All I've Never Wanted(92)

“It’s a bit hard to get revenge that way. You do want revenge, don’t you?”

“Well, I—you—it’s just—“ I closed my eyes, drawing in a deep, calming breath. “I’m sure there’s another way.”

“Listen, Maya, this is the perfect weekend to do that. I have it all planned out. When have I ever led you astray?”

“That time you made me eat an Almond Joy?”

“You need to get over that. I promise it will work.”

I bit my lip nervously. “How do you even know I can seduce—“

“Tease.”

“Fine. How do you even know I can tease him? I’m sure he’s not attracted to me that way. He hates me.”

Carlo shook his head slowly, like he was disappointed in me. I found that a bit unfair. If anything, I should be disappointed in him for setting me up like this.

“Maya, you sell yourself short. It doesn’t matter whether he likes you or not, he’s a guy. And trust me, he’ll be attracted to you once he sees you in your lingerie.”

I was horrified. “What lingerie? I didn’t pack lingerie!”

“The lingerie you bought with Adri all those weeks ago,” Carlo answered simply. “Might as well put it to good use. Don’t worry, I put it in your suitcase at the last minute.”

I turned even redder at the thought that Carlo had seen all the silky, lacy scraps of material Adriana practically forced on me.

“Oh, and don’t do anything until you get back to your suite after dinner and you’re ready to go to bed.”

I sighed, a headache setting in. “But I don’t know how to se—how to tease people.”

Carlo smiled smugly, obviously knowing he’d won. “Don’t worry. That’s what I’m here for.”

* * *

I couldn’t believe I’d let Carlo talk me into this. This was a very, very bad idea. The worst idea in the history of bad ideas. In fact, I think sunbathing topless in Moscow during the middle of winter would be a better idea than this.

“Maya! What’s taking you so damn long!” Roman pounded furiously on the door. “You’ve been in there forever!”

I forced myself to steady my voice before answering. “I’m a girl! Deal with it!”


I heard him utter a string of profanities but at least he stopped bothering me. I shouldn’t be feeling like this. After all, I was currently in what is possible the most beautiful bathroom in the world, complete with a steam shower, therapy pool (I’m not sure what that means, but I need to use it after dealing with Roman all night), a plunge tub, and views of the hotel gardens.

Dinner had been fine, once I got over my horror at not only having to share a bedroom but a bed with Roman (since both of us absolutely refused to sleep on the couch).

The problem started after dinner, ergo fifteen minutes ago, when I put on the darned lingerie (Carlo decided I should go for black).

I gulped, staring at myself in the mirror. I couldn’t believe people actually wore this stuff. The “lingerie” looked more like a very, very tiny dress or a long top, with a tied satin ribbon at the bust. Its straps were dental-floss-thin, and the front dipped low to reveal an unnerving amount of cleavage, pushed up by the dress/top’s built-in bra. The bra area itself and the “skirt,” which is just a little ruffled flounce of material that barely covered my decent parts, were made of soft tulle. The rest of the lingerie was sheer.

Yep, that’s right. As in see-through, for the most part. To make matters worse, the back dipped so low as to be indecent, which meant I was barely getting any coverage no matter how you looked at it.

In my opinion, I looked totally slutty.

I gulped, lunging towards my makeup bag and frantically dialing Carlo’s phone. He answered on the first ring.

“You have to go through with it,” he said before I had a chance to speak.

I glowered at my cell. “I didn’t even say anything.” My shoulders slumped. “Seriously, I can’t do this. I look like a hooker!”

“You are not a hooker, you’re a…seductress.”

“Who looks like a hooker.”

“Come on, remember what I taught you earlier? Breathe, be confident, you’ll do fine.” He paused. “How long have you been in the bathroom?”

I blushed. “None of your business. Can we put this off for another night?”

“No. I have another plan for tomorrow night.”

I groaned, seriously regretting confiding in him. Who knew Carlo could be so diabolical?

After ten more minutes, he finally convinced me to finish Phase One. At least, I hoped I could finish it. Taking a deep breath, I wiped my sweaty palms on a guest towel and covered myself with a short black satin robe.

I slowly turned the doorknob and stepped out into the bedroom, rearranging my face into what I hoped was a seductive expression.

Roman wasn’t there.

I frowned. Crap. Now what? Maybe he was in the outer suite. When I went to check though, he wasn’t there either.

Great. I pouted, going back into the bedroom. Even though I wasn’t all that happy about this part of the plan, I was upset I’d psyched myself up for nothing. I didn’t even know if he’d be coming back tonight.

Slightly disappointed at the thought, I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I’d curled it before dinner, but the curls had loosened into big, natural waves after a few hours.