Chapter Seventeen

Dani

When I wake again, I’m alone. For a moment, I panic, wondering where Hunter is, if things got too intense for him last night and he ran, but then I hear clattering in the kitchen. I’m hit with instant relief that he didn’t ditch me, leaving me by myself in bed after having one of the greatest nights of my life.

A minute later, he pushes open the door and walks in. He’s fully dressed in business attire as he glides into the room, carrying a tray of breakfast food: pancakes, eggs, bacon, syrup and orange juice.

“Room service?” I arch a brow as he pushes the tray into my lap. “I’ve never had room service before.”

“Well it’s about time then.” He tightens the pink tie around his neck.

“I assume you’re going to work?”

“Word on the street is that I’m about to sign a major, major deal with an upcoming talent.” His lips hitch into a smirk as I frown at him. “I’m not talking about Chad. I know he still needs time.”

“To be honest?” I grab a piece of bacon and take a bite. “I think he’s going to sign with you.”

“There’s no thinking about it. He’s definitely going to sign with me.”

There’s the old Hunter Kiss I love so much, so cocky and sure of himself. He leans over the bed, his lips hovering so close to mine. “It won’t hurt that I’m giving you regular orgasms, now will it?”

“You’re a comedian,” I murmur before raising up to kiss him. I’m falling for him. It should terrify me, only it doesn’t. Not nearly as much as it should. When we pull apart, I clear my throat. “I’ll just get dressed....”

He waves his hand at me. “There’s no need for that.”

“But you’re going to work.”

“And you’re off work today, so enjoy yourself. Kick back and relax. My home is your home for the day, and I’ll see you when I’m done with work. It’s going to be an early day. Other than signing Phillip Ross, I don’t have much on my plate, and I have something special planned for us tonight.”

Phillip Ross? Even I recognize the name of the NFL quarterback who’d decided to search for a new agent, but only after he’d taken his team to the Super Bowl.

“Are you sure? I could steal all your valuable shit.”

“There are cameras in the hall.” He purses his lips with a nod. “Try to steal my stuff and I’ll have you in handcuffs.” He smiles wickedly. “On the other hand, steal as much shit as you like.”

I laugh. “How about I just steal one last kiss?”

“Works for me.” He leans down and kisses me softly, gently. It’s longer than before, with more passion and heft. And when he pulls away, I’m left wanting more. “Okay, I’ll be back later, and like I said, make yourself at home. I’ll call you when I’m on my way back so you can start to get ready.”

“Get ready for what?” I ask as he steps toward the bedroom door.

He taps my nose affectionately. “That’s a surprise.”

“I hate surprises,” I call out to him as he disappears into the apartment, and then finally, I hear the front door open and close.

My shoulders drop as I sigh and take a good look at his bedroom. It's hard to imagine that I'm hanging out here - in Hunter Kiss's home - while he's at work. And honestly, so much about him surprises me. He makes me feel good about myself, in a way no one has before. And I'm seriously happy when I'm with him. I could get used to this.

And then there’s a knock on the door. I groan as I pull the sheet tight around myself and make my way quickly to the door. I pull the door open and say, “What’d you forget?”

Except it’s not Hunter I’m looking at.

It’s Amy, the blonde I met after Hunter had kicked her out of his apartment.

My cheeks flush red as I pull the sheet tighter around my body. I know Hunter digs me just the way I am—curves and all—but I can’t help feeling more than a little self-conscious standing in front of her—a girl most guys would kill to hook up with.

“Amy, hi.”

She takes me in with wide eyes, then shakes her head. “Wow. This is a surprise. But damn, it shouldn’t be.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s okay. Don’t be embarrassed or worried. I’m not mad.”

“You’re not?”

She shakes her head. “You poor thing. He played you, too.”

“Nobody’s played me.”

“Seriously?” She arches a brow and rolls her eyes. “Do you not remember the first time we met? When you were comforting me and told me that you were here to kick his ass?” She laughs bitterly. “And yet here you are, obviously having slept with him.”

“Amy, Hunter isn’t here. But I’ll tell him you stopped by.”

She curls her lip in disgust. “You do that.” She eyes me up and down. “And tell him to lose my number. I might have been willing to forgive him and come running once, but not again.”

“Wait. He called you? When?”

“Just yesterday. He said he wanted to get together again. But apparently he couldn’t wait. Lucky you, you got that honor.” With that, she walks past me and out the door.

As she disappears down the hallway, humiliation boils through my veins. Humiliation that quickly turns to anger at the knowledge that Hunter called her. I slam the front door with all the strength I can muster. A glass picture drops from the wall and lands with a shatter against the hard floors.

Once a player, always a player.

I’m an idiot. I’m not special to Hunter. I’m just one girl in a long line of women who can’t resist him and his stupid charms, and in the end, I’ll be thrown over for a newer model, just like my mother was every time my father found someone else.

* * *

My phone rings but I ignore it. When it rings again, I check the screen. It’s Hunter, probably wanting to see where I am. He’s got a lot of nerve. After he leaves a voicemail, I switch off my phone. About an hour later, someone knocks on my door because of course after Amy stopped by, I didn’t hesitate to get out of Hunter’s place as fast as humanly possible.

“Dani, it’s Chad. Open up.”

He sounds happy. Excited. It’s probably because of Hunter and their meeting, and I don’t want to interfere with that, so I force a smile on my face when I answer the door. “Hey there. What’s up?”

“I tried calling you but it went straight to voicemail.”

“Oh. Um, yeah. My battery died.”

“That’s what I figured, so I came over to ask if you want to go to the Lakers game tomorrow. I’ve got two courtside tickets.” Grinning, he holds up a small white envelope.

“What? How did you get courtside tickets? More importantly, how did you pay for them?”

“They were gifts,” he says, not quite able to meet my eyes.

“Anonymous gifts? Like your phone?”

“Uh-huh.”

I nod, then shake my head. “Chad, you can’t just accept gifts from an anonymous source. What if you’ve got a stalker?”

“Maybe it’s just a secret admirer. I’m not worried. Just go to the game with me.”

“No. We need to find out who’s sending you this stuff. Where are they leaving it? Are they sending you stuff in the mail? Are they—”

Chad runs his hand through his hair. “Jesus, Dani. Can you stop worrying for just a little while? All I know is that I have these tickets and I miss spending time with you, so just say you’ll go. Please?”
I stare at him. I’m touched he wants to spend more time with me. But I can’t shake the feeling Chad isn’t telling the truth. That he’s hiding something. That he’s getting the tickets from someone specific and he just doesn’t want to tell me who.

“Okay.” I nod. “I’ll go with you.”

“Awesome.” He gives me a hug then a kiss on the cheek.

Chad is the one person that always keeps me grounded. He’s my reason for everything I’ve done, and everything I do.

I’ve always wanted to do right by him, but maybe I’d done just the opposite when I’d encouraged him to meet with Hunter on his own.

Because even though there’s no proof, suddenly I can’t shake the feeling that I was right about Hunter all along. And that he’s continuing to bribe Chad with gifts.