Chapter 38

The bed shifted with a sudden jolt. Before Vespera could react, a firm hand pressed against the back of her head. In an instant, her lips brushed against Dominic’s jaw. Her eyes widened in surprise. The smoothness of his skin, the scent of his masculinity—each sensation was seared into her mind with clarity.

Dominic froze. Leaning back slightly, he placed his hand on her nape again, gently tilting her head away. Their eyes locked. One filled with shock. The other, devoid of expression. Time seemed to stretch endlessly between them.

Snapping back to reality, Vespera quickly pulled his hand away and scrambled to her feet. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to steady her breathing. “It’s already 5:30 pm. You really need to get up now, Mr. Reid.”

Without waiting for a reply, she spun on her heel and rushed out of the room. Dominic remained silent for a long moment. He then slowly lowered his hand, pressing the back of it against his eyes.

Vespera sprinted back to her room without pausing for a single breath. The moment she stepped inside, she rushed to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. Glancing at the mirror, her reflection took her by surprise—her cheeks were so red, they looked like they had been painted.

All she had done was follow standard protocol to wake Dominic up, so how the hell had it ended with her kissing him? This was insane.

By 6:00 pm, she had no choice but to shove her mortification aside and return to Dominic’s suite. Gerard was already there. The two of them stood in the suite’s living room, waiting for Dominic to emerge.

As the seconds ticked by, Vespera’s gaze drifted toward Gerard. He had worked with Dominic for years. Surely, he’d handled wake-up duty before. So, had he ever faced the same situation?

An absurd image instantly flashed in her mind—Gerard throwing himself at Dominic and kissing his cheek. What the hell had she just imagined?

“Ms. Gildon, why are you looking at me like that?” Gerard instinctively rubbed his face, feeling the weight of her troubled gaze.

“Nothing, nothing. I just—” Vespera pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady herself. “I just think our job isn’t easy.”

“No job is easy. You’ll get used to it.”

“You have a good mindset.”

“Well, what else can I do? Throw a tantrum at Mr. Reid?!”

Vespera pressed her lips together, unable to refute that. He had a point. She simply hadn’t reached that level of professional composure yet.

Meanwhile, Dominic had been standing in the dressing room for a full minute. He had witnessed everything—from the moment Vespera gave Gerard that conflicted look, to when she complained about how difficult their job was. Lowering his head, he rubbed his forehead, a quiet smile slipping onto his lips—more out of frustration than amusement.

With that, he turned and stepped out.

“Mr. Reid.”

Gerard glanced over, and Vespera instinctively did the same. Her eyes met Dominic’s for barely a second before she quickly averted her gaze, fixing it on the buttons of his shirt instead. At first glance, it seemed like a gesture of respect.

Dominic said nothing and strode toward the door. Vespera and Gerard followed closely behind. The car pulled away from the hotel, heading toward Azure Marina for the yacht party.

Inside, the silence was thick with unspoken tension. Seated in the back, Vespera sat upright, every muscle in her body tense—from her neck to her toes. She wanted to relax. But the moment she even attempted to, the memory of that accidental kiss would resurface. Dear heavens, could she just erase it from existence?