Page 79 of Unforgettable Billionaire (The Hardcore Novels: Special Editions #3)

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Siri

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"When Cat said 'Piper,' I nearly knocked her down on my way out the door." I laugh as I hug my long, lost friend.

She holds me tight and says in her British accent. "When I found out we were coming to Vegas, I knew I had to look you up."

"I'm so happy to see you." I hold her out at arm's length. "Let me look at you." She spins around in front of me, and we laugh. "You look great! Fucking, smoking hot as always!" I hook my arm through hers and walk her back to my dressing room.

Cat simply says, "What Lei said. Laters, Baby Girl." Then closes the door behind us and leaves us alone.

Piper and I sit on the couch, cross-legged, and she looks around. "Wow. You've really done it! You're a star!"

I laugh and look around too. "Yeah. I did. Sweet Zeus, Piper, it's a long story!"

"You first, love. My tale is long too."

I laugh. "Mine is going to blow your fucking mind!"

She laughs and shakes her head. "I don't know about that. Mine is pretty fucking mind-blowing too."

"Shall we bet whose tale is most mind-blowing?"

"Absofuckinglutely!"

"If I win, you have to dance on stage with me tonight like old times. We have a mechanical bull."

Her eyes widen, and she says. "Blimey! That's a deal. If I win, I have to dance on stage with you tonight like old times because I want to ride that mechanical bull."

"Now spill it!" She wiggles, gets comfy, rests one arm on the back of the couch, puts her hand in her hair, and begins to twirl a long strand. I smile, remembering how many times we sat up late in our dorm at FSU and talked about all the dreams we had.

I tell her how Bart came into Coyote Ugly the day she left and gave me a sympathy invitation to come clubbing at Been Jammin's because I was sobbing over her.

She knuckle bumps me. "Glad I got you in, Love."

I tell her about meeting Cat, getting toasted, and then dancing on the floor to Beyoncé. How Brutus escorted me back and how everyone was so easily fooled.

When I get to the part about meeting Aurei, she says. "Fuck me! I need popcorn."

"The first time I saw him." I sigh. "Wow!

He was so fucking fine!" Then I tell her about seeing him in the lobby.

How my world stopped spinning and how he sucked the breath out of me.

"Just because our eyes touched." I look at her, still shocked.

"It was fucking crucial!" I tell her how I flirted with Mr. Moore for days before I even learned his first name and when I did, "I was so fucking cool about it!

" I laugh. "I acted like meeting a man named 'Aurelius' happened every day in LA. "

"Shut the fucking door!" She says. Her feet land on the floor, and she pops up with a completely stunned look on her face. "Aurelius Moore?"

"Holy Hades!" I stutter. "Do you know him?" A vision of Piper in Aurei's Bear Cave in Italy flashes in my panic.

"No! But I'm married to his army bro, Dirk Sam." She waves her hand with her wedding band on it.

"Mother Hera! You've got to be fucking kidding me?" I stand too, stunned by this news. "Aurei and I are married too!" I tap my choker. "Collared and claimed! We eloped!"

"Wow! What a small fucking world, Siri!"

"Wow, Piper! Karma truly loves me!"

"She surely must!" She throws her head back and laughs. "This is so fucking DOPE! Best friends married to best friends!"

She sits back down and waves me to continue. Her posture is completely different this time. Now she sits with one leg under her, leaning forward, hanging on every word. I tell her about the swingers' party, which she loves, and we laugh about how TD was treated.

"Spank that bad boy!" She giggles.

I tell her about Flash and then going to The Stallion.

"We'll have to dance together there too.

One of my long-term clients owns it now.

" I don't mention Ruth's stupid ass. I simply say we went to Rome to get to know each other better.

How we fell so deeply in love so quickly, and "now here I am back in Vegas, married, as happy as I've ever been in my entire life and planning a new gig. "

"New gig?"

"Yes. Tonight is my last show as Seary, the Stripper. I'm going to star in a new Cirque du Soleil show featuring Whitney Houston's music."

"SHUT UP!" She slaps at me. "No fucking way!"

"Yes, fucking way!" I giggle at her. "All my dreams are coming true! So see, I knew I would win the bet. My story is mind-blowing."

"Def!" She laughs and says, all full of sassy ass. "But you haven't heard mine yet. Dirk is my stepbrother!"

"What the fuck?" I scream and bounce on the couch. "Whaaaaaattttt? Spill it!"

She begins with her stepfather. "The Prick had at least one other extramarital affair when he was married to the bitch before my mum, and that one produced an offspring." Then we both get texts, and we stop to read them.

Aurei sends me.

On my way.

"Damn. My times up. Aurei is coming to get me. Oh, wait! We're eating with y'all." I giggle.

She laughs. "Dirk wants me to come meet someone. He loves telling our story." She winks and teases me. "It's such a shock-filled one."

We stand and hug again. As we walk out, she says.

"So do you think they told each other who they are married to?

Dirk rarely calls me Piper in public. I'm his 'partner, The Brit.

'" She giggles. "Implying I might be a he.

" She winks. "It's guaranteed to make them curious and a great opener for an ice breaker.

He's a natural politician like The Prick.

Always networking. People love him. Give me your digits, love. "

I smile as we exchange phones, and each enters the other's phone number. "I'm so happy you love him too. You were so worried you weren't going to find anyone."

She laughs an evil laugh as she returns my phone and takes hers. "I didn't say that. I just said we were married." She cocks her eyebrow.

"Holy Hades. I have to hear this story!" I stop. I hold my iPhone up and say into it. "Call Tif."

"Calling Tif."

When she answers, I tell her I'm back and in desperate need of her magic fingers. "My BFF is in town too. Can you mash us?"

"Welcome back! Of course. When?"

"Thanks, Tif! I'll have Angelo schedule it. He's my PA."

"Perfect," Tif says, then hangs up.

"Stardom suits you." Piper laughs. "Let's not mention I'm dancing with you tonight. I want to give Dirk another real shocker." Her evil laugh is contagious.

"You got it!" We stop, and I knock on James' door.

"Come in."

I stick my head in. "I have a slight change in the show." He waves to come in, so Piper and I step inside. "This is Piper, my BFF, and Coyote Ugly dance partner. She's going to do a surprise performance with me."

He comes around his desk, shakes her hand, and sizes her up. "Oh my! You're easy on the eyes."

"Would you mind taking her into the Club and showing her how to access the VIP rooms?"

"Come with me, Hun."

She giggles. "I'll see you in a bit."

I hear James telling her. "The show will start at midnight.

Once you're inside, then come back to Siri's dressing room.

I'll have your outfit laid out for you." They round the corner, and I start down the hall.

The door opens, and my Golden God walks in, looking every bit the part.

I smile at him and skip down to give him a big wet smack on the mouth.

"Happy?"

"Very! It's good to be home."

"Did your meeting go well?" Aurei asks me as we walk down to the Steakhouse.

"Absofuckinglutely perfect!" I swing our arms, then raise them over my head and twirl around under them.

"You're in a good mood."

"I love it when a plan comes together." I put his arm around me and slide my hand in his back pocket so I can feel his ass flexing in his jeans when he walks.

I have his ball cap on again, and he pushes the brim down, covering my eyes, and says. "Behave, Bad Thang."

I giggle and push it up. "Never!"

"Oh snap." He laughs. "You're in that kinda mood, huh?"

"And just what kind of mood is that?"

"Siri-ous sassy ass!" He does quotes with his fingers.

I laugh out loud and confirm it. "Hell to the fucking yeah!"

We enter the Steakhouse, and I ask for Bart's table.

"And you are?" The hostess asks.

I smirk at Aurei. "That is confirmation! I've been gone too damn long." I take the cap off, shake my hair out, then tell her. "Siri."

She leaves to check with the manager, who comes back with her to see me. He hugs my neck and welcomes me back. "We've missed you."

I tell him. "Thanks. I've missed you too. We will have a couple of friends joining us, Dirk Sam and his wife."

"Very good." He nods for the waitress to make a note, then escorts us to the table.

I slide in, and Aurei takes his phone out before he sits. I lean over to read his text.

We are seated. Tell them who you are when you arrive.

Leaving now. Heading your way.

He sets the phone down, and I ask him.

"How far out are they? I'm excited to meet him."

He smirks. "He was already here when you went back with James. He was gambling with Rebecca."

"You rascal! So y'all are caught up?"

"You might say that. I told him about my Italian wealth but didn't get to tell him about you." He shakes his head and laughs. "He began telling me this crazy tale. I mean crazy!"

"I can't wait to meet him. What's his wife like?"

He chuckles hard. "No idea. She wasn't with him. She was looking up an old friend."

The waitress comes over, and Aurei orders a beer, and I drink water.

He tells me. "Get this. He calls her 'my partner, The Brit.'"

I raise my eyebrows. "Are you sure he's not gay?"

"Hell no, he's not gay! Wait till you meet him. He just loves pushing people's buttons." He smirks at the table, then looks back up at me. "We pushed a lot of buttons back in the day."

"I can't wait to meet him now!"

"Dirk and I are opposites when it comes to looks and backgrounds, but we're brothers."

I lay my hand on his arm and squeeze it. "I can dig that. Piper and I were too. I loved her like a sister, but her family is in politics. Mine are from the sticks."