“Really?!” That surprised me. But since we were waiting for the elevator, I whipped out my phone and tappeddakota name meaninginto my browser. “Aw. Cute. It means friend.”
“Friend?” He locked eyes with me. “That’s good.”
“Why?”
“Because, Ottavia.” He lowered his voice, suddenly sounding solemn. “I think that’s probably what we should stay. Friends. You know?”
Wha’?I felt the blood drain from my face. Was he serious? Wasn’t hejusttalking about kissing me a moment ago?
But cracks began to break his serious facade, and he couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Kidding! Oh, man. You should see yourself right now.”
“What the hell?!” I squealed.
“Hey, Itoldyou I’d get you back.”
“Youjerk.”
“Me?! You had me believing your dad was in the mafia!”
“You already convinced yourself of that! All I did was play along!”
The elevator announced its arrival with achime. We stepped on, its doors sliding shut and enclosing us in a private space. The sudden ascent to the penthouse floor created a fluttering sensation in the pit of my stomach, amplifying the nerves that had been brewing inside me. With a deep breath, I mustered the courage to ask the question that had been nagging at the back of my mind since the dinner, when my dad showed me that video.
“Can I ask you something about that video, Dakota?” I asked, attempting to conceal the small twinge of jealousy I felt.
His eyes filled with a gentle curiosity. “Sure, shoot,” he replied casually, giving me the space to ask.
I hesitated for a moment, taking care to choose my words carefully. “That girl you were with in the video.Didyou sleep with her?”
Andyes,I felt ridiculous, okay, being jealous of something my fake boyfriend might or might not have done before we met—but what can I say? Fake boyfriend or not, watching Dakota have the time of his life while an attractive blonde with ample curves bounced in his lap had stirred up a few insecurities. If wild blondes with big boobs were his type? He probably thought I was the most boring girl on Earth.
Not that it should matter,I told myself.
“Yeah, right!” Dakota denied it, laughing. “My knee was killing me after I fell off that stupid bull. I went straight back tothe hotel so I could munch some aspirin and put ice on that thing ASAP. Honestly, I was afraid I’d torn my ACL or something.” He chuckled. “Sex? Nah. With the pain I was in, sex would’ve been impossible.”
I felt a surge of relief—but I didn’t want it to show. I offered a small smile instead. “Oh, okay. Thanks for telling me. I was just curious.”
The elevator slowed to a stop, its doors smoothly opening on the penthouse floor, and we stepped out into the lavish hallway. But as Dakota walked me to my suite, I realized a subtle unease still lingered inside me. The stupid thing was, Ibelievedhim … yet his answer was still somehow unsatisfying. I tried to let it go, to dismiss the nagging inside me, but it continued to gnaw at my thoughts.
“But youwould’veslept with her if you hadn’t gotten hurt, right?” I asked, hiding my true feelings beneath a playful laugh.
“I dunno. Maybe.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “I barely talked to her, honestly. Why do you ask?”
I tried to casually brush it off. “No reason.”
“Wait a minute.” A mischievous grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he nudged me with his elbow. “Ottavia, are you jealous?”
“Jealous?” With an embarrassed heat swirling in my cheeks, I playfully nudged him back. “Why would I be jealous of some drunk blonde with huge boobs putting her hands all over you?!”
“Wow!” He burst into laughter, his eyes sparkling and amused. “I was only kidding, but you reallyarejealous, aren’t you?”
I turned my nose up. “Maybe I gotsointo the role of the delusional girlfriend, in denial over her cheating douchebag athlete boyfriend, I caught some residual jealousy. It’s a very real occupational hazard in acting, you know.”
“Ouch! Damn, girl!” He let out a stunned laugh. “Lemme guess, you’re the type of girl that wakes up mad at her boyfriend because she has a random dream that he cheated on her, right?”
I smirked playfully. “Well, first of all, I believe dreams are messages from the subconscious, so I’m not entirely sure I’d call such a dream ‘random.’”
“Called it.” He snickered. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m a little jealous of your boyfriend, too.”
