For the first time since we walked into the bar, his easy smile fades. He studies me, the neon lights from the sign reflected in his gaze.
When he finally speaks, his words are careful, deliberate. “What if I told you I was a billionaire?”
Okay, so he must be in a teasing mood, not the serious one I obviously misread. After I finish blinking at him, waiting for him to fill in the real truth, I laugh softly and shake my head.
“Nice try, but I’m after the real answer. You forget that I’ve known you since the day we met on that street in New York.”
“When it comes to you, Victoria, trust me, I never forget a single thing.”
What?
It feels like we’re talking in code, but no one’s given me a cipher key. I’ve noticed he does like to tease here and there, so I get that he’s joking, but I’m not. I want the real answer.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the singing cowboy says into the microphone, the sound loud enough for everyone in the room to lift their heads. “It’s dance time.”
Partygoers cheer, the couples among the crowd gravitating to the dance floor.
Simon downs the rest of the contents in his glass. Then he stands, offering me his hand.
I can’t down my drink as fast as he did his, but I gulp what I can. Leaving the glass on the bar, I spin and place my palm in Simon’s open and waiting one.
Once we’re on the dance floor, I link my fingers behind his neck. He secures his hands low on my back. We sway to the slow beat of the song, our bodies flush together as we spin around.
Again, I think this must be a fairytale. And somehow, I’m the main character, not the girl on the sidelines longing to be more.
Simon’s hands dip dangerously low on my waist, and a floaty sensation overtakes my entire body. We’re not even spinning that fast, but inside, everything in me is whirring.
“What if-just what if,” he says, “I told you I might actually be the CEO of Jones Corp, the top company in America?”
I give a sarcastic snort. “Then that’d make me the fiancée of a billionaire.”
Simon doesn’t laugh-he doesn’t even crack a smile. He watches me, his expression unreadable, and asks, “Would that be a problem?”
Something about the way he says it makes my stomach dip.
The music slows to a stop, and I shake my head, my breathy chuckle sounding as nervous as I suddenly feel. “Sounds like a dream I’d wake up disappointed from. If you were actually a billionaire, I think I’d…”
This is so silly, setting us up for unattainable daydreams. Carl was forever chasing money. That just wasn’t me, and not only because I was no good at it. “I think I’d run.”
As we return to the bar, Simon signals for the bartender to bring us both another drink. “Why? If I had that kind of money, I could give you a better life. Everything you’ve ever wanted.”
I study the chips and grooves in the bar, smoothing my fingers over the different textures. “Because I’m just a girl who grew up on a small Texas ranch. I lost my dad young, so it’s been just my mom, my grandma, and I, trying to get by for as long as I can remember.”
My dangly silver earrings rattle with the shake of my head. “While I appreciate the chance to play Cinderella for the night, with my very own Prince Charming at my side…” I squeeze his hand, so there’s no mistake that’s him. “I’m too old for fairy tales. I just want a simple, happy life. That’s the kind of love I’m after.”
Our second round of drinks arrives, and I take a sip of mine, pleasantly buzzed from the whiskey and the dancing and this dress and Simon. “Which is why I feel so lucky to be engaged to you-a kind, reliable, ordinary guy who doesn’t care about those things.”
I lift my glass, hoping I haven’t ruined the mood. “Cheers to that, too.”
We clink rims and sip, and I lick the liquid off my lip. “So? You still haven’t told me how you got the bouncer to go along with this whole ‘you own this bar’ thing.”
Simon runs fingers through his hair and sighs, finally cracking a smile. “Remember Luis? From the restaurant?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty hard to forget a giant dude in shades with a bright red Ferrari.”
Simon nods. “Yeah, this is his bar. I just… asked for a favor.”
I’d have to meet this friend who kept showing up to save the day. “That’s very generous of him. We’ll have to thank him properly sometime.”
“It’s fine, I’ve got it,” Simon says, and when I frown, thinking that’s the type of thing couples usually do together, he adds, “I mean, he’s coming to our wedding.”
“Perfect. We’ll make sure to take good care of him.”
A crash outside interrupts, the loud clatter and chattering of people causing even the band to cut their song short.
As more light bathes the interior of the club, Alex stumbles inside, blood trickling down his face from a cut near his brow. The burly bouncer, who looked untouchable moments ago, now looks shaken.
Simon snags hold of my hand, and we rush toward him.
Once Alex spots us, he addresses Simon directly. “Sir, we’ve got a problem.”
Victoria
Simon’s entire demeanor shifts, sharp, controlled, and alert. “Stay here,” he says to me, already following after the bleeding bouncer.
Yeah, that’s not happening. I can’t just stay inside wondering, waiting to see what happens when I have this prickling foreboding that it involves Carl and Jade.
I take two long strides, catching up to my debonair, all-business fiancé. “No, I’m coming with you.”
He hesitates for a beat, slowing his pace, his eyes scanning mine.
I don’t wait for permission. I grab his arm, and we head out the door, my pulse wonky after a night of going slow then fast, slow then fast.
The second we step outside, the night air is rife with tension. While there’s no longer a line, a crowd has gathered, and my gut sinks when I spot who’s standing front and center.
Elon Madison.
He looks exactly how I remember, overly indulged and arrogant, with a cruel slash of a smile.
A cowboy hat sits low on his brow, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He even has a gun, brazenly displayed in his waistband.
His henchmen loiter behind him, knocking over trash cans, spray-painting the bar’s walls, banging on the doors as if trying to shake the place to its foundation.
And right at his side, like a pair of gruesome gremlins, are Carl and Jade.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.