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)
“I have my reasons for keeping Matt home, and they aren’t part of the agreement I have with you.”
I drew in a breath as I nodded along. I didn’t know what to say to that. Just like I had imagined, Leandro was a silent killer when it came to words. He was an enforcer, the strict order that he and Matt’s relationship needed to survive. Not that Matt was chaotic by any means, but Leandro’s discipline had helped him achieve many great things in his life so far. He wasn’t about to let that go.
Staring back at him as he began to release my arm, a thought came to mind.
“You think if you change, you’ll lose what you have, don’t you?”
Leandro didn’t answer, instead his brow lowered as his grasp on my arm lightened.
I faced him straight on. “That’s not true. People can change all the time. I know you’ve worked hard to get to where you are, but that doesn’t mean your success is owed to this particular image you’re trying to keep. And it won’t help you any if it’s not who you truly are. Someday, it’ll feel hollow because it’s just an image. Everything that makes you whole, everything that isn’t a part of that image, will fade away.”
I swear, I didn’t mean to go on a rant, but if there was one thing I believed in, it was being true to yourself. My dad raised me that way. Even though I was trying to get to Yale by being a sugar baby to two complete strangers, I was still me. I wasn’t pretending and I wasn’t trying to change who I was just for a quick buck. I had a plan for my future, and I was determined to see it come true.
Leandro just sat there staring back at me without a single emotion on his face. The driver parked along the street and turned the car off. I started to feel like I’d crossed the line, and I was fully prepared to apologize, but the driver opened the door and out went Leandro before I could even open my mouth.
I scooted over the seat and got out too. The driver was probably going to open my door too, but I wasn’t about to let Leandro walk off into the lounge without me. Was he angry? Was he upset? I had no idea.
I hurried up alongside him as he walked toward the door of the lounge. The sidewalk was busy and alive, and the sounds of the city were starting to overtake my senses. At the door, Leandro paused to button his suit jacket. He then glanced back at me and took my hand in his. It was a good feeling to know that he was at least willing to keep me close, and with a smile, no less. Leandro never ceased to amaze.
Into the lounge, Leandro led me through the first floor as we approached an elevator. The whole place was busy and loud there in the lobby. There was a bar to the back with plenty of music and laughter, and all the décor was trimmed in gold and black. Luxury was an understatement. In truth, I felt like I’d slipped into the roaring twenties.
Leandro walked me into the elevator, then quickly pressed the third-floor button. The doors closed before anyone else could get inside.
Suddenly, he and I were alone. The music was light in the elevator, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the deafening sound of guilt.
“Leandro, I’m so sorry,” I pleaded with him. I shook my head and began to ramble at my ignorance and rude behavior. “It isn’t my place to say those things. You’re right. What’s happening between you and Matt is between the two of you. It has nothing to do with me. In a couple of months, I won’t even be in the picture.”
“Jourdanne,” Leandro said in a hushed voice as I was in between words to catch my breath. “You don’t need to apologize.” He shook his head with a tender grin. “Really, you don’t. You aren’t wrong in what you said.”
The elevator went up to the second floor, and Leandro pulled me closer to him. Looking down over me, he placed his hand on my face and caressed my cheek.
“You’ve opened my eyes. I’m a stubborn man, that’s for sure, and I haven’t always been willing to see when I’m wrong. But I am. And I am afraid to change because of what I have.”
“Change is never easy.”
“No, it isn’t.” Leandro took a deep breath as he released my face. The elevator doors opened to the third floor, and we were greeted by soft jazz and fairy lights everywhere. My eyes drifted to the view of the city. It was utterly breath-taking. People moving about in their lives, their voices carrying into the atmosphere, all of Geneva an amalgam of culture. “But it is necessary.”