by Shana Gray
‘Just as long as what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas.’ He grabbed her and hugged her tight.
‘I like the sound of that.’
‘So do I.’ Never did he ever think he’d be the one to settle down. But, obviously, he’d met the woman who had changed all that.
He ran his thumb down her neck and across her shoulder. A delicate shiver rippled through her. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. What he wanted most in this moment was to get her up to his room and make love to her, to celebrate the fact that she was his and he was hers. As they rounded into the lobby, he heard loud applause and celebratory whoops.
‘What the hell?’ He looked over and saw Ava, Fredi, Celia and Landon in the lobby next to the bar. ‘This is totally going to waylay our plans to get up to my room. You had to text them to tell them we were coming back here, didn’t you?’
While Quinn was slightly frustrated that their lovemaking would be delayed, he was primarily amused, especially after one passer-by nearly took a header when he was distracted by Ava jumping up and down. ‘They’re creating a spectacle.’
Bonni laughed and tugged Quinn in the direction of her friends and his brother.
‘I know, but who cares? Nobody will remember this after today. Only those who matter to us. And those people are right over there, waiting for us.’
Quinn looked at them and realized she was right. With Bonni came the sisters of her heart, and he was looking forward to being able to spend more time with his brother. ‘Well, they are certainly excited.’
She looked up at him. ‘Love me, love my friends.’
‘Oh, I do. Love you, that is.’
Quinn swept her up in his arms and kissed her. Right there in the middle of the bustling Gladiators lobby, among the throng of guests and in front of the four people that mattered in their lives.
Quinn didn’t want to let her go but, reluctantly, he put her back on her feet. Bonni’s head was thrown back and she was laughing. Her eyes were shining with love for him, and the cheers from her friends and his brother broke through his passion for this wonderful woman in his arms.
Bonni turned and pulled him over to the group waiting for them. Then she shouted out at the top of her lungs. ‘Don’t worry, ladies, he’s not staying in Vegas!’
And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Read on for a tempting excerpt from
Shana Gray’s addictive novel
Out now!
MR MONDAY
I settled into the soft leather armchair and quietly took in the posh reception area of Diamond Enterprises. It was all marble, honeyed-colored wood, thick carpets and soft lighting, with one wall housing hermetically sealed first-edition classics behind beveled glass. It gave the impression of an elegant sitting room. Under normal circumstances, I would be drawn to the shelves, eager to see which books rated being so carefully protected.
Not today.
The whole place gave off an aura of old money and, in my opinion, also reeked of arrogance and entitlement. I didn’t belong, but that wasn’t going to stop me. I’d nurtured my revenge since I was fifteen, when my father died. Just five years earlier, he, only fifty years old, walked into our house, the contents of his office stuffed into a battered cardboard box, and the direction of my life changed. Now that a window of opportunity had finally opened, I’d leapt at it. The head of Diamond Enterprises needed an executive assistant.
In the weeks since I’d seen the job on an executive-jobs search site, I’d quit my position as corporate librarian for an international mining exploration company, and done my due diligence, researching and cramming as if this interview were the exam of a lifetime, in order to be absolutely ready for it. At the library, I’d done everything from ordering reference materials and tracking down obscure theses on mineral rights to supervising a small staff of archivists and researchers. To leave all that and become somebody else’s secretary was a step down, a waste of my degrees and the scholarships that paid for them. But the opportunity to bring down a huge corporation didn’t come along often . . . and I was prepared to do whatever it took. There was nothing they could trip me up on now. I’d learned all I could about the company – at least, what was in the public domain. What wasn’t public knowledge was what I needed to find out now, and the only way to do that was from the inside.
From my seat, I had a clear view down the elaborate hall into the mysterious and very secretive inner sanctum of Diamond. The very sanctum in which my father, Charles Raymond, had once walked, moving with the exclusive executive management team, until he’d been let go, falsely accused of misusing company funds, and it had cost him – us – everything. He’d been ousted unceremoniously, cut off at the knees, his pension taken away and with no golden parachute to see him through his senior years. It left him with a reputation that haunted him until he died, a bitter old man. (I’d been born when he was forty, rather late in his life, before his fall from grace.)
I pressed my lips together, trying not to let my anger boil over. It wouldn’t help; calm and level-headed thinking was the only way to succeed. I glanced at my watch, a delicate piece I loved with all my heart. Dad had given it to Mom on their wedding day, almost thirty years ago, back when they still lived in England. I gently touched the small, round face ringed with exquisitely tooled platinum and a bevy of sparkling diamonds. The second hand ticked and reminded me I was waiting, something I’d become very good at.
I’d arrived the obligatory fifteen minutes before my interview, and only a few minutes had gone by. I glanced up and saw the polished young receptionist’s gaze slide away from me. I watched her try to pretend she hadn’t been caught in the act of staring and decided I would ignore her. It wasn’t important. Instead, I leaned back, crossed one leg over the other and primly laced my fingers over my Kate Spade purse, gazing down the long hall. I could play it cool. But I had to admit I was curious about the timing of the interview; it was well past six o’clock in the evening.
Scheduling didn’t matter, anyway; getting the job did.
All I needed was to become a part of the organization, and this interview was my only chance. I was prepared to do just about anything to get my foot in the door.
My nerves were shot, though. I drew in a deep breath, as quietly as I could. I didn’t like that I was quaking, deep inside. I felt it, and there was nothing I could do about it. At least it didn’t show outwardly. If they found out who I was, I couldn’t imagine what would happen. Probably the same thing that happened to my father.
The hem of my skirt rode up above my thigh when I re-crossed my legs. I knew it was a dated skirt suit, but I loved my vintage clothing. Glancing down at my feet, I smiled at my shoes. Another great find. The only thing new was the purse. My passion for purses had gotten out of hand and my credit card was crying the blues.
Sounds echoed in the long hall. I looked up from under my eyebrows, glanced briefly at Ms Gatekeeper Receptionist, who was suddenly intent on her appearance, staring into a compact before snapping it shut. I fidgeted with my purse, stricken by the urge to see if I had any lipstick on my teeth. I heard doors open and close and kept an eye on the end of the hall, drawing in a soft breath when a man appeared. My heart fluttered as he approached, my nerves kicking into high gear. I no longer had time to check my lips and so I watched the man approach. He seemed about to explode out of his well-tailored suit. I noticed everything about him, imprinting him into my brain.
He. Was. Gorgeous.
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