Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
“Then you’re in for a disappointment. She is good friends with my mother, and what I know of her through Mother tells me that she is not going to agree to be your girlfriend.”
Leandro shrugged, not affected by Derek’s warning. He was not a good man, and he did not profess to know everything. But one thing he did know was women, and he knew enough that he could make them cry out in sexual release with a few flicks of his fingers. He knew where to bite, where to kiss, where not to touch to have them panting his name.
“She will say yes.”
An hour later, the ceremony had finally reached its end and the awardees were being called in front. Leandro straightened in his seat, impatiently waiting to see the one he had decided to make his girlfriend. He hoped she was nice enough to look at but even if she was not his type, it would not sway him from the path he had chosen to take.
“Ladies and gentlemen," Derek’s mother Samantha Christopoulos announced proudly, “I present to you our Young Philanthropist of the Year, Ms. Roberta Granger.”
A petite woman ascended the stage, dressed simply in a white blouse and slacks while the other awardees were dressed in sparkling dresses and high heels – everything that a philanthropist did not look like. More and more he was convinced that he had made the right choice.
She even wore glasses, Leandro thought with approval.
The girl reached Samantha’s side and took the trophy from the older woman, their conversation too low for the microphone to pick up. She turned to face the crowd.
Fuck.
He said it again, this time aloud, and Derek looked at him sharply.
“What is it?” Derek asked.
Leandro said grimly, “You asked me a while ago what her name is. Well, I know now.” He nodded towards the stage. “Roberta Granger.”
It took a moment for Derek to react, and then he grinned. “Good luck, Leandro. You will need it. Badly.”
Chapter Three
“THERE’S A YOUNG MAN I want you to meet,” Samantha Christopoulos confided to her excitedly.
So that was why the older woman was holding on to her arm so tightly, Bobby realized with a grimace. Even so, she tried to pull away. The hold tightened. Bobby sighed. “You know I adore you, Aunt Sam, but this has to stop. I’m not looking for a boyfriend.”
“You should.”
“Does my mom know you’re encouraging me to hook up?”
Samantha looked offended. “Of course!”
It was Bobby’s turn to be offended. “She does?”
“Oh, come on, don’t be mad at her. You know we’re both just worried about you.” Samantha squeezed the younger girl’s arm affectionately. “The problem with you is that you let the past affect you too much.”
Bobby shrugged.
“You didn’t use to be so lacking in self-confidence,” Samantha chided.
“I’m not lacking in self-confidence,” Bobby protested. “I do workshops all the time, public talks—-”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it. You used to have more confidence in yourself as a woman.”
“Aunt Sam, I am confident as a woman. I’m just not as blind as I was in the past about who I really am.” Now, she understood perfectly that she was not the kind most men considered attractive. She was too pale, too curvy, and too smart for her own good.
She unconsciously straightened at the thought, as if preparing herself for the disdain of other people. She didn’t care about what others thought, Bobby told herself. What she cared most about was her charity and making sure the children who depended on her would be taken care of for the rest of their lives.
Bobby tried to pull away again, hoping she could take the older woman by surprise, but Samantha was still clinging to her tightly. “Aunt Sam, really?”
Samantha suddenly looked frail, but her voice was strong when she told Bobby, “If you leave me, everyone’s going to think you cruelly abandoned an old woman like me to party.”
Bobby groaned. “You are so sneaky.”
“Just do this for me please, Bobby. Just be nice to him and don’t let your prejudices show. I promise you’ll have fun with him.”
“I don’t have time to have fun.”
“You do. You just don’t want to.” Samantha nodded and smiled at those who greeted her but didn’t bother to stop for any of them. She had been lucky to get Bobby to cooperate with her this far, and she knew it. If she let her guard down even for a second, Samantha was sure the girl would make a mad dash for the exit.
The afterparty of the award ceremony was doing very well, with twice the number of expected guests turning up. It was no doubt because everyone wanted to have a look at her nephew, Samantha thought fondly. The fact that there was another Christopoulos in their midst – and this one single – had everyone excited, from mothers looking for the perfect match for their daughters to younger girls and sophisticated women hoping for a chance to snag him before the whole country became aware of his presence.