Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
A fountain lay at the foot, shooting out water that sparkled. Vivian must’ve taken a hundred pictures right there as she went into great detail capturing a perfect angle of the water arching out right as sunlight hit it and the sky shown clear in the background.
“I’m going to paint that one day,” she confessed.
“And I’ll buy it.” I had to drag her away. “Come on before we miss the Coliseum.”
“I really doubt it’s going anywhere.” She hooked her arm around mine. “Plus, I bet you fifty dollars Chase tries to keep you in Rome overnight.”
Excitement pulsed in my veins. “What would be the big deal?”
“He’s intentionally spoiling you so that you can forget.”
I ceased from walking. “Forget what?”
“That he is in fact an asshat.”
“Ah.” I started us back walking to Chase as he spout out orders in Italian and checked his phone for the hundredth time since we’d been in Rome. “No. It’s not that. I guarantee you that something is going on. Maybe it’s in Atrani, since he had us leave, but I bet a hundred dollars this trip was not so we could see Rome.”
“Interesting.”
“Hey, you’re stealing my catch phrase.”
“Get a new one.” She stuck her tongue at me. “And do you really want to be with a guy who sneaks around you and carts you off to places under the guise of something that isn’t true.”
“Benny said something similar to me.”
Vivian flinched like I’d slapped her. “Then forget what I said. Nothing good comes from me sounding like Dad.”
I checked the darkening sky. “There’s no way we’re hitting up the Coliseum. It’s getting dark.”
“Knowing Mr. Ego, he’ll have it kept open for you with the Beatles playing in the center.”
“John is dead. It can’t happen.”
“Who?”
“John Lennon.”
“He’s rubbing off on you.”
I nudged her. “Oh, be quiet.”
Chase waved us over. “We won’t be able to do the Coliseum, tesoro.”
“Tessa what?” Vivian’s eyes grew wide.
I batted my eyes. “It means treasure in Italian.”
“What means ‘he’s full of shit’ in Italian?”
I gave her a thumbs down. “You’re in such a mood today. What’s up?”
She grumbled, but said nothing else.
I bet she would’ve been fine if Troy had come.
Vivian and I approached the car.
“We should stay in Rome at least four days. You can’t see this whole city without that much time at least.” Chase held my hand as I stepped into the limo. Then he waited to assist Vivian who stuck up her middle finger and climbed in herself. They’d been tossing each other angry glares all day. Chase snuck them, when he figured I wasn’t looking. Vivian couldn’t care less if I knew. She still wasn’t convinced he’d changed enough to be worthy of my love. For that fact, I loved her even more. Vivian served as my brain when my hormones took over. Most of the time she was right about a guy being horrific for me.
I hope you’re wrong this time.
“I’m not sure if we should stay any more than a day or two.” I scooted in. “I want to head back to Oshane this week. I have an interview coming up next week.”
“Oh, really.” A muscle in Chase’s jaw line twitched as he got next to me. “With whom?”
“None of your business.”
“Why not?” he asked in mock innocence.
“Because you scare the people off behind her back and make sure they don’t hire her,” Vivian went over to the seat across from us. “Which makes you a bigger dickhead in my view.”
He grinned, but his words held venom. “I don’t want my woman to have to work, and if she does, I want it next to me.”
“That’s not ideal for me. I like some space and separation from my boyfriends.”
“Boyfriends?” He slammed the door closed.
I jumped a little. “I’m trying to say that when I have one, I enjoy some free time away from him.”
“There’s plenty of free time at Stone Industries,” he countered, right as the limo moved.
“I’m not interested. Plus, the organization that wants to interview me is nonprofit and helps inner-city youth. Clearly, I was made for this job.”
“What’s the name?” he asked.
“Why?” I placed my hand on my hip.
“I would like them to get a donation.”
“Will it be like with Gabe?” Vivian asked.
“No.” Chase’s voice held an edge.
“Then I’ll tell you about the organization when and if I’m hired for it.”
“Okay. Then I’ll make sure you’re back in time for your interview.” He leaned my way and whispered, “Just don’t forget who you belong to.”
I tensed. “If I remember correctly, I don’t belong to anyone but myself.”
He seized my thigh and licked his lips with no concept of privacy or the fact that a seething Vivian sat by. “Don’t make me remind you of whose pussy this is.”
Blushing, I opened my mouth to speak, couldn’t think of anything, and closed it. He adjusted his shirt collar with ease, which was surprising, being that his ego must’ve weighed half a ton. Surely, he had some trouble even moving his head and hands.