Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 15455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 77(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 77(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
I put back my wallet while the girl still looks at me like she can’t decide what to do, so I get up and say, “Think about it. Once you’ve decided, I’ll be outside waiting for your answer.”
As I walk off, a hand suddenly wraps around my wrist. “Wait.”
Her eyes find mine, and for a moment, it feels as though the world around us completely disappears and all that’s left is her and me, and the words she’s about to speak from that pretty little mouth of hers.
“Yes.”
And a wicked smile forms on my face. “Good choice.”
***
Emilia
His house is huge. I don’t think I could even call it a house. It’s like a giant mansion with endless corridors and rooms all around, lavish carpets, expensive leather furniture that looks almost untouched, several big, erotic paintings hanging from the walls, and crystal chandeliers scattered all around. Like a small castle but with a modern take.
I could never imagine visiting a house like this, let alone living in it. I feel like I’m walking inside a museum where you’re not allowed to touch anything, that’s how squeaky clean it all looks.
Suddenly, my eyes land on a couple of guards standing near two doors. I turn to look behind me. The car is gone, and the door is being closed by a bunch of guards as well.
All of them visibly wearing guns.
And it becomes harder and harder to breathe.
So I was right. This kind of money does come at a price.
Who in the hell have I involved myself with?
“C’mon, I’ll show you to your room,” Vincenzo says.
Fuck. Too late to turn back now.
I walk behind him, careful not to touch anything for fear I might break his precious things. I don’t want to anger a man who’s so generously opened his home to me.
Especially when he’s got men like that guarding this place.
But I still feel a little uneasy with how simple this all feels. Like it’s somehow a trap, and I’m walking straight into it.
I swallow back the nerves as we head up the giant staircase. His footsteps are soft but firm, like a man who knows he’s impressive without having to appear aggressive. Dominant but without the overbearing, threatening part.
And I don’t know why, but for some reason, just the way he walks makes it hard for me to look anywhere else but at him as he guides me down a set of hallways and into a room.
“This is yours for as long as you’d like,” he says, pointing inside. “Go on. Take a look.”
I head inside and marvel at the beauty around me, the huge windows in the back with giant black curtains hanging to the side, the bathtub in front of the windows, and the big bed in the middle of the room with black-and-white satin sheets. It’s all so perfect I could cry.
“Do you like it?” he asks.
I push away the tears. I don’t know what I did to deserve all of this … and that the cost won’t be steep.
“It’s gorgeous,” I say. “So much more than I could ever …”
I sigh. I can’t even finish the sentence. I just want to look around and bask in all the wealth before it’s all taken away again.
I check the room, touching every inch of it like it’s precious. A closet to the right is filled to the brim with clothes and shoes, all as beautiful as the dress I’m wearing. The one he bought me.
I walk to the window and stare outside at the beautiful garden underneath with a field filled with flowers. Beautiful, just like this house. Just like him. Almost too beautiful to be real.
Is this all just a wild dream concocted in my mind after falling asleep from pure exhaustion, and will I find myself back in that alley like nothing ever happened?
A cold shiver runs up and down my spine.
Suddenly, two hands land on my shoulders, making me jolt up and down.
“Don’t be frightened of me,” he muses, his voice soft, almost… seductive. My body erupts into goose bumps.
But it’s hard not to be afraid, knowing the kind of power he holds. “Your men wear guns.”
“It’s for protection,” he answers softly.
“Whose?”
He leans in, whispering into my ear, “Mine … and yours.”
I struggle to even breathe at all. He’s right there, breathing into the nape of my neck, every hair on my body aware of his presence so close I could feel his aura rub against mine.
“Are you scared?” he whispers.
I suck in a ragged breath. “Maybe.”
“I won’t harm you,” he says. I could listen to his soft and seductive voice for ages, and it still not be long enough.
How is he, a man I barely even met, able to have such an effect on me?
“Who … who are you?”
“You know my name,” he responds. “Ask the right question.”