Forbidden Serenade

Chapter Eighteen

We arrived in Vegas shortly after six in the evening. Jessica, Callie, Angie, and I carried our luggage into the awaiting shuttle. We had nearly twenty more women with us. I didn't know them. They were Jessica's colleagues or friends or relatives of her future in-laws.

After checking into our hotel, we found our rooms. I was sharing one with Callie. We gathered in the lobby and walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner. During the middle of our meal, I received a text from Elijah.

When are you free?

My eyes darted around the table as though someone had somehow seen the message from my younger lover. No one was paying me any attention. I had a split second of unease. Like I owed him this visit. Deep down, I knew it was nothing like that. Elijah just wanted to see me. He wasn't expecting me to be at his whim because he paid a bill.

I typed him a message. I should be able to slip away soon.

Putting my phone away, I focused on my friend and her excitement. We finished our dinner and had dessert before heading back to the hotel to refresh before hitting the bars tonight.

I should go with them. That's the entire reason I was here. But Elijah was the reason this trip with my friends was possible. Feigning a headache, I promised to hit the town with them tomorrow as planned.

Elijah sent me his hotel information when I text him, and I caught a cab. When I arrived, I stared at the massive, high-end hotel. From appearances alone, I could tell a room exceeded my budget, even during my marriage to James. Wandering into the hotel, my eyes scanned over the luxurious and expensive decor. Following Elijah's directions, I turned left down the hallway to find the elevators for the top floors. As he told me, there was security blocking them.

Tipping my chin up, I smiled as I approached them. "Hi. I'm a guest of Elijah Wyatt's."

The large man, wearing all black, scowled at me. Unsure what to do, I reached for my phone when a woman my age rushed over.

"Are you Riley Turner?"

Shifting my attention to her, I nodded. "Yes."

"Great," she said with a huge smile. She was a thin blonde with a pencil skirt and a white, flowy blouse. "My name is Mallory Watson. I work for Drenched Uprising. I need to speak with you super quick and then we'll get you headed up to see Elijah."

"Okay," I drew out slowly, unsure of what was occurring. Elijah had said nothing about this.

Mallory gave me a smile I think was meant to calm me. It seemed too cold and calculated to accomplish the feat. "Follow me."

She turned and walked away. I glanced longingly at the elevators before following her black, clicking heels to a nearby conference room. Holding the door open for me, she closed it as soon as I entered. The click as it closed sounded more like a jail cell locking.

"I've heard about you," she said, walking past me and picking up a folder from a nearby table.

I silently wondered if knowing about me was good or bad. Had Elijah told her? What did he confide to her? And why? I wanted this quiet. Was he required to inform them who he was sleeping with? Or did he arrange this and didn't bother telling me? All kinds of ideas rushed through my frantic mind. Did they require testing? Some kind of schedule to keep his women separate?

"I've been trying to track you down since the Hamptons." Mallory pulled some printed papers from the folder that looked an awful lot like a contract. "I know Sterling had you sign his NDA there, but we require one signed on behalf of Elijah Wyatt and Drenched Uprising. It's your standard NDA and specifies the financial and legal consequences that we will follow through with if you choose to break it. You're free to read it before signing."