Chapter 6:

Casually giving the silent man sitting next to me a glance, I tried to breach the vast stretch of silence. “Where are we headed to?” After he’d arrived in the villa to get me, all dressed up and showered, from his office, he merely gave me a quick inspection with a stale greeting of “Good evening, Sarah” before opening the door for me to get inside his swanky, two-door sports car. Apart from that, Michael hadn’t supplied me with any words. He stretched his neck from side to side then cleared his throat. “To a wine auction that will benefit homeless children.”

Sigh. He was making this difficult. He wasn’t very forthcoming at all, and since this was our first official outing together, I had thought he would be more accommodating, but he was proving to be standoffish. “Sounds exciting. Are you setting your sights on anything in particular?”

Eyes stuck to the road, he used his left hand to tug his tie a little before responding to me. “For a while now... yes,” he murmured. “And I intend to acquire it at all costs.”

There was something about the way he said it that made me glance at his darkly handsome profile. I felt my stomach drop as I took in his masculine perfection. American men were passionate; however, this man is  something else. His passions seemed to go with everything he did, like limited edition spirits.

“Must be a fine wine then. I’m sure it’s pricey.”

“Anything fine is always expensive. Nothing in life is free.”

The bite in his tone made me feel at odds; therefore, I remained silent for I had no smart retort. After all, if one looked at it in black and white, my father had offered me like a barter to pay off his debts in return for my willing servitude. He was right. Nothing in life was free...

“AND WHO IS this beautiful enchanteresse, Michael?” The famous racer Bill Thomas inquired the moment Michael and I joined their close circle of friends.

Michael touched the back of my hips, letting his hand stay there as he introduced me. “This is Sarah. She’s spending the summer with me.” He then paused as he stared ahead before gazing back to his friends, frowning. “Give me a moment to speak to someone.” He made a quick nod towards me before whispering, “I will be right back.”

I watched him as he walk towards the opposite side of the hall, feeling a little odd yet again because his parting seemed awkward. Michael and I didn’t know each other, so maybe that was the reason behind his weird behavior. Someone cleared their throat, picking up my attention as I looked up and found Bill Thomas' amused face. “Well, it’s quite lovely to meet you, Sarah.”

Smiling shyly, I made the same sentiment. “Same here, same here Mr Thomas."

“Call me Bill.” He offered his hand, and when I shook it, he hung on to mine before giving me a questioning look. “I thought you were Italian at first sight, but your accent denies it...” I was unbelievably out of my league here. These men were used to women that could flirt back with them with ease, but I was having a hard time not being completely star-struck at the handsome and well-known racer and womanizer extraordinaire.

“American,” I offered to solve his problem, feeling out of my comfort zone as I watched the women saunter about,  looking ever so glamorous while I felt like an interloper playing pretend.

“Simply beautiful,” he murmured before placing his lips on the back of my hand, making me gasp from shock and excitement.

“Behave, Bill. She’s already taken,” the woman standing next to him butted in with a playful smile. “I’m Nancy Jones.”

I was about to say “Nice to meet you” when the man next to her interrupted me. “Was jones. Now charice, my lovely wife.”

She exaggeratedly rolled her eyes before tapping his lapel. “And this is Adam, my husband.”

Married couple. How sweet and endearing.

“It’s great to meet you both,” I said pleasantly at the couple before my eyes found the last member of their circle; another tall, dark, and handsome man. Swallowing my shyness, I greeted him, “Hello.”

“Adam charice. Some might say I’m Micheal’s closest friend to date.” There was wickedness to his smile as he audaciously shifted and took Micheal’s spot before excusing us from his friends, who were already starting to talk about Bill’s upcoming race. “Let’s get you something to drink. Champagne?”

“Yes, please.”