Page 29 of Good Girls Like it Dirty
Excitement simmered in his blood, not only because he’d get to see her in a swimsuit, but because he’d spend a full day with her. Without his work, her school, or anything else to come between them.
The elevator pinged, and they entered.
“Are we going to the beach in front of the hotel?” Monique asked as they stepped inside.
He withdrew his hand from hers and reached for the keys of his rental car. “Nah. We’ll go somewhere less crowded.”
She folded her arms and raised her eyebrow. “I do want to get tanned, so I hope you don’t have any crazy ideas in mind.”
He planted a kiss on her bare shoulder. “Nothing crazy.”
The elevator came to a slow halt, and a chime pinged. The doors opened at a lower floor, and two guests joined them. When Zaine raised his gaze to see who they were, his jaw clenched.
Doug and Paula watched him as the doors closed behind them. Oh, great.
“Hey, man,” Doug said, lifting his hand to greet him. A dorky amount of sunscreen had been obviously applied to his face before he even sat foot outside the hotel. “Hi,” he said, nodding at Monique.
Paula pulled on the brim of her long beach hat and nudged Doug’s elbow, as if silently chastising him for talking to Monique. To think he’d once been friends with these people. Even if they apologized for their ridiculous behavior, would he waste his time with them? With such snotty, close-minded folk?
Zaine tilted his head in Doug’s direction, in a minimal effort to acknowledge his presence. No handshakes or bro hugs needed. After all, Doug was also in Hawaii to sway Lara to give him her business. Zaine made sure he stood close to Monique, wanting to create a freaking wall to protect her from the dirty looks Paula threw at her.
Doug’s shoulders dropped a notch, and Zaine almost felt bad for the guy. He was obviously whipped. “Nice day today, isn’t it? We decided to come early to celebrate our wedding anniversary.”
How exciting, Zaine thought sarcastically. He focused on the panel, praying the elevator would descend faster. Tension crackled in the air, and he had a hard time making small talk with them. “Cool.”
“Must be a nice change from scrubbing toilets to stay in this hotel in Honolulu,” Paula said, acid dripping from her voice.
Zaine’s blood boiled, and he curled his fingers into a ball.
“What did you just say?” Monique asked, and he sensed her nervous energy.
“You heard me,” Paula said, rolling her eyes. “I—”
“Paula,” Zaine hissed. “You’re lucky you aren’t a man, or I’d have punched you in the face for that stupid comment.” Despite Paula’s allegiance to his former wife, she couldn’t treat Monique with so much disrespect. And if she thought he’d let her, she’d better think again.
Doug’s eyes grew wide and he blanched like the little weasel he was. “Hey, hey, man. Easy.” He stepped in front of his wife, positioning himself between Paula and Zaine. “Let’s act like adults.”
Then tell your wife to drop the high-school pettiness.“Sounds good to me,” Zaine said, flexing his fingers. He wished Doug had been the one disrespecting Monique and not Paula. He’d handle Doug easily. “I understand Paula has her own idea of what’s right and wrong, but I’m not letting her talk down to Monique again.”
Monique touched the side of his abdomen, stopping him from saying anything else. Did she appreciate his defending her, or did she resent it? He damn well knew she could take care of herself; she had her whole life. But he wanted to be there for her, to defend her, to…care for her.
A throb of doubt thickened his throat. The heat of the moment must have confused him, because his affair with Monique revolved around temporary. Caring meant—
“I can’t believe this,” Paula said, nostrils flaring.
“You’re right, Paula, I did some cleaning over at your house,” Monique said, her voice steady and calm. “I’m sure you’d hate for me to let your fancy friends know about all your dirty laundry.”
Paula’s features softened a little, and her shoulders dropped a notch in clear defeat.
“What does she mean?” Doug asked, looking at his wife.
Zaine scratched his chin, curious to know what the hell Monique meant. He peered at his lover, watching her standing to her full height, unfazed. Damn it, she landed on her feet, this woman. A current of pride moved through him.
“I should have known you’d—”
He lifted his hand, gesturing for Paula to stop. “Enough.”
Thankfully, about a microsecond later the harmonious chime pinged again, and they exited at the lobby level. A few guests waited in line to get to the elevators, so they walked to the concierge booth, where Zaine asked for his rental car to be brought to the front.
