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Chapter Two

B rooke Larner stared out the window of the white limo that had picked up her and her best friend at the airport. The limo had a full bar in it and snacks even. As if riding in a limo wasn’t enough of a treat all by itself. She’d never been in one before. There had been a lot of firsts for her as of late .

The last three weeks had been something of a whirlwind. The two women had obtained master’s degrees and were now on the trip of their lifetimes .

It was as if she were living a fairy tale .

She turned and touched her best friend’s leg as the resort they were set to stay at appeared on the horizon. “Look. That’s it .”

Edee slid up alongside Brooke and peered out the window as well. “It’s like its own city. It’s huge !”

It was, and it was beautiful .

Brooke smiled. “I really don’t understand how we got this lucky .”

The girls had won an all-expenses-paid trip to Egypt yet neither one could remember entering to win said trip. Despite explaining as much to the travel agency that had sent them all the information, they were still awarded the trip. Since it coincided with them finishing grad school, the women had given in and decided to make the trip a celebration. It wasn’t as if they could afford something so lavish any other time .

No.

The two had busted their butts working odd jobs while going to school full time in order to get their master’s degrees. They had big plans and good jobs lined up. Of course, they’d just be starting out in their chosen fields but still, it was the path they’d always talked about. They’d made it a reality and it looked as if the universe was rewarding them for their efforts .

The limo pulled under the giant fully lit sign for the resort, and Brooke and Edee shared a look before bursting into an excited fit of giggles. They hugged each other and then squealed some more. It didn’t matter how silly it was. They’d been best friends for years and were on the adventure of their lifetimes .

Brooke twisted in the seat. “I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around this all being real .”

“You and me both, sista,” said Edee, pushing her long dark red hair behind her ears, her white dress was short, barely covering everything she had. “If we’re dreaming, do me a favor and don’t wake me up .”

“Deal. Do the same for me, okay?” Brooke sat back in the seat and smoothed down her royal-blue dress. “Operation Have a Good Time has officially commenced .”

Edee winked, her blue gaze holding a glimmer of mischief. “Funny, I could have sworn it was a mission to get you laid .”

“Stop,” said Brooke, pushing her friend lightly .

Edee liked to joke about Brooke’s missing sex life. Brooke had spent so much time focused on studying and working various odd jobs that men just hadn’t been something she’d been able to schedule in—and she loved her schedules .

Edee was far more of a free spirit. She wasn’t exactly extremely experienced in the ways of men either, but came off as being worldly on the matter. The woman just naturally oozed sex appeal. All Brooke oozed was awkwardness around the opposite sex. And she always went from fine one second to two left feet the next .

Brooke found comfort in computers and anything technology related. Human interactions tended to be something she avoided. Thankfully, Edee had become something of a spokesperson for Brooke. How they’d become friends was still a mystery. They were almost total opposites when it came to their personalities. Though, under all the siren qualities, Edee was a giant science nerd. It surprised everyone who met her .

Looks-wise, the woman didn’t have a lot in common except for their height. They were nearly matched in height, with Edee standing just a smidge taller at five-ten. Edee had skin that at times Brooke could swear was translucent, it was so pale. And Brooke’s skin was sun-kissed with a natural glow. Edee’s eyes were a deep blue and Brooke’s were olive green. Both had long hair, though Brooke’s was brown and had slight curl on the ends, where Edee’s was dark red and straight .

When they’d met their freshman year of high school, they’d just hit it off from the word go. Edee had taken Brooke under her wing socially and Brooke had appreciated it. Edee loved to get lost in music and dancing, and Brooke always found comfort in cross-country and swimming .

Edee eyed her. “Are you ready for this ?”

“I am,” she said and then bit her lower lip. “At least I’m pretty sure I am. I’m ready for us to have fun. We’ve done nothing but study and work for years. We’ve earned this, right ?”

Edee put an arm around her. “You worked your butt off. I was not as dedicated to it all as you. And I was fired from different jobs too many times to count. You worked the same three jobs for six years .”

“In your defense, how many of your bosses were total douchebags who thought hiring you meant you’d be offering them special favors ?”

She groaned. “Too many to count. That’s it. I’m going to find a super-rich Egyptian guy and use him as my sex slave before he buys me a palace or something and makes me his wife .”

Brooke laughed hard as the limo pulled to a stop in front of the luxury resort .

Edee snorted. “Was it the bit about making him my sex slave that was so hard to believe or the part about a palace ?”

“Neither. The you being married was the hysterical part,” said Brooke. It was true, Edee always talked about how she hated the idea of ever getting married. And the woman never committed to any level of a relationship with a man. She dated and that was it. No boyfriends, no special someone .

Edee grinned. “Yeah, I threw that in to make you worry less about my actions for the next two weeks .”

“Good luck with that,” said Brooke as the limo driver opened the back door. He put his hand out to her and she took it—instantaneously feeling cold and empty inside. She’d felt the same thing when he’d helped her into the limo at the airport. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now that it was happening again, she jerked her hand from his .

He reached for Edee. Brooke nearly knocked his hand away from her friend but didn’t. She was being ridiculous. The man had been nothing but professional and nice to them since greeting them at the airport. He’d even had a sign with their names on it that looked professionally done. Not handwritten .

Edee took his hand and her gaze narrowed slightly before she pressed a smile to her face. She eased close to Brooke and they stepped back as men from the resort appeared and spoke with their driver. Neither of the women spoke Arabic despite their best efforts to study a guidebook with helpful phrases and tips. Turns out there were different forms of Arabic spoken in different regions—as if learning the basics from one wasn’t hard enough .

The men from the resort took their bags and smiled at her. All were pleasant to look at, yet there was something that felt…off. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it was there .

“Oh, look at those hotties,” said Edee, pointing to a group of men in designer suits. They were each tall and built and most of them had short hair that was styled with ample amounts of gel. They all seemed a bit too flashy for Brooke’s tastes. And all of them were staring at Brooke and Edee .

The men looked away quickly .

Edee began talking about all the things she wanted to do after they got to their suite. Brooke didn’t pay attention; her focus was still on the men in the suits. One of them touched his ear, and it was then she noticed an earpiece like something a Secret Service agent would wear .

Were the men the resort’s security detail ?

That would make sense .

The brochure said the place catered to the rich and famous. It stood to reason security would be important. That being said, she couldn’t seem to look away from them. Like the limo driver and the men who had grabbed their bags, the men in suits felt off to her. She couldn’t explain why, but kept her eye on them .

Get a grip. You had a long flight .

Edee hooked her arm through Brooke’s and the two walked towards the resort’s entrance, their heels clicking as they went. Edee had insisted they dress up for travel when all Brooke had wanted to wear was a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt. Edee wouldn’t hear of it, citing the fact they were headed to a luxury resort .

There was a giant fountain that had water shooting at least twenty feet in the air while colored lights shined on it. The colors changed from gold to white and back to gold .

“Awesome!” Edee pulled away. “I’m going to get some pictures really quickly. Can you check in for us ?”

“Sure thing,” said Brooke .

Something caught her attention from her left, and she looked over to see a different large group of males walking in the direction of the resort. Unlike the men in suits, these men were in black from head to toe. Their hair wasn’t gelled in any way. In fact, most of them had long hair. Longer than she saw on most men. Then there was the fact that they somehow managed to make the men in suits seem short and ugly, when in truth, they were anything but .

One man in particular held Brooke’s interest. His long dark hair was pulled up in a messy way off his neck. He had short stubble on his face and down his neck, though it looked to be groomed to be that way, making her instantly think he was into fashion and his appearance, despite the fact the black long-sleeved shirt he had on looked as if someone had set the arm of it on fire. The skin showing under the scorched shirt was smooth and unblemished, but covered in a variety of black tattoos. His pants and belt reminded her of something men from military movies wore. He was as built as the men around him and walked in a way that screamed suave with an undertone of badass .

A taller redhead was near him, talking and using his hands in an animated fashion. The man who had caught Brooke’s eye rubbed his temple as if the other male was making him tired .

When Brooke realized she was standing in front of the resort staring at a stranger, she blinked and then hurried into the resort, happy the man hadn’t noticed her .

As she entered the lobby, her breath caught at just how ornate it was. No expense had been spared in its creation. Not to mention, the place was massive. She knew it had more than one nightclub, numerous bars and restaurants, not to mention a spa that had rave reviews .

Edee was right. It really was like a small city .

And it was where they’d be hanging their hats for the next two weeks. She had to resist putting her arms out wide and spinning as if she were in a scene from The Sound of Music . Since Edee would never let her live it down, she held back .

It was harder than it should have been .

Brooke turned and bumped into a man dressed in an all-white suit that looked to be custom-made to fit him. He wore a black dress shirt under it. Instantly it felt as if spiders were crawling all over her skin. The man was handsome but there was something in his eyes that said he was ugly on the inside. He had expensive-looking rings on every finger and was surrounded by men who reminded her of the group out front—the ones with earpieces .

Mr. Rings said something to her but she didn’t catch any of it as she didn’t speak the language .

“Excuse me,” said Brooke, pressing a smile to her face, attempting to walk around him .

Mr. Rings invaded her personal space in a big way, setting off all her inner alarms. He leaned in, putting his face close to hers. “I see no point in this charade. You will come with me .”

“W-what?” she asked, barely able to think .

“Come,” he said .

She shook her head and took the smallest of steps back. He grabbed her arm, squeezing to the point it hurt. Her jaw dropped as a gasp came from her .