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"That'd be some sick shit, but after all the Johns I've had the last couple of years, I wouldn't be surprised if he could."
She's not even phased. I'd seen a lot in my escorting days, but Natalie's been around the block a time or two more. The stories she’s told me is not something you can make up off the top of your head. No one person has an imagination like that.
"Bet you a million bucks he does it." She puts her hand out.
Natalie is thinking deeper over this for some reason, while I'm trying to not allow my imagination to run wild.
"Now that I’ve poured my heart out to you, tell me why you're leaving me."
Natalie's face softens with a dewy look. She has this innocent, sweet look on her face that causes her to appear five years younger.
I chuckle inwardly. In reality, she eats men for breakfast and spits them out.
"Only if you promise me you won't reject my dad again because of me." She waves her hand in the air in a dismissi
ve motion. "Listen, you're stuck with me forever, whether you have a piece of paper between you guys or not. It makes no fucking difference to me. So why not make it official?"
My lips twitch. New Yorkers have a way about themselves that come off as pushy and arrogant to non-New Yorkers. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was trying to scold me because the truth was so painfully obvious she couldn't handle it anymore.
But I wouldn't say that. She's just trying to get real with me and get me to see it for what it is.
I glance down and the smile falls from my face. "You really think he's going to ask me to marry him again after I shot him down multiple times? Fat chance." Before she can respond, I divert the conversation back to Italy. My heart can't handle another ounce of anxiety over rejecting James. "So, Italy? What part and why?"
"Italy is calling to me, so Italy is where I must go," she says, and I’m grateful she takes the hint to change the subject. "I don't have a specific spot. I'm just going to backpack it and see where it takes me. The plan is to eat my way through the country and see if Italian men really are the best lovers in the world."
My brows rise. "You're going to backpack it?"
Natalie rolls her eyes. "No, but it just sounded better. You get my drift."
I nod. She'll have a driver or plane on standby, a wad of cash, and a black American Express card. Oh, and a luggage full of designer duds.
"Considering the number of men you’ve fucked over the years, you'd think you'd die happy never having to spread your legs again."
"Au contraire," she says with a light French accent and holds up one finger. "I discovered what I like and what I don't like, but also that there's literally someone out there for everyone. I'll find my man in the land of cuisine and attractive blokes," she says. "If not, I'll just move on to Greece. They're basically cousins of the Italians. I'm bound to find a few."
I study her, finding it comical what she wants to do. "Are you just going to put out a want ad or something? What's your plan of attack?"
Natalie purses her lips together. "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard…"
We giggle together. "How long are you going for, really?"
She shrugs. "Until I get my fill?" We both laugh again but she sobers up. "The older I get, the more I really start to realize we only get one life to live. Why not live like tomorrow isn't guaranteed? I know not everyone can do that, but I can, and I don't want to waste the opportunity to experience it."
"Your idea of living life to the fullest is eating Italian food and no-strings-attached sex."
"Basically." She winks.
I love how Natalie's not ashamed in the least. She is who she is, and she loves herself for it. I find it an admirable and endearing quality.
"In some odd way, it suits you."
"Did you ever have a feeling inside of you that you can't explain but you know it's right? That's how I feel about going to Italy, well, about traveling in general. New York will always be home, but I kind of want to see the world."
"You're going to get wanderlust like James."
Her blue eyes light up like that's her goal. I could totally see that being her kind of lifestyle.
Standing up, Natalie fixes her shorts and smooths out her shirt. "I'm gonna go. My plane leaves in three days and I still need to go shopping."
