Something in his tone felt too real to be an act. Like, just for a moment, he forgot I was just another client.
He moved slowly at first, his eyes locked on mine, studying every reaction.
I felt everything. The warm water around us seemed icy compared to the heat between us.
My fingers dug into his shoulders, my legs tightening around his waist.
I wanted more. I needed more. Needed to forget everything beyond this pool, beyond this moment.
And he knew it. His grip on my waist tightened. And then, he took me completely. Every thrust was firm, deep, deliberate.
The pleasure built in crashing waves, overwhelming, and my body met his rhythm, clinging, desperate for more.
The world disappeared.
There was only him.
The way he held me, the way he seemed to know exactly what to do to push me to the edge.
His rough groans mixing with mine.
The sound of water splashing around us.
The impact of our bodies meeting, harder, faster, more urgent with every thrust.
My breath caught in my throat as the tension inside me coiled tighter, past the point of no return.
I was close.
So close.
“Christian…”
“Come for me, Zoey,” he whispered in my ear, his voice thick with pleasure.
That request was my undoing.
The shock of release ripped through me like lightning, tearing me apart from the inside, shattering every shred of control.
I unraveled completely in his arms, every muscle in my body trembling, convulsing with the force of it.
And the very next moment, he followed me.
With one last, powerful thrust, his body tightened and he groaned my name through clenched teeth, burying his face in my neck as he gave in fully.
The silence that followed was broken only by the sound of our ragged breathing.
I felt his arms still holding me, steady, almost like he refused to let me go.
He kissed my shoulder slowly, his lips warm and soft against my skin.
And when he lifted his face, that damned smile was there again.
“Best deal I’ve ever made,” I muttered before I could stop myself.
But the moment the words left my lips, the emptiness crept back in. Deal. That was what this was. A financial arrangement. A transaction.
For a moment, I had forgotten none of this was real. That he was only following the script I’d paid him for. That tomorrow I’d be back in that cramped room at my parents’ house, back to selling wedding dresses to women like Elise, back to crying alone at night over all the promises Alex had broken.
But that night, for a few hours, I wasn’t the betrayed and abandoned woman. I wasn’t the professionally frustrated one. I wasn’t the pathetic girl who had to move back in with her parents at twenty-six.
I was a woman in control.
And Christian?
Christian was worth every penny.
The problem?
I was about to find out what that bill would really cost me.
The soft sheets caressed my skin, and my whole body ached deliciously. The good kind of ache. The kind that only comes after a night worth every second.
I let out a satisfied sigh before opening my eyes.
Then I rolled to the side, ready to curl back into the warm, muscular body that should have been there.
But what did I find?
Nothing.
The other side of the bed was empty. No sign of Christian. No steady breathing. No hand pulling me in for a morning round two.
Oh, wonderful. The gigolo ditched me.
I closed my eyes for a moment and drew in a deep breath.
Not even breakfast? Not even a sweet goodbye? Not even a note saying ‘Had a great time, let’s do it again’?
Cheap little seducer.
Well… not cheap. Very expensive.
I knew this would happen.
So why was that annoying sting of disappointment growing in my chest?
Maybe… maybe I could see him again. If I saved up a little, maybe I could afford another night…
No, no, no!
I shook my head, swatting the thought away like it was some irritating mosquito.
“You’re losing it, Zoey. He’s just a gigolo… He did with you what he does with all the others.”
Was I seriously considering spending what little money I had on a gigolo?
God help me.
But still…
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.