Chapter Three

Riana caught the tears for the hundredth time that night. She’d promised Loraine she wouldn’t cry, especially at work, because their boss was a dragon lady. But she’d never felt so much anguish and loneliness since her mother died.

The death of her mother was so unexpected. One moment they were all together with her brother Reno, laughing and joking as they toured NYU, and the next she was getting a phone call from the hospital. They had gotten into a car crush and Reno was lucky to have survived. Everything went downhill from there.

Immigrations discovered Reno was an illegal immigrant, and after his two months’ recovery in hospital they deported him to Bahamas. Riana was lucky. Their mother had come to America when she was pregnant and Reno was four, so she became a citizen by birth. She wanted to go back with Reno but he wouldn’t have it.

“You would be throwing away the chance of a lifetime,” he’d said. “Everything Mom went through to give us this opportunity would have been a waste. I’m finished with college, and besides, I wouldn’t be able to pay for your tuition if you threw away the scholarship.”

And to top it all off, the man that drove their mother out of New Providence, also known as her sire, had died and left his run down hotel to Reno.

Apparently, it had been Reno’s plan to go back home for the inheritance, but he hadn’t wanted to tell her in case the hotel business was a flop and he ended up stuck there.

Reno had a point. Riana would have never agreed to their mother being left alone and going back to save that man’s business, nonetheless. She may not have known her father, but she despised him all the same.

She shook her head, even more disgusted with the male species.

How much time did a man, specifically her father, need to admit that he was already married?

Riana’s mother had been in for the shock of her life when she’d gone to see him at his hotel and a lady with the body and the air of a super model had demanded to know what Riana’s mom wanted with her husband.

Just thinking about her mother’s pain made her want to cry all over again.

“Hey.”

A gentle, deep baritone voice spoke behind her, startling her. She quickly turned around, hurriedly wiping her cheeks dry with the sleeves of her shirt. Getting fired tonight would just be the perfect cherry on her disastrous day’s cake.

“I’m sorry, sir. Would you like me to get you anything? A drink, an appetizer, or directions to the auctioning…” She stopped abruptly when the sound of his deep chuckle filled the hallway. She groaned, ducking her head. She was rambling. She always rambled when she was nervous.

“I’m fine,” he said, amused.

Riana felt his warm fingers at her chin. He pushed her head up and she didn’t resist. Riana found herself staring at a wide chest, broad shoulders, and muscular arms perfectly encased in a clearly expensive black suit jacket before her eyes trailed up, taking in his amused face and the deepest brown eyes she’d ever seen.

“Hi,” Riana sighed.

He chuckled, giving his head a slight shake. “Hi, yourself.”

He rubbed her chin with his thumb and Riana drew in a quick breath, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth, her eyes still staring into his.

“Are you alright?”

She nodded.

“No more crying, okay?”

She nodded.

“Good. Because he doesn’t deserve you or your tears. You are too beautiful to be crying over a dirt bag.”

She nodded again, the edges of her lips rising to a smile, her bottom lip still trapped between her teeth. She was too caught up in the man’s mind melting looks to grasp what he was saying.

How is it possible for a man to be this hot? Her eyes did a slow perusal from his obviously designer shoes, to his thick thighs, up his wide, jacketed upper body, and back to his Greek god face and raven hair to match. It should be illegal for a guy to be this hot.

He chuckled again, standing to his full height to tower over her so that her head was on par with his chest, and dropped his hand from her chin. “I’m glad I provided a good distraction.”

Riana whined inside at the loss of contact, which surprised her enough to bring her out of her daze. “What?”

He lowered his head and Riana had to press against the wall to try and move away from him. He brought his hand up and placed it on the wall close to her ear and leaned even closer to her. Riana thought he was going to kiss her, and it oddly excited her. She wanted him to kiss her.

A total stranger.

Correction, a smoking hot total stranger.

He let out a lusty sigh and stared deep into her eyes before shifting them to her lips. Riana swallowed audibly then ran the tip of her tongue over her dried lips.

“I wouldn’t mind providing another kind of distraction. One that would leave you feeling very relieved for dumping your ass of a boyfriend, just for his shortcomings.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

Riana jumped and turned to face Loraine’s voice but the hot guy remained as he was—apparently not at all bothered that they’d been caught almost—damn—kissing. Loraine stared at her with a raised brow, an exasperated look on her face. She shook her head and Riana could read the action—you never learn Riana.

He sighed and casually straightened, putting a very large distance between them.

Riana felt her face heat and she quickly looked away from her friend and definitely away from the hot guy who had, moments ago, cornered her with his large body and towering height, like a cat to a mouse.

She bit her lips together to keep the smile hidden. She liked being cornered by him.

“Sir, your girlfriend is looking for you.”