We entered another room where two bartenders were mixing drinks at a full bar. I suppose Connor had just been playing the odds when he made the crack about being there for the food, but there was indeed a spread that would have made the Dubai Hotel jealous. Mildly, anyway. Displays of exotic fruits and tiny pastries, more decadent desserts than I had ever seen in my life, and a small army of waiters walking around offering people bacon-wrapped scallops, chunks of seared ahi, bits of filet mignon, and the usual hors d’oeuvres and canapés.“You were right about the free food,” I marveled. “We should have skipped dinner and eaten here.”“I liked eating with the person I had dinner with.” While I beamed, Conner turned around. I followed his gaze to the corner of the room, where Lewis Vonder smiled widely and toasted us with a glass of champagne. Connor gave a fake smile back and muttered between his teeth, “Here, not so much.”“You afraid it’s like fairyland?”He looked over at me. “Huh?”

We arrived safe back at the hotel, much to Johnny’s relief. He made us promise not to leave the room without telling him, then said goodnight and went into his room across the way.“It’s early, only ten o’clock,” Connor said. “What do you want to do?”“Dessert.”“Literal, or figurative?”“Mmmmm. Both.”So we ordered up room service: a bottle of champagne and a selection of lovely things – the most perfect creme brulee I’d ever tasted, strawberries in whipped cream… and more chocolate.We sat on the sofa in the main room, lit only by the lights of the city, and alternated between kisses and feeding each other bits of the desserts.I was tipsy again when I purred suggestively, “Well, we did what I wanted to do… so what do you want to do?”“Well… we could get that camera and – ”“NO.”He laughed. “What was your list again? The list of ‘don’ts’? Nothing painful… nothing degrading…”“No ‘in through the out door,’” I said.“I don’t recall movies being on that list.”“And nothing that can go

Afterwards, we lay there in bed, me by his side and running my fingers over his chest.“Well, now I know why you had me take a bath,” I mused.He laughed. “See, it wasn’t so bad, was it?”I poked him in the ribs, and he made a wuUAaah sound as he arched away.“You broke the rules,” I said in a pissed-off voice.“Nooo, I just bent them a little.”“No ‘in’ through the out door.”“I think you came up with that rule for something slightly… larger.”It was true, but…“This better not turn into ‘give ‘em an inch and they’ll take a mile.’”“It won’t,” he said with a smile. “And it wasn’t degrading, was it?”“Nooo, but it was a little bit painful.”“What,” he frowned, “the – ”“NO, NOT THAT,” I said, blushing furiously, not wanting him to name what he’d done to me. “Just the… the spanking part.”“Did you like it, though?”I thought about how to answer. “…yyyyes…”“Ha HAA!” he crowed.“ – but that’s not a license to get all crazy on me all the time,” I scolded him.He grinned. “Only on special

And then I realized I didn’t have a key.“Ohhh, man…”I went over to the call box with a silent prayer for my roomie to be home. There was no reason she wouldn’t be – despite the Friday clubbing, Anh was more of a homebody. Quiet, dependable, even-keeled.She probably would have said the same about me just a couple of days ago.She answered the intercom cautiously. “Hello?”“Hey Anh, it’s me. I’m here with… my friend…”I saw Connor’s smirk out of the corner of my eye.“…and I don’t have my key. Can you let us in?”“Sure!”BZZZZT. I opened the gate and led the way.Anh met me at the door, eyes wide with curiosity. “Hey!”“Hey,” I said, and gave her a little hug.And then Connor walked up behind me, carrying the bags.Anh’s face went from happy and curious to dumbfounded.I knew why. With his wind-tousled locks and glowing tan, and his gorgeous face and ripped muscles, Connor looked like a movie star out of one of our romantic comedy DVDs.He didn’t belong in our dumpy little two-bedroo

By the time Anh rushed in, I was wailing like a wounded animal. I was doubled over, holding my stomach, like somebody had stabbed me.It really felt like he had – but in my heart.“Oh my God, Lily, what’s wrong?!” Anh cried out. She sank down beside me on the bed and put her arms around me, and pulled my head onto her shoulder.“He – he – ”But I couldn’t go on. I just sobbed for a minute as she stroked my hair and rocked me gently, like a mother with her child.Finally I could speak. “He… he asked me to quit my job and go with him.”“Um… okay, that’s kinda weird…”“And he offered to pay me. Like a prostitute or something.”I looked at Anh to see her reaction.“Eww,” she said, curling up her lip a little.“I know!” I sobbed. “Like, I don’t know, like I’m a hooker or something!”“Um… this might not be the best question right now… but… he, like, didn’t give you any money for this weekend or anything, did he?”“NO! How could you even think that?!”She looked around at the bags of expensi