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“I will. I love you.”
“Love you too. Talk to you later.”
Paul blew me a kiss, and I blew one back, and the screen went dark.
My heart contracted. I missed Paul so much, and he did seem busy. Busy with Ingrid. Why did it annoy me when she made Paul smile? She didn’t do anything too forward, but Dani warned me that she still wanted him. Then again, this was something I would have to deal with. As Dani said, women will always be around. Some think they can take him away from you. Ingrid did seem keen to me, but Paul was oblivious. He also looked relaxed, something I hadn’t seen in a while. And he wants the same for me. So why not just have fun?
When Laurence and I reached Xander in arrivals, he was chatting with a new friend who hadn’t seen us, but everyone could hear them. “…you deserve to have your time. Let Paris happen, darling.”
“You too, Xander. I’ll give you an update when I return to Iowa.”
“If you’re in trouble, call me as your emergency here, okay?”
They hugged each other, and the woman walked off toward the car rentals.
I tapped his shoulder, and he turned and lifted me into a bear hug. “Nadia.”
“It’s so good to see you.” I kissed his cheeks when he placed me back on my feet. My hands touched strands of his new purple and black hair.
“Like it? I wanted to do something for Paris.”
“Looks fab. So, you made a new friend?”
“Yes, and Abby needed one.” He shook Laurence’s hand as his assistants took Xander’s bags. “She is in for a time, let me tell you.” Xander sucked his teeth. “She’s newly divorced, dipped a toe online, and hit the jackpot.”
“Oh, do tell,” I mused, and he linked his arm with mine as we followed Laurence toward the exit.
“So, Abby and I were living it up first class with too much wine and bad TV on our beds when she filled me in on her travel plans. You see, she met this ‘tortured sculptor’ who promised to pour wine down her body and then fuck her like crazy.”
My brows knitted. “It sounds like a catfish. Shouldn’t she be worried he’s fake?”
“This isn’t twenty years ago. Abby did her homework, made him do live web, and showed me video, but….” he dropped his voice to above a whisper, “the man is fibbing a little. I saw a pair of Bottega Veneta shoes and an Armani suit jacket. He’s probably some newly rich crypto nerd.”
I snorted. “Tortured. Did he have the loft, too?”
“Yeah, gurl. He doesn’t need to be Rodin; just move around some clay and fuck her like a king, and she’d go home to Iowa scratching that Parisian sculptor itch.”
Of course, Xander told her to go for it, and it seemed like harmless fun. He also gave her a contact number, and I knew he’d check in on her. He was good like that.
“And she’s not the only one looking for some fun.” He waggled his brows and climbed into the back of the car.
“When aren’t you looking for some fun, Xander?” I didn’t mask my reproving tone.
He smirked. “Jealousy isn’t a cute look on you.”
“I thought Paola was a good look on you.”
He sighed. “Trust me, we’re better as friends. Now, catch me up, and please tell me we have plans tonight.”
“We have been invited out to dance.”
He rolled his neck. “Spa first? I’ve been flying and need to unwind.”
“Already ahead of you.” I had rescheduled my spa visit because I was busy with the design projects.
“You look like you have a lot on your mind. What’s going on?”
I filled Xander in on all my woes, as I always do, because he lives to be in someone else’s business, as he puts it. Though I left out the issues with the possible trial, I told him about Paul wanting me to be free and decide later about us.
