She steps back, and I march toward the guy.
"Who are you?" I demand.
"I'm not some British prick with a little flower sticking out of my pocket."
Who the hell does this guy think he is? "If you're not here to bring her room service, then you have no business here."
“I’m here for Allie,” he continues. “We met in Paris. And it was love at first sight.”
“No,” Allie says, looking uncomfortable in her towel. “That’s not it at all.” She’s actually shaking.
"Then why is he here, in your hotel room?" I ask, turning toward her.
My heart sinks. I do feel like the prick with a flower in my pocket.
“He followed me here,” she goes on. I can see tears start to swell in her eyes.
"After the kiss we shared, I expected that you wanted me to follow you,” he says.
“Kiss?” I start to panic. This is a nightmare. “You kissed him?”
“Quite passionately,” he says.
“I’m wasn’t talking to you.”
“I didn’t want it. He kissed me,” she pleaded. She has a desperation in her voice.
But I cannot look at her any longer, and I don't stay to hear the end of her story. I'm too upset, and I have to get out of there. I turn to leave, going out the door and slamming it shut loud enough to piss off everyone else on our floor.
Chapter Eleven
Allie
"Get out of the room!" I shout at Antoine, throwing a pillow at him from the couch. "I didn't invite you here, and I want you gone!" I never yell. But this time, I've been pushed over the edge, and there's no coming back. I don't think I've ever been this angry about anything before in my life.
"Sorry, sorry," he says with a laugh, putting up his hands. "I forget that you Americans can be so uptight.”
“The door is over there,” I say condescendingly.
“Fine, I’m going.”
He does go, and it’s a relief. But not a big enough relief.
I lock the door behind and listen for his footsteps to fade down the hallway. I only hope that he’s gone for good. If he was willing to follow me all the way here, then he must be willing to continue to bother me after I’ve told him to get the hell out.
I go straight for my phone and call Ben.
But he doesn’t answer.
I call him again, and this time I leave a voicemail.
"Ben, please call me back, it wasn't what it looked like. I should never have let him into my hotel room. I'm so sorry, just please call me or come to my room. I'll explain everything."
I call him several more times. No answer. I send him a string of pleading text messages. I can't believe I've hurt him like this. I wish he would just talk to me. But he doesn't reply to anything I send him. I apologize profusely, but it gets me nowhere.
I get dressed and knock on his door, but he doesn’t answer. I hop in the elevator and go down to the hotel bar. I do a lap to see if he’s there, but he isn’t.
“Can I get you something, Miss?” asks the bartender.
“No,” I say with a panicked voice. “Just looking for a friend. Thanks.”
I find the pool and scan the crowd to see if he's there—no sign of Ben. I go back up to our floor and knock on his door again, this time harder and more urgently.
“Ben,” I say into the door. “Ben, please open up.”
But all I hear is silence.
I'm devastated. I go back into my room. I have no way of finding out where he is, and I can't force him to answer me. I fall onto the couch and start to cry. I sob and put my head in my hands. How could I have been so stupid?
This beautiful hotel room… he paid for it. And the plane ticket. Everything. How could I hurt him like this after what he did for me? And how he treated me? I never asked for Antoine to come to Dubai. What a snake.
I feel so helpless. And then my phone rings.
I reach for it with a surge of excitement, hoping that it's Ben. Finally, he's gotten my messages, and he's come around. I look at my screen, and it's not him.
“Eric?” I say with a whimpering voice into the phone.
“Allie? Hey, I was just calling to check on you. You don’t sound good, what’s wrong?”
“Everything,” I cry into the phone. I tell him everything that happened. How miserable I feel, alone and afraid in a foreign country. I tell him all about Ben and the trip to Dubai and how Antoine who came between us. And I'm probably not on Mindy and Kate's good side right now. I just want to go home.
"Don't worry, Allie," says Eric, in a calm manner. I’m surprised he keeps his cool. “I’m going to book you a flight home. You don’t need all this drama.”
I thank my brother for everything. But I still keep thinking about Ben. I have to see him before I leave. I start to shake and cry even harder. It’s almost too much to be alone with myself right now.
I text Kate and give her a brief rundown of everything that happened. She’s much more understanding than Mindy. I don’t know if I can even stay friends with Mindy anymore. She helped destroy the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
Thank goodness for brothers.
Chapter Twelve
Ben
I’m at a hotel bar across the street when my brother calls me. He’s probably drunk or going to ask if he can throw a party with six hundred guests, to which I would definitely reply with a firm no.
I don't answer. I don't want to deal with him right now.
I stare down into my cocktail, which is heavy-handed, just as I ordered. No woman has ever hurt me so badly. Maybe I should have stayed there to get her side of the story. She was protesting pretty strongly. But I was so hurt and angry, I couldn't stand to be in that room anymore. I wanted to hit him and scream at her. I couldn’t allow my emotions to take control over me, so I had to leave.
I act like I’m tough, but deep down inside I’m just as sensitive as anybody.
I know Allie keeps calling and texting me, but I just have to let her wait. I can't talk to her right now. Not until I've had a few more drinks and have cooled won. I take the rose out of my pocket and rip each petal off of it, throwing them one by one onto the floor.
Tucker calls me five more times in a row. I guess it must be urgent.
“Hello? What’s wrong?” I say into the phone. “I’m really pissed right now, and I don’t feel like talking.”
Tucker starts talking so fast I can barely keep up with his sentences.
“Tucker, slow down. Say all that again.”
"I said…" He takes a deep breath. "Go talk to Allie, you stupid asshole. This Antoine thing wasn't her fault." And then he went on to explain everything he heard from Kate.
Chapter Thirteen
Allie
All my bags are packed except for one final thing. Then I just need to go downstairs and arrange for a ride to the airport. I feel so low, like my heart sank deep into my stomach, where it will probably remain for a long time.
I had true feelings for Ben. Feelings that I can’t just get rid of. He was my first sexual experience, my first real romance. This is going to be hard to forget. But ultimately, Eric is right. I don’t need any drama in my life, and it’s time for me to go home.
I’ve changed into jeans and a t-shirt, and I stuff my dress down into my luggage and zip it shut. There. Finished.
I hear a knock on my door.
"Go away, Antoine!" I shout with a rasping, tired voice. I’ve only finished crying because I ran out of tears. But I know my eyes are red and puffy.
“It’s me,” says a voice on the other side of the door. “It’s Ben.”
I gasp. Oh, Jesus, Ben. I rush to answer the door, but then I stop.
"Ben," I say through the closed door. "I have my bags packed, and I'm about to leave. I can't stand that I hurt you, I just…"
“Just open the door,” he says, and his voice is soft and forgiving.
I unlock it and open it a crack. I don't want him to see me looking like this.
"Allie," he says desperately. "Tucker called me. Kate told him everything that happened with that other guy and that none of it was your fault. I'm sorry I got so upset. Will you please let me in?"
I open the door a little farther. He doesn't react to my casual clothes or my puffy face. All he does is come rushing in and drowns me in a tight hug.
“But Ben, I have to tell you something.”
“You can tell me anything.”
"Antoine really did kiss me at the airport. I didn't want him to, but it just sort of happened."
He brushes my bangs out of my face and bites down on his lip. I think he’s upset, but not upset enough to scream.
“I trust you, Allie. I know how men are. I don’t blame you. I blame him.”
I start crying into his chest, and he holds onto me.
“I just couldn’t stand the thought of you being with someone else. It drove me so crazy. I’ve never been hurt like that before. It was like a knife through my chest.”
“I have a flight back to the United States.”
“Don’t go. Stay with me. We can work through this.”
I’m so relieved that I agree. “Let me just call my brother.”
Chapter Fourteen
Ben
While she's on the phone in the other room, I take a gander around the suite. All her bags are packed, and the place is picked up. She really was going to leave. I silently thank Tucker for calling me. One of the only things he’s ever done right.
When she comes back in the room, I can tell she's been wiping her eyes because they're red and swollen. I don't care. She still looks so sexy.
"Look at me," she says. "I'll have to change and freshen up."
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “You don’t have to do anything.”
I take her in my arms and tear her shirt over her head. Her bra is the next thing to go. The thought of almost losing her makes me raging mad for her.
“I like where you’re going with this,” she says. She starts undoing my pants, and soon our bodies are naked and coiled in an intimate embrace on an expensive-looking rug on the floor. Our clothes are scattered all around us. We’re so hungry for each other, we don’t waste any time.
I grab each of her breasts, running my thumbs over her hardening nipples. My lips find hers in a consuming and passionate kiss. Her legs wrap around me and squeeze, pulling me in. I can't wait any longer. I plunge myself deep into her. That first stroke, so wet and tight, is what I’ve been craving all day. She looks into my eyes and moans. I move slowly because I want this to last for a long time. I want to see that look in her eyes for as long as she as it.
She lets out a few more sexy moans. I suck on her earlobe. Her legs are high in the air, and I'm stroking back and forth to the rhythm of my thudding heart. I kiss her again and again, my arms on her shoulders and pulling her body into me.
I pick up my pace slightly, and her arms are all over my back. I hold her tightly to me, and I’m so aroused for her that I can’t last any longer. I thrust against her, deeper into her and I finish, my body taking off in a rush of pure ecstasy.
Now, it's her turn. I put my hands on her knees and spread her legs wide. She smiles and giggles, her face red and her hair a mess. I love it. My lips move slowly down her body, between her breasts and straight down her stomach. Then I give her wet and hungry kisses against her clitoris. She tosses her head back and moans. Anyone outside our room could hear her squealing and yelling with joy, but I don't care. It's even hotter when she's loud. I slowly insert a finger and find her g-spot, softly stroking as my tongue whirls around, and she cries out in pleasure. I keep going until I feel her body shudder with a powerful orgasm. Her thighs squeeze my head, my hands cradle her hips, and I give her one final kiss before I lay beside her and stroke her hair and her dreamy, dizzy face.
After we’re finished, we lay in bed naked. The sun has set, and the city of Dubai is alive with life and culture. But we don’t want to be anywhere except in each other’s arms.
“I’ll order room service,” I tell her and look deep into her eyes. “We can stay here tonight. Get to know each other even better.”
I fought for this woman. I might have gone mad for a while, but I fought for her thereafter. I couldn’t let her go. I know that I’m falling in love.
“Room service would be great,” she says between kisses along my arm. “I didn’t even realize how hungry I was.”
"Let's go to dinner tomorrow," I say, running my fingers through her hair. The sun has set, and the lights of Dubai shine bright. "I need to make up for what happened today. It'll be a nice dinner."
“Where are you going to take me?”
“I’ll surprise you.”
“I hope it’s a good surprise.”
“Yes, Allie. Only good surprises from now on.” I tickle her so that I can hear her laugh.
Chapter Fifteen
Allie
The next day, I'm alone in my hotel room all day long. It's sort of a nice break after the commotion of the day before. The nightmare with Antoine, then all the crying, and then the mindblowing sex left me utterly exhausted.
I get dizzy just thinking about that sex. It wasn't rough or intense, but it made my knees weak, and my heart soar. I don’t want to call it love because it feels too soon, but I can’t think of another word for it that would compare. Oh God, how I want more.
Late in the afternoon, I start getting ready for the night. I put on my best sexy dress and do my hair and makeup. Kate calls me.
“So everything’s okay?” she asks, referencing the Antoine drama and where I stand with Ben.
"Yes, everything's fine. Ben and I had some earth-shattering make-up sex.”
“Thank God.”
“How are things in Paris with you and Mindy?”
“We miss you, but I know you’re having a great time now. Don’t worry, I reamed Mindy a new asshole after what she did. I think she knows she fucked up big time. She’ll probably apologize.”
“Good. I was furious with her.”
"As you should be. We go to Amsterdam in a couple of days. Then we'll meet you in Athens. Can't wait to see you."
At least someone knows how to be a good friend. She really saved my ass with Ben. Anyway, now all I can do is fidget while I wait for him. Anticipation is torture, but at least today, it's good anticipation. No more Antoine. No more bullshit.
Ben seemed really serious about our date tonight, like something big was going to happen. The way he looks at me, the way he touches me, it’s like I’m the only woman he’ll ever have interest in. He definitely doesn’t treat me like some twenty-two-year-old kid he’s just stringing alone.
Eric is the next to call me. Baby brother always looking out for his big sister. I know he's still worried.
“Don’t worry,” I assure him. “Everything is fine. It was just a big misunderstanding. We made up.” I’m definitely not telling my brother exactly how we made up. That would be too weird.
I flip my hair around in the mirror.
“Okay, Allie, if you insist. But if anything happens at all, call me right away. I’ll come all the way out there if I have to.”
"Tell Mom I love her, and I'm safe. Don't tell her about Ben or that I'm in Dubai. She might freak out. Okay. I love you too. Bye."
I hang up the phone and check the time. Ben will be here in less than half an hour. That gives me just enough time to pace nervously back and forth.
He arrives promptly at six, and this time he has a dozen roses in his hand instead of just one sticking out of his pocket.
“I got these for you,” he says with a handsome smile.
“Thank you.” I’m so relieved that he’s here. I can’t wait to do this right.
I reach up and kiss him. My hands move to his belt, and I stroke him teasingly over his pants, eager for him to have me again.
“Let’s save it for when we get back,” he says through a moan and grabs my hand. “I have to keep you wanting more.
> He takes me in a limousine through the city. I can’t stop staring outside. The city is fascinating. Over the next few days, we’ll have time to explore it together.
The restaurant is so elegant, I almost don't know what to do with myself. Back at home, I'm used to having a burger and a beer at the bar down the street, wearing a flannel shirt and my cowgirl boots and licking sauce off my fingers. This is a whole world of difference. This place is as upscale as it gets. I can’t imagine what the bill will be.
We sit at a table near a fireplace, a lit candle between us.
“We’ll each have a glass of chardonnay,” he tells the waiter in a smooth voice.
So he remembers my favorite wine. I only mentioned it once, but he was obviously paying attention. And now he’s paying close attention to me. His phone stays in his pocket, and he never pulls it out, which I appreciate. We get lost in each other’s eyes and stories of childhood and growing up. Talking to him is so much more comfortable than going out with my friends and meeting strangers at bars. I feel so much at home with him.
The night is almost too perfect. I'm gazing at Ben, wondering how I could be this lucky, when I see his face darken. I turn, and my stomach plummets. Who else could it possibly be but Antoine sauntering up to our table?
Ben was right. Who the hell does this guy think he is?
"Are you following me?" I say much more loudly than I intended.
“I just wanted to make sure you were making the right choice,” he says, looking down at me with a grin. “And that I am here for you if you change your mind.” He drops something down on the table in front of me. It’s a key to a hotel room, with the hotel address and room number on it.
“Excuse me, I think my mind is made up,” I snap and slide the key back to him. "I'm with the person I want to be with, and that is final."
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