The party was as magical as Kendall had imagined. Alex shone like a diamond, but Brent only had eyes for Kendall. And earlier, when he handed her the vial of X to tuck away in her nightstand—no way would he bring a club drug to a work party—he’d kissed her and whispered how excited he was to be taking this step.
She was certain he’d been about to say he loved her, when Alexandra knocked on the door to ask Kendall to zip up her dress.
Sometimes, having a roommate was so frustrating.
But now that they were at the party, all was forgiven. Immediately after the dinner plates were cleared, she and Brent were on the dance floor. The way he held her as they danced was heaven. This was by far the best party she’d ever attended.
She was practically giddy with excitement over the fun they’d have when they got home. But first, she needed to be certain Alex was settled. She’d disappeared into the casino with Russ, and Kendall hoped they were hitting it off.
After an hour of dancing, she was thirsty and eager to head home. She returned to their table and sat down to rest her feet and drink water. Alex wasn’t at the table, nor were she and Russ dancing.
Was it possible she’d gone to his hotel room already? Kendall had seen Russ slip her the room key earlier. But surely Alex would have said something before leaving? She didn’t have a cell phone, and by rule, they kept tabs on each other, but admittedly, Kendall had been too wrapped up in Brent to pay attention.
A man Kendall hadn’t met yet dropped into the chair next to Brent. “Forbes, messy business with Talon last week, but I’m glad to see you weathered it.”
Beside her, Brent stiffened. She’d heard him griping about the company CEO with Russ a few days ago, but didn’t know the details.
“Moss,” Brent said in a clipped greeting. “It’s fine. I’m sure Talon will come around.”
“Ever the diplomat.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “But when JT is out and Russ is in, you can speak freely.”
Kendall couldn’t see Brent’s face as he looked at the man, but his spine remained stiff.
The DJ announced a break, and the room quieted, allowing the man’s voice to carry as he said, “Relax. I’m here to help.”
Kendall placed a hand on Brent’s back. “Sweetheart, I’d love another glass of wine.”
A glance toward the nearest bar showed a line forming now that the music had stopped, but the bar on the far side of the room remained empty. Brent rose. “Of course, darling. Chardonnay?”
“Please.”
“Moss, need anything?”
“Scotch. Neat.”
“I’ll bill it to your room.” There was an edge to Brent’s tone. She’d overheard Russ tell him that even though he was an executive, JT Talon had refused to sign off on a room for him at the hotel. Russ had been forced to pay for his own room.
“That’s not a problem. Talon & Drake is picking up the tab.” Moss’s tone was smug.
Okay, so some executives were getting comped rooms. Just not Russ. What was the deal between him and Talon?
Once Brent was gone, Kendall extended her hand over Brent’s empty seat. “Kendall Gordon.”
Moss smiled, took her hand, and brought it to his lips. “Calvin Moss. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Gordon.”
No man had ever kissed her hand before, and she felt strangely fluttery about it. He looked to be mid-thirties and had a chiseled jawline. Not as handsome as Brent, but not bad.
A noise on the other side of the dance floor caught her attention. It was hard to see with people in the way, but it looked like some sort of fight between two men in suits.
“What kind of company party is this?” Kendall muttered. The crowd shifted, revealing Russ was one of the men involved in the fight. And there was her roommate, right there in the middle.
Kendall bolted to her feet.
“Whoa,” Calvin said. “Everyone knows Talon has it in for Russ, but this…”
Russ was seized from the other man’s grasp by a uniformed police officer, who then cuffed and searched him.
Brent had stopped on his way to the bar and stood staring, open-mouthed. Kendall raced to his side. She wanted to approach Alex, but she was being questioned by police.
Suddenly, Alex let out a screech and said, “You put fucking gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid in my drink? So you could drag me to your hotel room and RAPE ME?”
And then her best friend kneed Russ Spaulding in the crotch.
She turned to Brent. “He drugged her drink? So he could rape her?”
“What? No. That’s insane. Talon must be setting him up. He hates Russ because Drake promoted him. The minute Drake left the party, Talon set him up.”
She glanced around, searching for the older engineer, but Brent was right, Edward Drake wasn’t here.
Regardless of what Brent believed, her best friend needed her. She ran to Alex, who glared at Brent. “Did you know about this?”
“No! Of course not!”
She faced Kendall. “You spent two weeks hounding me to be his date.”
“I had no idea! I swear.”
Did she believe her? But how could she think Kendall would have any part in this?
Alex’s attention returned to Brent. “You’re not welcome in our apartment ever again.”
Kendall was going to be sick. “No!” The word burst from her.
“It’s him or me, Kendall.”
Alex gave a few more instructions, then turned away.
With no other choice, Kendall left the party with Brent, the man she was in love with, who Alex had just banned from their apartment.