Adrianna Valdez POV
Because you are mine.
Because you are mine.
Because you are mine.
“Stop it!” I said out aloud to the words echoing in my mind.
After Damien had said that sentence and kissed me soundly, I fled and left. I didn’t know what to do anymore. We couldn’t be friends, and I needed some space to think. Therefore, it’s been a week, and I have been avoiding him again.
“Sorry?” Olivia blinked at me as she let Trevor try the piece of cheesecake.
“Oh, no, nothing.” We were now trying different cakes but apparently there were too many cakes that both of us simply liked thus we decided to let Trevor choose.
Trevor scrunched up his face the moment the cheesecake entered his mouth. “Nup!” he cried, banging his hands on the table.
“Okay, that’s a no.” Olivia sighed as she crossed the cake off the list.
“Adri, what about the chocolate cake?” Olivia questioned. “Hmm?” I looked up at her as she scrutinized me before staring at me intensely.
“Okay, your mind is wandering, and I’m curious to know what’s going on. Is something troubling you? Or is it someone?”
Was I that transparent? I bit my lower lip. It was frightening, somehow along meeting and getting to know Damien, I had developed unknown feelings for him. And he was everything I hated in a guy — childish, possessive, domineering, arrogant and, most of all, ridiculous. Need I say more? But Damien was also sarcastic and made me laugh. He was thoughtful, caring, and someone I liked to be around. But these strange feelings I had made me jealous of all the women he had been with. For all I know, my feelings could be one-sided, and Damien could be out screwing with multiple women now.
My hands clenched into delicate fists at that thought. Maybe talking to Olivia would help me analyze these foreign feelings, and they would disappear when I realized that they were nothing more than admiration for Damien.
After all, Olivia had gone through the same path I am trying to avoid. She had married Drake, an ex-womanizer, who was a sex fiend, arrogant, possessive and domineering. But now, she was happily married with a kid and Drake clearly worshiped the ground which she walked on. Good thing Drake was not here or he would be glaring at all the men passing by the shops. Most of them took double takes at Olivia before continuing to walk off.
Ha! I scoffed, it wouldn’t happen to me, but a silly romantic part of me wanted it to.
“Liv, um a friend of mine is going through some problems with a man,” I started hesitantly. Immediately, Olivia’s eyes brightened with interest, and she waved her hand, urging me to continue.
“And?”
I chewed my lip. “The guy is well known for being a playboy, and he never had a girlfriend. However, my friend had a rough past with her ex-boyfriend. She wants to move on, but she does not know if she can trust the man who is interested in her.”
Olivia raised her eyebrows and frowned. “Well, why does your friend not trust the guy?”
I shrugged. “Um, she told me that she was afraid that he will be playing games with her or he can’t stay faithful, and most of all, my friend could not tolerate the guy and his ridiculous behavior when they are in public!” I said the last part out angrily, still remembering the embarrassment Damien had dragged me into.
“Wow, that sounds quite personal,” Olivia said lightly as she observed me, and I froze.
“It’s nothing to do with me. I just feel upset for my friend that is all.” I rushed out, and Olivia remained silent before she fed Trevor a piece of chocolate cake.
“Ummm! Ummm!” Trevor opened his mouth eagerly as he tasted the chocolate. “Ah!” He banged his hands on the table, and Olivia brightened. “Here you go, Trevor. He really is Drake’s son. Both like chocolate so much. We should have started with chocolate first, and we wouldn’t have wasted so much time.” She sighed.
I pursed my lips. “Liv, so? What should the girl do?”
Olivia looked at me and explained, “Well, I think your friend should go with the guy. She clearly is interested in him because she is considering being with him in the first place. She should trust her heart and just follow what it wants. It’s better to love than lost than never loving at all, right?”
“I already did with Jacob, remember?” I said before clamping my lips. Shoot! I slipped.
“Jacob? What does this have to do with you or him? Doesn’t it involve your friend?” Olivia questioned, her eyes glittering with triumph.
I cleared my throat. “Nothing, I just don’t want my friend to feel what I felt after he…” I trailed off. Olivia sighed and grabbed my hands.
“Look, just tell your friend that just go with what her heart wants. What if the guy was sincere and is truly interested in her? And it’s a bonus considering she likes him as well. Everything could fall into place for you and Damien.”
My eyes widened. I couldn’t be that transparent, could I? “It is not about Damien and me. It is about my friend from Spain!” I sputtered, and Olivia smirked.
“Sure it is. Well, it looks like we can choose from chocolate now since Trevor has made his choice of flavor for the cake.”
Olivia changed the topic, and I nodded. But I couldn’t help but ponder on what she said. Would it be worth risking my heart for Damien or would it be in tatters when Damien was done with it? I knew I couldn’t withstand the pain of losing someone from my life again.
So could I trust him with my heart?
* * *
Damien Doukas POV
“You okay? You’ve been lost in your head the entire day. Women troubles? Is the Russian girl of yours giving you problems?”
I scowled at Drake. “It’s none of your business. Besides, Irina and I are no more.”
“Ah! I remembered that you thought Irina was the perfect mistress.” Drake smirked as he grabbed a wine bottle from my office in New York.
I shifted my jaw. “Yes, well, things change.”
“How did you know that Olivia was the one for you?” I blurted out before looking away.
Drake barked out a laugh. “I knew it was women trouble!”
“Well, how did you know?” I asked impatiently. The stupid idiot was playing with me.
“Well, she has an amazing body, so I knew. The end.”
“Seriously!” I said in frustration.
Drake observed me and smirked. “This woman really means a lot, huh?”
“Just answer the question!” I growled. Drake smirked again before his face turned serious. “Olivia, she wasn’t like any other girl I met. Sure, she was hot, but she intrigues me. She still does, you know? She was the only one who was not a fake, and she accepted me the way I am, a hot playboy sex fiend. Not that I would cheat on her or anything but she was everything I liked in a woman.”
I remained quiet. Adrianna infuriated me most of the time. I could not understand the way her mind worked compared to the other women I dated. Every time I tried something I did with my mistresses to gain her favor, she would react differently. I just couldn’t get it. Every time she argued with me, I wanted to kiss her senseless or yell at her.
“How did you get Olivia to date you? My friend from Greece is having woman troubles,” I asked, clarifying before Drake got any ideas.
Drake smirked. “I gave her amazing sex.”
“I’m bloody serious,” I said irritated.
Drake observed me and sighed before shrugging. “Honestly, I have no idea. I was such a prick to her. But whomever that made her fall for me, I owe them my life. Without her, heck, I don’t even know what I’ll be doing now, most probably dead and without my son.”
I sighed pinching the bridge of my nose. Drake was of no help. Even though he was a womanizer, he had no clue on how to deal with his wife.
Hmm, clearly, asking Drake was the wrong thing to do. I ought to have asked his wife, Olivia. I shook my head, the great playboy of Europe Damien Doukas did not even know how to woo a woman and had to ask a woman how.
Oh, the irony.
It was a good thing I was not in Europe. I sighed.