29

"Thanks for today. It was perfect." I beamed at Lorenzo as the car stopped in front of the mansion.

"Of course it was. I pride myself on exceeding people's expectations." He grinned, and I rolled my eyes.

"A simple you're welcome would have been enough, but no, you just had to boast." I giggled.

"Why shouldn’t I? It's true, isn't it? You can’t tell me it wasn’t more than you imagined."

"Honestly, I can't imagine a better date than this, which is both a blessing and a curse. I probably won't be able to enjoy any others because I'll keep comparing them to these." I playfully huffed and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Don't worry; I promise the others will be far more memorable than this. After all, I'm the only one that can beat myself." He laughed.

Others? He planned that there would be others?!

My heart raced but I reined back my excitement. There couldn't be any other when I had less than fifteen days to either escape or be killed by him.

"I'll take your word for it." I replied, playing along, which was stupid, but was it bad that I wanted to delude myself that there would be a next time?

"Here." He said as he pulled out a small box from his pocket and gave it to me.

"You can't seriously be giving me a present after all we did today? No wonder you're popular with the ladies." I joked as I opened it, and my breath hitched.

"Oh, wow, it's beautiful." I cooed as I pulled out the beautiful bracelet and admired it.

"Do you like it? I chose it quickly online and told Davis to pick it up, so it might not be your taste."

So that was what Davis, the chauffeur, slipped to him after the movie, thinking that I wouldn't notice.

"I love it, but I can't take this. It's too much after a date like this. I—"

"You don't have a choice, Vixen. I don't take back my gifts." He said as he took it from me and slipped it on my wrist.

"Perfect. I knew it would look good on you." He mumbled and kissed my wrist, waking all the butterflies in my belly.

"No, I feel bad that I didn't get anything for you." I pouted as I tried to pretend my face hadn't turned pink.

"There is something you could give me." He smirked as his eyes flickered to my lips and my skin flushed.

"Oh? And what could that be?" I asked, batting my lashes innocently. He grabbed my jaw, tilting my head upward, and leaned closer.

"A kiss. I'll do anything for your kiss right now." He replied, his voice low and sexy, and my heart raced.

"Oh," I breathed as heat flooded my skin and raged in my core.

F*ck a kiss!

I wanted him to pin me against the chair and f*ck me so hard that I couldn't remember my name like that night. I needed him to touch me; I needed him buried in me.

Shit, I swear it wasn't healthy that my body craved this man more than oxygen.

My obsession with him was dangerous.

"I'm not giving you anything else apart from that one kiss, right? Just one." I smiled and placed my hand on his chest.

"I'm always up for more if you're willing, but I'm not settling for less than a kiss." He replied, and I shivered as his other hand teased my thigh.

"One kiss coming right up." I joked, and I gave him a quick peck on his cheek. "There."

"What was that?" He frowned as confusion swam in his eyes, and I grinned.

"A kiss. You didn't specify where I kiss you, so I chose where I felt like." I giggled and leaned away from him.

Kissing him on the lips was out of the question unless I wanted a make-out session, but I couldn't stop at that. I would want him in me, which, if some magic happened, would complicate the already complicated scenario.

I couldn't afford to get addicted to a man that would get bored with me in two seconds.

Sylvia was living proof of how dangerous it was, and if I didn't want to end up like her, I needed to stay away from anything that would lead to sexy time with him.

"You know very well what I want." Lorenzo growled and tried to grab me, but I jumped out of the car.

"Sorry, Mr Raimondo, but you taught me that I should be specific when making a deal. It seems like the student has surpassed the teacher." I taunted him and stuck out my tongue at him.

"You've learnt well, but you can't beat the master at his own game." He chuckled.

"I believe I have. Thanks for the date and the bracelet. I'm looking forward to the next one." I grinned and waved at him as I rushed into the mansion.

"Gwen! Finally!" Clara gasped the second I stepped through the door.

"You'll never—"

"Where have you been? Do you know how long I've been waiting for you? I was so worried something had happened to you. Why weren't you picking up your calls?" She hissed as she grabbed my hand and began pulling me away.

"You did?" I frowned and I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

I cringed at the notification: twenty-three missed calls and eighteen text messages.

"Sorry, things took a crazy turn, and my phone was on do not disturb." I apologised.

"You're lucky you came back before Lorenzo. Who knows what he would have done to you? And please tell me your shift isn't today. He will actually kill you if you miss it." She huffed, and I cringed.

This was going to be the most awkward conversation I had ever had, and I had no fucking clue on how to start.

"My shift isn't today." I mumbled.

"Good."

She yanked me into my bedroom and slammed the door shut. She leaned against it and let out a long, tired sigh. "I swear you're going to be the death of me."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you worried. Something... well... interesting came up, and I lost track of time." I explained as I sat on the bed.

"Oh, interesting." She grinned, wriggling her brows, and she sat down beside me. "So, what was this interesting thing that made you completely forget about your best friend?"

"Well, the date didn't go exactly as planned." I mumbled and licked my bottom lip.

"Obviously it didn't since you came back by this time. Nothing bad happened, right?"

"Not exactly." I shook my head. "It was a good thing."

"Come on, tell me. The suspense is too much." She shook her shoulders, and her eyes caught my bracelet.

"He bought you a gift." She squealed as she lifted my hand and admired it. "Aww, it's so beautiful. And it looks very expensive. You didn't tell me Cory was filthy rich. He doesn't look like it, though."

"Cory didn't buy it for me." I muttered, and she tilted her head to the side.

"Did you rob a jewellery shop or something after your date?" She joked, and I snorted.

"No, have some faith in me, would you?" I huffed and slouched my shoulders. "Clara, I have a confession to make, and I promise you won't get mad at me when I say it."

"I promise." She said and dropped my hand.

"Cory and I went on a date, but midway through, we were interrupted by... Lorenzo."

"No!" Clara gasped and turned pale. "How did he know? Benny, right? What did—"

"Don't bother; you can't guess what happened next." I interrupted her and ran my fingers through my hair. "After he scared off Cory, we argued, and somehow we ended up going on a date. We were together the whole evening."

"What the heck! You went on a date with Lorenzo?!" She exclaimed, and I cringed.

"Yes, we went to see that movie I was always telling you about and after, dinner. He gave the bracelet too. But that's not my major confession." I said and let out a shaky breath. "The night of the party at Gariton, things sort of got heated and out of control, and, well... I... I slept with him."