A knock came on the door a short time later. Both Victor and Navy were still at their desks, working, and Dustin walked in holding the pizza that had been dropped off downstairs.“I should have assumed that you were both still up here,” he remarked, putting the pizza down on a coffee table. He held up a six-pack of beer, a German beer that Navy had grown to love.“And I brought this up from downstairs. I figured after all of the hours you’ve both punched this week, you guys would need to unwind a little,” he finished with a wink. Navy watched as a strange look passed between Victor and Dustin. She had trouble determining if the good-natured look was full of meaning, or just a friendly way to sign off as Dustin left the room. Does he know what happened in Vegas? Did Victor tell him? She was almost offended, but then she realized that she had told Paige immediately when she’d arrived home. Navy tried to put what had happened be
Navy prayed that she remembered to tidy up before she left for work that morning. Her small bedroom, while never actually dirty or too messy, was generally quite chaotic. She’d spent so much of her childhood trying to be perfect for her parents that not cleaning her room every single day was her small form of rebellion. When she opened the door, Navy said a silent prayer in thanks that her room was mostly clean. She turned to Victor.“It’s… Ehm… small. Probably smaller than you’re used to…” Victor cast an appraising look around and smiled.“It’s perfect, sweetheart… It’s absolutely great.” Suddenly her space seemed way too small. Victor’s huge frame appeared to take up the entire room and Navy noticed the temperature had risen at least twelve hundred degrees since they’d entered. She could smell his cologne and wondered if, hoped that, the intoxicating scent would seep into everything she owned. He interacted with the things in her most
Victor heard the incessant buzz of Navy’s cell phone alarm clock. He took a look, then rolled over and buried his face in her hair.“What time is it?”“It’s 6 am, baby.” She yawned, turning and curling into his side. He felt her warmth and pulled her closer. They had only been asleep for a few hours, yet he’d slept better than he had in a long time. They slept close, which was the only way her smallish bed would allow them. Victor groaned and kissed the back of her neck“This feels so good… I want to stay like this forever…” he whispered.“Me too,” Navy replied smiling.“You know what, baby? We can! Why don’t you call in sick?”“Oh, I would,” she told Victor and turned in his arms to face him. “But you see&hellip
With the press gathered, Victor took his spot behind the podium in front of the reporters to announce the opening of the Mirage Hotel.“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome! I was born, raised, and educated here, in Seattle. I’ve opened my first nightclub here. I’ve since expanded my business and opened successful clubs all over the country.” ‘This is it!’ Victor smiled broadly as he savored the moment of his career. He gestured to Navy as she started the slide show presentation behind him.“I’m pleased to officially announce the opening here, in Seattle, of the first of what I hope to be many ‘Mirage Hotels’!” The audience applauded appreciatively. He brought Navy forward.
After a week of crying day and night over Victor, over losing the man of her dreams, Navy decided it was time to pick up her life and start fresh. She stayed in her apartment, since what happened that one time, she’d gone out for a walk. In a few minutes, Navy found herself surrounded by paparazzi who were questioning her relationship with Victor, what she did to earn her promotion, and her hasty departure from the company. Since the day she’d left ‘VH Holdings’, Navy hadn’t spoken to Victor. If she did, she was afraid that she would fall back under his spell. She would go back to work for him, and always live under the shadow of the scandal. And she didn’t need that. What she needed was a fresh start… Away from hi
Navy took her seat on the airplane, economy this time. This trip to Las Vegas wasn’t on the dime of ‘VH Holdings’. And she was alone… without him. That was the difference. Well, that and the fact that she had only purchased a one-way ticket. Once again, she was sitting on a plane… She looked outside the window and tried to stay calm since flying was still terrifying. She fastened her seatbelt and closed her eyes. Navy recalled her first trip to Vegas, she recalled Victor and the way he helped her, his voice so soothing… Tears started stinging her eyes, so she shook her head.“Stop it…” Navy whispered to herself. “He’s gone… He’s not coming back. And you’re leaving Seattle, so… stop torturing yourself. Focus on your n
Las Vegas was quite different from Seattle. ‘This is the understatement of the century,’ Navy thought as she stepped out of her apartment and into the blazing heat. She’d found it hard to adjust to all of the changes at first. She missed Paige. Her best friend still called and they chatted online whenever they could, but it wasn’t the same. The pace of Las Vegas was also different from that of Seattle. Sure, Seattle was a big, important city but Las Vegas had far more hustle and bustle. There were always people everywhere, at all hours, coming and going. Tourists stopping for pictures. People drinking and acting out. Navy was more of a quiet person and she didn’t care for the rowdiness that came with working on the Strip. But the first adjustment Navy had to make was the heat. ‘Sweet Mother of God, the heat was… unbelievable!’ She’d always liked warm weather, but when the hot desert sun blazed on her dail
Victor stewed in his hotel room. He was pacing the room like a caged animal. Keera had just left and he was feeling restless. He was also still agitated from his run-in with Navy earlier that day. “Fuck!” Victor exclaimed and stopped pacing. A short time ago, Navy had meant the world to him. He had seen every side of her… Kissed her… Made love to her… Now the woman of his life acted like he was just a stranger to her… As if they never met.“Fuck!” he exclaimed again and restarted pacing. Her cold indifference at lunch infuriated him so much that after his meeting with Keera, he had to take the rest of the day off. He just couldn’t concentrate. Keera would have been a surefire way to release some tension. Finally, some good sex after all those weeks since he had a woman… since he had Navy in his arms… And Victor knew it would have been great. Maybe that was part of the reason why he was so agitated. His member didn’t seem to understan