Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Matt glanced over at me for a pause, but he didn’t smile or show emotion. He was acting a lot like Leandro then, and it started to feel like I didn’t belong.
“We’ve decided not to include intimacy in the contract. I only want a companion.”
Leandro let about two seconds pass before laughing at Matt’s words. “No intimacy? You don’t want intimacy, yet it looks like you did.”
“I’m sorry about that,” I said as quickly as I could think. “I was feeling sorry for myself today. Things went bad and I wanted to feel something other than disappointment.”
“It’s no one’s fault that we kissed,” Matt said to me. His kindness was welcomed then, but he still sat rigid in the presence of Leandro. “I wasn’t seduced.” He looked over to Leandro. “I was just as willing. Just as eager to escape the troubles of my day.”
Leandro was silent once again. He brought the glass to his lips and took a slow drink, and when he finished, his eyes landed on the contract.
“You’ll include the intimacy.” He paused and glanced over to me. “The sex, the companionship, whatever you wish to call it. If it’s already happening, then it must be included. I don’t trust you won’t cause him to stray.”
I had nothing to say to that, so I gave a solid nod. I looked over at Matt to see his mouth open and ready to defend, but Leandro spoke first.
“And I’ll be adding a clause.” Leandro’s eyes hit mine. “I need you to accompany me to Geneva.”
“Geneva?” Matt leaned forward. “Why Geneva?”
“I need a companion too. Is that not fair?” Leandro looked at Matt with a quick grin, then he faced me again. “What are your thoughts, Jourdanne?”
“Um…” I stammered. What was I supposed to say? I could see Matt in my peripheral vision. He was growing angrier by the second. His brow furrowed and his fingers tapped at his knees. I couldn’t possibly get between them and cause this much jealousy. It just wasn’t right.
“Imagine it. Switzerland is beautiful this time of year. You remember, don’t you, Matt?”
“You’ve never taken me to Switzerland.”
“Oh. I forget sometimes.” Leandro’s smile was widening by the second. He was having too much fun toying with his lover’s feelings. “I travel a lot for my work. Did Matt tell you what I do?”
“A little.”
“I help charities, and I also run my own. We partner throughout the year with different events to help the less fortunate. I’ve just been told of a new one. It’s called “Medicine on the Trails” out in the Appalachia Mountains. It’s beautiful there too. The woman who runs it is incredible.” Leandro glanced at Matt and said, “Perhaps we’ll go someday.”
I had to speak up.
“I really am sorry for crossing the line today, but I don’t think I can do this.”
Matt immediately turned toward me to talk me out of it. He said my name softly, but I kept talking.
“I don’t want to get in the middle of your relationship. I was just looking for a way to save some extra money this summer.”
“Money is of no issue,” Leandro assured me. He leaned back in the loveseat and crossed his legs before drinking another sip of whiskey.
“I, um…” I looked over to Matt. His brow had softened, and his eyes were pleading with me not to give up on the contract. Yes, the inn was in shambles and the café was closed for at least a month, but there were other jobs out there. I could do something somewhere else. Even if it meant Yale would have to wait.
“What was the proposition for? Ten thousand a month?”
Did Leandro really need to remind me of what I’d be walking away from? Men like him threw around money like it was nothing. It was hurtful and I felt so low for just sitting there in his presence.
“I’ll pay twenty if you agree.”
“Twenty?” Matt and I both asked at the same time.
“Twenty thousand a month?” I repeated.
Leandro nodded with that slick smile of his.
How was I going to walk away from that? It was enough to afford Yale, and I could give some to my dad for repairs. I couldn’t possibly decline. Matt was worth it, even if we couldn’t have a real relationship. And a trip to Europe with Leandro wouldn’t be so bad. Right? It’d probably be amazing. Fancy dinners, first-class plane ride. Why was I even debating?
I nodded along.
“Perfect!” Leandro sat forward and put his glass on the coffee table. “I’ll call the solicitor now.”
MATT
Jourdanne was gone. Leandro had arranged for payments to be made directly to her account in timely increments. The first one would come in a couple of nights after she signed the new contract over dinner.
The house was quiet.
Everything felt cold and distant the moment she left, and yet, there I stood with the one person I had loved for years. Being around Jourdanne made me realize just how far apart Leandro and I had grown, and it was heart-breaking.