Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
“Will do,” Lark salutes smartly and immediately whips out her cellphone before typing away. While she scrolls, I turn my thoughts inward again. OMG, have I fallen in love with the gorgeous CEO? My heart swoops and then falls at the thought of Nico’s handsome mien, his engaging manners, and of course, the way he always makes me feel so cherished and precious. Of course I’ve fallen head over heels. What girl wouldn’t?
“Anything?” I ask my friend.
Lark shakes her head, still staring at the screen.
“Nope, just your usual CEO stuff. You know, going to charity events, getting quoted in the paper about business, that kind of thing.”
I nod sagely.
“I didn’t think there’d be. Nico’s not like that.”
But after a few more minutes, Lark’s fingers stop moving as she stares at the screen.
“What? What is it?” I ask. “Did you find something?”
My friend’s eyes squint as if she’s reading some fine print.
“This is really weird,” she murmurs.
“What is it?” I demand again. “Here, let me see.”
Lark immediately hands me her cell and my heart starts racing as I stare down at the screen. But the headline is there in bold letters, as bright as day.
Billionaire playboy Nico Matthews to be married to Greek heiress Persephone Christos.
I read the headline over and over again, my eyes going wide as a sick feeling starts brewing in my stomach. What is this? How can this be happening? My hands tremble as I scan the article, but sure enough, the headline holds. It appears that Nico is engaged to some rich girl back in Greece. How is this possible? There’s no picture of her, although there’s certainly one of my lover, gorgeous and smiling into the camera with his dark hair brushed back. WTF? This can’t be happening.
Yet, the article is clear and Lark’s cell drops from my bloodless fingers before clattering to the floor. All the blood drains from my face as my friend retrieves her phone.
“Petunia, I’m so sorry this is happening,” she says in a low voice. “You have to remember that despite how well these guys treat us, we’re not a part of their real lives. We’re just providing a service to them, and that’s the girlfriend experience. But at the end of the day, we’re just the help, really. Expensive toys to keep them entertained.”
“But—”
“We’re companions,” she says in a stern tone. “Fuckdolls, even, who are paid to leave when the time comes. I’m sorry you had to find out like this because clearly, Nico’s got another life and not only that, but he has a wife waiting in the wings. Who knows? She’s probably been there all along, and was just off cruising the Mediterranean during his dalliance with you.”
The words make my insides burn with shame even as tears roll down my cheeks. How can this be happening? How could I be so stupid? I should have seen this coming from a mile away because of course, I violated the first rule of Sanctum. I let myself believe that a relationship with a client could be real, instead of remembering that it’s all a fantasy.
Not only that, but I’m the one who’s supposed to be creating the fantasy for a handsome man, and not the other way around. I suppose Nico got the best of me, but where does that leave me now? The answer is all too clear. My role is done, and it’s time to retreat to the safety of the wings, never to meet again.
9
NICO
What the hell is going on? My life is fucking insane and I’m raging like a mad bull. Yet here I am, embarrassing myself, all over a woman too. What’s become of the ‘cool as a cucumber’ Nico Matthews? To be honest, I can’t say.
After all, Petunia and I have been dating for a while now, and I thought it was going great. I ravish her curves non-stop, but we also talk, laugh, and share meals together. Hell, we even went to that flower show together, and trust me, I didn’t want to go. But Petunia begged prettily, and before I knew it, I was holding armfuls of bouquets, trailing behind the sweet girl like a lovesick puppy as she browsed the different stalls.
But then something happened, and I have no idea what the fuck it is. Out of nowhere, the sweet girl just stopped talking to me. She fucking ghosted me! Is that even legal? I swear, I haven’t had a girl break-up with me since the fifth grade, and I have to say that I have no idea what to do. I feel simultaneously hot and cold at once, even as a sweat breaks out on my brow. Fuck!
Calm down, the voice in my head cautions. Stop running around like a chicken with its head cut off because nothing good can come of being impetuous.