Page 71 of Anyone But You

Victoria

A small sigh and groan escaped me as I rolled over, reaching for Knox. He wasn’t there, but the sounds of the Pacific rolling in from the open balcony startled me as much as his absence. For a moment, my body still thought it was dawn on the island. I had expected salt wind, sand in places it didn’t belong, and Knox breathing down my neck and whining about having to trek to the waterfall. Instead, I lie on high-thread-count sheets and a memory foam mattress that should be illegal while wearing satin pajamas.

It felt like a dream, and I feared I’d snap out of it at any moment. We’d still be stranded, and Knox would still be suffering.

I stared at the ocean through the gauzy curtains and tried to breathe. On the island, everything was stripped down tosurvival, but here in California, the sheets smelled like citrus detergent instead of smoke. Breakfast promptly arrived at 8:00 AM under a silver dome on a rolling cart, and instead of hot sand between my toes, my feet were clad in hotel-provided slippers. We’d fallen in love on the island, and part of my heart was still there.

“Get it together, girl,” I mumbled, reaching for the folded note on Knox’s cold pillow.

Tori Montana,

I’m running errands. You should worry. Kidding. Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon. Don’t call me.

-That Man Over There

I crumpled the note in my fist. The man was out running errands when he should have been peacefully recovering after three days of being poked and prodded like an animal.

I snatched my phone off the nightstand, impatiently ripping the charger from the base, and called him. My jaw tightened, and my fingers curled into the bedding when the call went straight to voicemail.

“This is Knox. I can’t talk right now. If this is an emergency, call my assistant, Victoria. If you’re Victoria, I told you not to call.”

Heat rushed to my face.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered, stabbing the screen to hang up. Somehow, I refrained from throwing my phone against the wall in frustration long enough to guide myself through a round of breathing exercises.

A sharp knock from room service interrupted me.

I climbed out of bed, tugged on a robe, and padded across the marble floor to open the door. My brows lifted in surprise whentwo hotel staffers greeted me and wheeled in two carts laden with silver domes.

“Good morning. This is… a little more than usual,” I mentioned as they uncovered the domes revealing platters of eggs, smoked salmon, waffles, pastries, bagels, bacon, and fresh fruit. It was enough to feed at least six people, and I didn’t miss the bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket.

“Compliments of Mr. Ramsey,” one of them said with a polite bow, handing me an envelope.

“Thank you,” I replied, tearing open the envelope and pulling out the note and a Black AMEX card.

No limit.

-Gio

I shook my head, and a reluctant smile tugged at my lips.

“Yeah…you’re Gio now.”

I’d barely settled at the table and fixed a moderate plate when another knock echoed through the suite.

“Now what?” I muttered, setting the fork down and walking towards the door with my slippers slapping against the marble. I threw the door open and nearly fainted.

“Surprise!” Brittney squealed, wrapping me in her warm embrace. Alyssa followed, laughing through her tears and trying to wedge herself between me and Brittney.

My vision blurred as they squeezed the life out of me.

“Oh, my God. W-what are—how?” I asked, barely able to string a sentence together.

They both started talking at once.

“Knox flew us out on a private jet—”

“And he even slipped us some spending money, girl!”