Olivia surveyed Alexander’s face. It was an entirely legitimate reason for his behavior. She had no clue about half of the operations his company was involved in, but she did know that a lot of it entailed dealing with other countries.

Her face softened as she gazed into his beautiful green eyes. “Okay. Apology accepted, but next time, don’t get your panties in a bunch.” She pushed by him and started to head toward the staircase. “Aren’t you coming?” she shouted when she was halfway up the stairs.

“What are you talking about?”

“Come on, Alexander! Make up sex!”

And with that, he shot up the stairs, chasing her toward their bedroom.

Olivia squealed when he caught up to her, picking her up in one swift move and cradling her in his arms, planting a deep kiss on her lips.

He threw open the bedroom door, startling Runner awake from his nap. “Come on, boy. Out,” Alexander said. Runner begrudgingly obeyed his master.

Alexander closed the door and slowly lowered Olivia to her feet. His eyes searched hers, making sure her anger from before had actually subsided. The fury he saw earlier was nowhere to be found. All that was left was a look of admiration.

“Kiss me,” she whispered, tugging his tie and pulling his body toward hers. She stood on her toes and their lips met. The kiss was soft, both of them eager to show the other that they were sorry for arguing about something that appeared to be so insignificant. They wanted to show their love.

Alexander pulled back, gazing down at Olivia, her eyes still closed. She moved a finger over her lips where his mouth had just been. “I still remember how I felt when you first kissed me,” she whispered quietly, opening her eyes and dropping her hand from her mouth.

All Alexander could think about was how lucky and blessed he felt at that moment as his eyes remained locked on hers. He felt so fortunate for having finally found his childhood best friend after years of being told that she was dead. And she loved him. She was going to marry him, and they would live a happy life with no more worries.

Alexander refused to think about all the secrets he was keeping from her as he led her over to the bed they shared and made love to her.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS...

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, OLIVIA groaned when the alarm went off, waking her up. It had been a fitful night of sleep. She had woken up in a cold sweat after having strange dreams. First, the green-eyed boy was there, promising Olivia that nothing bad would ever happen to her. Then a young blonde girl appeared out of nowhere and she had Adele’s voice. They were playing Barbie’s together in Alexander’s backyard in Mystic. The blonde girl had grabbed her Barbie out of her hand, and the green-eyed boy yelled at the blonde girl for being so mean. “Stop causing problems, Adele. You’re always so mean to Olivia.” She could still hear it. Then, almost as if a new dream, Cam was there, trying to soothe and calm her down.

“Penny for your thoughts, love?” Alexander asked as he handed Olivia her coffee mug, leaning down to kiss her good morning.

“Just thinking about my trip this weekend,” she lied. “When will you be back from your meeting?” Olivia adjusted her legs, sitting up in the bed, and scratched Runner’s head while Nepenthe glared at the dog.

“Tuesday afternoon, I hope.”

“I’ll miss you terribly.”

“I’ll miss you, too, but you better enjoy your time with your friends.”

Olivia smiled. Vegas! She was going to Vegas with her three best friends. “Fuck!” she shrieked, looking at the time. “I need to pack or we’ll miss the flight.” She dashed out of the bed and ran toward her closet, practically downing her coffee in one gulp.

“Why didn’t you pack last night?” Alexander asked, following her into the massive walk-in closet that housed all of her clothes and shoes.

“Well, I had planned on it, but someone kept putting his cock in me.”

Alexander chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. “I didn’t hear you complaining about it last night. If I remember correctly, I had you screaming my name quite a few times.” He smacked her ass before strolling out of the closet, allowing her to pack in peace.

Olivia returned to her suitcase, an infectious grin on her face as she thought about all the sex they had the previous night. Her nightmares were now the furthest thing from her mind.

Later that day, Olivia sat in her first class seat next to Kiera, watching the Vegas strip appear in the distance as they prepared to land at McCarran Airport.

“I’m so excited!” Melanie said enthusiastically. Olivia glanced across the aisle and smiled at Melanie and Bridget, happy that the two girls were able to join them.

Once safely on the ground, the girls rushed off the plane, antsy to start their fun-filled weekend. “Where to first?” Olivia asked Kiera as they made their way through the bustling airport, the sound of slot machines chiming throughout.

“I figure we’ll take it easy today,” she replied as they walked through the gate area toward baggage claim. “We’ll just check into the hotel and then relax by the pool. We have an evening filled with dancing tonight!”

“I love dancing!” Melanie said.

“Oh, this must be us.” Bridget led the group toward a chauffeur holding a sign with Adler Bachelorette Party written on it.

“That’s us!” Melanie beamed at the man clad in a black suit standing near a baggage carousel.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” the chauffeur said, nodding at them.

Olivia surveyed the man, the buzz cut and muscular build of him giving her a sinking feeling that he somehow worked for Alexander. She made a mental note to look into whether he had offices in Las Vegas.

“My name is Toby and I’ll be at your disposal this weekend for any of your transportation needs around town.”

After no time at all, the girls’ bags appeared and they were soon on their way to the Vegas Strip and their luxurious hotel room for a relaxing afternoon of sunbathing without a care in the world.

~~~~~~~~~~

TWO MEN IN THEIR mid-twenties made their way out of their first class seats on a flight from Boston to Las Vegas. They maintained a discreet distance behind their targets, not wanting to arouse any suspicions. They were told to wait and make their approach when the girls were at their most vulnerable so they would wait until the club that night. Until then, they would simply keep an eye on them.

“Are you sure about this, Lucas? I mean, is it really worth it?” the taller one asked.