Chapter 1
Sofia had been nagging him for two hours about how she wanted to rearrange the dining room.
Nate was pushing food around the edges of his plate. He hadn’t listened to a single word of her constant babble.
There would be no redecorating of his living room.
It was over between them.
He couldn’t wait for her to pack up and leave so that he could return to the peace of his apartment.
They’d tried to salvage what was left of their relationship for the past six months, but the truth was that since she’d found out he’d cheated on her, everything had gone to shit. She couldn’t get over it, and he couldn’t get over lying to himself. They’d shared a lovely story, but they had written the last chapter of it.
There was nothing left to save.
Out of consideration for her and the years they’d spent together, he’d made one last gesture, taking her to her favorite restaurant. The place also had the advantage of always being crowded. There was less chance of her making a scene in public, especially in a place where she was known. And God knew appearances mattered to Sofia.
He was just waiting for their desserts to come to announce it.
His bag was already in the trunk of the car. He’d drop her off at his place, which she’d insidiously moved into, and give her a few weeks to move out. In the meantime, he’d go running up North.
He loosened his tie, counting the minutes until he would be free. If only she would stop talking and start eating.
He felt like he was suffocating in here.
— Are you listening to me?
Nate raised his head, meeting Sofia’s blue eyes.
— Hmm.
His companion sighed loudly, before resuming her litany on the various advantages of standing sofas.
Movement to her right caught his attention.
A woman had just appeared on the small stage at the back of the restaurant, which was usually empty during the week.
Nate’s fork suspended its flight.
Exotic with her almond-shaped eyes, golden skin, and long curly hair, she had above all, an ass that he would have grabbed with his full hand, right there, right now, if she hadn’t perched him on a bar stool.
— Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
Her velvet-smooth voice, amplified by the old-shool microphone in her hand, filled the entire restaurant. The chatter died down and all heads turned towards this charming apparition.
— I’m delighted to be with you tonight, declared the woman. My friend Paco - she gestured toward a guy with tanned skin who had just sat down on the steps at her feet, his guitar slung over his shoulder - will entertain your dinner and this magnificent evening. Thank you, she finished.
A smile stretched her luscious, red-painted lips, and Nate couldn’t help imagining them around his cock as he plunged his hands into her lush hair.
— Pfffffff. Nate’s eyes flickered to Sophia. What’s with that gypsy girl? Have you seen how vulgar she is? she said, pouting disdainfully.
Nate stopped himself from laughing to her face.
Between the layers of make-up and expensive clothes she wore on every occasion, all her implants, fillers and extensions - hair, nails, eyelashes... at least the ones he knew about - and her fake breasts, the comment, coming from her, was pretty damn hilarious. Sometimes he wondered what she really looked like nowadays under there.
His beautiful stranger, on the other hand, looked much more natural. Or poor, as the case may be. Her red lipstick and a line of eyeliner that gave her cat eyes were the only ostentatious elements of her outfit. Thank God, because otherwise, he wasn’t sure she’d have been able to take a step without every male in the room nipping at her heels. A glance around the room was enough to confirm that he wasn’t the only one under her spell. Beneath her long, flowing white dress, Nate could make out delicious curves, already betrayed by her slightly low-cut neckline.
The young woman closed her eyes as the guitarist strummed the first chords.
She started singing in a language he didn’t know but immediately transported him to faraway lands, where the sun gilded your skin all day long, and the sea licked your toes. Speaking of toes, he couldn’t help but smile as he watched her bare foot beat out the rhythm, sending ripples through her dress with every move.
Adorable.
Sofia’s jabbering completely faded into the background, and he made no effort to pretend he was even remotely interested, too absorbed by the spectacle before him.
The singer certainly wasn’t from around here. And yet, the southern frontier of the Old Continent saw a whole host of foreigners. Wealthy vacationers from the New Continent, investors from all horizons, refugees from the Austral Land and locals just trying to get by in a country long overtaken by technological and economic advances from the West and East. The perfect place to hide out.
Yet this girl didn’t seem to belong to any of these categories.
This intrigued him.
The room, usually so noisy you could hardly hear yourself, had become strangely silent. The singer seemed to have everyone under her spell, even the envious women who cast reproachful glances at her.
Out of despair, Sophia finally shut up, an expression of pure fury distorting her perfect features. She was probably concocting some memorable new revenge plan as punishment to him for this new affront to her, but he didn’t care. She’d never get another chance to ruin his life the way she’d taken such pleasure in doing so since he’d made this one mistake.
And he was free to discover who this beauty was. A billion questions raced through his head as she sang ballad after ballad, each more enchanting than the last.
Soon, a waiter slipped between the tables, a basket of red roses on his arm. It was a tradition around here to throw them at the singer as a token of appreciation.
As he approached, Nate realized that their plates had been cleared and desserts brought in.
— You’re going to keep leering all night ?, Sofia grumbled through clenched teeth, as he reached into his jacket pockets for loose change.
He stared at her for a moment. All trace of the love he’d once felt for her was gone, replaced only by infinite weariness.
—Yes, he answered. And if I can, I intend to fuck her too, he added, fatigue making him cruel.
Sofia’s face turned peony red and her fists closed around her cutlery.
— One more word and I’ll leave you, you bastard. With everything you’ve already...
— It’s over Sofia.
The words fell out of his mouth.
— I’m leaving you the apartment tonight, and all the time I'll be in the North, but I want you gone from my place when I get back.
If you’re already hooked, you’ll love my book “Watchers: Tome 1”— available on Inkitt.
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