Page 106 of Dirty Player
I was counting on all of those things when I found my nerve to exit the elevator and turned toward his door.
I was three steps away when his door flung open and a woman—a beautiful woman—flew out, laughing as she did, her waist-length blond hair flying out behind her. “I’ll see you later, then!”
She turned around and froze, just as I did.
“Oh! Hello!” The beautiful woman—shiny pink lips, glassy-eyed—was looking directly at me, and she instantly looked familiar, although I couldn’t place her.Gorgeous.
She had to be one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. Curvy, blond, so beautiful and sweet-looking my teeth almost ached. Or they would have…if I could have felt anything.
Everything went numb as I gasped.
What she must have caught on my face wiped the smile right off hers.
My heart froze inside my chest.
No. He wouldn’t…
Then her eyes went wide and she looked down following my gaze. She was wearing nothing. Notnothingnothing, but all I could see of her was a pale pink, silky robe, wrapped and tied tight at her waist.
I took a step back.
I couldn’t breathe.
She looked back at me and followed my movement, coming closer while I backed away.
“You must be Shannon,” she said, walking toward me.
Without looking, I pounded on the elevator button with the palm of my hand. It had to open. It couldn’t have left yet.
He did. He wouldn’t, though…would he? Oliver had always promised he wasn’t a cheater.
And how did she know my name? I opened my mouth and closed it like a fish, unable to speak to her. I couldn’t draw air into my lungs to breathe.
Behind me, the elevator door opened.
Her hands went up. “This isn’t what it looks like, I swear to you.”
I said nothing. What could I say?
As I stepped back into the elevator, I heard Oliver’s voice.
I hit the button to close the door. “Bethany…you forgot…” He stopped as he saw me.
He had on pajama pants. Nothing else. Dark blond hair a shaggy mess that told me he’d just woken up. A woman’s purse in his hand at his side.
I made a choking sound and began slamming the button to close the elevator door.
I was standing there dressed in a super-cute tank and skirt and sky-high heels, looking my absolute best, and this woman—who looked so vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place her—was dressed in just a robe andohmygodso much more beautiful than me without any makeup on at all.
“Shannon…” His voice trailed off as he looked at me and then at Bethany.
His eyes went hard.
My heart dropped to the floor beneath my feet.
The doors shut right as he dragged his hands through his hair.
It was the last thing I saw and tears flew down my cheeks, unbidden, before I could stop them. Before I realized I was crying, my vision blurred and sobs wracked my shoulders.
