His face drops. “Are you insane? You’ll get food poisoning. You’ll getmurdered. You want to stayhere?”
“Nothere,” I say, taking a deep breath. “I… met someone on the plane. He invited me to spend the week at The Aurelia with him.”
Dad looks even more unsure now, but I remain firm. I’m staying.
The first thing I do is text Adrian.
The wedding is canceled.
I feel an energizing rush of adrenaline surging through my body when I see that bubble with the three dots appear.
So soon?
It was actually longer than we thought lol
Come stay with me.
We just met…
I know all I need to know. Stay with me.
How would I even get there?
I’ll send a car to pick you up. It will be there in 10.
Are you sure?
More sure than I’ve ever been.
Can I actually do this? Can I spend a week with a mysterious man that I just met?
Maybe I should just stay here and meet up with him for dinner or something…
I spot the mom in the G-string standing in the buffet line as her children grab food with their bare hands. She scratches her bare ass with the tongs and my decision is made.
Okay. I’ll come.
CHAPTER FOUR
Maya
The town car silently glides to a stop beneath a white stone archway carved with gold lettering:The Aurelia.
My breath catches.
Everything is so beautiful. I’ve never seen a place like this before, not even in movies. This is as luxurious as it gets.
The driver opens my door and I step out with golden sunlight washing down on my smiling face. Palm trees are swaying over my head. Ornate fountains are sparkling in the sun. Everything is spotless. The cream-colored marble stairs with gold inlay are clean enough to eat off of and there are no sweaty, cranky crowds in sight. All I see are well-manicured smiling employees wearing impeccable uniforms without a single crease.
And it smells so good here. The air smells like salt and money—fresh, clean, and expensive.
A man in crisp white linen hurries down the stares,greeting me with a warm smile. “Welcome to The Aurelia, Miss Howard.”
Oh. My. God. Theyknow my name.
The moment my sandals hit the marble walkway, more attendants appear. A bellboy who looks like he could moonlight as a model whisks my suitcase away, disappearing with it.
“Um, I…” I mutter, stuttering as I watch him go. If someone took your bag at the last resort, you’d never see it again.
