Chapter 37: What are friends for?
Victor’s P.O.V:
“Gin! Gin, I need to tal-Holy shit!”
I’d made the mistake of entering her room without knocking and as a result, I’d just seen something I could never unsee.
“Seriously, dude! Learn to knock!” Sabine, Gina’s girlfriend, just walked past me half naked and slammed the door shut with a bang for dramatic effect.
“Are you decent?” I asked, covering my face with my hands, although nothing can save me from nightmares now.
“And what exactly is new that you haven’t seen yet?” Gina’s voice sounded breathless as she shuffled around the bed to get dressed. “Turn around. I’m dressed.”
“We’re not five anymore!” I turned around to face the bed and removed my fingers from my face one by one. Gina was sitting on the bed wearing an oversized t-shirt an
Chapter 38: Hunting Down my ManKendra’s P.O.V:I woke up to the light of the sun burning my eyes.I groaned, my head feeling like a block of iron, and covered my face with the duvet, but the slide of soft silk against my naked skin brought me back to instant attention. I pressed my hands to my temple in a vain attempt to reduce the headache and opened my eyes, only to shut them again as the sun rays hit my eyes directly.I sat up in my bed, hands still covering my head and the covers dropped from my body, exposing my bare breasts. My nipples instantly hardened as the cool morning air made goosebumps rise on my skin.The sound of someone whistling in front of me forced me to open my eyes. “Nice view. I could get up to this every morning.”“Gina?” My voice sounded hoarse and my throat ached. And why on Earth did my eyes feel so puffy?“Morning beautiful,” she h
Chapter 39: What Happens in VegasVictor’s P.O.V“Good job, kid.” Gustav, one of the senior constructors, slapped me in the back as we headed back to our condos where we would be staying for the next two weeks. “I didn’t think you could pull it off, but you gave us all a run for our money. Keep it up.”There was admiration and respect in his eyes as well as the rest of the team that I’d been assigned and it made me feel damn proud that I’d accomplished so much in just three days.Refusing an offer for some cold beer and going out clubbing, I parted from my teammates and headed to my condo for some much needed hot shower to wash off the dust and some sleep. I was desperately in need of sleep, because I clearly haven’t been able to since the night I left LA and Kendra, giving her time tothink.Bullshit!She didn’t need time to think, sh
EnchantedSynopsis:Enchanted, to fill with great delight or charm. As soon as Tatiana Rivers set eyes on Damien Romano, she was head over heels for her Knight in the navy blue Armani. Tall, fair and handsome, with a dash of wickedness, seemed like the perfect recipe for a fairy tale. The only problem, he’d her best friend’s husband’s older brother. But Damien Romano isn’t interested in love, not after a past experience had left him burned and scarred for life. Although he’s attracted to his sister-in-law’s best friend, he doesn’t think he can fall in love ever again. So he agrees to only be Tatiana’s friend with benefits for the duration of two weeks while their gang goes on their honeymoon/vacation. Can a relationship completely based on sex survive the tests of time? And what will happen when Damien finally realizes that Ta
Chapter 41:Tatiana’s P.O.V:Ever since I was a child, I was in love with fairy tales. I loved how there seemed to be a Prince Charming for everyone who was not only kind and caring but also respected the Princesses for who they were.My first disillusionment came when I was fifteen. The boy I had a huge crush on, the one who everyone wanted to be with but he’d chosen me out of the heard to be his prom date; I found him making out with my best friend in the janitors closet. Myguybest friend.
Chapter 42:Victor’s P.O.V:I looked up from my phone, temporarily halting my chat with Kendra to watch Daniel pace back and forth in the room like a caged tiger trying to find its way out. Anyone else doing the same actions would have simply classified as pacing, but Daniel was a big man. He seemed to suck all the space out of the room.He’s been doing that ever since we’d all gotten dressed and the guests had started arriving. Even though he didn’t say anything, worry and nervousness were painted across his face in bold letters.
Chapter 43:Tatiana’s P.O.VGrace’s father arrived on the scene right when the finishing touches were being done on our makeup. Grace was all set and nervous as Hell, while Ken seemed too impatient to get back to her hubby.Newlyweds!My hair was tied in a stylish knot at the back of my head with a small tiara on top of my head, similar to the one Ken was wearing. The hairdresser has let two small strands of hair hand from the side of my ears and she’d also given me a side parting with some of my hair falling on my forehead. It changed my appearance a bit and made me look like a different person, but I quite liked it this way.I was also dressed in a floor length peach coloured gown with no sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. And Ken and I were both holding bouquets of white roses while Grace was holding a large bouquet of peach and light yellow coloured buttercup flowers.“Alright gir
Chapter 44:Tatiana’s P.O.VI never quite understood why weddings made people bawl their eyes out, until this moment.As the doors opened for the bride and her father, I had gasped along with the rest of the guest when I’d seen Grace in her veil. She’d looked marvellous, almost too dreamy to be real. And then her father had handed her over to Daniel and just like any other man madly in love, he’d whispered ‘you’re beautiful’ in her ears and held on to her hands tight, like he never intended to let go.And then they had said their vows, the words that defined their relationship and how they felt for each other and then the waterworks had begun. It was a beautiful speech and I’m glad they left out the raunchy parts or Mrs. Summers would’ve fainted from shock.I could still remember that day clearly in my mind."You know what; I have the perfect solution
Chapter 45: Tatiana’s P.O.V I never thought I’d be doing this. Hooking up with the best man, who was also my best friend’s husband’s older brother, that too at my best friend’s wedding. I never thought I had the guts to do such a thing. But the thought of being caught, the proximity of having Damien so close to my body and the danger of it all was making me moist with want and causing my heart to hammer against my ribcage, threatening to break free. It’s better to get the bitterness out of the system than let my best friends find out exactly how much I hated being here. At least that’s what I told myself. “No strings.” Damien whispered harshly in my ears as he lifted me up and placed me down on the counter. “No strings.” I repeated as my hands found his belt and I began to unfasten his pants. Damien’s mouth came back on mine and once again, I felt the breath leave my lungs when his velvet soft lips tou
EpilogueTatiana’s P.O.V5 Years later...“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to Diana, Tony and Abigail! Happy birthday to you!”As all of us clapped, our three precious girls, all four years old, Diana and Abigail with their father’s dark hair and Tony with her mother’s blonde locks, blew out the candles to the humongous cake we had ordered and dived right into it without offering us any.“Girls!” Grace’s stern voice was heard over the infectious giggles. “What happened to staying clean until dinner?”“Sorry, aunty!” Those came from Diana and Tony.“Sorry, mummy!”That came from Abigail.All three spoke at the same time in between little giggles before diving back into the cake and stuffing their chubby little cheeks with chocolate frosting. Even at four,
Chapter 65:Tatiana’s P.O.VA constant beeping noise cut through the haziness in my mind and woke me up from my peaceful slumber.I tried to open my eyes but they wouldn’t budge and my throat felt raw and itchy. I needed water. Where was I? It was so blissfully quiet in here. I didn’t want to wake up. I wanted to stay right here, forever.Scream! Scream louder, you whore!My eyes snapped open as everything that happened came back to me. Connor! He had hurt me! He had tried to kill me! Then why wasn't I dead? Where was I? Why was everything so hazy and white?Tia!Damien! He had been there! He had come for me! Is that why I was still alive? Was I in a hospital?“Nurse! She’s awake!” Someone yelled from next to me, making me wince. The sound was too loud.And just like that, the quiet was gone and everything around me buzzed into activity. The next thing
Chapter 64:Damien’s P.O.VAs soon as we reached the hospital, Tia was immediately rushed to the operating theatre. Daniel and Victor went on to fill all the necessary documents while I waited outside with Grace and Kendra and watched as the lights turned red and several doctors and nurses entered the theatre, ready to operate on Tia.“It’s going to be okay, Grace,” I heard Kendra assure her as the two women huddled together at one corner. “Ty’s strong; she’s always been a fighter. She’ll pull through. She has to.”“I know. She’ll make it. I know...” Grace spoke before she broke down in Kendra’s arms.I collapsed on the chair opposite to them, too exhausted and emotionally drained to comfort either women. But thankfully, their husbands returned on time and took them into their arms, whispering sweet nothings into their ears as they held t
Chapter 63:Damien’s P.O.V“Tia!”I’d heard the strangled cry for help just a second ago and it momentarily frozen me on the spot. She was hurt and I had no doubt that her ex was in there with her, torturing her as I stood and wasted my time ringing the doorbell. I couldn’t see anyone else in the apartment next to hers and I didn’t have time to call for help. I looked around the door, trying to find a rational place where the spare key might be since it wasn't under the welcome mat, but my mind wasn't working properly. So I did the only thing I could, I took a few steps back and ran into the door with all my strength.The door jerked but it was strong, it came back to its original position and wouldn’t budge. So I tried again, and again. Fear and anger had gripped me in a chocking hold at the fact that while I was wasting time trying to break down the door, something bad was happe
Chapter 62:Tatiana’s P.O.VI was woken up from my nightmare by someone throwing ice cold water on my face.I blinked and opened my eyes but my vision was blurred. What was wrong? Why was my head hurting so much? Why couldn’t I reach for my head? My hands felt like they were tied behind my back in an uncomfortable position.The pounding in my head increased with every breath I took until it was almost unbearable. Something must be wrong! Why couldn’t I see properly? All I saw was through a red haze.And then, almost like a lightning bolt had hit me, I remembered exactly what had happened. Connor, my ex-boyfriend and abuser was here in my apartment and he had been waiting for me to show up. I’d tried to run as soon as I’d seen him sitting on my bed with a knife in his hand, but he had been faster and he’d caught hold of my hair and given me a hard shove where I’d fallen face
Chapter 61:Tatiana’s P.O.VThe cab dropped me off at my doorstep and I collected my baggage and entered my apartment building. But as soon as I stepped into the elevator, an unknown fear clutched at my stomach.I shook it off, thinking that it might be a post break-up trauma kind of thing. Then again, I was never Damien’s girlfriend to begin with. How could it be a post-breakup trauma if I wasn’t even in a relationship?Swallowing the lump in my throat, I exited the elevator and took out my apartment keys from my pocket and unlocked the door, but as soon as I stepped into my apartment, something felt off.Deciding not to take any chances, I stepped out of the door and reached my hand up to the 204 sign above my door. Not many people knew but it was my secret place to hide my spare key. I carefully unscrewed the bottom nail with my fingers and since it was a designer nail, it came out easily. Ther
Chapter 60:Tatiana’s P.O.VI closed my eyes and rested my head against the seat, relieved that the dreadful flight was over and to be finally away from Damien.But my relief was short-lived as the cab came to a stop a couple feet away from the airport terminus and none other than Damien Romano climbed into the back seat with me.“The cab’s taken.” I told him curtly before I closed my eyes again, trying to avoid the sting of tears.“I just want to talk.” He told be before telling the cab his location and settling back into the seat.I stayed quiet and turned my head towards the window to avoid his gaze that was burning holes in me. There were a thousand things that came to my mind but I couldn’t transform them into words. What was I supposed to say? I’m sorry I fell in love with you? I’d rather cut my tongue first. I couldn’t-wouldn’t beg for
Chapter 59:Tatiana’s P.O.V:The ride to the airport was quiet and tense. It was clear that the others felt it too since Grace and Ken voluntarily decided to sit beside me instead of with their husbands. Damien and I didn’t talk but Grace and Ken tried to make small talk so that the silence doesn’t become constricting.I caught Ken giving Daniel a ‘What did your brother do?’ look from the corner of my eyes. I also watched Daniel give a small shrug in return. But I think they already knew the truth, at least my friends did. It wasn't Damien who was at fault, it was me. Me and my stupid feelings. Damien had warned me right from the start that we'd have nothing more than physical intimacy between us. Anything more and he'd be gone.I hadn’t planned on him finding out either. But he had and now I feel like I'd tricked him into something he never wanted to be a part of. And it wasn’t h
Chapter 58:Damien’s P.O.VI love you, Damien.NO!It can’t be! This is exactly what I had been trying to avoid, haven’t I? I had told Tia specifically that I couldn’t do feelings, that I couldn’t trust another woman with my heart after what Marian did! I even told her my story. Even my family, even Daniel didn’t know all the details but I’d told Tia...Why did I tell her all that? Especially when I had sworn off relationships for good. Maybe it really was my fault? Had I gotten involved without even wanting to? Had I given her the wrong message all along? But what had I done than any other man wouldn’t have?Was it the gifts I’d given her? But I’d given gifts to everyone, to Daniel and his new bride and even to Victor and his wife.*“Oh! Damien, these look wonderful!” Tia looked at me with her wide green eyes filled with