Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
There are pathways all over the grounds, each one separated by a beautiful bed of flowers. There are also patches of manicured grass, benches, and water fountains.
This place is colossal. I don’t think I’ll ever get bored here.
Abbie is going to die when she sees this.
Abbie!
Darting out of my suite, I shove my keycard in my bra because my tight pants don’t have pockets. I quickly knock on her door, and when she opens, she grabs my hand and yanks me inside.
“Did you see the view?” she shrieks, dragging me over to the balcony.
Excitedly she starts pointing at the gardens. “I’m painting that first. Then that. And that. And oh my freaking God, can you imagine how beautiful it must be beneath that canopy of trees!”
Laughing, I hook my arm through hers and admire the view. “When I saw it, I just knew you were going to want to paint it.”
“This place is amazing,” she breathes, then she turns to look at me. “What does your suite look like?”
“The same layout but royal blue and silver décor. I wonder if my mother asked specifically for those colors?”
She tilts her head, an amused expression on her face. “Of course she did.” Winking at me, she adds, “Only the best for her little girl.”
I roll my eyes at her. “Hopefully, my parents will soon realize I’m not a little girl anymore.”
“I seriously doubt that.” Abbie gestures to the door. “Let’s explore!”
“Yes. I’m excited to see everything.” When we walk across the living room, I ask, “Do you have your keycard?”
“Shit.” Abbie darts toward the bedroom, and a minute later, comes back with the black and gold card. “Where did you put yours?”
“My bra,” I chuckle.
“Good idea.” Abbie shoves hers inside her formfitting top that shows more cleavage than I will ever have the guts to reveal.
We step out into the hallway, and I point at the moldings. “The detail is stunning.”
“I feel like royalty,” Abbie mentions.
A man comes walking toward us, dressed in the same black combat attire the guards wear.
Abbie’s one eyebrow darts up, and as we pass him, she mutters, “If all the guards look like that, my ovaries are going to explode.”
“Shhh…” Laughing, I grab her arm and force her to walk faster. When we’re out of earshot, I give her a wide-eyed look. “He heard you.”
“That was the idea,” she chuckles, then turning around, she shouts, “Room one o’ three!”
“Oh, my God, you’ll be the death of me.”
She nudges her shoulder against mine. “Just having some fun at your expense. Your facial expressions are priceless.”
“Booo.”
Happy that it will be Abbie and me for the next four years in this beautiful place, we take the stairs down and start to explore every hallway and room.
I check the time, and noting we still have four hours until we have to join Director Koslov and his wife for dinner, I relax.
“Hey, I think this is the training wing,” Abbie says. “Do you hear the gunshots?”
“Yeah, but seeing as we’ll be spending most of our days here, I’d rather avoid this wing. There’s still so much to see.”
Instead of listening, Abbie has other ideas as she grips my hand, and I’m tugged to the first door on our right. Without knocking, she opens it, and we peek inside.
“Just a gym,” she mutters. “No sweaty men fighting.”
I shake my head at my friend. “Do you ever not think of men?”
“Nope.” She lets the ‘P’ pop with a grin forming on her face. “You know this about me.”
“Yeah.” I give her a playful shove to walk to the next door.
I hear footsteps, and glancing over my shoulder, I see it’s the guard from earlier – the one Abbie flirted with.
“Shit. Hot guard alert. The one you were flirting with is right behind us,” I whisper.
Abbie’s head turns fast, and it’s in time to see the man walk into the gym.
Suddenly I’m yanked backward and find myself having to jog to keep up with Abbie as she hightails it toward the gym.
“I shouldn’t have told you,” I complain.
“Just ten minutes.” She clasps her hands together, giving me a pleading look. “For the sake of my starved vagina.”
“Jesus,” I laugh, shaking my head. I gesture to the doorway. “Let's do this.”
I’m dragged inside, and typical Abbie-style, she gives the man a bright smile.
Now that we’re closer, I can see the gray hairs at his temples. Honestly, he’s attractive, but I like my men younger and closer to my own age.
The fact that the man is clearly in his late thirties, or even forties, doesn’t deter Abbie but instead has her letting go of my arm.
She walks closer, a curious look in her usually mischievous eyes. “Are you a guard?” Before the man can answer, she waves a hand over herself while her teeth seductively tug at her bottom lip. “Because this body needs some guarding.”