Gold (All that Glitters #2)(7)

“Wrong,” she said, exasperated. Why do I have to keep defending myself? “Maybe we were both amazed at how much you want to suck Blaine’s dick.”

“Why would anyone be amazed at that?” she deadpanned.

Bryna laughed. “You’re such a slut.”

“I only hope that I’ll be as good at it as you are.” She innocently fluttered her eyelashes.

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“Pretty much. Speaking of,” Stacia cried, “what exactly happened last weekend? I want the goods. Trihn said you threw your drink on that guy you were with.”

Bryna shrugged, unperturbed. “He had it coming.”

And it was true. He hadn’t even had the decency to be honest. Not that Jude had ever been honest. But the whole concept just irritated her. She knew she should just brush it off and roll with the punches, but after the way Jude had played her, she was a changed woman. And not necessarily for the better.

“Hey, B.” Stacia snapped her fingers in Bryna’s face. “Hot guy? Cocktail in the face? What the f*ck?”

“He didn’t know how to play the game, so I gave him a lesson.” She winked.

Stacia giggled. She retrieved her car keys from her bag and clicked the unlock button. Her giant SUV beeped across the parking lot, and she leaned on the hood of Bryna’s Aston Martin while they talked. “That doesn’t sound like my idea of a lesson.”

“That’s because you would have banged him.”

Stacia tapped her lips. “True.”

“Anyway,” she said, popping open her door, “he was married.”

“Oh,” Stacia said in understanding.

Bryna wished that had been the real issue. But she had been there, done that before.

BRYNA VALETED HER ASTON MARTIN at Caesars Palace on the Vegas Strip and entered the Forum Shops for a last-minute shopping trip. She hated to admit that she was a little nervous about her first away game, but she couldn’t help it. Jitters wracked her stomach, and the only way to calm those nerves—other than sex, which wasn’t exactly accessible at the moment—was a quick shopping trip. She could use a new carry-on anyway.

Meandering through the designer boutiques made her heart happy and calmed the unnecessary nerves. She rounded the corner and entered the beautiful interior of Louis Vuitton.

A clerk immediately approached her. “Hello. Welcome to Louis Vuitton. How can I help you?”

“I’m looking for a new carry-on. Something sleek.”

“I know just the thing,” the woman said with a smile.

Bryna spent a solid hour with the saleslady. It was hard to decide on only one bag, so she ended up with two—a black carry-on with all gold accents and a new gold makeup bag. After swiping her daddy’s credit card, she exited the boutique with every intention of returning to her condo to finish packing.

She pulled out her cell phone and scrolled through the messages she had received while occupied. There was one from Trihn, wishing her good luck at the game this weekend. Attached was a picture of her history homework with a sad face drawn on it. Bryna laughed and clicked over to the next message where Stacia had posed for a picture in her cheer warm-ups with a thumbs-up and added text underneath.

See you in twenty.

Bryna checked the time and realized she had missed that only a couple of minutes ago. She still had some time. Maybe she would peek into one more shop before heading out.

Knowing she only had a short time, she walked through the Forum, back toward the entrance, and scoped out where to make her stop. Her smile brightened at the next entrance where a security guard was posted on the other side of the door. She sighed.

Tiffany’s.

She had a gold bangle with diamonds inlaid in the band from Jude. The smile slipped from her face for a split second, but she forced it back on. Fuck him! She was over that shit. The bracelet was the sort of thing she should be wearing, and it didn’t matter that she had gotten it when he decided to make their arrangement more serious, only to pull the rug out from under her later. Tiffany’s was too perfect to be tainted by him.

She brushed past the guard and into the large Tiffany Blue-and-white room. She marveled at the glass counters and all the sparkling jewels. Her heart fluttered. The diamonds called to her. She breezed past the engagement rings and went straight to The Atlas Collection.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to a pair of gold Atlas hoops with diamonds. She had gotten the ones without diamonds this summer in Paris, but she had been kicking herself for not getting the ones with diamonds, too. She needed them.

“Good choice.”

Bryna startled. She hadn’t realized anyone had walked up to her while she was salivating over the earrings.

She faced the stranger, and her heart stuttered. Oh, yes. So much yes.

“Well, I have impeccable taste,” she drawled.

He smiled. “I can see that.”

He was perfect. Older than even Jude or maybe the same age. Mid to late thirties and utterly delectable. High cheekbones, full lips, chiseled strong jaw, and gleaming light-brown eyes. What she noticed next was just as important—an indulgent custom suit that fit him like a second skin. With that kind of cut and quality, it had to be something straight out of London’s Savile Row. A fine suit had all the same necessary characteristics as a diamond, and both should be worn as often as possible.