Amaya
I felt him watching me before I laid eyes on him, and somehow, without looking, I knew it was the same guy who had been there in the pool earlier while I’d been reading. I hadn’t let him catch me staring then, but I had snuck a few looks at him over the top of my book at that sculpted body, the dark hair, the strong jaw and cheekbones. He was a knockout, no question, and when I looked up from the conversation I was embroiled in with one of the potential donors I was scouting out for the library, my heart skipped in my chest.
He must have known I didn’t belong here, that I’d borrowed this dress a week earlier from a friend of mine and that all the jewelry I was wearing was pretty far cry from authentic precious metal. No matter that I was here for a damn good reason, I felt so out of place at this gala as though someone would bust me at any moment, figuring out I didn’t belong and kicking me to the curb before I could say a word. I sipped on my champagne and turned my attention back to the guy I had been talking to, but the whole time, I found it hard to focus on what he was saying. I could tell that the guy from the pool was staring at me, his gaze burning a hole right through me.
“Here’s my card.” I finally dipped into my purse and handed the guy one of the cards I’d had printed for the occasion. “We’d love it if you could swing by the library some time. Show you what we’re working with.”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure I know what you’re working with.” The guy grinned slowly, the smile spreading out over his face as his eyes traced up and down my body. I managed a stiff smile and stepped away from him. I could do without the perving for tonight. I felt out of place enough without having that creep peering down my cleavage.
I took a deep breath and downed the rest of my champagne. I didn’t drink so much these days, and the bubbles were rushing up to my head and making me a little dizzy. Or maybe that was just the thick smell of expensive perfume hanging over this place like a veil. I had spritzed myself down in a little of the body spray I’d had since high school, and I just felt cheap by comparison.
But, as I moved around the room trying to mingle and see who else I could palm my card off on in the hopes they would donate some cash to my library, I noticed that pool guy was still looking at me. In fact, a couple of times, I swear he’d moved to follow my path around the room.
Bright blue eyes met mine confidently every time I looked up, and each time our gazes encountered each other, a flush ran up my neck and something roared to life in my lower stomach. For a while, I was sure he had to be checking out someone else, someone who actually looked like they belonged in a place like this, but as the evening drew on, it was clear I was the only thing he was interested in. And that knowledge sent a shiver running up my spine.
I did my best to pay attention to the people who stopped by to chat me up and made sure to hand out a couple of cards over the course of the evening. A place like this was dripping with money, and I’d have been crazy not to take advantage of it. But it was hard to keep focused when I could see the most improbably gorgeous guy practically stalking me around this place like I was prey and he was hungry.
He moved closer to me as the night drew on, and as the champagne buzzed through me, I found myself flirting straight back at him, flicking my gaze in his direction and even managing a couple of playful little smiles to boot. I had no idea who he was, but plenty of people were keen to stop and talk to him while his attention was squarely focused on me and me alone.
As the evening continued, my confidence began to swell a little. Sure, I had never been to anything like this before, and it still felt a little crazy being surrounded by so much glitz and glamour, but why not take advantage of it while I had the chance? That guy was eyeing me like he owned me, and it had been a long time since I had been able to blow off steam and enjoy myself like this. Life was usually so painfully stressful for me, and I didn’t see why I shouldn’t have a little fun when the opportunity arose. I had handed out a few cards, sweet-talked some people into giving the library some thought when it came time to donate again this year. It was about time I gave into a little flirtation, no?
I headed to the bathroom to fix up my makeup, checking myself in the mirror. I still didn’t entirely recognize myself, even though I’d been wearing this thing for more than an hour. I hadn’t been sure about the dress when I put it on. Sure, it was a little tight and clung a little too closely to those curves I was most self-conscious about, but at least it went a long way to enhancing my cleavage and actually giving me some real shape. I ran my fingers carefully through my hair. I had taken the time to blow-dry it up in my room, and it was the only part of this look that I loved. I flashed myself a smile in the mirror, practicing how it would look when I aimed it at him, and my heart fluttered when I thought about what I was about to do.
AmayaWhen I stepped out, it took me a moment to figure out where he had wandered off to, but then he emerged from the crowd, and my heart nearly stopped as I realized he was coming toward me. I half-expected someone to step in and pull me away at the last minute, that some pretty young thing would draw his attention from me before he could get too close, but nothing did. His eyes were locked on mine, even brighter and bolder than they had been before.Before I knew it, he was in front of me, those eyes burning deep into me as he came to a halt a foot from me. I could smell his aftershave, something strong and sharp and masculine that filled my senses and sent me floating a few feet off the ground. He was a lot to handle. He was even hotter closeup, like, male-model perfect, and I was struggling to remember how in the hell I was supposed to introduce myself.“I’ve been watching you all night,” he remarked, and the words sent a shiver down my spine. A waiter passed by us, and he plucke
KristoFuck.That was the first thought when I opened my eyes. It was hard to peel them apart, as though somebody had sealed them with superglue while I’d been sleeping. As soon as the light from the window began filtering through my vision, I slammed them shut again. Nope. That was way too much.I lifted my head from the pillow and rubbed my temples, eyes still shut. Shit. How long had it been since I’d last had a hangover? I couldn’t remember. I stretched my mind back over the night before and tried to put the pieces together, but the last thing I remembered was leading that woman out of the party and heading back to my room. Beyond that, nothing. I knew the party had gone all right before that, but nothing was sticking out to me.That’s when I heard a snuffle and felt a shift in the weight of someone in the bed next to me, and my heart dropped. I had assumed that even hella-drunk me would have figured out I should kick out my hookup at the end of our night together. There was nothi
Kristo“I don’t remember anything about last night,” she sighed, flashing me a playful smile. Any other time, I might have taken that as an invitation to slide beneath the covers with her and see if we could spark any memories, but I didn’t have time for that. I lifted my hand in front of her, spreading my fingers, and showed her the ring.“You know anything about this?” I asked, and her eyes widened.“You didn’t tell me you were married,” she protested, and I reached down to pick up her hand and show her she had the exact same one on. Her face dropped.“What the fuck?” she asked again, but this time there was a little more panic in her voice. That was more like it.“You don’t remember anything?” I pressed her, and she shook her head once more.“Just, like, fuzzy memories,” she frowned. “I remember leaving the party with you and that was it…”She lay for a moment, looking like a movie star surrounded by the luxurious pillows and the comforter, as though she’d been dropped into a cloud
AmayaMy head was pounding as I watched him move around the room, and I tried not to think about the nightmare we’d just caught ourselves up in. I couldn’t handle this. My body was aching all over, the ring on my finger feeling as though it was cutting off circulation and about to send my finger straight tumbling to the ground. The covers of the bed felt oppressive, but there was no way I was going to take them off knowing I was naked beneath them and he could get another free show. I flushed at the thought of it. Where was the Amaya of the night before, the one who had slipped away from the party with a stranger, the one who had gotten up to god knows what all over this room, the one who had …I looked down at my finger again, and my stomach clenched. Then, I noticed he had come to a halt and had slowly turned to look at me.“What is it?” I demanded. “Did you find something?”He shook his head, and I once again strained my memory to try and come up with what had happened the night be
AmayaI thought of Jolene, who was probably at home wondering where the heck I was right now, and my stomach twisted. A few thousand dollars alone would make her life a hell of a lot easier. And I would have done anything to assure my sister’s life was a little less difficult.It had been so hard for both of us since Mom and Dad had passed away. Every time I thought of them, I still felt that twist deep in my stomach. A car accident had robbed both me and my sister of our family when she had been nothing more than a few years old. And, in the midst of the grief and working on my undergraduate degree, I’d had to move back home to step up and take care of my sister. Jolene had been born with severe physical disabilities that had required basically full-time care around the clock to keep her functioning, and when Mom and Dad had died, I’d been the only one who knew her well enough to step in and take care of my sister. I loved her, I did, and so I moved back home from the dorm rooms wher
KristoI slipped my arm around her waist and guided her up the steps of the company jet, glancing around to make sure no one was watching or following us. If some of the tabloids caught wind of what was going on, they would get to break the news to my family before I did, and that would defeat the point of this whole scheme. She smiled at me gratefully as I opened the door for her, and the two of us stepped inside the jet together.“I’ve never been in a private plane before,” she confessed as she looked around, eyes wide while she took everything in.“Well, get used to it.” I cocked an eyebrow at her. “You’re going to be seeing a lot of it these the next few months.”“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she murmured, mostly to herself. She looked down at the ring on her finger once more, the one that matched mine, and then back at me, a playful smile on her face.“You know, you’ll need to get me something a little more impressive if you really want to sell this,” she remarked. I grinned.
KristoHow long had my family been getting on me to get married? Longer than I could remember. And things had taken a major uptick as soon as I had stepped up to take over the business. They thought it would look better to our investors and everyone involved with us if I could project this image of a settled-down family man, someone who could prove he was consistent and reliable and trustworthy. It had gotten to the point now that every time I flew over to Greece to see my grandparents, my grandmother would have zeroed in on some other helpless young girl she was sure would make a perfect wife for me. The woman would be dragged along to some family gathering while pretty much every one of my relatives spent the entire evening trying to push us together, and I would have to politely explain at the end of the night that I wasn’t looking for a relationship like that. And it would play out over and over again as though they were just waiting to find the right woman and thought that as soo
AmayaAs the car pulled into the spot outside my condo, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. What the hell was this guy going to make of my tiny little place?Jolene was staying at the home, had been for the couple of days I was out of town, so at least I wouldn’t have to explain her presence there to him, which was a relief. Still, this guy had more money than anyone I’d ever met before in my life. He was going to think I lived in a hovel compared to whatever palace he stayed in.He hadn’t even blinked when I’d named my price for going through with this. It was enough to pay off all my debt as well as comfortably cover a full year’s worth of bills and living expenses for me and Jolene. It would give me the chance to get ahead, to climb out from beneath the pile of debt that had been near-crushing me the last six months or so. The thought of my future opening up like that in front of me was dazzling in a way I couldn’t put into words, as though the sky had spread wide before me to show