Lourdes though.”
“Thank God,” Jacob snickered. “One is enough.”
He paused. “Is that what’s bothering you?”
I shrugged. I wanted to pour my heart out and
tell him about all the messages and the flirtation before I came to
New York, my expectations of what I would enjoy here when I
arrived. It sounded stupid in my head. Finally I just confessed, “I
didn’t know about Lourdes until I got here. It just came as a bit
of a shock.”
“Ah,” he said as he leaned back against the
counter. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, hon, nothing is
what it seems in this world. We’re here to create an illusion, an
image.”
“So don’t believe what I hear?” I asked,
parroting Vanni’s own advice to me.
“Or see,” he said. “It’s all carefully
choreographed for maximum effect. Anytime a product is marketed for
sale, you only see what the seller wants you to see.”
“So what is Vanni selling?” I asked out
loud.
“Sex,” Jacob replied. “Here you have this hot
guy trying to sell himself as a rock god, a man who can seduce you
with a song. He dates a blindingly beautiful supermodel so that he
can boost his image, but sells his affection to his adoring fans.
Girls eat that stuff up. All women want to take what the pretty
girls have.”
That hurt. I didn’t think I was that way.
“Sounds manipulative. On all parts.”
“It is,” he said matter-of-factly as he grabbed
an apple from the basket. “That’s just the way it is. Same old
game. New players. And rest assured there will be another Lourdes,
and another, and another – but he’ll be a huge success before he
settles down. If he ever does.”
“So what you’re saying is it would be foolish
to fall in love with someone like Vanni.”
“Fools rush in,” he quoted. Then, with an evil
grin, “But that doesn’t mean you can’t love him for a night. I know
I would.”
I laughed, but this lascivious
encouragement didn’t help me much. That had been what I initially
told myself I wanted when I flew out here. But now, knowing that
was all it could be, took some of the wind out of my
sails.
I stifled another yawn. It was going
to be a long night, especially with the gig and Iris’s after party
to celebrate Vanni’s birthday. I wanted to go back to the hotel for
a nap but now that Lourdes was gone, I enjoyed the attention I was
getting from Vanni. Maybe it was all a charade, but it made me feel
sexy and important.
Maybe I could enjoy it cautiously, as long as I
remembered the rules of the game.
It was dangerous thinking, I knew. But the
minute Vanni entered the room I knew the last thing I wanted was to
leave. Jacob gave me a wink before he left us alone.
Vanni wore that damnable smirk as he strolled
over to where I stood by the coffee dispenser. He poured himself a
cup of tea silently, but his eyes spoke volumes as he inspected me
head to toe.
I felt positively frumpy after the
glamor of the night before.
“Long night?” he asked, as if he didn’t
know.
“Of course,” I replied. “You know me. I’m a
regular party animal.”
He laughed and leaned against the counter so
that we were eye level. “Maybe I’ll find out tonight. Plan on
sticking around for my birthday party?”
“I don’t know,” I offered. Then,
more wickedly, “Depends on what’s in it for me.”
He responded to my challenge by standing
upright and towering over me. Slowly he pulled me toward him with a
strong arm, and I felt my soft curves melt against his body. I
watched his mouth as it descended toward my own, and then – when he
was a breath away – I whispered, “Is Lourdes going to be
there?”
He grinned as he looked from my mouth to my
eyes, then back again. “She’s got an early call,” he
murmured.
“Aw, too bad,” I murmured in return, my eyes on
that sexy pout. “Who is going to kiss you at midnight on your
birthday?”
“Hopefully the person that I’ve wanted to kiss
since I met her eight months ago,” he whispered,
“Thank God,” Jacob snickered. “One is enough.”
He paused. “Is that what’s bothering you?”
I shrugged. I wanted to pour my heart out and
tell him about all the messages and the flirtation before I came to
New York, my expectations of what I would enjoy here when I
arrived. It sounded stupid in my head. Finally I just confessed, “I
didn’t know about Lourdes until I got here. It just came as a bit
of a shock.”
“Ah,” he said as he leaned back against the
counter. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, hon, nothing is
what it seems in this world. We’re here to create an illusion, an
image.”
“So don’t believe what I hear?” I asked,
parroting Vanni’s own advice to me.
“Or see,” he said. “It’s all carefully
choreographed for maximum effect. Anytime a product is marketed for
sale, you only see what the seller wants you to see.”
“So what is Vanni selling?” I asked out
loud.
“Sex,” Jacob replied. “Here you have this hot
guy trying to sell himself as a rock god, a man who can seduce you
with a song. He dates a blindingly beautiful supermodel so that he
can boost his image, but sells his affection to his adoring fans.
Girls eat that stuff up. All women want to take what the pretty
girls have.”
That hurt. I didn’t think I was that way.
“Sounds manipulative. On all parts.”
“It is,” he said matter-of-factly as he grabbed
an apple from the basket. “That’s just the way it is. Same old
game. New players. And rest assured there will be another Lourdes,
and another, and another – but he’ll be a huge success before he
settles down. If he ever does.”
“So what you’re saying is it would be foolish
to fall in love with someone like Vanni.”
“Fools rush in,” he quoted. Then, with an evil
grin, “But that doesn’t mean you can’t love him for a night. I know
I would.”
I laughed, but this lascivious
encouragement didn’t help me much. That had been what I initially
told myself I wanted when I flew out here. But now, knowing that
was all it could be, took some of the wind out of my
sails.
I stifled another yawn. It was going
to be a long night, especially with the gig and Iris’s after party
to celebrate Vanni’s birthday. I wanted to go back to the hotel for
a nap but now that Lourdes was gone, I enjoyed the attention I was
getting from Vanni. Maybe it was all a charade, but it made me feel
sexy and important.
Maybe I could enjoy it cautiously, as long as I
remembered the rules of the game.
It was dangerous thinking, I knew. But the
minute Vanni entered the room I knew the last thing I wanted was to
leave. Jacob gave me a wink before he left us alone.
Vanni wore that damnable smirk as he strolled
over to where I stood by the coffee dispenser. He poured himself a
cup of tea silently, but his eyes spoke volumes as he inspected me
head to toe.
I felt positively frumpy after the
glamor of the night before.
“Long night?” he asked, as if he didn’t
know.
“Of course,” I replied. “You know me. I’m a
regular party animal.”
He laughed and leaned against the counter so
that we were eye level. “Maybe I’ll find out tonight. Plan on
sticking around for my birthday party?”
“I don’t know,” I offered. Then,
more wickedly, “Depends on what’s in it for me.”
He responded to my challenge by standing
upright and towering over me. Slowly he pulled me toward him with a
strong arm, and I felt my soft curves melt against his body. I
watched his mouth as it descended toward my own, and then – when he
was a breath away – I whispered, “Is Lourdes going to be
there?”
He grinned as he looked from my mouth to my
eyes, then back again. “She’s got an early call,” he
murmured.
“Aw, too bad,” I murmured in return, my eyes on
that sexy pout. “Who is going to kiss you at midnight on your
birthday?”
“Hopefully the person that I’ve wanted to kiss
since I met her eight months ago,” he whispered,
Similar Books
