Page 55 of Dance with the Devil
The Devil’s Playground
Frankie
Three DaysLater
My arms are wrapped around my legs as I sit on the couch and wait for Dante to finish getting ready. Our respective flights leave in a couple of hours, and the car is already waiting for us downstairs. He’s going back to Santa Barbara, and I’m going back to San Diego. As much as I know it makes the most sense, I’m still disappointed. Especially because we haven’t left each other’s side since Sunday night.
For the last three days, he’s requested I attend every single talk and one-to-one meeting he had scheduled. And when the workday was over, he’d wine and dine me before taking me back to our hotel room and stripping me completely—stripping me of my clothes, of what I thought I wanted, of my inhibitions. Itallwent out the door with him. How could it not? He looked at me like I was alreadyhis.Like he’d been waiting for me for years. No one had ever looked at me like that. It was addicting, and the more we were together, the more I craved him.
We hadn’t talked about what would happen after this trip. We’d been too busy fucking, eating, sleeping, cuddling…
To be honest, I’m scared to bring it up.
What if this was all just about getting some tail on his business trip?
What if he doesn’t actuallywantme in the way he says he does while he’s inside of me?
What if I got pregnant? He’d removed my birth control ring. I knew it was a possibility, and so did he.
Would he deny it once he got back to his real life?
Because all of this—it wasfarfrom real life, and we both know it.
Dante opens the bathroom door and walks into the living area. His beard is freshly trimmed. He’s wearing a white button-up rolled to his elbows and dark gray dress pants. Meanwhile, I’m in leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, tube socks, and sneakers.
His eyes roam over me for a second before he reaches a hand out.
“Shall we?” Tugging me up, we look at each other for a minute before he rocks back on his heels. “Did you get enough to eat?” he asks, surveying the room service cart by the door.
I nod. “I did, thank you.”
There are a few more tense beats of silence before he turns and grabs our suitcases. “We should go so we don’t miss our flights.”
I follow him out, casting one longing look at the hotel room over my shoulder before the door closes. Ten days ago, I never would’ve guessed this would happen. That I could feel so much for someone in such a short period of time.
In the elevator, Dante is just as quiet as I am, and the car ride is the same. We both check into our flights, and as we wait in the security line, my stomach curdles with dread.
Why isn’t he saying anything? Maybe he changed his mind—maybe he’s secretly married, and this was just a stupid fling.
Maybe he never intended to follow through with his words—because that’s what they are.Words.Empty, silly words that I apparently fell for.
Once we’re through security, I check my ticket, realizing that my gate is to the left, and his is to the right. We take off within twenty minutes of each other, and then… I have no idea when I’ll see him again.
Just as I open my mouth to ask, he pulls me in for a hug, wrapping his warm arms around me.
“I’m not good at goodbyes, Frankie.”
My eyes begin to water. “Me neither.”
“Have a safe flight. Text me as soon as you land.”
“I don’t have your personal number,” I tell him.
He pulls away, tapping his fingers against his thigh. “You’ve had it for two years.”
My heart stutters. “I assumed that was your business landline.”
His face softens as he brushes a piece of hair away from my face. “We’ll figure this out. Just give me a few days, okay?”
