Chapter Twenty-Six
Vanessa
By the time I awoke, it was late afternoon. Vil was nowhere to be found when I came to, but there was a handwritten note on the bedside table.
Vanessa,
In case I’m not back by the time you awaken, please know I’ll be back soon. I’m simply out gathering some essentials, nothing more.
Outside the door are coffee and tea in pots that room service has been instructed to change every half hour so that they remain warm and fresh.
If you dial down, the kitchen is aware that anything from your room will get instant priority and be up as fast as possible.
Do not hesitate. Order whatever you want. Please, eat well.
After you have finished that, take a shower, and then proceed to the tenth floor and ask for Nicole. Do as she says (please). I have arranged everything, so there should be no issues or hiccups. I’ll find you when I get back.
Vil
There was a scribble between the last line and his name, but try as I might, I couldn’t decipher what he’d written and crossed out.
Stifling a yawn, I crossed through the suite and to the door, where, sitting outside on a cart, I found coffee, tea, various additives, several mugs, and even some fresh pastries. I snatched a couple of those to go with my coffee, dumped in some sugar and milk, and retreated to the bed.
The coffee perked me up, and the pastries quieted my grumbling belly somewhat.
I debated going for more, but I needed other food.
More food. So I caved and called room service.
They were as prompt as Vil had said they would be, and in no time at all, I was filling myself with eggs on toast, strips of bacon, and some breakfast potatoes cut into very tiny cubes and fried.
Glancing at Vil’s note, I followed the next steps, taking a shower and then proceeding down to the tenth floor.
“What have you done?” I asked nobody in particular as I arrived to find out that the entire tenth floor was the hotel’s spa. What was Vil up to that he was sending me there?
I didn’t need him to be spending all that money on me.
But you’re enjoying it. He clearly wanted to do this, so let him spoil you.
“Hello,” a perky voice greeted me from off to one side. “Can I help you?”
“Hi,” I said, going over to the desk the brunette stood behind, her hair pulled back and tied with a big floofy white scrunchy. “I’m looking for Nicole?”
“That’s me. What can I do for you?”
“I’m Vanessa?” I said. “Vil sent me here?”
A giant smile blossomed. “Of course. Come on in. Let’s get you set up.”
“Um, okay,” I said, following her through a door beside the desk. She promptly had me change out of my clothes and into a thick robe that might have been even more comfortable than the one at Vil’s castle. Fortress. Whatever.
Then I was guided to a dimly lit part of the spa, where relaxing music played in the background and a rocky waterfall built into the far wall trickled softly. Nicole put me into a reclining chair at one of the stations, and another woman, Anita, took over.
I was treated to a facial, mani-pedi, foot rub, and finally, a hot stone massage that had me groaning in muscular relief by the end.
“You have good man,” Anita said as she rubbed the muscles of my back while steam worked its way into my pores. “He treats you well.”
“That he does,” I agreed, wondering why I hadn’t fought her when she’d called Vil “my man.” He wasn’t mine.
Was he?
Anita’s fingers dug in deeper, and the question slipped away into the ether of my mind, forgotten about as my muscles released their tension.
“So very tight,” the masseuse clucked negatively. “You need to relax. Stop thinking about what’s on your mind. Let it go.”
“Which one?” I asked with a laugh.
“All of them. Forget them right now.” Her fingers ran up the sides of my spine and then around my shoulder blades, finding all the knots and slowly working them out.
Taking a breath, I let my mind go. Anita was right. For thirty minutes, or however long I had left, I didn’t need to worry about silly things like prison, buying a new car, dragons, or what to call whatever was going on between Vil and me.
None of it was necessary at that moment. It wouldn’t change while I lay on the table, so why bother thinking about it? Just like Candy had done to me, the words gave me a fresh perspective. Looking at things through a new lens. So I let it go for the moment.
I didn’t realize it, but I fell asleep at some point.
“See,” Anita said with a chuckle as I stirred. “You are much better without heavy thoughts. How do you feel?”
I stretched. “Good,” I said. “Very good. Thank you, that was … wonderful.”
“You’re welcome,” she said.
I was left to get up and pull on my robe in peace. I headed to get changed but was intercepted by Nicole.
“Just wear the robe to your room,” she said.
“No, that’s okay,” I said, waving it off. “I can give it back.”
“That was what Vil wanted me to tell you,” she said.
“Oh. Okay.”
Gathering my clothes and feeling rather self-conscious since I was wearing nothing but the robe, I got into the elevator and returned to the upper floor, where the suite Vil had rented was located. I let myself in with the key I’d swiped earlier and stopped dead.
“What is the meaning of this?” I asked, staring at Vil, who was lying on the other bed.
Not that there was anything unusual about that, but the absolute pile of bags on my bed was beyond bewildering.
“I got you some things,” he said, with all the care of someone who picked up two types of muffins for a friend when they had no idea which type they would like most.
“Vil … some things? Good grief. There’s …” Then I noticed the labels on some of the bags. Louis Vuitton. Versace. Louboutin. “I can’t accept this.”
But I really wanted to open that last bag and the box-shaped thing inside. Like, really, really, really badly. My eyes kept darting to it.
“Vanessa, I already bought it. It’s here.”
“But you already paid half a million dollars of bail,” I hissed. “Why are you spending all this money on me?”
He frowned. “You know the car we drove to your house is worth like four million, right? I’m not struggling for money.
We dragons are very good at hoarding treasure.
Now, I use one treasure to spoil another.
That is a worthy reason to spend some of it.
A very tiny part of it, I might add. So stop worrying and open the damn Louboutin bag already, will you?
I can see you eyeing it like it’s food, and you haven’t eaten in days! ”
I couldn’t help but laugh. He was right. I hadn’t been able to stop staring. I wasn’t salivating, though. Not quite.
“Fine,” I said, carefully tearing into it and admiring the pair of red-soled heels with a loving gaze. “I’ve always wanted a pair of these. But even some things I couldn’t bring myself to splurge on.”
“I hope they fit. I got the same size as your other shoes.”
“You looked at my shoes?”
He gave me a look that said, ‘Please, of course I did my research.’
“I’m impressed,” I said, trying them on and doing up the strap. “Oh, my. How do they look?”
“Fabulous,” Vil said. “I’m glad you like them.”
“I love them,” I admitted. “But, Vil, you could have bought me Walmart shoes and clothing, too, you know. I don’t need to be spoiled.”
“I know.” He winked at me. “But I wanted to because seeing that shit-eating grin on your face makes me happy as can be. Really, I’m very selfish and doing this entirely for my own well-being. If that makes you feel any better about accepting it.”
Eyeing the pile of goodies, I shrugged. “I mean, maybe a little.”
“Well, try it on. I want a fashion show,” he said, gesturing at me to get to work. “We’ll take what you like and get on the road.”
I paused. “On the road?”
“To my place,” he said as if I should have known. “We’re going to stay there.”
“Right,” I said, my stomach suddenly full of butterflies. “Back to your house.”
Don’t worry. He’s sleeping on the floor again. You won’t have to share a bed with him.
But what if I wanted to?