When Navy heard the announcement of the arrival of Paige’s flight, she couldn’t contain her excitement. It had been so long since she’d seen her best friend, and Navy had worked hard to make the next five days spectacular. She looked around at all of the other people, waiting quietly for their loved ones. Navy, however, was bouncing slightly, trying to expend some energy while she waited for Paige. Sure, she missed Victor, as she hadn’t seen him since the weekend that they reconciled, but she missed Paige in a way she couldn’t imagine. In missing Victor, she missed their intimacy, his loving words, his touches, his body. But with Paige, it was completely different. Paige was the closest thing she got to a sister. She missed having Paige around to share late-night chats, chick flicks, and the occasional bottle (or two) of wine. Well, they talked on the phone and so on, but it wasn’t the same. She saw Paige’s blond pixie cut before she sa
Victor let himself into Navy’s apartment with the key she had given him. He was already booked in a suite on the Strip, for convenience of his scheduled meetings, but he knew that he would be spending every night in Navy’s bed. Speaking to her on the phone the past few days was quite strange. She was… distant, and cold. Not her real usual self. When he asked her if anything was wrong, she gave him an ‘everything’s just fine’ that he didn’t quite trust. He shook it off, telling himself that the awkwardness came from the distance, the stress, and working too much and that things would be fine when they were actually together in the same city. Shutting the door behind him, Victor inhaled. He could smell her everywhere and smiled satisfied. Now that he was back with Navy, every day was a relief. He felt lighter and stayed positive, even when work became too much, he knew that he had Navy. Yes, there was distance between them but she was only just a
Navy was in her kitchen when her phone rang. She ran to it and saw Victor’s number displayed on the screen. She frowned, debating whether or not to answer it. She had stubbornly refused to take any of his calls in the month that had passed since she had spoken to him, although it felt like an eternity, and thinking about Victor still hurt her. That was a sure sign that they shouldn’t be together. Victor had too much power to cause her pain. She couldn’t risk her heart with him, because he would surely break it. Sure, Paige had said so many times she was being stupid. ‘Not being able to live without him is the surest sign that you should be together,’ she’d advised her. Paige had told her that this was just another way she pushed away her happiness. Navy had sabotaged her own relationship, and Keera had given her the perfect excuse to do it. Navy didn’t see it that way, and she had done well to avoid him at all costs in the pas
‘What the hell am I doing here?’ Those words went on and on in Navy’s mind while sitting in a booth near her friend and roommate. The ice cubes in her glass clinked together as she stirred her vodka-cranberry drink and took a sip.“Hell, Navy… Could you at least pretend you’re having a good time?” Paige leaned in and yelled against her ear to be heard over the music. “This is the hottest nightclub in Seattle… Look at us! We’re absolutely fabulous and we’re getting a ton of male attention tonight.” As if to make her point, Paige waved to a group of men at a nearby table who were looking in their direction.“I’m so sorry, Paige,” Navy yelled back. Well, she wasn’t that sorry since all Navy really wanted was to go home. But she cared deeply about her friend and didn’t want to ruin her friend’s night out. Paige had put a lot of effort into dragging her into that nightclub. Earlier that evening, at home, Navy had spent far too long prepari
A satisfied smile appeared on his lips, and Victor glanced around his packed nightclub. He was the owner of all this… If there was one person to thank for the popularity of ‘The Sin Nightclub’, it was only him and his busy social life. In fact, he owned all twelve ‘The Sin Nightclub’ located throughout the States, from Vancouver to Miami. His nightclubs were the perfect gathering place for celebrities and professional athletes… Even some members from a few of the most important European Royal houses graced his establishments. And quite often, his picture was posted on gossip blogs right alongside them, with headlines like ‘Victor Lands a Princess’, ‘Mr. Hook and the Heiress’, and ‘Nightclub Mogul Parties Hard with the Dream Team’. Victor shook his head, chuckling at the latest story linking him with the daughter of a senator. He was young, single, rich, and good-looking. That’s what people saw when they looked at him. When people saw a
‘Was it me? Did I just do that? Did I just go straight to that gorgeous piece of man and shoved my tongue in his mouth?’ Wobbling slightly, Navy returned to Paige. But it seemed that while she was gone, her friend had made a… friend of her own. Navy watched Paige as she talked to a guy who had taken up residence at their booth. Feeling kinda bold after two drinks and a quick session of French kissing, Navy scooted in on the far side and looked straight at the stranger. Looking at her and Paige, that guy thought he was getting lucky. He started smirking at Navy, in his head already planning a threesome.“Not going to happen… Beat it, buddy!” Navy exclaimed. She hooked a thumb over her shoulder and scowled. When he left with a confused shrug, Navy buried her face in her hands.“Oh, my God… Paige, what did I do?! I can’t believe I kissed a stranger! I went to him, put my arms around his neck, and stick my tongue down his throat… And now
The next morning, Navy awoke with the worst hangover of her life… Not that she had many in her life to compare it to but this was definitely the worst one ever… maybe in the history of mankind! She groaned at the buzzing alarm on her cellphone and, with her eyes tightly shut, felt around her night table for it. When she couldn’t manage to turn it off with her eyes still closed, Navy threw it into the pile of dirty clothes in the corner of her room. But much to her despair, doing so did nothing to silence the dreadful noise, Navy groaned and pulled her quilt over her head. Once Navy managed to roll out of her bed, she pulled on a tank top and a pair of shorts.“Never again…” Navy whispered. She padded barefoot to the kitchen, where she found Paige sitting at the narrow breakfast bar, with her head on the table… Thankfully, her friend had managed to make some coffee.“Kill me… please…” Navy said to Paige. “This time I mean it…” “Too much work…
After one of the most uncomfortable hours of his life, Victor said goodbye to the class and wished them luck in their future careers. He shook Professor Behar’s hand and quickly left the classroom. He stopped in the hallway outside to pull out his cell phone to see how many calls, texts, and emails he had missed. There were many of each, and Victor sighed. Once again, he thought of the empty PA’s desk in the corner of his office and remembered that he had to get on with hiring someone new. Vincent wasn’t coming back, no matter what price Victor offered him. Victor put his cell phone to his ear when he felt the soft touch of a hand on his arm. He turned and saw her. ‘Navy Remington.’ The woman he saw last night, the one from the bar. The woman who had been sitting front and center during his talk. How many times was he forced to tear his gaze from her, only to have it roam, out of his control, back in her d