Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
It has to be the trailer trash thing. It has to be that he came to his senses and realized that powerful men like him don’t kiss girls like me.
The bitter truth is I’m just a glorified maid. And he’s a billionaire.
15
AMELIA
Somewhere in amongst my tears and bout of self-pity, I must have fallen asleep. I wake up in the morning with a banging headache and drag myself into the shower. I don’t have any major plans for today, but I’m not going to spend the day moping around thinking about Viktor. Now that I’m sober, it’s much easier to put it into perspective. It was one stupid, ok, fine, amazing kiss, but that was all it was. There was no betrayal, no heartbreak. I just need to move on.
I can put it all down to the music, the surroundings, the alcohol, and my childish infatuation with a man that is clearly out of my league.
There is nothing more to it.
I sit at the kitchen table sipping at a cup of coffee wondering what to do today. Maybe I should go to the mall and treat myself to some new boots. A belated birthday present to myself. I smile, content with the idea. I might grab a couple of new paperbacks too and spend the rest of the weekend curled up reading. Ooh and maybe I’ll even treat myself to a fancy box of chocolates to eat while I’m reading.
I’m sitting debating whether or not a whole box of chocolates is a good idea. I mean, is chocolate ever really a bad idea? I’ll go for a run tomorrow morning or something to make up for them I tell myself when the doorbell starts ringing. I’m not expecting anyone, and I wonder who it can be. Maybe Leanne has taken me up on my offer to drop in for a coffee if she’s ever in the area.
I open the door and freeze.
It’s Viktor.
And no matter what I’ve told myself, the sight of him affects me in a way that cannot be denied. He’s wearing black jeans and a navy-blue hoodie. He shouldn’t look good dressed like that, but he does.
“Can I come in?” he asks.
“It’s your house. I can hardly say no, can I?” I say rudely, stepping away from the door.
“If you don’t want me to come in I won’t. This is your home, Amelia, and I’m not going to force myself in if you don’t want me here,” he says, not making any move to come inside.
The truth is I don’t want him here. Just seeing him again is making me feel that loss I felt last night all over again, but I have to admit that I’m curious as to what he is doing here.
“You can come in,” I throw over my shoulder and start to walk along the short hallway back to the kitchen. I hear him close the door behind him. “Do you want some coffee? It’s freshly brewed.”
“No thank you. I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to talk to you quickly about something. About last night,” he says.
I change course and open the door to the living room. I drop into the armchair and nod towards the couch. Viktor sits down and leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees, and his hands clasped in front of him.
“Look, Viktor, we were drunk, and things got a little out of hand. You really didn’t have to come here to dump me all over again,” I say. “Trust me I get it. Guys like you don’t kiss girls from trailer parks.”
He scowls, which, damn it to hell, makes him look even more attractive.
“That’s what you think this is about? You think I stopped because of where your mom lives?” Viktor asks incredulously.
Put it like that does sound like I’m one of those self-righteous, hopelessly pompous inverted snobs. I blush slightly.
“Amelia, I grew up in a one room apartment that I shared with my mom and my two brothers. My mom did her best, but we were dirt poor. Why do you think I started selling weed?”
Now I’m really confused about what happened. If Viktor isn’t the shallow prick I had decided he is, why did he reject me? Some of the ice in my soul thaws and starts running away in rivulets.
“So why don’t you tell me what happened then since clearly I’m way off,” I challenge.
“First of all, I want you to know I’m sorry. I handled the situation appallingly.”
I shrug and keep my expression casual. “It’s fine.”
“You’re a beautiful woman, Amelia,” he says. “Please don’t think I’m not attracted to you, because I am. I’m more attracted to you than I’ve been to anyone for a long time. But I shouldn’t have kissed you. Not because I didn’t want to, but because it doesn’t matter how I feel about you. I can’t be with you… or any other woman at this moment in my life. I’m sorry for stringing you along. I swear, I never meant for last night to turn into what it did.”