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              “I have no idea,” Evan snapped. Running his fingers through his hair, he contemplated telling Waters how he woke up or what he found.

              “No matter what happened or didn’t happen last night, you seemed to be having fun. So just remember; whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

              “So you’re saying I should just ignore that I found these in my jacket pocket this morning?” He pulled the red lace panties from his pocket and waved them in front of Mr. Waters.

              “That doesn’t mean anything. For all you know, one of the broads from last night could’ve slipped it in your pocket when you weren’t paying attention.”

              Evan considered the possibility for a moment. According to Waters there were four strippers hanging all over him, before Audrey removed the last one from his lap. Any one of them could have slipped it into his pocket.

              Evan’s face seemed to relax for a moment while he stuffed the panties back into his pants. “Maybe you’re right.” He headed for the door.

              “Where are you going?”

              “To Audrey’s room. Hopefully she has some answers for me.”

              Evan wasn’t in as much of a rush to get to Audrey’s room as he was with Mr. Waters. Hopeful doubt had been implanted into his mind, he just hoped Audrey could confirm it.

              Traveling down the one floor to Audrey’s room allowed Evan to piece what Waters told him with what he remembered. He knocked on the door when he arrived and waited patiently for her to answer.

              He could hear someone inside fumbling with the covers, either that or Audrey took someone back with her the night before just like Mr. Waters did. He knocked again, this time finding the door opening.

              Audrey stood there in a red silk robe that came down to the top of her thighs, exposing her bronze long legs. She held the robe closed, allowing some cleavage to show.

              “Evan, it’s a bit early. What are you doing here?”

              “Sorry to bother you.” He looked her over noticing her hair was perfectly brushed as if she were about to go out. “I need to talk to you about last night.”

              “I don’t know what you mean. What about last night?”

              “I don’t remember much of it, and was hoping you could clue me in. Mr. Waters filled me in a little, but said a lot of last night was a blur to him as well and doesn’t remember that much after you took us to that club.”

              “I don’t know if I can tell you much.” She waved him inside her room, which Evan reluctantly entered. Unlike Mr. Waters’ room, Audrey’s was clean, with only one side of the bed was untucked, and the floor didn’t have any scattered clothes. “I’ll do my best to answer your questions.”

              Evan thought about the last thing Waters mentioned about the strip club, about Audrey removing the stripped. “Why did you pull the girl off my lap?”

              Audrey smirked and tried to shrug off the question. “It didn’t look like she was doing that good of a job. So I decided she needed to go.”

              “And what about the club you took us to? What happened there? Waters said he lost track of me a few minutes after we got there.”

              “He was looking for someone to fuck last night and went off on his own.” Audrey opened her dresser drawer, exposing a little cheek as she bent over. Evan could feel the tightness in his jeans, and tried to hide it as Audrey grabbed a skirt to wear. “You and I hung out at the bar and danced for a little while before taking you up to your room.”

              “It was just you and me?”

              “Yes, although it wasn’t easy. You were stumbling all over the place. At one point you had your arm draped over me and nearly made me fall over.”

              “So you helped me to my room, and nothing happened?”

              “Of course nothing happened. Why would you think that?”

              He pulled out the red thong. “Because I can’t figure out where these came from.” He dangled them in the air for Audrey to see.

              “They probably came from one of the whores Christopher paid to give you a lap dance.” She ripped them from Evan’s hand and threw them in the garbage pail. “When I left your room last night, you were alone.” She cupped a hand to Evan’s cheek. “And trust me; if we had sex, you would remember every minute of it.” She lightly tapped his cheek and strutted towards the bathroom. “Now, I need to get ready, unless of course you want to join me.”

              The mere thought of having sex with Audrey made Evan hard. It wasn’t something he ever considered, not to mention she was a woman he never considered having a shot with.

              “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.”

              “Are you sure? Your little buddy looks ready to go.”

              Evan looked down and noticed his erection was more noticeable than he realized. He placed his hands over it and rushed out the door, realizing this had been the worst day of his life.

Chapter 31-Sara

              Sara sat around the house with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. It festered inside, making it over exaggerate how bad the truth would be once Evan confessed. Her thoughts ranged from going to a strip club to Evan waking up in another country, with a woman or multiple women lying naked on a bed. She didn’t know why these thoughts were gnawing at her, but she knew something was wrong. The longer he waited to confess the truth, the more irrational Sara became.

              By the next day she had enough. The waiting game was over and she was ready for some answers. She plucked her cell from her purse and dialed Evan’s number. He answered immediately, which was rare.

              “Hey,” Evan said. His voice seemed unusually chipper for someone that was in Vegas.

              “Hey yourself,” Sara replied with increased suspicion. “How was the convention yesterday?”

              The lingering silence spoke volumes. She knew he was considering which lie to spin, or wondering what he should or shouldn’t say to her.

              “Look, there’s something I need to tell you.” She could hear him taking a deep breath and knew this was going to be something big. Part of her didn’t want to hear it; didn’t want to know the truth. “I kind of lied to you. Waters said we were coming here for a convention. Everything was fine until I checked in and came downstairs for dinner. He apparently lied to me and planned my bachelor party.”

              Trying her best not to jump to conclusions, Sara did her best to keep calm. “So you went to Vegas for your bachelor party. Where’d you guys go?”

              “We did go to the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, but he took us to some strip club after dinner.” The idea of Evan going to a strip club repulsed her. There was no doubt all of the women there were all over him once they found out he was the bachelor.

              “How many girls?” Sara’s voice demanded the answer.

              “Four total, but it was nothing.”

              “Nothing? You think it was nothing? You had four naked women rubbing their bodies all over you, pushing their tits in your face. They were grinding on your lap, trying to get you hard enough to blow your load, or worse, get you horny enough to take them to the backroom.”

              “I wouldn’t go anywhere with them. I’m not like that.”

              “Evan, you were drunk and at a strip club. You wouldn’t be the first guy to let that combination turn into a really bad decision.”

              “You should know me by now; nothing happened.”

              “I thought I knew you, but now I don’t know.” The tears were streaming down Sara’s face. She had never cried over a boyfriend before, and here she was balling her eyes out. “You lied to me, Evan.”

              “I never lied to you.”

              “You told me you were going to a convention and you didn’t.”

              “I thought I was when I told you that.”

              “But you didn’t correct it once you found out. You could’ve texted or called me.” She thought about the last words she said to him the previous morning. “I even said I know you have the convention and I was going to let you go. You could have told me everything then, but you didn’t.”

              “You’re right; I should’ve said something.”

              Sara wiped her eyes and cheeks forcefully with her hands. Her only desire was to chuck her phone right at Evan’s face, but with him being on the complete other side of the country, that wasn’t going to happen. “What did you do after the strip club?” She did her best to show no emotion other than anger when she spoke through gritted teeth.

              “We came back to the hotel and went to a club. I was there for a while. I danced, had some drinks, and then came up to my room.”

              “And you were alone?”

              “Yes, I was alone,” Evan snapped. “I can’t believe you really had to ask me that.”

              “Well, you haven’t given me much of a reason to trust you.” She finally admitted it out loud. She didn’t trust him anymore, but did that mean she didn’t want to be with him?

              “I know I screwed up. We both know I should’ve let you know what was going on, and for that I’m sorry.”

              Neither of them spoke for a few moments. Sara had no idea what to say to Evan. In two days he had become someone she barely recognized. The man she loved wouldn’t have lied to her or kept something like this from her. There had to be a reason for it.

              “Once you found out about the bachelor party, why didn’t you let me know about it? Why did I have to find out like this?”

              “I don’t know. I didn’t think about it at first and then Waters started ordering drinks. I guess I got caught up in the allure of Vegas after a couple of drinks.”

              “See, that’s why I tried to warn you before you went to meet them. I know how easy it is to get swept up in it. Julie and I went there once and it was a shit show.”

              “Really what happened?”

              Knowing this was Evan’s attempt at switching the subject in hopes of easing the tension, Sara figured she had two options. She either could stay mad at Evan, or she could try to move past it.

              “That’s a whole other conversation. Right now; we’re talking about your time in Vegas.” She bit her lip in frustration.
At least he didn’t fuck another chick
, Sara thought.

              “I’m sorry,” Evan said. His voice was lower and somber. “I don’t know what you want me to do. It’s not like I can go back and change what happened.”

              “I know, but it’s going to take time to win my trust back.”

              “I’m guessing I should call the vineyard and caters.”

              “Why?”

              “We’ll have to push back the wedding.”

              Sara was taken aback by Evan’s suggestion. Neither of them realized the wedding was in a few short weeks. So much had been planned in a brief time frame. Evan worked hard to make the arrangements, it would suck for all of it to go to waste.

              “I think we need to take a few days to think things over.” She knew saying she needed time was crushing to his morale, but Sara really did need to re-evaluate her situation to make sure this was what she wanted. “In the meantime, I want you to focus on finishing up this tour and your book.”

              “Why?”

              “Because I still love your naïve ass, and I want you back home so we can actually spend some time together.” The thought of having Evan back for longer than a month or two warmed her icy cold skin.

              “Okay. I should get going though. I have to finish packing and meet up with the others. My flight leaves in two and a half hours.”

              “Text me when you get there.”

              “I will. I love you.”

              “Love you too.”

              Sara hung up the phone and stared out the bedroom window, trying to imagine what life would be like once Evan came home. She loved him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, but would he be the Evan from Vegas or would he be her Evan?

              The early morning sun peaked out from the clouds, embracing the room with its light. It was the peaceful calm after weathering the storm of Evan’s Vegas trip. There was nothing that was going to rip Sara from her bed. Nothing, except the doorbell.

              With a grunt, she threw a robe over her pajamas and headed downstairs. When she opened the door, she found a familiar face leaning against the frame.

              “What are you doing here,” Sara asked. She only met the woman twice. The first time was at Evan’s book signing in Jersey. The second was when she showed up at her hotel room to put her in a fabulous dress the night Evan proposed.

              “Good morning to you too,” Kat smiled. She looked Sara up and down before putting her foot in the doorway. “I suggest you get dressed.”

              “Dressed? Why?”

              “Well, I don’t think you want to walk around shopping in those clothes.” Kat’s finger pointed at the red and pink frilly pajamas hidden behind a peach robe.

              “What do you mean shopping?” Kat pushed her way into the apartment. “And why are you in my house?”

              “Evan called me a few days ago and asked me to come to New York. He wanted me to help you find the perfect dress for the wedding.”

              “Are you his personal assistant or something now?”

              “I consider it being a friend with a financial incentive.”

              “What does that mean?”

              “It means; he pays me to help him whether it is a personal errand, like picking out clothes for you, or professional advice.”

              “Evan has a publicist and an agent. Why does he need to pay another person for advice?”

              “Evan trusts me. We both feel that Mr. Waters and Ms. Stone have their own agendas that may or may not be beneficial to Evan.”

              “So you’re saying he can’t trust Mr. Waters?”

              “I’m saying you need to get dressed so we can leave.”

              An hour and a half later, Sara and Kat were entering a department store that was filled with several styles of white gowns. It was obvious Kat had brought Sara to go shopping for the wedding dress.

              “Why are we here,” Sara asked.

              “I would think the dresses in the front window or the sign on top of the store would have clued you in.”

              “No, I mean why are we shopping for wedding dresses? Evan and I decided to take a few days to consider pushing back the wedding.”

              Kat held out her hand, stopping Sara from taking another step forward. “What do you mean; push the wedding back? Why would you push the wedding back?”

              “We kinda had a big blow-up this morning.”

              “What did he do?”

              “His agent lied to him about changing their schedule. Instead of going to a convention in Vegas, Waters threw him a bachelor party. Then he decided not to tell me about the change until days after it happened.”

              Kat’s eyebrow rose with interest. “What did Evan tell you?”

              “He told me they went to dinner and then to a strip club. Afterwards they went to another club at the hotel and then went up to his room to sleep.”

              “And he was there alone?”

              Sara didn’t like the way Kat had responded which put her on guard. “That’s what he said. Why?”

              “Waters looks at his clients as his property or investment. If he feels anything might threaten it, he’ll find a way to deal with the problem.”

              “Deal with it how?”

              “By any means necessary.”

              “And you think he views me as a problem?”

              “I don’t know. I was let go right after the Jersey tour.” Before Kat could continue, a saleswoman interrupted them. Instantly, Kat stopped talking and beamed a smile that said “we’re here to spend money.” Once they picked out a few things, the girls headed to the fitting rooms. Kat politely waited outside on the couch.

              Sara tried on dress after dress without finding a single one she liked. By the fifth gown, Sara emerged from the dressing room beaming with delight.

              “What do you think?”

              “I think Evan will rush the wedding just to get to the honeymoon.” It was an inappropriate comment for someone to make when they hardly knew each other, but Sara found the comment flattering.

              Sara paraded and strutted in front of the mirror. Her eyes were fixated on how beautiful she looked in the dress, and how far Evan’s jaw would drop when he saw her in it.

              Kat’s lips curled into a devious smile. “I think I have the perfect way for you to get even with your wonderful fiancé.”

              Sara enjoyed the thought of a little payback. It would be a way to punish Evan for what he did and even the score. “What do you have in mind?”

              “I think a fun little bachelorette party would be perfect.” Sara looked up in surprise. “Do you have friends that you’d like to invite?”

              Sara picked up the phone and texted Julie immediately.

             
S
: Hey, you up for a bachelorette party?

             
J
: I’m game.

             
S
: What about the whole late thing?

             
J
: Took the test. I’m not preggers.

             
S
: Aweseome! I’ll have my friend Kat send you the details.

             
J
: Who’s Kat?