And just like that, I take a step back.
My dick isn’t as excited as he once was.
I’m disappointed in how stubborn she’s being, but maybe I don’t know her as well as I thought I did. Maybe this fantasy I’ve had in my head about the two of us was just that—one carefully curated by The Paradise Club.
“I think we’re done here. You can go,” I tell her.
Eloise’s eyes widen in shock at the sudden turn of events. Her mouth opens and closes a couple of times as if she has lost the ability to speak. I don’t want to stick around, so I step away from the bed and into the bathroom, slamming the door shut with such force that it feels like the entire villa rattles.
I grab at my chest as the scar she left me with all those months ago reopens. I head toward the shower—a cold one will shock me back to reality. I thought there was a chance that the girl I fell for was still there.I. Was. Wrong.I turn the shower on and slump onto the shower floor, exhausted, trying to forget about what just happened.
What did I do for her to hate me this much?I ask myself as I shake the water from my hair. I sit there for I don’t know how long before jumping up and finally turning off the shower. I grab a towel and dry myself before wrapping it around my waist. I head back out into the villa, knowing Eloise will be long gone and leaving it empty.
I step out of the bathroom and stop when I see her wrapped in a silky robe sitting cross-legged on my bed.
I’m stunned.Why is she still here?I don’t understand.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask, not meaning to sound so damn rude, but the shock of seeing her there has caught me off-guard.
Before she can answer my question, my phone rings, I ignore it, but then it rings again.Fuck off,I internally curse at the stupid thing.
“If you need to answer that, it’s okay, I can go … I shouldn’t have stayed,” she says as she moves to get off my bed.
“No, stay, give me a moment,” I tell her because I’m intrigued. I want to know why she’s still here.
The phone rings again, and this time, I see it’s my mum. Grabbing the phone, I answer it, “Mum, hi …”
“I’m not interrupting anything, am I? You sound tense,” she states.
Turning my head to the side, I look over at where Eloise is sitting on the bed, playing with a loose thread on her robe. “No, you’re fine. My massage was canceled,” I tell her.
Eloise looks up, and her cheeks turn pink at my comment.
“Are you having a nice holiday?” she asks.
Why is she calling me to see if I’m having anice holiday? “It’s been a rocky start so far, so I’m not sure if I am staying,” I explain while keeping my eyes on Eloise, who shifts uncomfortably under my intense gaze.
“Oh, that’s a shame,” my mother answers after a slight pause. “Right … anyway, I was calling because we are finalizing the guestlist for the wedding, and I need to know if you’re bringing someone?”
The wedding.
Of course, that’s the reason she is calling me.
“I’ll have a date for the wedding. Don’t you worry, Mum,” I answer my mother while watching Eloise trying not to react to that bit of information she’s overhearing.
“That’s good, sweetheart. If you’re happy, then I am too.”
“Was that all?” I ask.
“Yes, sweetie, it is. George will be so happy on the day … just remember that. He’s worried you’re going to make a scene,” she rattles off, not realizing how much she’s hurting me with her words, and I can’t help but show that pain on my face.
“Make a scene?” my voice raises.
Eloise notices my reaction and frowns as she moves toward me a little more.
“I know you won’t, sweetheart,” my mother says, but her tone doesn’t give me much conviction that she truly believes me incapable of not making one.
I feel Eloise’s fingers lace with mine as she overhears the conversation heading south quickly.