The AC was blasting, but Juliet was already sweating bullets trying to crack the door open.
When she was taking a breather, it dawned on her that Elvis owned this place.
Strolling over, Juliet said, "Elvis, get someone to unlock the door for us."
"My phone got swiped by Kashton," Elvis replied, cool as a cucumber, but it hit Juliet like a ton of bricks.
"Here, use mine!" Juliet tossed him her phone.
"Nah, might as well just kick back and sip something," Elvis advised, having figured out the score the moment Juliet stepped in.
Juliet chucked her phone and purse onto the couch and flopped down. "Kashton can't seriously think we're chilling here all night, right?"
Elvis passed her a brimming wineglass, saying, "No idea."
Elvis's nonchalant vibe was driving Juliet up the wall. She tried to chill, scanning the cozy private room. There was playful gear like mini whips, poles, candles, and the whole nine yards. With the mood lighting, it was a recipe for daydreams.
In her head, Juliet had already given Kashton a piece of her mind a hundred times. 'What a spot! Wonder when he got to Xavier,' Juliet thought.
"Easy on the drink!" Juliet warned. A guy and a girl holed up in a room. If the guy got tipsy, it could lead to trouble. She wasn't that green.
"I got this," Elvis assured her, with a confident nod. His willpower around the fairer sex was ironclad, which explained his solo status. He wasn't about to lose his cool over a woman.
Juliet just rolled her eyes, thinking that Elvis was a snoozefest.
She was stuck here, with no way out, and no one to chat with—what a bummer.
No point in trying to warm up to a cold man over there—she wasn't about to flog a dead horse.
Instead, Juliet pulled out her phone, scrolling through the latest celebrity gossip. It was late, and she didn't have the heart to call Mikayla for a rescue. Chances were that she and Carlos were in their own world. She didn't want to butt in on family time.
*****
On the flip side, Kashton and Xavier were holed up in another private room at the Septem Nightclub, peeping at a screen.
The seventh floor's private room was super secretive. They had a clear view thanks to Kashton's sneaky move—planting a teeny-tiny camera earlier.
"Kashton, check it. My sis and Elvis are just sitting there, not even chatting. How's this gonna work?" Xavier said, eyeballing the surveillance footage.
It was like the king was chill, but his helpers were sweating bullets.
"Give me a sec!" Kashton spun around, already hatching a plan. He leaned in and whispered something to Xavier.
Xavier, with a suspicious look, gazed at Kashton, saying, "Kashton, this feels off!" It was his own sister, after all. Kashton had just suggested she and Elvis give it a whirl, and Xavier wasn't a fan of Brantley. Xavier might be fond of pleasure, but he was no fool—he could tell Brantley didn't have the hots for his sister.
He wanted his sister to be happy and find real joy instead of sticking with a guy who didn't love her back.
"You gotta trust my gut! Elvis is way better than Brantley," Kashton said, and then he sauntered out.
*****
Meanwhile, Juliet was glued to the entertainment news, cracking up one minute and groaning the next, having a blast on her own.
Elvis was about to take a sip when Juliet stopped him, grinning. "Check this out. It's hilarious."
She read a joke from her phone, laughing out loud without holding back at all.
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