by Nikki Ash
“How wonderful,” she says, as another woman makes her appearance. She’s a few years younger than Patricia and dressed the same. “This is my daughter, Suzanne. She will be your sommelier today. Any questions you have, she’ll be able to answer.”
“Thank you,” Liam says.
After Suzanne gives us the history of the vineyard, we take off on a golf cart through the vineyards. She tells us how they grow the grapes, goes into detail about the different varietals and the blends they make, and walks us through the process. I’m so caught up in all of it, I almost forget to take pictures, until Liam reminds me.
“This is so cool,” I tell him. “Thank you.”
He leans over and kisses my lips. “You’re very welcome.”
After the tour is done, we head inside for the tasting, and it’s then I realize nobody else is here but us. “Liam, did you rent this entire place out?”
He simply nods like it’s no big deal. “I told you I would handle it,” he murmurs, threading his fingers through mine.
We enter the tasting room and Suzanne presents us with several different wines to taste. They’re all delicious, but for dinner we go with their estate reserve Syrah. Liam insists we purchase a case of their Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to take home since I loved them both.
I assume we’re heading to the dining room, so I’m confused when instead Suzanne takes us up a flight of steps and opens a door that leads to… a room?
“I thought we could have a private dinner,” Liam explains, pulling me into the room and closing the door behind us. He backs me up against the wall and presses his body to mine. He tastes sweet and fruity like the wine we’ve been drinking.
I go to unbutton his shirt, but he pulls away, shaking his head. “Dinner first,” he insists, guiding me over to a table and chairs situated on a large terrace overlooking the vineyard. There are two silver domes covering ceramic plates on the table, along with the bottle of wine we chose, and two glasses.
My heart swells inside my chest and for a brief moment I wonder how I’m going to go back to my normal life when Liam leaves. I’ve never been high-maintenance. I only started understanding and buying expensive clothes after working at the bordello and Cecilia insisted it was necessary. The bordello would cover the costs and over time I became accustomed to wearing nice clothes. But aside from that, I’m a simple woman. I enjoy writing and taking pictures. I work out every day to stay healthy and fit. On my days off, I hang out with some of the women who work at the bordello, lounging by the pool.
As I sit down, with Liam of course pulling my chair out for me, I come to the conclusion that it’s not about the money he’s spending, it’s about the time we’re spending together. Before him, I didn’t realize just how lonely I’ve been—closed off from the rest of the world. I’ve been so focused on healing from my past and creating a healthy future, I forgot to actually enjoy myself.
“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” Liam asks, pouring us each a glass of wine.
“I’m having a really good time. You know how to treat a woman.”
He chuckles softly. “Well, that’s good to know, because I’m honestly winging it.”
“Whatever.” I scoff.
“I’m serious.” He pulls the domes off the plates, revealing our dinner. “Because of my family’s line of work, I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to date. My family is kind of… umm… strict.” He rubs the back of his neck, his cheeks tinting a slight pink like he’s embarrassed. It’s a side of him I haven’t seen yet and it’s adorably sexy.
“Usually you hear that about girls, not guys.”
“One day I’ll have to take over the business, so I have to be careful with whom I date.”
“So, no escorts?” I half-joke, hating how different our lives are. I don’t know anything about his family business, but I can tell by the way he speaks, carries himself, dresses… the money he has… he comes from a nice, high-class family—the complete opposite of my upbringing.
His bright blue eyes sear into mine. “That’s not who you are.”
I break eye contact and take a bite of my food, not bothering to argue with him. We both know that even though I no longer spread my legs for money, I’m not the kind of woman you take home to your family.
We eat in silence, and I try not to dwell on my negative thoughts. I knew what this weekend was going into this. They came to La Stella’s to spend a weekend with escorts. Liam may not have hired me, and he’s not paying me, but the intention is still the same.
“Hey,” he says after his plate is clean. “My life…” He releases a harsh breath. “You could be Mother Theresa and probably still not fit in.” He laughs, but it’s devoid of all humor. “If my dad wasn’t sick… if I didn’t have these obligations to my family… I need you to know that this weekend would only be the beginning for us.”
I nod stiffly. “I’m not under any illusions about what this weekend is.”
He opens his mouth to say something else, but before he can, I plaster on a fake smile and stand. “I’m thinking, while we’re here and have this room at our disposal, we take advantage of it.” I waggle my brows playfully, determined to get the mood back up, before things get deep and awkward. This is my make-believe fairy tale and I’m not going to let it be ruined by reality.
Liam’s brows furrow, and I hold my breath, hoping he’ll let it go. When he pushes out a soft sigh and nods, I release a breath of relief.
“I’m thinking out here… on the balcony.” I step over to the wrought iron railing and place my hands on it, jutting my jean-clad ass out. “From behind.”
He smirks playfully. “I think I like your line of thinking.”
After slowly removing each other’s clothes, we spend the remainder of our time at the vineyard getting lost in each other.
“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Liam says softly into my ear. I open my eyes and realize I fell asleep on the plane ride back home.
“Sorry,” I croak out.
“Don’t be sorry,” he murmurs, tucking a stray hair behind my ear. “I enjoyed watching you sleep.”
When we get back to the hotel, he excuses himself to make a quick phone call and steps out onto the balcony. Still feeling groggy, I head into the bathroom to splash some water on my face. I only have a short time with Liam, so I don’t want to spend it half-asleep. I notice the huge spa tub in the corner and decide on a bubble bath for the two of us.
After turning the water on and filling the tub with bubbles, I strip out of my clothes, then light a couple candles. I lower the dimmer for the lights and then step into the bathtub. The hot water feels so good, I’m almost positive it’s going to put me to sleep instead of waking me up. I pull my hair up into a messy bun and lie back against the cushion headrest, enjoying the quiet moment.
“Is there room in there for one more?” Liam asks.
I open my eyes. “Definitely.”
Once he’s removed his clothes, he steps into the bathtub, and I move forward slightly, so he can sit behind me. He encircles his arms around me and then pulls me to his chest. I sigh in contentment, wishing I could freeze time and we could stay just as we are for a while.
Liam kisses my bare shoulder and massages circles over my flesh—my breasts, my arms, my sides—but he never takes it a step further. When I reach behind me to get things going, he catches my wrist and entwines our fingers. “I just want to sit like this,” he says, “with you.”
He kisses the sensitive spot behind my ear and I close my eyes, willing the tears that are filling not to fall. Why is it that the man who has me feeling all these emotions is the one man I can’t have?
Chapter Six
Natalie
I haven’t even opened my eyes, but I can already feel him gone. It’s crazy that only after two nights together I already know what his presence feels like, but I do. I peel my eyes open and glance around and, sure enough, his luggage is gone. His clothes, which were strewn all over, are missing.
I reach behind me and the sheets are cold. Wrapping the blanket around my naked body, I quickly search the place, but it’s void of all things Liam. It’s as if he never even existed. My heart feels as though it’s being squeezed in my chest. We were supposed to have one more day together.
Monday. He was supposed to leave Monday morning. Today is Sunday… Yet he’s gone.
I pad into the bathroom and, without bothering to shower, throw on the outfit I wore Friday night—he, of course, had it dry cleaned—grab my phone and the camera from the bedside table, and rush out of the suite, leaving the two cases of wine behind. As I run to the elevator, hot tears prick my lids. My chest is tight, and it’s hard to breathe. I knew better than this. Knew better than to open my heart up.
It was less than two days. I kept telling myself I knew the score, but my heart apparently wasn’t listening. When I get downstairs, I find my way through the lobby and step outside. The humid desert breeze hits my face and my tears stick to my cheeks as I wave down a cab.
The moment I get inside, my heart implodes in my chest and I choke out a sob. It shouldn’t hurt this much. Not after such a short time.
But it does.
“Where to?” the driver asks.
I give him the address and he takes off. The entire drive, neither of us speaks. I’m lost in thought about everything that has happened over the last couple of days. How happy and carefree I felt. My heart felt full and complete, and not just because of Liam, but because I was finally experiencing what this world has to offer. The thought of going back to La Stella’s and going back to my life has me feeling jittery, anxious. It’s not that this club hasn’t been good to me. It has. Giovanni, Aria, Nico, Amber… the women I’ve gotten to know. I will always be grateful to this place. It saved me from the streets, gave me a safe place to call home. But now, it’s time I begin the next chapter of my life. I have money in the bank and like Liam pointed out, I’m a young, single woman.
I use my phone app to pay the driver and once I’m inside, I waste no time finding Nico. He’s in his office with his wife. Even though the door is open, I knock.
“Hey! How was your weekend?” Amber asks.
“Okay,” I choke out, swallowing down my emotions. “I, um, I need to talk to you guys.”
My strained tone has Nico lifting his head. “Did something happen with that guy?”
“No. He was a perfect gentleman.” And I somehow managed to fall in love with him in under two days like a damn fool.
Nico’s shoulders relax. “Okay, good.”
“He left early…” I mention nonchalantly.
He nods. “The girls told me. They left a little while ago but still paid in full.” He shrugs. “I’m not going to complain.”
“What did you need to talk to us about?” Amber asks, eyeing me curiously.
“I know it’s really unprofessional to leave you hanging like this, but I’ve decided it’s time for me to leave.”
Her eyes go wide. “Leave, leave?”
“Yes, and I think it’s best if I go now before I chicken out.”
“Where are you going?” she asks, standing and walking over to me.
“I’m not sure, but I always wanted to travel, so I think I’m going to go to the airport, buy a ticket, and just go.” The idea of having no actual plan is both invigorating and scary as hell.
“If you need me to stay…” I begin, feeling like shit for leaving them on short notice without a madam.
“No,” Nico says, his eyes soft and affectionate. “You go. It’s been a long time coming. I’m surprised we got to keep you for this long.” He chuckles softly. “Go. Travel the world. We’ll handle things.”
“You sure?” I kind of expected them to ask me to stay and now that they’re not, I’m totally getting cold feet.
“Yes,” Amber says. “And please know you always have a home here. We can put the stuff you don’t take in the attic, so it’s here whenever you need it.”
“Thank you.” I hug her tightly, then glance back at Nico. “Thank you for everything.” Nico might not have been running the bordello when Giovanni first found me and brought me here, but he’s always been kind to me. Never treated me like an escort.
“I would ask if you need any money, but I know how much I pay you.”
“Nico!” Amber chides, slapping her husband on the arm.
I laugh, sniffling back my tears. “I’m good. I’m just going to quickly pack a bag and then I’m going to take off.”
After packing one luggage full of clothes, shoes, and my toiletries, since I’ll have to drag it everywhere I go, I say goodbye to everyone. I cry several times as each girl tells me how much she’ll miss me. And a couple times I almost consider not going. But I know deep down I need to do this. Being with Liam made me see there’s a whole world beyond the La Stella gates and it’s time I explore it.
On the way to the airport, I click through the photos I took this weekend. The plane, the vineyards, the estate. I stop when I get to a picture from last night. We had just gotten out of the tub. We were both naked and I made a joke about his shriveled-up dick. He attacked me from behind, throwing me down onto the bed and pinning me under him. He then proceeded to tickle the hell out of me, while demanding I take it back.
He grabbed the camera from the bedside table and started snapping pictures of me laughing as he continued to tickle me. I screamed and begged him to stop, but it wasn’t until I warned him I was going to pee the bed did he stop. He dropped onto the mattress next me and turned the camera around, snapping a photo of the two of us.
I didn’t think about it at the time, but he probably wasn’t thinking when he did it, lost in the moment, because if I wanted to, I could leak the photo, and whoever knows who he is will recognize him. I wouldn’t do that, though.
My finger glides across the small screen of the two of us. Our heads are close together. My cheeks are flushed, and I’m laughing, my eyes staring directly into the camera. Liam’s gaze is on me, though, and if I didn’t know better, I would think it was love shining in his eyes. And maybe it was… Maybe, even though he knew we didn’t have a future, he allowed himself to fall for me the same way I allowed myself to fall for him.
A fresh sob escapes past my lips, and I close my eyes. I’m twenty-three and experiencing my first broken heart. I laugh out loud at that and the driver glances back.
I click to the right to bring the images back to the first one, knowing that was the last photo we took before Liam set the camera down and then wrapped me in his arms, telling me how much he loved the sound of my laughter. He told me whatever we did tomorrow he wanted it to be fun, so he could listen to me laugh all day.
I don’t know why he made me believe he wasn’t leaving until Monday, or why he left without saying goodbye, but maybe it was for the best because feeling the way my heart feels now, I can’t imagine actually having to say goodbye to him. Maybe he knew how hard it would be and wanted to spare us both the hard goodbye.
I refuse to believe he left the way he did to hurt me. That he would do anything to hurt me. And when I look back at our time together, I’m going to remember the man who came into my life and showed me how a man is supposed to treat a woman. I’m going to remember the way he looked at me, not like I was an escort, but like I was a beautiful, special princess. He’ll no doubt be the man I compare all future men to, and one day, when I meet my Prince Charming, I’ll tell him all about the man, who in such a short time, changed my life for the better.
The car comes to a stop and I glance up, realizing we’re at the airport. After paying and taking my luggage from the driver, I walk up to the airline counter.
“How may I help you?” the woman behind the counter asks.
“I’d like to purchase an international flight,” I tell her, thankful that Amber convinced me to get my passport recently, in hope of convincing me to go visit Aria in Italy.
“Where to?”
“You pick. And make it good. It’s the first of
many places I plan to travel to.”
Chapter Seven
Natalie
Eight Weeks Later
“It doesn’t matter how many you take, the results are going to be the same,” Aria says with a small laugh. She’s leaning against the bathroom door, her arms crossed over her chest, and is smirking at me.
“This can’t be happening.” I groan, dropping the fourth pregnancy test into the box and tossing it into the trash.
A few weeks ago, while making my way through Croatia, I started feeling sick. I thought maybe it was the food or the water. I mean, I had visited several new countries in a short amount of time, so anything was possible. I could’ve picked up anything. But as the weeks went on, and I didn’t get any better—instead getting worse—Aria insisted I make a pit stop in Florence, Italy. I listed my symptoms and then she asked me one question: Have you had unprotected sex? She took one look at my guilty expression and had Giovanni run to the drug store to pick up a box of pregnancy tests.
“It is,” she tells me in her soothing mom voice, “but it will be okay.” She crouches in front of me and takes my hands in hers. “Is the father around?” she asks, her voice free of judgement.
“No. It was a fling,” I admit. “I wouldn’t even know how to get ahold of him.” I’ve thought about Liam a lot the last two months. He mentioned he’s from a small country in Central Europe, and I have to admit, after the airline agent handed me a ticket to Greece, I pulled up a map to see how close it was. Not that I would ever have a chance of finding him, or that our paths would somehow cross, but I liked the idea of knowing I was maybe close to him.
“You’re not alone,” she tells me. “You can stay here for however long you want…”
“No.” I’m already shaking my head. “I appreciate that. I really do. But I can’t stay here.” I swallow down the lump of emotion in my throat. “But maybe I could get a place nearby…”
