Author: Olivia Cunning

Jessica released a wounded groan though she probably couldn’t even see the video through the tears in her eyes. As scary as her rage had been, the mortified look on her face was far worse. She tilted her head back to prevent her tears from falling.

“Bad? You don’t say,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady. Jessica crossed her arms over her chest, her jaw flexing as she worked at letting go of the anguish and recovering her anger. “Fuck it,” she said. “Who cares anyway? It isn’t as if I had dreams or anything. I don’t need a future. Or a life.”

Sed zeroed in on a link to mark the video as inappropriate. He clicked it. “There. They’ll take it down,” he said. “It will be okay.”

“What do you mean it will be okay?” she bellowed. He winced. “Over half a million views in less than a day and that little bitch told people to copy it and distribute it. There’s no telling how many copies are circulating right now.”

“It’s not the end of the world, Jessica. So you had sex. Big deal. Everybody does it.” He grinned. “Maybe not hanging upside down over the Vegas strip with a rock star…”

Her jaw set in a hard line, she focused on the floor. “You are not making me feel better.”

“It was worth a try.”

He touched her chin to encourage her to look at him. She jerked her head to the side.

“We could retaliate by posting a new sex video online every day for the rest of our lives,” he suggested, hoping that making light of the subject would help her cope better. Right now, she wasn’t coping at all.

She scowled. Punched him in the ribs with a tiny fist. “How is that supposed to help?”

He chuckled. “It will guarantee I get well-laid on a very regular basis.”

“Oh yeah, I like that plan,” Trey said. “Do you take requests?”

Sed waited for her smartassed retort, but it never came. Instead, she covered her face with both hands, turned on her heel, and fled the room. Sed’s eyes widened. Distraught? Jessica didn’t do distraught. That’s one of the reasons he loved her so much. He never had to deal with a hysterical female. Pissed? Yeah. Opinionated and vocal about it? Hell yeah. But not totally flipped out. Jessica usually took everything in stride. Laughed it off. For some reason, this situation was different. He honestly didn’t get why it was such a big deal. She looked amazing on the video and he was doing his part properly. She should be proud.

Eric shoved Sed to gain his attention. “What are you waiting for? Go after her, you idiot.”

Go after her. Right…

Chapter 19

Jessica tapped the down elevator button like a jackhammer demolishing pavement. She needed a moment to collect herself. A ladies room, or… She turned and glanced around, looking for directional signs, but the elevator dinged behind her, and Sed (the callous jackass) was headed in her direction. She stepped onto the elevator and held the button to close the doors.

“Jessica!” Sed called, his trot increasing to a full out run. “Wait. We need to talk.” The doors closed before Sed could reach them. She heard his hands slap against the outside just before the car started its descent.

Talk? She had no intention of talking to Sed. Ever again. She should have known better than to get mixed up with him in the first place.

Jessica leaned against the interior wall of the car and took several deep breaths as the elevator continued down to the lobby. A presence lurked behind her, so she couldn’t allow herself to cry. Not in public. Why couldn’t the rest of the world just disappear and leave her the fuck alone?

“Jessica Chase?”

Her heart thudded. She didn’t know enough people in Vegas to be recognized by her real name. She turned and there stood some average-in-every-way guy she’d never seen before.

“How do you know my name?” She was almost afraid to ask.

The man hesitated and then leaned closer, his breath hot in her ear. “I saw your video today, sexy. Would you consider accompanying me to the real Eiffel Tower for a repeat performance? I’ll pay your way to France. Buy you nice things. Give you cash. Whatever you want.” His gray eyes took in every inch of her figure. “I just want to fuck that tight little body of yours.”

She was too stunned to respond. Too nauseous to scream. Too humiliated to move.

“What do you say?” He grabbed her by both arms, his tongue laving her ear.

She jerked away and found herself trapped in a corner.

Instinct? She didn’t know. Her knee came up and he went down.

“No,” she shouted down at him. “That’s what I say, you fucking jerk!”

The elevator door opened and she rushed into the lobby, leaving the jackass on the elevator floor cradling his crushed nuts and moaning in agony. She hadn’t taken two steps before another man grabbed her by both shoulders and crushed her against his hard chest. She fought him, ready to deliver another groin-directed knee until she recognized her captor. Sed? How had he beaten the elevator fifteen floors to the lobby?

“Come on, sweetheart. I’ll take you back to the hotel,” he said breathlessly.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“I know you’re upset. You probably want to hide for a while and cry. Let’s get you out of here, okay?”

She gulped air. She did want to hide and cry, but not for a while. Forever.

“I’ll take you to the hotel and I’ll leave you alone. Or you can let me hold you. Whatever you want.”

The problem was she didn’t know what she wanted—being alone sounded good yet terrible, being held in Sed’s strong arms sounded better yet worse—but she nodded and let him lead her to a waiting cab. She stared unseeingly out the window on the way through the city. What was she going to do? There was no way she could hide this video from her peers, her professors, her family, her friends, jerks in elevators. This kind of thing would destroy her credibility. Would it mean the end of her career? Was it over before it started? Her dreams destroyed for a few moments of bliss? It all seemed incredibly unfair.

Something hot streaked down her cheek. She dashed the tear away with the back of her hand and glanced at Sed to see if he’d noticed. When their eyes met, he smiled sadly, and then stared down at his hands, which were folded in his lap.

Another tear fell. Another. She wiped her face on the hem of her T-shirt. Damn it. This wasn’t worth her tears. She was strong. She could get through this. She could always become a hermit and make pinecone wreaths in the sequoia forests. The trees wouldn’t know she was a… she was a… a skaaaank.

Jessica took a deep breath that turned into an anguished sob. Sed touched her shoulder. That small connection was like a switch that opened the flood gates. She caught his startled expression just before she flung herself across the backseat and into his arms. He held her as if her tears would wash her away and he had no intention of allowing the raging waters to pull her from his grasp. Feeling safe, she let the humiliation wash over her. Oh God, people would see her, see her like that, and… and… they would think she was a slut. A whore. A tramp. A…

“It’s okay, baby,” Sed murmured, squeezing her tighter. “I’ll fix it. I promise.”

She struggled out of his embrace and glared up at him. “You can’t fix this, Sed. You can’t. This is an unfixable situation.”

He cupped her face in both hands and kissed the tears from her cheeks. “I said I’ll fix it and I will. Don’t cry.”

The cab pulled to a stop outside the Bellagio hotel and Jessica scrambled out of the car. People waiting in line for the next available taxi gawked at her as she hurried into the hotel. They’d probably seen her video. Or maybe they found the tears dripping from her jaw and her runny nose interesting. Whatever it was, she wished she had a bag to put over her head.

When they reached the room, Sed directed her to the bathroom. He turned on the taps to fill the large garden tub.

“What are you doing?”

“Pampering you. Get in the tub. I’ll call room service.”

“I don’t want to be pampered.”

“Too bad. I’m pampering.”

That big tub did look inviting. And there was a complimentary bottle of bubble bath on the edge of the tub. “Okay.”

Sed let out a relieved sigh. He probably thought this fixed things. Well, it didn’t. Nothing would fix this.

“I’ll be right back.” And when he kissed her—for a fleeting moment—she started to believe that things really were going to be okay.

Less than twenty minutes later, she was already feeling more like herself. Fragrant bubbles tickling the bare skin of her shoulders, Jessica leaned forward in the tub and opened her mouth to accept the spoonful of chocolate mousse Sed offered. Her eyes rolled up in her head as she licked every decadent trace of dessert from the spoon. Smooth, sweet, and rich. She rubbed the mousse between the roof of her mouth and tongue, reluctant to swallow. Chocolate made everything better. Even her fucked up life.

Jessica groaned. “It’s so good.”

“It can’t be half as good as watching you eat it.” He grinned at her and scooped another spoonful from the tall parfait glass.

“Aren’t you going to have any?” she asked, eagerly accepting another bite of his treat.

His grin widened and one of his adorable dimples made an appearance. “I’m saving my appetite for dessert.”

“You can climb in here with me, you know.” Sex with Sed was even better at taking her mind off things than chocolate. And more than anything, she longed for blank thoughts.

Sitting next to the tub, still fully clothed, Sed shook his head. “We both know where that will lead. You’ve had a hard day, sweetheart. I want you to relax.”

She’d forgotten how sweet he could be at times. “It’s hard to relax when I keep thinking about that stupid vid—”

He silenced her by stuffing a large strawberry in her mouth. She chewed, the sour tang of the fruit contrasting with the sweet chocolate still stimulating her taste buds.

“Then stop thinking about it.” He reached across the expanse of lily-scented bubbles and stroked a strand of hair from her cheek.

“You are taking my mind off things.”

Both dimples made an appearance this time. Her heart skipped a beat. Why couldn’t he be like this all the time?

“I am?”

“Well, you and the chocolate.” She opened her mouth, ready for her next bite.

He laughed. “Honest to a fault. Are you sure you want to be a lawyer?”

Her heart went from recovery to the pit of despair in one beat. “I’m not sure it’s even possible now. My reputation is ruined.”

“In a couple of weeks, it will be old news. No one will remember it.”

“I will.”

He gave her a pitying look and reached for the bottle of champagne chilling in a silver bucket near his hip. He sloshed some pale amber liquid into a flute and held it out to her. “More champagne?”

She nodded and reached for the glass.

Sed took a long swig out of the bottle. She watched his throat work as he swallowed and squeezed her thighs together to alleviate the building throb between them. She probably shouldn’t want him after the day she’d had, but she did. What was it about this man that made her so stupid? And slutty? God, the whole world knew how much she liked to fuck him now—how she’d go to any lengths to please him sexually—and did that stop her from wanting him? No. Sed lowered the bottle and stuffed it back into the ice bucket, accompanied by the rattle of melting ice.

He covered his mouth with the back of his hand and chuckled. “That shit goes straight to your head.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to chug half the bottle.” Though three glasses deep, she was working on it. She rested her wrist on the edge of the tub, her half-full flute tilted precariously. “Since you refuse to fuck me, can I have some more chocolate, please?”