Working as his assistant, I’d assumed a trip to Vegas would be exciting, but I had no intentions of winding up drunk. It wasn’t my style or a usual habit, and in the two years I’d worked for Gabriel Grant, I hadn’t known him to have such a reputation for alcohol, either. I tried to focus on what else had happened, but the pain in my temples throbbed away any concentration. I couldn’t remember anything.
He probably thinks I’m a fool. I wondered if I still had a job. Would I even still want to work for him? I had to get this sorted out. I finished up and hesitated as I approached the door. How could I face him? With a deep breath to steady myself, I went back out to gather my things. I needed to get the hell out of there.
I glanced around the room for my purse as a wave of pain shot through my temple. The sunlight through the window was too bright for my eyes and I winced, feeling the rolling nausea in my gut. I had to get back to my room downstairs. Being here was a mistake.
I tried to remember what had happened the night before as I joined him in the front room of his suite. He wa
s lounged on the soft black leather of the sofa and sipping a drink.
“There’s coffee, too, if you like. I figured another dose of doom couldn’t hurt.” He lifted his drink and the ice clinked as he swirled it. The sound ricocheted into my temples, and I felt it as much as I heard it.
I poured a cup of coffee, hoping it would cure me, and stood across the room as still as a stone and tried to fight the waves of sickness enough to drink it. “What happened?”
His brows rose and he took a long pull from his drink. Well, that didn’t help me think nothing crazy had happened. “Don’t sweat it, Luna. You were amazing.” He winked. “I haven’t had so much fun in months, and we deserved a good time, you and I. The speech went well, and I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“It was amazing. Thanks.” I nodded to agree and the world seemed to tilt on its axis again; I lowered myself to sit across from him. I prayed I wouldn’t embarrass myself further by falling on my face before I left, but I didn’t want to rush out like some silly girl running scared. Besides, maybe he’d give me a clue about what had transpired before we ended up passed out in his bed, and perhaps the in between before I woke.
Moments passed in silence, and I sipped at my coffee for something to do. The warmth washed through me, easing me for the moment. I’d started drinking black coffee in college and until that night, it was the harshest thing I’d put in my gut.
Right as I was about to ask what happened, his phone rang and he leaned up to retrieve it from the coffee table where his feet were propped. Jesus, even his bare feet are sexy. I’d always known the man was handsome, but sitting across from me in his slacks with his shirt only closed by a few buttons as his hair continued to dry, he was a god. And there I sat, looking like a boozed-up college girl doing her walk of shame from a frat party.
He stared at the phone as if pondering if he really needed to talk to the person on the other end. Suddenly, I felt as if I’d worn out my welcome. I gathered enough strength to get to the edge of my chair and made it no further. “I’ll leave so you can call them back.”
He waved his hand. “Don’t bother. It’s only my sister-in-law Sandra. She can wait. I’m in no hurry to ruin my morning just yet.” He took another long pull off the drink.
“Still, I should go. I-”
Laughter rumbled from across the expanse. “You were so funny last night.” I smiled, but then fear overwhelmed me as my heart sank to my gut like a stone. I wasn’t known for my humor and I couldn’t imagine what I’d done.
As if he could read my face, he held up his hand as if to reassure. “No, seriously, Luna. You were fucking amazing, okay. I had no idea you could do those things with your mouth.”
My heart stopped, and before I could tell if it had started beating again, I was halfway to the bathroom. The coffee was about to make its reappearance and luckily, I made it in time. As I stayed on my knees, I realized I’d forgotten all about oral sex.
There wouldn’t necessarily be any signs or symptoms from such an act, and though I’d experimented briefly with that in college, it wasn’t something I did often – and definitely not with my boss. It had been at least three years since the second time in my life and the time before during my freshman year of college didn’t count.
Had I really done it? I couldn’t deny that I found him attractive. I’d always thought he was amazing, but definitely out of my league. Something had happened. It had to have or why else would I have ended up in his bed? God, no!
His knock sounded at the door. “Luna? Are you okay in there? Did the coffee get to you? You need some food in your stomach. Let me call you something up.”
“No, please, I’ll be fine.” I wiped my watery eyes and slumped against the bowl.
“Nonsense. And as your boss, I won’t have any back talk. I’ll call you up some food, and in the meantime, you get yourself a nice hot shower.” His footsteps faded away as I dragged myself up to my feet.
He was right about the shower. Now that the coffee had evacuated, I felt grimy. I turned on the hot water, setting the temperature before stripping off my clothes. I took another look in the mirror to assure I was unmarked.
I didn’t understand how he could think I’d be okay with any of this. He knew I wasn’t a drinker. I’d told him that when I accepted the champagne. One tiny tickle of the nose, and that bubbly stuff had done all this damage? Surely not. I must have drunk much more.
No, this was my fault, but he wasn’t innocent by far. Even though he seemed to care that I wasn’t well.
Could he have taken advantage of me? His reputation with women was not exactly scandalous, but it was no secret he had made his way through quite a number of them. That was nothing for a man of his fortune. He was a billionaire, after all, though the status had only officially been reached one week after I’d come along. He’d even called me his lucky charm.
Lucky charm. The memory of him and I dancing flashed before my eyes. We were at the casino, and he’d won. I remembered blowing his dice, and his arm was around me. After he’d won, and the celebratory dancing stopped, he’d pulled me in close.
“You’re my little lucky charm,” he’d said, and then he’d kissed me. My hand flew to my mouth landing upon my lips. His mouth was on mine. I’d kissed my boss.
How on earth could I have let this happen? How could he? As amused by my oral abilities as he was, there was no way things could ever go back to how they’d been. I was his assistant, for heaven’s sake. Our relationship was supposed to be strictly professional.
As hard as I tried to remember anything else between us, I couldn’t. We’d obviously gotten close enough to come back here and do what? Kiss? Make out? Perform oral sex on each other, or I on him? What a fool that I couldn’t remember.