But she hadn’t given up. Every time she saw him she’d offer him an amazing night of sex, in return for something flashy and expensive she wanted him to buy her. At least her terms and conditions were clear. And she was consistent, he’d give her that. He wasn’t expecting this conversation to be any different.
‘I saw you with your little girlfriend earlier. I can’t help thinking you were doing that to make me jealous,’ Natalia said, walking towards him.
Her ego was clearly so big, nothing could dent it.
‘Why would I try to make you jealous?’
‘Because you’re playing hard to get.’
‘Is that what you think I’m doing?’
‘Well of course. I can get any man I want. These breasts are real, you know.’
He felt his eyes widen in shock. He stopped himself from saying that he didn’t care.
‘You can check for yourself.’ She moved within touching distance and he took a large step back.
‘No, I absolutely do not want to touch your breasts.’
‘Of course you do. Every man wants to touch my breasts. Men have had whole conversations with my breasts instead of looking me in the eye.’
There was something really sad about that.
‘No man has ever turned me down before. You have no idea what you’re missing, I’d be the best sex you’ll ever have.’
Luke tried not to pull a face but this whole conversation was making him cringe.
‘Is that what this is about? There was me thinking it was just about my money, but it’s your pride, isn’t it? You can’t believe I said no.’
She scowled at him. ‘No, it’s definitely about your money. Let’s face it, you don’t have anything else going for you.’
‘Oh, so now you think being rude to me will seal the deal.’
She sighed, clearly seeing the emerald necklace or diamond earrings she so desperately wanted slipping between her fingers. ‘What has she got that I don’t have? From what I could see, she wasn’t even very pretty.’
He smiled. ‘She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve met, inside and out. She’s kind, generous, funny and she likes me for me, not my money.’
‘Oh, don’t talk crap. Of course she’s with you for your money.’
‘She has no idea I have any.’
She gave a spiteful little smile. ‘But that’s not true. I heard her in town the other day talking to someone. She said she had you exactly where she wanted you. She’d fooled you into believing she didn’t know you were rich, got you to fall in love with her and now she was going to take you for every penny you had. That’s why I came up here to warn you.’
He stared at her, not believing a word of it. Not least because their love story was a sham so Flick would hardly be boasting that she’d got him to fall in love withher, but mainly because she was the most genuine person he’d ever met. There was nothing fake or deceitful about her. He trusted her completely.
‘When was this?’
‘I don’t know. Friday.’
‘She didn’t arrive until Saturday night.’
‘And you two are kissing already, doesn’t that show you what a gold digger she is?’
He raised his hand to stop her talking. ‘Natalia, she makes me happy, very happy. And I’ve not had that for a very long time. This, between me and you, it’s never going to happen, even if Flick hadn’t come into my life like a… firework of joy, it still was never going to happen. Let it go.’
She huffed and then stormed out.
He watched her get back in her car and drive off and he felt inordinately proud of himself.
