Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Jasmine blushes and looks away, and once again, I’m astounded by how beautiful she is. The dim lighting of the pantry isn’t particularly flattering, but the way it’s gleaming off her curly brown hair and casting shadows from her thick, long eyelashes down her cheeks has me captivated.
“I, umm,” she stammers, seemingly searching for the words. “Well, I was in a relationship.” Jealousy crashes through me instantly at the thought of her being with another man.
“Was?” I ask, one black brow arched. “What does that have to do with your presence here?”
Jasmine takes a deep breath, averting her eyes once again.
“Well, it didn’t end so well.”
“Why?” I insist.
She sighs, still not meeting my eye. “He was abusive, and, you see, I had to get away. He tried to stop me from leaving and it was a whole thing. Luckily my friend, Lily, invited me to come stay here for a while. She told me about the harem and everything, and I’m fine with it! Kudos to you, Mr. Daniels, for keeping a harem!” she says in a bright tone.
Okay, this is obviously false.
“You can tell me what’s really going on,” I growl. “Don’t lie, Jasmine.”
The brunette bites her lip, staring at her feet again.
“Okay, the truth is that I have nowhere else to go.”
“Okay,” I drawl. “That’s true of a lot of the women here. What else? What are you leaving out?” I ask in a cool tone.
She looks up then, brown eyes wide.
“Why do you think I’m leaving something out?” she stammers.
I shrug.
“I didn’t get this rich without some pretty shrewd people skills,” I grimace. “So I know when someone is lying to me. But usually, it’s sleazy businessmen trying to cheat me in a deal. Their reason I can understand. Now tell me: what’s yours?” Jasmine hesitates, and I can sense that whatever facade she’s trying to uphold is starting to crumble. “Who are you protecting?” I add, sensing this is the reason she’s fibbing. The curvy girl is a nice person. I know she is. Whatever reason she has for concocting this scheme, it’s not vindictive, it’s not for herself. To my relief, Jasmine sighs, putting the bag of candy back on the shelf.
“Okay, you got me. There’s no abusive boyfriend.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“You could have fooled me,” is my sarcastic reply.
Jasmine has the grace to flush.
“It’s my mother,” she says in a small voice. “I’m protecting her.”
“Your mother?” I ask, not understanding. “What does your mom have to do with this?”
Jasmine sighs again, her expression faraway for a moment.
“My mother is Lily. You know, the person I’ve been saying is my friend? That’s her. Lily’s been living here for a while now, and she’s the one who invited me here,” Jasmine continues. “It’s a long story. I used to live with my dad, but he was sent to jail and I need to finish high school. So I asked my mom if I could come stay with her, and Lily wouldn’t let me at first, but like I said: I have nowhere else to go. It was my only option.”
I nod. This sounds a little more believable.
“What’s your dad in jail for?”
Jasmine doesn’t hesitate.
“Kiting checks,” she replies in a low voice. “It’s embarrassing.”
I shrug.
“The truth is never embarrassing. You should know that. And you can always tell me the truth, Jasmine,” I say gently. “You don’t need to lie, okay?”
“Okay,” she whispers, still looking down while biting her lip. Damn it, what did such a gorgeous creature do to be put in these circumstances? Sometimes, it seems that life just isn’t fair, and I’m the asshole who came out on top. But I can’t think about that right now. Not yet, anyways, because I want the full truth first. And my sixth sense tells me there’s still something missing.
“You said you’re finishing high school,” I say slowly, my brow furrowing. “Does that mean you’re underage?” I pray that she says no, but to my horror, she’s nodding her head slowly with an apologetic look in her eye. “How old are you, exactly?” I ask, not wanting to know the answer. But I need to.
“Eighteen,” Jasmine whispers, blushing. “Does that count as underage? But don’t worry, I’ll be out of your house soon. I only planned on staying here until I finish high school.”
Holy shit. What Jasmine doesn’t realize is that eighteen isn’t underage at all. At least, not for what I want to do. But shit: high school. Is she kidding me with this?
“So you’re a senior?”
She nods, swallowing past the lump in her throat.
“Yes. And I graduate in May. I swear, I’ll only be here for a little while longer, Mr. Daniels. Please don’t throw me out because I have nowhere to go. I have no relatives, nor friends I can stay with. Please, please, Mr. Daniels. Please.”