Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
I started to feel sorry for myself and upset, and the tears were right there ready to fall, but before I could let the sadness fully take over, I started to get mad. No one should be treated like this, I thought. Every person had the right to love and be loved, and to not be hidden away. It made me feel like I was bringing shame to Leandro’s family, and to his life. I knew he didn’t mean for that to happen, but for some reason he just couldn’t be honest with his parents as to who he was.
I let the anger fume through me for a few more minutes, and then I decided that I needed to do something for myself. I didn’t need to mope around the house alone, but instead go out and enjoy life the way I would want to. I sent Leandro a text telling him that his mother called and that I had to lie to her so she wouldn’t know who I really was. I told him that it made me feel awful, and that I was going out for a long drive. I left the house and took that long drive out along the countryside so that I could collect my thoughts and know where I stood for when Leandro and Jourdanne returned home. Even if I had to give up a luxurious lifestyle with the man of my dreams, I had to be true to myself and I needed others to value me for me.
JOURDANNE
“I have a car on standby when I come for business.” Leandro led me through the terminal and out the exit of the airport after we got our bags. I had brought a simple suitcase with a few outfits, and Leandro had one that rolled on wheels. It looked pricy, like it was made with Italian leather and the nicest zippers on earth. Mine was a hand-me-down from my dad.
“Great,” I answered him. I kept following until we reached the pickup lane, then Leandro waved over to a black sedan. A moment later, the sedan was picking us up.
Leandro and I got into the backseat as the driver put our bags into the trunk. The car was beautiful inside. Ambient blue lighting, soft classical music, the scents of fresh air and citrus. I slumped into the seat and let out a moan.
“I hope you aren’t tired.”
I looked over at Leandro to see him scrolling through his phone, not even looking up when he spoke. “Why?” I asked.
“We have a reservation downtown.”
“Reservation?” I looked down over my clothes. I knew I smelled good thanks to Parvati. She sent me off with a little bag of goodies and said it might ‘loosen up Leandro’. But my purple blouse and jeans weren’t exactly reservation attire.
“Don’t worry.” Leandro smiled as he watched me judging myself. “More like drinks, really. It’s a cocktail lounge. You’ll love it. There’s a fantastic view of Geneva from the third floor of the lounge. You can see all the city lights and people as they pass.”
“Three floors?”
“Yep. The first two are for meetings, but the third is the lounge. It’s open and casual, and you can grab something to nibble on too.”
“That’d be great.”
I watched the place get smaller in the side window, and I immediately thought about Matt being home alone. It was part of the deal that we’d all agreed upon, but I still felt terrible for leaving him behind. More so, I was in his place. I was doing the thing he had always wanted to do. It was crushing to realise that.
“Can we talk openly?” I asked Leandro. His eyes met mine with a blank stare, then I gazed up at the driver for a pause. When I looked back at Leandro, he quickly gave a shrug.
“Oh, don’t worry about Michael.” Leandro smiled as he looked up at the driver who was then eyeing us from the rear-view mirror. “He’s been with me for years. If you have something to say, you can say it.”
“Well…” I faced Leandro. “I’m just wondering why Matt doesn’t come with you.”
Leandro instantly tensed up. He tried to hide it, but I could see it on his face and how his shoulders lowered hesitantly. This was a subject he was done talking about. In fact, he was probably hoping there’d be a way to shut me up altogether.
“Jourdanne, I understand that you care about Matt. I can see it when you two are near each other. But my relationship with him is my business, not yours. It’d be best if you left it alone.”
“Best for who?”
I just didn’t know when to shut up.
Leandro’s eyes snapped to mine in a heartbeat. I felt the breath whisk right out of my lungs at that moment. Leandro’s stare was incredibly intimidating. It was also seductively intense. I could see why Matt was attracted to Leandro. At one time, Leandro was apparently a great boyfriend, of course. But he was also sexy as hell, if I was being honest. He turned toward me slowly and put his hand on my arm. His cologne spilled out in that sedan like a rolling fog. Woodsy notes and amber; exquisite and illustrious all at once. Leandro leaned close and spoke to me as he gripped down on my arm with a bit of pressure.