Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 106159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
He smirks, closes my door, then instructs the driver to go, leaving me speechless and horny in front of my friend’s clothing boutique that I’m unexpectedly loathing.
16
NATALYA
“Hey,” Taylor rises from the couch before stretching like a cat after a late afternoon nap. “I didn’t think you were meant to be back until tonight?”
With a sigh, I toss my key onto the entryway table. “It was dead. We didn’t serve a single customer after two.”
Unaware of my sudden wish to be unemployed, Taylor replies, “It’s probably the cool weather keeping them indoors. You know how much people hate going out in the rain.”
“Probably,” I say while flopping onto the armchair she just vacated. “Have you eaten? Saka is grabbing us a late lunch.” I waggle my brows at her so she can’t mistake the playfulness in my tone. “A few days ago, I heard that lun-din is a great opener for raunchy nighttime entertainment.”
She groans, and it breaks my heart as quickly as it freezes my brows. “How badly is he fucking up?”
“Badly.” She sits in the chair across from me before cradling her head in her hands. “Is there anything below condescending, hypocritical, double-standards men?”
I tap my lip like I’m contemplating.
It sees me smacked up the side of the head with a pillow. “Saka is all those things and more, yet I still want to kiss him stupid.”
Taylor’s eyes snap to mine when I say, “Then why don’t you?”
Her sigh could be mistaken for a windy gust on a stormy night. “It isn’t that simple.”
“Why? Because you’re anal about prior marriages even though you’re the one who’s been previously married?”
I’m reflecting my worries onto Taylor and Saka, but mercifully, Taylor is clueless. “I’ve never been married,” she snaps out, her expression disgusted. “Could you imagine how bad Saka’s jealousy would be then?” She hugs the pillow she messed my head up with. “He loathes my loyalty to you. Besides, our vows to honor and obey never occurred in front of a judge.”
“Who needs a judge when you have tequila?”
She laughs, but her face is still taut enough to warrant further interrogation.
“What did you mean Saka loathes your loyalty to me?”
Her eyes bug for less than a second before she tries to brush off my worry with a pfft. “It’s nothing. Pretend I didn’t say anything. I’m just frustrated and speaking out of my ass.”
“Which is usually when you’re most honest.” I lean forward to balance my elbows on my knees. “I know I’m not the best listener, and I have more hang-ups than your average roomie, but I’m always here for you, Tay. You can tell me anything, and I won’t get mad. I cross my heart and hope to die.” After doing exactly that, I say, “I’m even okay with you ruining my sex life for an infinite length of time if you want to talk about what happened between you and Saka last week.”
Again, she laughs, but continues to fight the confession I can see in her eyes begging to be released. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m fine.” She flips the focus of our conversation from her to me. “I’m more worried about you than me.”
“Me? Why are you worried about me?” She clearly missed the lusty glow the world’s hottest shower won’t remove from my cheeks. I’m still on cloud nine, buzzing and full of horny little beans. “I’m great.”
Her confession is quick but brutal. “And several months behind on rent.” She gives me a minute to absorb the honesty in her eyes before adding, “I’ve been paying your half for the past two months, but you’re still behind.” I’ve barely recovered from her first two stabs when she lunges at me for the third time with a strike that may kill me. “Saka hasn’t been paid for just as long.”
“My father—”
“Hasn’t answered an email from Saka in months.” She joins me on the couch and gathers my hands in hers. “Saka didn’t say anything because he didn’t want you to worry, but there are rumors your mother filed for a divorce.”
“What?” This sounds like something my mother would do to rattle my father into giving her anything she wants, but her narcissism doesn’t excuse my father’s lack of contact with the man he promised to compensate for keeping me safe. “My father has his own money and wealth he made separate from my mother’s family, so why isn’t he using that to keep his promise?”
Taylor doesn’t know the pledge he made to me when I fled Rome with a forced marriage certificate stuffed in my pocket and a dead husband on my conscience, but she doesn’t need to be knowledgeable to give me a genuine answer. “I don’t know. Saka has been trying to unearth details for days. No one has any answers.”
After a beat, I cowardly ask, “Has he tried contacting my mother?”