Luke and I haven’t spoken since last night, but he is speaking at the conference tomorrow, and I still have a job to do. So I woke up at four am and I’ve spent all this time arranging and preparing for that. It didn’t help keep my mind off of Luke, though. I’ve thought about him non-stop.

I wonder what he’s doing. Is he thinking about me? Does he feel bad? Probably not. Why would he, after the way he treated me? You don’t treat people that way if you care about them. It’s obvious he doesn’t give a damn about me.

I want to talk with him and work something out.

I walk into the elevator and ride up to our floor. I step out, and as I’m walking down the hall the door to our suite opens and a local girl with long black hair and a pink mini skirt steps out. Her heels are at least six inches high. She’s tarted up like she’s going to a club, but it’s the middle of the fucking morning. My insides burn with jealous rage at just the sight of her.

What the fuck is going on?

She closes the door softly and starts walking towards me in her high heels. She’s got that cat got the cream look on her face. The look I see in the mirror after Luke has fucked me good. She would have passed me by without even a glance if I had not stopped in front of her.

“Who the hell are you?” I’m aware that my voice is hard and cold and I’m being mean, but I can’t help it. I hate her.

Her dark eyes flash. “Who are you?” she asks me cockily.

“Did you just have sex with him?” I ask her.

She gives me a sly smile. “Which guy?”

“The guy in that suite? Did you fuck him?” I don’t want to play games. I just want to get to the bottom of everything. If she says yes, then I’m fucking done with Luke Remington. The moment I get back to New York, I’ll walk away and never see him again.

“It’s none of your business.”

I’m so angry I feel like punching her smug face. I’ve never wanted to punch anyone before. She’s smaller than me. I can take her. I grab her hand. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll report you to the hotel. How would you like that?”

A flash of fear passes her eyes before she masks it. “Yes, I did,” she admits defiantly. “Happy now?”

It’s the exact opposite of how I feel.

“Let go of me. It’s not me you have to be angry with. It’s just my job,” she says quietly. And suddenly, I feel ashamed of myself. She’s such a small thing. Even in her ridiculously high shoes, she only comes up to my chin. It’s a wonder to think that Luke’s big cock could possibly fit inside her. The thought sickens and disgusts me and I immediately release her.

She straightens her top and walks away without a care in the world.

I’m still staring at the empty space where she was standing when I hear the elevator doors close behind her. Only then, I realize I haven’t moved since she said she had sex with him. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t to hear her actually say yes, but she did.

She has no reason to lie to me.

But I don’t get it. Luke and I have a fight and he buries his cock in a fucking prostitute?

My heart feels like it is shattering in that hallway. The pain runs deep and sharp. This kind of misery in my heart is new to me. I’ve never experienced it before and I don’t want to feel this way. I don’t want to think any more about Luke fucking her. I don’t want to think about him anymore at all.

I honestly feel like I could punch a wall. Or maybe his face. I want to go into our suite and confront him. I want to look into his eyes and ask him what makes him think it’s okay to fuck a hooker after last night. What makes him think it’s okay to sleep with anyone after the way we’ve been with each other? But just the thought of the ensuing arguments makes me feel exhausted. I’m so done right now. I’m so angry and hurt. I wonder if I can find a new job before I get back to the states. Would it even matter?

What I need is a drink.

Yes, if I just get a drink in me, or several, I’ll be able to make it through the rest of this miserable trip until we head back to the states. I’m so over Luke, this trip, and this whole fucking country right now.

I turn around and head for the elevator. My mind is so scrambled I don’t register the ride down or the walk to the bar. Suddenly, I find myself sitting down at the bar and ordering a vodka with a finger of tonic. The bartender fixes it up and sets it in front of me. I drink it and order a second one. He doesn’t so much as raise an eyebrow. I drink that down and hit him up for another. I don’t want to think anymore. I want to feel completely and totally numb.

“Hey, Jade,” a deep, masculine voice says from behind me.

I turn to see Carl Magnus in all his Viking glory. His long blond hair drags over the shoulders of his suit jacket, and he looks like a fusion of ancient and modern man.

I’m surprised. I really didn’t think I was going to see him again. Especially after the way Luke had acted toward him the other day. “Hey, Carl,” I say glumly. “What brings you here?”

He sits down on the bar stool next to me. “I’m day drinking today,” he replies with a laugh. “I don’t think I can make it through another boring speech unless I get a little buzzed. What’s your excuse?”

“You know, I’m not usually a day drinker.” I finish my third drink.

The bartender points, and I nod my head. He gets to pouring me a fourth one.

I haven’t eaten much today, and I know I need to pace myself. I need to make sure that I don’t go over my limit and totally embarrass myself. I’m still on a business trip, whether or not I’m with Luke. I still need to be professional.

Carl nods. “What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

The bartender serves me my drink, and Carl orders himself a straight Jack Daniels.

Should I tell him? Does he really need to know what’s going on between Luke and me? I bet he would love to hear that we aren’t working out. That Luke is off fucking everything that walks while my heart breaks more and more. I imagine myself taking Carl up to my room just as Luke is leaving his. He’ll get mad, and I’ll say, “If you can fuck whoever you want, so can I.” I almost burst into a mad giggle. I’m starting to feel quite light-headed. Maybe a bit crazy too.

“Well, I’ve realized something that I think might actually be pretty awful,” I say.

“What’s that?” Carl asks.

I take a sip of my drink. This one tastes more like tonic than it does vodka. I make a face. The bartender must think I’m a lightweight and can’t handle my alcohol. I finish the drink, fully aware I left Carl just hanging. I turn back to him. “I’m in love with Luke.”

“I’m well aware. It was the reason I hit on you. I like you. And I could see that a good dose of jealousy would do Luke good.”

“What? You knew I was in love with Luke that day?”

“Of course. I saw it a mile off.”

“How?”

“The way you were looking at him, but I know Luke is a tough nut to crack. He was fighting it, so I decided to help you by giving him a little push.” He grins. “I figured he’ll owe me, then.”

“No, you don’t get it. We aren’t together. I’m in love with him. He couldn’t give a shit about me.”

Hearing the words aloud is a kind of a revelation that I cannot ignore anymore. They couldn’t be truer if I pulled them out of a law book. We aren’t together. We never have been. And I shouldn’t be letting him get to me, and drinking my woes away at a hotel bar. I should be out sight-seeing and enjoying myself. I’ve finished everything I had to do for today. But even the thought of going sightseeing on my own makes me feel depressed.

“You still aren’t together?” Carl asks, surprised.