“You don’t owe me a thing. As for your boyfriend?—”
I immediately correct him. “Ex. Ex-boyfriend.”
Smiling, he says. “As for your ex-boyfriend, if those security guards weren’t so close, I would have schooled him on how to treat a woman.”
That makes me laugh since I know Justin isn’t a fighter. He was never much of a lover either, but he did have his moments when he was kind. Why all of that vanished today I honestly don’t know.
“So are you going to put that gorgeous dress back on so we can go have a good time?”
Confused, I point at my eye, which I know is rapidly turning black and blue. “How can I go anywhere looking like this?”
“This is Vegas. Nobody knows you here. You could have been one of the women fighting in last night’s bout down the street. If anyone asks, I’ll warn them that you’re a female MMA fighter, and if they know what’s good for them, they’ll shut the hell up.”
“You won’t mind being seen with me looking like this?”
“No.”
“People are going to think you’re with a woman who’s sporting a black eye.”
Marius walks over to the bar and pours himself another drink. “I don’t care what people think. I never have. Now go get ready and make sure you put that dress back on. We’ll go gamble for a while.”
Thrilled someone other than me loves that dress, I smile and start walking toward the bedroom where all my clothes wait for me to put them away. I knew that dress looked great on me. Screw Justin and his puritanical nonsense.
From behind me, Marius says, “Duck, don’t worry. You’re beautiful, even with the black eye.”
I thought I’d hate that nickname. Maybe it’s not so bad, after all.
We get backto the hotel room right before midnight after hours of gambling in the casino. I lost all the money I had put aside within the first two hours, but that didn’t seem to faze him in the least. He just said we deserved to have a good time and proceeded to pay for both of us for the next four hours.
Never in my life have I had so much fun with a man. There were no worries about what I was wearing or how much we were spending. We just had the best time.
After hours of drinking and laughing, I don’t know if I’m drunk or simply feeling better than I’ve ever felt in my life. Strangely, Marius doesn’t seem affected at all by how much whiskey he drank the whole time we gambled.
“How is it you don’t get drunk?” I ask as I kick my shoes off, sending them flying through the living room of the suite.
He shrugs while he walks over to the bar to pour himself another drink. “Hollow leg? I’m not sure. I ate a lot before we left and then when we took that break from blackjack. That’s probably it. Want more champagne?”
I beg off, sure if I have any more alcohol I’ll fall fast asleep, and that’s the last thing I want to do right now. “No, I’m good. Thanks.”
We last ate nearly five hours ago. I can’t imagine how this man is doing it.
Marius sits down on the sofa and looks over at me still standing in my bare feet halfway across the room. “Planning on leaving?”
“No.”
“Then come over and hang out. I don’t bite.” He flashes a wicked smile. “Not hard, unless I’m asked to.”
Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a little buzzed, but everything about this man excites me, especially when he smiles and makes comments like that. I remember what Maia told me about beingwith Marius. Now I have to decide if I want to find out for my own.
My legs shake as I walk over to the sofa, and when I sit down, I’m still trembling. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. It’s not like I’m a virgin.
“So now that you’re finally over here, do you want me to put something else on the TV?” he asks.
Up until this very moment, I didn’t even realize the TV was on. I turn to see what he’s watching. Basketball. Ugh. I hate basketball.
“Anything but that,” I say with a chuckle. “My apologies if you’re a huge basketball fan.”
He hands me the remote and laughs. “Not really. I’m not really interested in watching anything, so feel free to find what you want.”
