Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 37751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
“Bobbleheads don’t speak.” I mutter under my breath and squeeze his hand again.
“If it’s not too much to ask, Dominic,” Grandma says, “I’d like you to join me for a one-on-one lunch while you’re here.”
“Dominic doesn’t like lunch.” I refuse to let this happen. “At least, he hates eating lunch without me if we’re in the same city, so that’s not possible.”
“Just let me know what day works best for you, Mrs. Hattie.” He defies me with a laugh. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me too!” She looks at me. “It’s good to see you with someone who gets your crazy sense of humor, Georgia. I love it!”
“What’s not to love?” I spot the real Dante walking through the courtyard and gasp.
“Excuse us, please!” I tug Dominic toward the exit. “We have to go, but we’ll be back!”
THIRTEEN
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
DOMINIC
“Oh godddd, oh godddd….” Georgia is breathing like she just ran a marathon when we step outside.
As her chest heaves up and down, I can’t help but wonder if she would breathe the same way while she was riding me all night.
Fuck…
“Why haven’t you pressed the trolley button, Dominic?” She looks at me. “You have to do that in order for us to get a ride to where the cottages are.”
“Probably because this is my first time here and I have no idea how anything works.”
“That sounds like an excuse.” She walks over to a red phone booth and hits a button.
Within minutes, a sleek black trolley car pulls onto the tracks ahead of us.
“All aboard!” A uniformed driver steps off to help Georgia inside before motioning for me to follow suit.
A violin version of “Carol of the Bells” plays as we ride through the snow-covered grounds, and Georgia keeps her gaze toward anything and everything except me.
“So, anytime I want to get somewhere, I step into one of the red booths, correct?” I ask.
She doesn’t answer.
‘That’s correct, sir!” The driver smiles at me through the rearview mirror. “We have twenty private trolley cars ready and waiting to take you wherever you want to go at all times, and there’s also a custom passenger train that runs on a continuous loop through the estate all day and night.”
“Noted.” I spot the golden train chugging in the distance and notice the words “Forever & Ever” etched onto its front car. “Was the train and the trolley system inspired by a book or a movie?”
“Neither, this was all Georgia Grey’s idea.” He beams. “We used to use fancy golf carts and slow-moving carriages to get our guests around this place. But when Miss Grey was a senior in high school, she designed a custom course for us and convinced her grandmother to hire some special people to build this instead.”
“That’s beyond impressive.” I look over at her again, but she’s still ignoring me. “I’ve never seen anything like this at a resort before.”
“Hopefully I’ll catch you during a solo ride during your stay, sir.” He makes a soft turn down Chestnut Lane. “My wife still can’t stop talking about the time you sent Georgia that ten-foot Eiffel Tower cake, and I need to do something like that, too.”
What in the… “I’ll keep that in mind for sure.”
“I appreciate it!” He begins driving up a slope, and my phone rings with a new call.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Please tell me that you made it on time so I can confirm my side of the date for the app,” Paul says.
“I did.”
“Are you with the woman right now?”
“I am.”
“Is she sexy or ugly?”
“Neither,” I say as Georgia slowly faces me. “Fucking beautiful.”
“Well, maybe I should’ve cancelled this other date after all.” He sighs.
“Why is that?”
“Because she’s made it very clear that she wants to be pleasured in a way that makes me question my sanity.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
“She has a whipped cream foot fantasy that she wants to try.” He rambles. “I thought it was just toe sucking, which, hey, no judgement, but it’s way worse.”
“I’m not going to ask how.”
“Please don’t.” He sounds desperate. “I may have finally found my limitation on this gigolo thing.”
“I’m proud of you for finally seeing your job for what it is.” I smile. “Would you like me to Fedex some flavored whipped cream to you, to make whatever it is slightly better?”
“Fuck you, Dominic.” He hangs up as the trolley pulls in front of a red brick cottage.
The driver helps us out while slipping me his business card, and Georgia escorts me inside a home that resembles a Hallmark card.
“Okay, so look.” Georgia places her hands on her hips. “You and I need to have a conversation since you’re messing things up already.”
“The only thing I need to do right now is take a shower.”
“No, we need to establish some more boundaries.”
“We can do that,” I say, eyeing the cut of her dress. “After my shower. I need at least half an hour.”