Page 19 of Secret Seduction

“Hey, can we talk?” Nicole says softly, sitting next to me. “I need you to make me understand why you did this. You said you were waiting to have sex until marriage, so none of this makes sense.”

“I did wait until marriage,” I lie.

“Vanessa,” she breathes, “this isn’t you. Talk to me, please.”

“I—”

The yacht rocks as the captain announces that we’ve arrived, and my heart picks up speed.

We’re here.

This is it.

“I need to go talk to Lorenzo,” I say.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

I nod and stand and then walk over to Lorenzo, who’s glaring daggers at me.

And I don’t blame him.

If the shoe were on the other foot, I’d be screaming the place down.

I drugged him.

Then paid someone off to marry us without questions asked.

When he was barely conscious, I had him sign his name.

Then I had the gentleman I’d paid off help me bring him up to the room, where I staged it to look like we consummated our marriage.

He feels taken advantage of.

Violated.

And I hate that for him.

Not only that, but I hate that I had to use him.

I always swore I would never rely on a man. Yet here I am, no better than my mother, using Lorenzo to save myself.

But it’s either that or I get taken and sold to some crazy guy who buys women.

“Umm, can we talk?” I say to Lorenzo.

“Not now.” He brushes me off, then stops and glances at me. “Actually, I do have one question. Did we use protection last night?”

I flinch, not having thought of that, and go with a partial truth.

“I’m on birth control.”

“That’s what my ex said.” He chuckles darkly. “I need to get home to my son, and thanks to you, I have to add getting checked for STIs on my list of shit to do.”

“I don’t have any STIs,” I mutter, making his glare intensify. “But, umm …” I clear my throat. “I was hoping I could go with you … to your house.”

His head whips around, and he looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.

And again, I don’t blame him.