Victoria The Billionaires Maid

Oliver’s [POV]

The weather was balmy and perfect. At first, she didn’t get too close as we walked, though she never broke the link of our fingers. But then she cuddled in, resting her head against my arm now and again as she noted the sights and I offered my insight. I wasn’t a Vegas connoisseur, but I’d visited a few times.

None of those trips had been like this.

I’d always traveled alone, and I lived my life mostly by rote. Seeing things without truly experiencing them.

Sage made that impossible.

“God, I love palm trees. They’re so majestic. I wish we had them in New York.”

It felt good to laugh. “Not thinking that will happen. The climate isn’t quite hospitable for them.”

“But they’re so pretty. Look at all the stars.” She tipped her head back against my arm.

“How can you even see them?” The dazzling lights of the strip nearly rendered it impossible for me to make them out.

“I have excellent eyesight. Besides, when else will I have a chance to see real Vegas stars? I’ll fill in the damn dots if I have to. Dang,” she corrected as I chuckled.

“We could rent a car tomorrow, take a ride out to the desert. You could see them so much clearer out there.”

She smiled up at me, subtly tightening her hold on my arm. It was as if some kind of barrier had broken between us as soon as she’d grabbed me in fright during the plane ride.

I didn’t want that barrier to repaying. Ever.

“I’d like that. Assuming we don’t spend all day in bed.” She grinned. “Which we cannot, because hello, we’re in Vegas.”

I swallowed and my tongue ended up near my knees.

Holy fuck, how could one barely dirty comment make me harder than the sidewalk we were walking on?

“So how do you feel about gambling?”

I was supposed to talk now. I was having enough trouble walking due to the sudden constriction in my trousers.

“It’s entertaining enough,” I managed. Barely. “In limited doses.”

“What do you play?”

“Baccarat,” I said succinctly.

“And?”

“Baccarat.”

She frowned. “What about slots?”

“What about them?”

“Do you play those? They look really fun. I saw this Friends episode once, you know the one where Ross and Rachel ended up married-” She broke off and cocked her head. “Why are you smiling like that?”

“You’re unique.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” She propped a hand on her hip. “I bet you’ve never seen Friends have you?”

“No. The title seemed too banal to merit interest.”

She rolled her eyes. “Your banal is the rest of the world’s must-see TV, boyo.” She tugged me with her up the street. We’d reach The Colosseum one of these days. “We’ll watch it together. I know all the good episodes and the ones to skip. I have Netflix.” She raised her brows at me as if she expected me to argue, or perhaps to make Celine-Dion-level insults.

I did neither. It had already occurred to me that this trip would end in under forty-eight hours. If I didn’t figure out a plan to ensure she’d continue seeing me once we returned home, she probably would not. As soon as we resumed our regular routines, I had a feeling she’d be back to hating my guts and voting against me in polls about which was the hottest Hamilton twin.

And yes, I’d heard of that poll, and yes, I knew she’d been the only one to vote Seth ahead of me. I’d been amused at the time. Hate and love were opposite each other across such a thin line.

Now the reality of our lives wasn’t all that funny. It would be too easy for us to fall into typical patterns and lose whatever this was.

I didn’t know yet. Didn’t have a fucking clue. But I wanted a chance to let it evolve without meddling brothers and nosy sisters-in-law and just daily life intruding.

“When?” I asked.

She pursed her lips. “You’re agreeable?”

I nodded.

“Hmm, well, we probably won’t have time this trip. You don’t mean…”

Gravely, I nodded again.

“You want to see me when we’re back home?”

“I always see you when we’re back home. Practically daily.”

“Not like that.” She waved her free hand. “I mean, this kind of seeing.” She lowered her voice and leaned in. “The kind where I put my mouth on your manly bits.”

I choked out a laugh. God, she was something. “Well, that part can always be negotiated, but we’re friends now, right?”

“I guess.”

Such enthusiasm truly warmed a man’s heart. But I sensed I needed to tread gently here before I sent my little deer fleeing into the woods. “Friends watch TV together. They eat meals together too.”

“They do.” She squealed and pointed at a plane going overhead with a message trailing behind it. “Oh my gosh, look! It’s a marriage proposal. Aww, isn’t that the sweetest thing?”

“Shouldn’t something like that is kept private?”

She gave me a glacial look that said I’d probably be watching Friends by myself. In the dark. In my boxers while holding a bottle of Molson.

“Do you know anything at all about romance? I thought you were considered suave with the ladies.”

“The women I typically date aren’t looking for romance.”

“I bet,” she muttered darkly, not so subtly moving away from me.

My phone buzzed at my hip and I picked it up, intending to ignore the call. It was my brother. Why was he calling instead of texting as he normally did?

Oh shit, was it the baby? I hadn’t gotten any of those infernal twin vibes that always seemed to assail me when my brother was in paineither physical or severe emotional but maybe distance affected the reception. We’d never tested the boundaries of the supposed twin bond. I tried to dismiss it as hogwash most of the time anyway.

I swallowed hard and accepted the call. “Is the baby okay?”

Beside me, Sage stopped walking and put a hand to her mouth.

“The baby is fine. How is Sage?”Content © NôvelDrama.Org 2024.

I slid a sideways glance at her and minutely shook my head. “Other than you scaring her witless by calling, she’s perfectly fine. What’s going on?”

“And how are you?”

That explained why there were no twin vibes, and it wasn’t due to location. The jackass was on a scouting mission, probably thanks to his lovely wife.

“Having the time of my life. I’ve never had a more incredible trip.” Beside me, Sage tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “Filled with all the sights and sounds of a splendorous Vegas”

“Cut the crap. Have you slept with her or not?”

I cleared my throat. Luck

ily, the sidewalks were filled with so many revelers and tourists, all heading in and out of the casinos and hotels, that Sage couldn’t have heard Seth’s booming voice if she wanted to. And she did since she was walking on her tiptoes to try to get closer to my ear.

I switched my cell to the other hand. “I can vouch there has been no sleeping.”

Seth swore. “She’s a virgin. You know that. How could you?”

Somewhere down deep, something akin to hurt flared. I didn’t care that I was known as a womanizer in town. I knew the truth, that I treated women with respect and told no lies about my intentions. But to have my brother my goddamn twin act as if I was some horny asshole who’d dragged Sage into a bathroom to join the mile-high club was too much.

Didn’t you practically do just that? You dragged her into a hot tub. She told you she rarely received physical affection anymore. Are you honestly surprised she sought comfort from you? You were available. Convenient. What happens in Vegas… she’s already been reluctant to make plans with you afterward.

Sage stopped walking and pointed at a boutique that was still open. I didn’t understand what she meant until she darted into the shop.

Maybe she had heard. Or maybe she just wanted to shop until she dropped. Who even knew anymore?

“We haven’t slept together,” I said through gritted teeth once the door closed behind her. “Happy now?”

Seth audibly exhaled. “Yes, I am. Ally said she wasn’t worried since Sage hates you, but I told her not to diminish your skills at the woo.”

“Skills at the woo? Is that some childish reference to performing oral sex on a woman?”

Seth laughed. “Hardly. You know, wooing a woman. You’re good at it. And Sage is an easy mark. Tell her she’s pretty, spend some time with her, and she’s likely to confuse sex and love.”

“Whoa there, sex and love? On the first day, we’re traveling together. Also, don’t you think you should give Sage a bit more credit?” When he didn’t respond right away, I shook my head. “You and Ally are a pair, all right. Both claim to love her but don’t see her for half of what she truly is.”

“Hmm. Sounds like a little more than the commentary of her frenemy, don’t you think? Maybe you’re the one confusing sex and love already.”

“I’m not confused about anything. You, however, are confused if you think I’m going to continue this conversation. Goodnight, Seth. Give Ally my best.” I clicked off before he could do more than sputter.

As much as I didn’t want to find any value in what he’d said, he was probably right about one thing. Sage was in a sensitive spot right now. She wanted fun and adventure, and maybe that was making her less than choosy about her companion for such. I’d come along on this trip, not by her choice. Maybe the hot tub adventure had been about proximity more than the boiling over of repressed sexual desire.

She was a virgin, after all. She had to be boiling so hard that she was capable of setting herself aflame. That didn’t mean she was boiling specifically for me.

Sage deserved more credit, and so did I. Just because I wanted Sage for reasons that extended beyond this trip, didn’t mean the opposite was true. I wasn’t fully certain what all those reasons were yet or when exactly they’d taken root. But perhaps it didn’t matter.

What happened in Vegas might stay in Vegas. And that was a game I didn’t intend to play.