Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Even Bri’s mom and stepdad—who disappeared to take a nap shortly after we arrived—clearly have mutual respect for one another. When Larisa speaks, Walter listens. I haven’t been around many couples, too focused on school, but I’ve always told myself that while I never want to be dependent on a man, I want a man I can depend on.
My eyes land on Lorenzo—who, according to Nicole, is Matteo’s best friend and a newly single dad. I didn’t see him again after our brief conversation at the bar on the yacht. And when we arrived at the resort, he excused himself to check on his son.
He steps toward the pool, taking in the couples and trying to decide where he fits in. His gaze lands on me, and I smile and wave, letting him know he’s not alone.
He nods once, barely sparing me a glance, and then grabs the hem of his shirt, lifting it over his head and exposing his toned upper body. He was wearing a long-sleeved henley on the yacht and again just now, so I’m shocked to find several intricate tattoos covering his forearms and chest. He kicks off his flip-flops and runs his fingers through his messy brown hair. Then he steps over to the deep end and dives into the water.
His body glides under the surface, barely making a splash, and I inhale a sharp breath, wondering how the hell a man simply diving into the water could be so damn sexy.
My phone buzzes again, forcing me to look away from Lorenzo, who’s now elegantly yet powerfully swimming laps from one end of the pool to the other.
Mom
Vanessa, when you get this, I need you to come home ASAP. It’s an emergency.
Yeah, I bet it is.
I mentally scoff, squeezing my phone in anger and then setting it aside so I don’t do something stupid like throw and break it since it’s not under warranty.
My eyes ascend back to Lorenzo, and an idea forms. Eric told the guy on the phone that I was worth millions because I was still a virgin. So, if I wasn’t a virgin, I would be worthless to him, right?
Lorenzo stops at the deep end and pushes up onto his forearms. His muscles contract as he pulls himself up onto the edge and gets out. Water sluices down his body, and I swallow thickly at the thought of him using that body to pleasure me.
My goal is to be nothing like my mother, which means not using my body to gain a man’s attention. She opened her legs for any man she thought would open his wallet, and I told myself I wouldn’t do the same. I would focus on my dreams and goals, becoming completely independent and self-sufficient. And one day, when I met the man I wanted to spend my life with, I would give myself to him.
The thought of giving myself to Lorenzo, a man who couldn’t give two shits about me—hell, I doubt he even knows my name—causes my anxiety to spike, but what other choice do I have? It’s either have sex with him to get rid of my virginity, effectively removing my worth, or get taken and be forced to give it to someone who would do God knows what to me. I’ve seen the movie Taken, and I’m not about to become the next statistic.
Both options have my heart racing, and before I lose my shit, I gather up my stuff and head back to my room to grab my bottle of antianxiety meds.
Since I was little and my mom would move us from house to house, shacking up with vile men who made my skin crawl, I’ve developed severe anxiety. It’s calmed down the past several years, since I was sent to boarding school and then moved into the college dorms, but every now and then, it sneaks up on me, so my therapist has prescribed me a low dose to help calm me down. I have two different prescriptions—one is nondrowsy, for during the day, and the other is to help me sleep.
Since it’s still early and we’re all going to dinner later, I swallow down the nondrowsy option and then take a hot shower.
I can do this, I tell myself.
Lorenzo seems like a nice guy. It might not be how I wanted to lose my virginity, but I don’t see any other option.
“Is this seat taken?”
Lorenzo glances up from his phone and shakes his head.
“Still on daddy duty?” I joke, raising my hand to snag the bartender’s attention.
We just got back from dinner, and the couples have taken off to their rooms for the night. When Dominick mentioned that it was bad luck to see the bride the night before the wedding, Kane glared and told him that it was bad luck to keep him away from his wife.