Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 62497 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62497 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
They both laughed but thinking of him with another person instantly hurt.
But maybe that’s also what I need.
“I need a break from you,” I tell him.
His expression doesn’t change, it remains painstakingly beautiful. And I cannot deny that attraction is there, trying to steamroll over me and change my mind about what I must do.
I hear the beep of a horn and stand. “If you care about me at all, don’t come around and do not contact me. I mean it. I need to be free of you and all this.” I wave my hand around at nothing in particular. But it’s more of a gesture of everything around me—these men, this life, this world they live in.
“Will you go back there?” I ask him, wanting to know. He looks at me, confused. “To that club where I saw you. Will you go there again?” I push.
“No,” he replies.
I don’t know why, but I believe him. And somehow, that relieves something small in me.
I nod and slip on my heels. “Please tell your family thank you. I had a great afternoon, but I do really want to go to bed.”
“Do you want me to walk you out?” he asks, lifting his hand.
“No, I can do that myself.” I stop as I reach the door and find him watching me. “Will you tell them thank you? You do have an amazing family, Kenzo.”
At first, I don’t think he’ll say anything.
“It’s the one walking out the door that I care for the most,” he says quietly, and I suck in a breath at his words. Then I turn and walk out to the cab waiting for me. I cry the whole way home, and the driver probably thinks I’m crazy.
Let’s face it… I probably am.
The first week goes by smoothly. And by smoothly, I mean I only cry myself to sleep for the first few nights. After that, my eyes are so dry that I couldn’t cry anymore, even if I wanted to.
By the second week, I still think about him daily.
And by the third, I start getting anxious to see him.
My throat is almost completely healed, and only a few light bruises remain. They aren’t as sore to touch as they were the first week when I had to wear a turtleneck every day, even when it was hot. Emma asked me at one point if I was trying to create a new trend. I just laughed it off because there was no possible way to explain unless I showed her. And even though Kenzo was not the person who hurt me, it was because of him that I got hurt.
By the fourth week, Alaska and Kalilah invite me out for dinner and drinks. I can’t remember the last time I went out for a girls’ night. Actually it was probably when I was in high school, and even then, that was just me sitting there watching my friend get high.
I’ve been drunk occasionally, but I’ve never gotten wasted to the point where I slur my words. The last time I was very tipsy was with Kenzo in Las Vegas.
I sometimes think my life is too sheltered, but I’m taking small steps to change all that. I go to the office every single day, which is a huge step for me, and I hope it’s one in the right direction. My confidence grows daily, and I must admit that part of that is because of Kenzo. Someone that powerful and good-looking, who finds you irresistibly gorgeous, is like a power trip for a girl so used to hiding. I wish I could scream at all the shy girls who are too afraid to leave the house and tell them how beautiful they are. I never had anyone in my life tell me I’m beautiful. That stings a little when I think about it.
I can’t even recall if Kenzo has said it, but by the way he looks at me, I know, without a shadow of a doubt, it’s exactly what he thinks. Especially my eyes. They’re a part of me that I’ve hated for so long because I thought of them as deformed, yet he craves them.
I still wear the heels he bought me, and I’ve finally managed to break them in. They no longer give me so many blisters, but that pain was nothing compared to my neck. The dress he gave me, I threw out. It simply held way too many bad memories.
I was going to invite Emma out for drinks with us to have a safety net of someone I knew, but that probably wouldn’t be the correct thing to do as I’m trying to get to know these women. And what if they accidentally said who they are? Who the guys are? That could be hellishly awkward trying to explain that.