Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 116046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
She bit her lip, then nodded. “Okay, but I want to stay and watch with Leo.”
“No,” Leo and I both said at once.
Shrugging, she toyed with the belt of her robe. “Fine, then I’ll be forced to tell Joy what you did.”
Leo gritted his teeth. “You won’t tell her anything, Hannah.”
“You’re right,” she smiled at me and I recognized it as the smile my mother used right before she nailed someone to the wall. “Because if you let me stay, I will never tell her. I can’t make the same promise if you make me leave.”
“This is a dangerous game you’re playing.” I checked my watch. “I don’t have time to argue with you right now, so you can stay. But, be sure, we will discuss this in the future.”
Hannah paled, then lifted her trembling chin. “Okay.”
Rolling my eyes, I stood and waited for my knees to have the strength to hold me up. “Relax, I’m not going to beat you or anything. There may be some yelling involved. I’ll trust your Daddy to carry out any…corporal punishments on my behalf.”
Leo gave Hannah a smile that even I found off-putting, and I jerked my head. “Let’s go.”
Adrenaline fueled my movements as I quickly crossed the room and opened the door, my body shaking the slightest bit as I finally got to see my woman again.
There, in the center of the tan and gold room with its low lighting and soft music, lay my beautiful Joy. Dressed only in a pair of plain pink cotton panties, her were eyes closed as she lay on her stomach on the massage table. Her golden blonde curls were pulled up into a bun on top of her head, and the smooth skin of her back gleamed with oil. Even from here, I could see the dark circles beneath her closed eyes and the fact that she’d lost weight. I felt a pang of guilt that I was at least partially responsible for her depression.
But I was going to fix it, fix her. If I had my way, she’d never be unhappy again.
Leo helped me onto the long cream leather couch on the side of the room and arranged pillows on either side. I was still pitifully weak, too weak to stand up, let alone carry Joy from the table, but that didn’t mean I was happy that Leo got to see her partially naked body as he lifted her and carried her to my waiting arms. Rationally, I knew he could give a shit less about Joy being topless, that he was utterly and completely devoted to Hannah in every way, but that still didn’t stop the burn of jealousy.
Joy stirred as he lowered her into my arms, her head resting on the pillow as she snuggled into me with a happy sigh.
Leaning down, he whispered into my ear, “The camera is recording. I’d estimate you have about thirteen minutes until the serum wears off. Use it wisely.”
After partially covering her with a clean white sheet, he left us without saying another word.
As the door closed behind him I tried to calm my nerves, to remember everything I wanted to say to her, but at this moment all I could do was rejoice on a soul deep level that after everything I’d been through I finally had my reward.
My Joy.
“Sweetheart, can you hear me?” I asked in a soft voice as I used my free hand to stroke her body, trying to ignore the faint tremor shaking my fingers.
“Ramón,” Joy sighed and snuggled further into me. “I missed you.”
While I would love nothing better than to sit here and cuddle her, the minutes on my watch were ticking down faster than I expected. “I missed you too, my strong, beautiful girl.”
“I was so scared without you.”
“You’ll never be scared again, I promise. Now listen very carefully to everything I say…”
Chapter 16
I piled my hair up and turned my head in the mirror considering if I should bother to try and tame it, or just let it do its thing. Whatever special conditioner they’d put in it at the spa last week had worked miracles, making my normally frizzy curls behave and fall in perfect ringlets. My skin was still as smooth as a baby’s butt, thanks to the waxing and body scrub I’d had done. It was easy to forget just how rich Leo was until he treated us to the kind of spa day reserved for Hollywood stars and royalty.
“Are you okay?” Hannah asked me for the like the millionth time as we got ready to go to Obsession, a super-hot club that the Cordovas’ owned.
We were hanging out at the house she shared with Leo in the master closet, which was more like an apartment than any closet I’d ever been in.
It had three rooms—one entirely dedicated to shoes, and a seating area complete with couches, a table, and a TV. There was a faux fireplace, and the cream walls were tastefully lit by recessed lighting. Thick, soft copper carpets warmed the room and music came from speakers hidden in the ceiling and among the racks of clothes. And I do mean racks. Say what you will about Leo, but he spoiled the shit out of my best friend. Walking into her closet was like walking into an exclusive designer boutique. I was happy my friend had finally found a man worthy of her.