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Prologue
I finished laying the last of my clothes in my suitcase and zipped it shut. Everything was clean, pressed, and ready to bring with me on my ten-day stay at a resort outside the city. It would be a welcome change from the hustle and bustle that normally surrounded me.
My father was sitting in his study just off the front hallway. He was a slender, middle-aged man who always dressed properly in a suit when he went out and only dressed down to his shirtsleeves while at home. Now he was bent over his desk, tapping quietly away on his laptop, his face creased in concentration.
“Hey, dad,” I said quietly, knocking on the door.
He looked up and focused on me. “You’re leaving already, darling?”
I went to him and hugged him around the shoulders. “I’ll only be gone for ten days. It’ll be good for you and mom to have me out of the house.”
“But we miss you,” he said, smiling.
I was my parents only child and it showed. They spent most of their time doting on me to an almost suffocating degree, and although it was heartwarming, at twenty-one years old, I was beginning to feel like I needed a break. I was ready to get out and spread my wings a little and this vacation was the perfect place to start.
“Don’t get too wild, darling,” my father said. “And don’t talk to any men. You know how I feel about it when you go off overnight.”
“I know,” I sighed. “And I’ll be good, dad.”
“You always are.” He stood and wrapped me in a hug, rubbing up and down my back. “Have you said goodbye to your mom yet?”
“She’s at the country club,” I said. “I talked to her before she left this morning. She said she’ll be back around dinner time. I guess there was some juicy gossip, so she needed to have lunch with her friends to discuss it.”
“Ah, gossip about the Romanos most likely,” my father said, sitting back down. “It keeps her occupied now that her little girl is all grown up and heading out to God knows where.”
“Dad,” I chided. “I’m going to a resort. It’s safe and it’s very exclusive, so it’s not like they’re just letting anyone walk in.”
“I know, I know,” he said. “Alright, darling, your taxi is probably waiting. I love you and be careful.”
I kissed his cheek and picked up my suitcase and headed out the front door. The sun was shining and the street outside the penthouse bustled with activity. There was a luxury car waiting at the bottom of the steps and I climbed into the back seat while the driver got my luggage settled in the trunk.
As I watched the city fly by and thin out, trees and hills replacing the buildings, a thrill settled over me deep in my bones. I’d been dying to get out all winter and it was finally time to be free of the restrictive walls of the penthouse. I needed a chance to meet new people and travel to new places.
The meeting new people part enticed me the most. I’d had a casual boyfriend a few years ago and another one in high school, but the restrictiveness of my world didn’t allow for any exploration beyond a few fumbles in the back of a dark car and a blow job here and there. At twenty-one, I was ready to do more and I hoped this getaway was an opportunity for just that.
Chapter One
I leaned over the table, balancing on my toes with my hand on the railing, and snapped a picture of the table. My salad was perfectly plated in the center of the table next to a wineglass of sparkling water. Satisfied with the shot, I sat back down and soaked in the view surrounding my balcony.
The river wound past the resort, a sparkling trail of blue, and down below the sun glinting over the Portuguese tiles leading to the water. It made for the perfect backdrop for the endless photos I was required to post in order to stay in the Aqua River Resort and Spa for free.
I came here for a chance to get away from my parents and their sometimes suffocating house in the city. As much as I love them and they love me, they can be a little restricting. My only outlet was my Instragram account where I’d built up a following posting provocative pictures of myself. If my parents knew what I was doing they would be horrified, but luckily neither of them knew anything about social media. They were both under the impression I did some kind of freelance work.
I had spent the last three days soaking in the beautiful view surrounding the resort. I picked up the sparkling raspberry water and sipped, letting the taste settle on my tongue. It tasted of summertime and freedom, away from the hot city streets and the oppressive jungle of buildings.
The dinner chimes sounded in the distance and I knew the resort staff would be setting out plates of amazing food in the dining room downstairs. My stomach rumbled and I got to my feet and headed into my room to change. I left the balcony door open as I stripped off; no one was likely to walk by and chance to look up in the few minutes it took me to change.
I selected white lace panties and a bra with a mesh panel between my breasts. Then I took out my phone and positioned it against the mirror and set a timer. It clicked and I had the perfect shot of my stomach with a hint of the underwire of my bra and the delicate line of my panties over my hip. I slid a filter over it and posted it to my Instagram.
Then I selected a fluttery cream sundress and gathered my sandals and padded barefoot out into the hall. The resort used to be an old Egyptian-themed hotel before it was restored to its current glory. The ceilings were high and the floor was made of cool stone panels, the corners decorated in waving palm branches and bubbling fountains.
I turned the corner and entered the communal dining room. The waiters had laid out a feast, bowls of fruits and vegetables, and a sparkling array of drinks. I grabbed a plate, piled it with food, and took it back into the hall, intending on curling up on my bed to enjoy my food. However, just as I turned the corner, I had to scramble to stop myself from colliding into a man moving swiftly down the hall.
I pulled my plate back, a few grapes falling and bouncing across the stones. He halted with his palms up, backing up to move out of my way. I opened my mouth to apologize and stopped short, staring up at him as the silence grew awkward.
He was probably the most gorgeous man I’d ever laid eyes on. Tall and dark haired with a pair of intense black eyes that seemed to scorch through me to my core. His aquiline nose was beautiful and curved down to a strong jaw and a thin, firm mouth. It was his bottomless eyes that made my legs go weak and rendered me speechless. I stood with my feet glued to the floor as they ran over me slowly and I felt naked. The sensation wasn’t unpleasant.
“Sorry,” I whisper.
