Finding Beauty in the Darkness - Nikki Ash Page 0,45
both of my heads to ignore the gorgeous temptation sitting next to me.
Chapter Fourteen
ARIA
“Girl, this pool is the shit. This mansion is like something out of an episode of cribs. Now spill.” Amber and I are lounging out by the pool. She just finished with midterms, so today is the first day we have been able to hang out. It’s been two weeks since Gio and I kissed and since then he’s been more distant than usual. That night he came back up with junk food as his way of a truce, I thought maybe things would go back to the way they were, but I was wrong. He’s grumpy to everyone including me and I’m over his shit. He’s slept in the bed a few times but he doesn’t usually come in until after I’m asleep and he’s out of bed before I wake up. Some nights he’ll sleep on the chaise lounge, and once I found him asleep at his desk.
“Gio is keeping me here because Weston has disappeared.”
“And this mansion?” Her hands circle around.
“He owns an…escort service.” I whisper the last two words. It’s not like it’s a secret since here in Vegas bordellos are legal, but I still feel weird admitting I live at a sex club.
“What?!” She sits up, her Bloody Mary sloshing onto her breasts. “Like a whorehouse?”
I don’t know why but that word agitates me now even though I used the same term when I first found out. Maybe it’s because the last several weeks I’ve been here, I’ve gotten to know the women and they might have sex with strangers, but they aren’t whores…I mean, they are by the literal definition, but it just sounds so cold. There’s more to these women, and they deserve more than to be labeled.
“No,” I say, feeling the need to defend them, “escorts.”
“Hey, I’m not judging.” Her hands come up in a placating gesture. “To each their own.”
“I’m going to take a dip in the pool.” I pull my cover over my head and drop it onto the chair then walk toward the steps. Amber does the same.
There’s a loud whistle and when we find the source, it’s Nico, Gio’s brother. “Well, well. It’s not every day I come across not one but two sexy women.”
I roll my eyes, but Amber giggles. “That entire house is filled with sexy women. Nice try.”
“True, but they’re off limits.” He winks and Amber giggles louder. Seriously? Do I sound like that around Gio?
“Nico, Amber; Amber, Nico, Gio’s brother,” I say before I dive into the water and swim toward the deep end. When I come up for air, Nico and Amber are chatting. She’s laughing at whatever he’s saying—her hands hitting him against the chest—and he’s eating that shit up.
Natalie and Sienna come walking out, suits on, and I wave to them. “Hey!” I had invited them when I made plans with Amber. They’re both super sweet.
“Hey, Aria!” They both wave, throw their towels down, and join me in the pool. “This water feels so good! We don’t use the accommodations offered here enough,” Sienna admits.
“Seriously!” Natalie agrees.
We spend the next few hours in the pool hanging out. Nico gets his suit and joins us. He’s a huge flirt with all of us, but he seems to focus most of his attention on Amber.
When my stomach starts to rumble, I swim to the stairs and get out. “I’m starving. Want to go grab something to eat?”
“How the hell do you eat so much and look like that?” Natalie appraises my body as she wraps her towel around her.
“I’ve been saying the same thing since we first met our freshman year in college,” Amber adds.
“Oh, whatever. I lost a lot of weight this past year. I’m not usually this skinny.” I laugh, but it comes out rough as I remember why I’m the skinniest I’ve ever been. We all make our way into the kitchen and I start going through the pantry to see what I can find to eat.
“I’m going to leave you ladies to it. I came here to find my brother and some women in sexy bikinis got me distracted.” He winks at Amber and walks out of the kitchen with his towel strung over his neck. As he leaves, Maggie comes in and offers to make us sandwiches.
“So, if it’s none of our business you can say as much, but what the heck happened this last year? Why are you living here?” Sienna questions.