“I trust them,” I defend.
His return chuckle tells me he disagrees.
“I just want things to be perfect,” I confess.
“They are perfect. You are perfect. And it’s Christmas Eve. You need to take your own advice and take a few hours off yourself. You’ve been working so hard and next week will be insane.” Z takes my hand and starts pulling me in the direction the elevator.
I don’t complain, but I can’t help but tease him back. “You aren’t fooling me. This has less to do with me relaxing and you being horny.”
“I can neither confirm nor deny your statement,” he says with a devilish grin. “What I can say is we’ve both been working too late each night to really spend any quality time together. Consider spending a few hours in bed with me an early Christmas present.”
“Oh goodie! Does this mean I get to tie a ribbon around your cock since it is my present?”
“Baby, if that will make you happy, tie away.”
Five Hours Later
“I’m stuffed. Remind me to tell Chef how wonderful everything was tonight,” Katja says, finally laying her fork down, leaving half of the chocolate cheesecake untouched on her plate.
I am so full; I hadn’t even tried a bite of the decadent dessert. “I am saving my dessert for later.”
Z takes my comment as his invitation to tease me. “You already ate your dessert before dinner.” When Katja and Dex look a bit confused, he adds, “But if you need another helping of Z before bed, I’ll be up for that…literally.”
All four of us burst out laughing and a sense of calm like I’ve never known before settles into my chest.
I’ve lived a charmed life by almost anyone’s standards, yet in the moment, I’ve truly never felt happier.
I have a dream job I’m finding both challenging and rewarding. My friendship with Katja has grown so much deeper, and at times, she is like the sister I never had.
And most impossibly, through the drama of being attacked and almost killed by the despicable Luciano men, I somehow caught the perfect ‘bad boy’ in Z. Through working together on the hotel, we’ve been able to build on the shaky foundation we’d started with, solidifying into the kind of partnership I’d always dreamed of having in my life.
I honestly don’t think life can ever be better than this very minute.
Dex clinking his fork against one of the champagne glasses he had just refilled pulls me out of my internal thoughts. As there are only the four of us present, I’m confused until he then raises his glass.
“I want to make a toast,” he announces, turning toward Z and me. “Thank you to both Z and Rowan for all of your hard work in getting The Whitehall ready for her grand opening. I couldn’t be happier with how things are turning out, and I think I can speak for Katja when I say how much we look forward to continuing to expand our growing empire with you two as our partners. This year we added London, but this is just the beginning.”
He hesitates and I wonder if he’s finished speaking just before he adds, “To the outside world we may look like business partners, but to me and Katja, you are both our family, and we just want you to know how important you are to us.”
The flickering fire of the candles blurs as tears flood my eyes. Dex is not a mushy person, in fact most who do business with him would say he is a ruthless bastard, which makes me feel even more privileged to be part of his most inner circle. As I glance at Z, I see he is struggling with his own emotions as well. I’m not surprised at all when he pushes to his feet and approaches Dex who also pushes to his feet.
Watching the men embrace makes my heart explode with joy, and I stand so the four of us can do a round robin of hugs.
We are all finally retaking our seats when Dex instead slips down on one knee just in front of where Katja is sitting. He puts his hand into the inner pocket of his designer suit jacket, coming out with a small velvet covered box. My heart lurches as my gaze takes in a flabbergasted Katja. She clutches at her own heart as her mouth opens letting a small squeal escape.
A new silence falls over all of us as we hold our breath, waiting for Dex to speak.
“Katja Belov, I have loved you since we were children. While our fathers may have raised us as siblings, I haven’t thought of you like a sister since you were sixteen years old. I may not have claimed you as mine back then, but my life changed the minute I knew you were my woman.