Page 54 of Deeper

There was still the issue of transporting my clothes from here to my apartment.Shit.

“Can I borrow a book bag? I just need to bring my clothes home,” I said.

“Yeah.” Zander eyed my clothes and then me. “Will you be using a rideshare?”

“Yes, I gotta get on that.” I gathered my phone and pulled up my Uber app.

“Bianka.”

“You know what I’m going to say.”

Zander heaved a sigh. “Then borrow my Bentley. The tank’s full of gas and you won’t have to worry about paying or tipping somebody.”

Had he just…? “Zander, I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“What if I steal your car?” He had more than a few, and he was a millionaire, so maybe this wasn’t a big deal for him.

“What if I break your heart?” he challenged. “You could potentially steal my car, and I could potentially lead you on and break your heart. Neither of us knows how this could play out, but we just have to trust each other.”

I hated how right he was in that moment. “Okay.”

“Besides,” he went on. “If I lend you my car, you’re going to have to come back.”

I was nervous about going and facing Victoria. I was terrified at the possibility of jumping into a full-on relationship with Zander.

But the funny thing was, the only thing that calmed me down in that moment was going and losing myself in his arms and finally bringing his lips to mine.

Zander held me against him, securing his arms around me, ensuring me that he wasn’t about to let go. “I was waiting for you to kiss me.” He stared down at me as I gazed up at him. “This’ll blow over, I promise. There’s nothing to see here, just two people figuring each other out.”

“Can I call youZandy?” I teased.

“You can call me whatever you like.”

Being in his arms, staying with him felt tempting. But I couldn’t be a coward. I had to talk to Victoria.

Zander lent me a Louis Vuitton travel bag and the keys to his black Bentley Continental GT. As I drove to Victoria’s apartment, I felt weird behind the wheel of the luxury vehicle. If Zander and I went the distance—imagine that!—I wasn’t sure if I could ever get used to his generosity. I believed in even exchanges, and I could never measure up to a millionaire. Not in this lifetime.

In the parking lot to Victoria’s apartment building I tried calling first, but it was to no avail. I knew she was home because I was parked beside her Volkswagen.

“Shit, Tori.” I sighed and gave up after the second attempt to call her. Ihadto face her.

I took a deep breath and got out of the car.

It was eleven in the morning. There was a chance Tori was asleep, but I knew that was honest wishful thinking.

I went and climbed the steps to her floor and walked over to her unit and knocked on the door, before standing back and waiting. I threaded my fingers together as my hands started to shake.

The door slowly opened and my stomach leaped to my throat and knotted up.

Before me, Victoria was in the doorway. She looked at me with a blank stare.

She knew.

“Tori…” I didn’t know what to say.

A pained smile took her face as she lifted her attention to the ceiling, shaking her head in denial. “No fucking way.”

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