?" he demands, the minute Lillian's lawyer closes the door. "What the hell is it that couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

Lillian drops her friendly smile. "You violated the pre-nup. Our settlement is off."

"What the fuck do you mean?" Dominic looks furious. "That's bullshit, and you know it!"

Lillian sighs. "Temper, Dominic. Really. We can be civil about this, at  least." She nods to her lawyer. He opens his briefcase and takes out a  small laptop and a manila folder.

"You may recall we had an infidelity clause in the contract," Lillian  continues. "If you cheated on me, the pre-nup would be void. Remember?"

Dom glares. "As much as I grew to dislike you, Lillian, I never once cheated on you."

"I beg to disagree. And I think a judge will be on my side." She opens  the folder and dumps it upside down. A stack of black and white pictures  flutter onto the table.

I catch a glimpse of a hotel bar. A woman, leaning in close to Dominic.

Me.

In an instant, I know what's going on, why I'm here in the middle of it all.

It's because of me.

The night we met. The job to flirt with him and get incriminating  photos. It's all been leading to this! The honeytrap … the reason the  photographer was following him that night. He was still married.

I grab the edge of the table to keep myself upright as Dom reaches for the photos and slowly spreads them across the table.

My face is everywhere.

Dominic and I at the whiskey bar. Him kissing me, leaning in close. My flirty smile.

"How did you get these?" Dom's voice is tight, pained.

"Someone was in the right place at the right time," Lillian shrugs. "Conveniently."

"This was a fucking set up?" Dom growls, looking at me in disbelief. "You set this up?"

I can't answer. I'm frozen in place, hugging my arms around myself.  Tears sting my eyes. I want to deny it, but I can't. And it's not just  that I betrayed Dominic. He betrayed me, too. I didn't realize when we  met that he was a married man. He'd told me no one was waiting at home  for him! He'd lied to me. And he'd kissed me. And that wasn't all we'd  done that night. My stomach clenches at the memory.

"It's safe to assume this didn't just end in the bar," Lillian smirks.  "I'm right, aren't I?" she asks me. "You slept with him, before our  divorce was final. Bye bye, pre-nup. Hello, division of assets."

"Get out." Dominic points to the door.

Lillian's still smiling, gloating at her ill-won victory. "We still have to discuss-"

"I said, GET OUT!" His voice roars with anger. Lillian backs off.

"We'll be in touch," she says, gesturing for her lawyer to follow her out. The door slams behind them. We're alone.

Oh God.

I force myself to look at him, but the furious betrayal on his face is worse than I ever imagined.

"Were you sent to set me up?" he demands. "That night at the Drake, is that why you were there?"         

     



 

I swallow, then whisper my guilty confession.

"Yes."

"Fuck!" Dom slams his fist into the wall, cracking the plasterboard.  Blood runs from the cut on his knuckles, and I want to go to him,  comfort him, but he's shaking with rage. I'm frantic with the need to  tell him everything, to make him understand that what started as a trap  turned into something more. I'm even willing to forgive his trespasses  against me, because I understand everything so much better now-his  unhappiness, his loneliness, his secrets. But I need an apology, too. We  have to talk this over.

"Dominic, please, I can explain. It's not like that."

"You mean, I didn't just get fooled by a whore?"

The word is a slap in the face, and I'm rendered speechless.

He turns and storms out of the room. I'm frozen for another moment, but  then I rush after him. "Wait!" I grab his arm, pulling him back to me.

"For what?" he demands. "So you can tell me more lies? Fuck, after everything that's happened … I trusted you!"

"I'm sorry," I say, keeping my voice even. "I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't. Just like you couldn't tell me that-"

"Do you know what you just cost me?" he interrupts. He rakes a hand through his hair. "To think I fucking cared about you."

A loud hum goes through my head and gets louder as all the anguish in  his expression turns cold and ruthless. He looks at me like I'm nothing.

"Get out."

I can't believe this is happening. It can't be over, not when I love him like this.

"Dominic-" I start.

"Just stop. It's over, Juliet." He turns away from me. "We're done."

"But-"

"Go. Get the fuck out of my hotel and don't come back."



# # #



TO BE CONTINUED …



What happens next? Juliet and Dom's sizzling story concludes in THE HOTEL: PART THREE. Coming 7/29.

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BOOTYCALL: PART ONE





Chapter 1




Dylan



Movie reviews are bullshit, but I like to think the one that said I have  the 'eyes of a man before the kill and the smile of one who enjoys it'  got it right.

At least tonight, anyway.

I've spent almost the entire day working out, and though there's a dull  ache flowing through my body, there's also that tingle of electricity I  get whenever I stand still for too long. A twinge in my muscles that  makes me want to move, to find some action. Luckily I know all the right  places to find it.