“Oh.” Happiness flooded me. “Do you send flowers to all the women you hook up with?”
“Not all.”
“Hmm. Only the ones you want to see again?”
“Pretty much.”
“Well, thank you for your honesty.” I laughed lightly. “For a minute there, I thought you were going to tell me you’d never sent anyone flowers before.”
“I don’t need to use lies to impress you. I’d rather do that with actions.”
“I like that.” I smiled. “So, tonight? At nine? Ten? I want to do something fun.”
“In that case, I’ll pick you up at ten. Wear something comfortable. Nothing too fancy.”
“See you then.” I hung up the phone and let out an excited shriek.
“I take that as a good sign,” Amir said, walking into the dining area. He approached the flowers. “Carnations. Interesting. Most men send roses.”
“Carnations signify longing.” I jutted my chin proudly. “Sylvia just told me that.”
“Longing is a good sign.” Amir smiled. “So, tonight at ten?”
“Do you just sit around eavesdropping on all of my conversations?”
“Not all of them. Only the ones you have in public areas of the house.”
I stared at him for a long time before walking away and into my room to pick out an outfit for tonight. I would compare Amir to my father, but if I were being completely honest, Amir was more of a father to me than my own. I had been sad when Father died because when everything was said and done, he was still my dad, but honestly, I was sadder at the thought of losing someone like Amir. After a few minutes, there was a knock on my door.
“Come in,” I called out, knowing it was Amir again.
“Joss is coming in tomorrow for a few days. She said she tried calling but couldn’t reach you. I told her your reception wasn’t good in most of the house.”
“Thank you.” I glanced at him with a smile before going back to the clothes in front of me. “Do you think casual, not fancy, means like a maxi dress?”
“What is a maxi dress?”
“This.” I pulled one out and pressed it to my front.
“That’s nice.” He nodded. “You should wear a coverup over it though.”
“A coverup?” I laughed. “It’s hot. The whole point of this is to feel sexy.”
“Well, in that case, don’t wear a coverup.” He kept staring at the dress like he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure if he should. Finally, I sighed.
“What?”
“You should take it slow with Benjamin.”
“You said he was a good guy.”
“Even good guys hurt good people unwillingly.”
“You think he’s going to hurt me?” I lowered the dress with a frown.
“Not willingly, but you’re very innocent for your age, Pilar. You’ve been sheltered a lot.”
“I’ve done things.” My frown deepened. I had.
“You’ve had one long-term boyfriend who you were with for nearly six years. That doesn’t give you room to do a lot of things.”
“Yeah, well, Toby and I—”
“Grew up together.” Amir smiled. “And that’s a wonderful thing. He loves you very much.”
“I’m not getting back together with Toby.”
“It’s not my place to suggest you should.”
“Good. So we’re clear on that.”
“We are. See you in a while. I have to go run some errands before tonight.”
“He said he’s picking me up,” I called out.
“Sure, which means we have to do what we did last time and trail you around. Nothing says ‘we’re going on a regular date’ like a caravan full of security surrounding an overzealous sports car.”
I laughed at his tone as he walked away and closed the door, but as time went on, I thought about what he’d said, and it dawned on me that being with the same guy for six years essentially meant that I was innocent in matters of love. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
Chapter Twelve
Pilar
I’d been thinking about whether or not to bring up the photograph to Ben. I decided against it. Firstly, I didn’t want to call attention to it if he hadn’t seen it. And secondly, I decided that I didn’t care. Maybe a local had taken the picture to sell for money they needed to feed their family. It wasn’t like I was naked. I was over it.
The doorbell rang, and even though I had been pacing the area in front of it for the last ten minutes, I stopped and just stared at it for a second. I couldn’t have him thinking I was waiting around for him. After counting to ten, I took a deep breath and walked over, unlocking and opening the door. Ben stood on the other side, wearing ripped jeans and a black T-shirt that clung to him. His dark, curly hair looked as if he’d just run his hands through it just before leaving the house, and it only added to his sex appeal.
“You look beautiful.” He smiled, eyes twinkling. “I told you to dress casual because I figured we could have a quiet dinner in my villa, but you’re making me want to take you out.”
“You can take me anywhere.” It took all of half a second for me to laugh at my overeagerness. Ben merely grinned. I licked my lips and tried again, “I mean, I don’t care where we go.”
“Let’s go to a club and see where the night takes us.” He winked. Butterflies took flight inside me.
“Okay.” I glanced behind me and found Amir standing a few feet away, looking at his phone. He glanced up when he felt my attention.
“Ready?”
“Ready,” Ben confirmed.
I followed him outside and stopped as he opened the passenger door, waiting for me to settle into the low seat before closing me in and walking to the other side of the vehicle. I watched as Amir climbed into the driver’s seat of the SUV parked in front of Ben’s car. Ben got into the driver’s seat and typed something quickly on his phone.
“Amir wants me to give him our full itinerary. I guess flying by the seat of our pants won’t work with you.” He shot me a sideways glance and a sexy smile.
I wanted to tell him to forget Amir but knew that was an impossible task. The island was too small, and he’d find us in two seconds. Besides, even though I was here to escape the scrutiny and live my life for once, I couldn’t seem to shake the responsibility resting on my shoulders that came with my title and my brother being the king. Instead, I stayed quiet. I was good at that. He was quiet too, and I wondered if it had anything to do with the woman who’d confronted me earlier today. I opened my mouth to tell him about her but quickly shut it again. He should open up to me about her. Or not. It was like Amir had suggested, Ben didn’t seem to do serious relationships. If I wanted him in any capacity, I needed to keep that in mind.
He pulled up in front of the club where I’d seen him my first night here. I could hear the music blasting from inside, and we were still in the car with the windows up.
“This place?” I looked over at him.
“You didn’t like it?”
“I did.” I bit my lip. “But I also made a lot of bad decisions that night.”
“Well, I won’t let you make too many tonight. But if you do, I’m here to make sure nobody takes advantage of you.” He winked. I bit my lip harder, feeling myself blush. Ben chuckled. “What?”
“What if I want to be taken advantage of?”
“Then I would say it depends. If you mean by some random guy in there”—he raised an eyebrow, pointing toward the nightclub—”I’d say you’re out of luck because I’m not going to let that happen. If you’re insinuating what I think you are, I’m here for it.”
“Good.” I was still blushing, but I smiled. “Shall we, then?”
Before he got a chance to come around to open my door, Amir was there, opening it and helping me out of the car.
“Are you sure you want to be at this place?”
“Why not? I’m here to have fun.”
“There are two famous DJs in here tonight. It’ll be cro
wded. I called the manager from the car and was able to secure a hidden area in the VIP section.” Amir’s expression was serious. “As long as you know what you’re getting yourself into.”
“I’ll be fine.” I smiled and looked at Ben, who was coming around the car.
I wasn’t sure what I expected him to do, but reaching for my hand was not one of the options. So, when he did, a thrill ran through me. We followed Amir as three other security detail members surrounded us. Even though the paparazzi weren’t allowed here, it didn’t surprise me that people with phones pointed them at us, snapping photos and taking videos as we passed. I looked at Ben to see how he was reacting to it. If his head was down, I’d keep mine down as well, but he held his high, his smile prideful, his hand tightening around mine. I smiled widely, unable to contain my excitement, and looked forward with my head held high as well. I was happy to be here with him, and I had absolutely nothing to hide. We were escorted upstairs to a dark, secluded area, right above the DJ. Ben kept my hand in his as he spoke to the waitress, and I looked around. He tugged my hand and led me to the couch, where we still had a view of the stage the DJ was on.
“What do you want to drink?” He brought his mouth near my ear.
“Anything,” I shouted. “Vodka?”
“I got vodka and tequila.” He smiled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drinking. I mean, last time excluded.”
“I don’t normally.” I laughed. “You know my family.”
“I do, and they party pretty hard.” He looked amused.
“I was never allowed to do that. This is my vacation from them, and the first time I’m experiencing all of this.” I frowned, meeting his eyes. “I’ve been to clubs, it’s not that I haven’t, but I don’t actually… I don’t know. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“You don’t let yourself go.”
“I guess,” I said after a moment of mulling it over. “But last time I went overboard. I was also on some medication I’d forgotten about.”
“Medication for what?”
“I had a sinus infection, and they gave me meds for it. It was my last day on them, but they must have been pretty hardcore because I blacked out.”
“I won’t let you do that today.”
I smiled and watched as the waitress set our bottles on the table and then put out glasses for us.
“That’s a lot of alcohol,” I said.
“I have friends passing by. I hope that’s okay.”
“Yeah, of course.” I smiled. “Do you introduce everyone to your friends?”
“Not everyone.” He smiled as he reached for the bottle of vodka and poured it into our glasses. “Juice or soda?”
“Juice, please.”
“I only introduce important people to my friends and family.”
“Important people,” I echoed. “And I’m on that list?”
“It appears so.”
“So…” I sighed. “I feel like I should tell you something.”
“Sounds serious.” He sat back on the couch after handing me my glass and taking a sip from his own. “What’s up?”
“A woman approached me this morning on my way to lunch. She said a lot of things I can’t even remember right now, but at the end of it, she suggested that you always travel with her. That she’s the one you always go back to.”
“Kayla.” He exhaled heavily, shaking his head. “What did she say?”
“I honestly don’t remember. My mind was racing, and I couldn’t focus on all of it. Something about you having a woman you put in front of everyone, but I don’t know if she meant her or someone else.” I bit my lip and took a hefty gulp of the vodka and orange juice, trying not to cringe when I swallowed. First drinks were always the hardest. “And then I realized I don’t know much about you at all.”
“We’ve known each other for years.”
“And yet, I don’t know much about you.”
“Hmm.” He focused on the DJ as he sipped his drink. I focused on his guarded expression.
“Not very forthcoming,” I said after a moment.
“What would you like to know?” He glanced at me. “Just ask.”
“I guess I don’t have a specific question.” I took another sip of my drink. “Do you really travel with Kayla everywhere?”
“No, and if she approaches you again, you should probably have Amir or whoever you’re with intervene.”
“She seemed pretty harmless.”
“I’m not saying she’d harm you physically, but there’s no use subjecting yourself to things like that. From anyone.”
“Things like what? She seemed like a hurt girlfriend or something.” I bit my lip, hoping I was wrong about that.
The only examples of good men I had were the ones in my life, and none of them were saints. My father had more affairs than I probably knew about. My brother Aramis admittedly grew bored with women quickly and was always chasing after a new one. Thankfully, my eldest brother, Elias, had met someone he couldn’t live without, and I knew without a doubt that he’d remain faithful to her. Still, men like Benjamin Drake were the untamable type. The ones you definitely fooled around with but never settled down with—not for lack of trying. Even though I was okay with those things, I was definitely not all right with being the other woman.
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Ben said after a long, quiet moment. “Never was, never will be. But I have traveled with her in the past.”
“Not this time though?”
“She attended my gala the other night, even though I asked you to join me. I’m sure she stayed longer to soak up the party scene before heading home.”
“Where’s home?”
“Paris.”
“Hmm.” I licked my lips. “She didn’t seem Parisian.”
“She’s Israeli.”
“Like you.”
“Like me.” He smiled.
“I have a personal question.”
“Sure.” He drained what was left in his glass and looked at mine. “Want a refill while you interrogate me?”
“Sure.” I handed him my empty glass and wondered if this felt like an interrogation. That term always held a negative connotation. “Are you sleeping with her?”
“I’m not. I haven’t in a long time. That ship has sailed. I did invite her to the gala, but as a friend.”
“She has a picture of you together as the lock screen on her phone. I’m pretty sure she disagrees.”
“Well, that’s Kayla for you.” He chuckled, shaking his head as he handed me my drink and took his own. “We met when we were young. She kind of clung to me, and I let her because I liked feeling needed. But what we had was closer to a long-term one-night stand than an actual relationship.”
“Isn’t that what relationships technically are? Long one-night stands?”
“Not if you don’t partake in pillow talk.”
“And you don’t.”
“Not really.” He looked at the DJ, who was announcing another DJ soon to take his place on stage.
“You asked me a lot of questions,” I said.
“I don’t consider you a one-night stand.”
“What about Sophia,” I asked, mentioning the actress he used to date. “You were with her for a while.”
“Sophia and I were barely ever in the same city. That was another long one-night stand without much pillow talk. She’s a great woman, but not right for me.”
“So, who is?” I leaned in a little closer so I didn’t have to shout.
He looked over at me and smiled. We were sitting very close now, our knees brushing, our noses nearly touching. He studied my eyes for a long time, so long I was sure he’d forgotten I’d asked him a question. I held my breath. Waited. Bit my lip. His gaze dropped to my mouth, my body heating as he met my eyes again. He set his drink down on the table in front of us without breaking eye contact and brought one hand to my face, then the other, coming closer. I thought my heart might seize in my chest as he inched closer still, his eyes sea
rching mine, his breath tickling my nose.
“I think you’re right for me,” he said, his voice low just before he pressed his lips to mine.
Our tongues met, and the kiss deepened. The taste of his alcohol mixed with mine made me feel as if I could die right there from happiness.
Chapter Thirteen
Ben
I couldn’t seem to get enough of her. I’d anticipated that being the case, but I couldn’t have predicted the way being with her would make me feel. It was one thing to admire her from mostly afar all of the time and feel flattered that she showed interest in me. Having her all to myself was something else altogether. It reminded me of what I felt every time I stepped a foot on the pitch, ready to chase the ball. It was thrilling and unknown, and I wanted to explore as much of it as she’d let me. Not even her questions annoyed me, which was normally the case with every woman I dated. They always wanted to know too much and would question my relationship with Kayla once they found out about her, which was common. Kayla liked to introduce herself to every woman I was seen with. Like I’d assured Pilar, she was harmless. David thought I was an idiot for letting her come around and for inviting her to the gala this weekend. She’d been the one to give me the idea for the foundation though. I couldn’t use the suggestion and then not invite her to the celebration for it. As if listening to my thoughts, David appeared in my line of sight. I pulled away from Pilar and smiled at the desire painted on her face.
“My friends are here,” I said.
“Oh.” She straightened and fixed her hair.
David’s eyebrows rose. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I stood to greet him. We clasped hands and bumped shoulders.
“This looks like the exact opposite of what I told you to do,” he said as he patted my back and pulled away to greet Pilar.
“We’ve met,” she said, smiling as she stood. “David, right?”
“That’s right. We met at one of your mother’s Sunday dinners.” He smiled at her, then looked at me. Warren and Camila are parking.”
“Nice.” I looked over at Pilar, whose eyes had widened. I chuckled, remembering that she was actually an avid football fan. “Yes, Warren Silva.”
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