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Chapter 1
Presley
It’s hard to believe that I managed to talk all three of them into coming with me here and that we’ve been here for a full week. I really believe that this trip has helped my relationship with Heather, but she’s been itching to get back home.
Every day we’ve been sticking to the beaches, enjoying a drink at the bar and shopping around town. There’s been absolutely no stress tied into this trip, and it’s everything that I hoped it would be. “I really just want to get home. I have a lot of work to do, and I just can’t choose to party and avoid all of life’s responsibilities whenever I feel like it,” Heather tells me as we sit on a bench near the beach. Paulo and Sky are sitting on a concrete barrier a couple feet away, and I can tell they overheard Heather with the way their attention snapped over in our direction.
I don’t think she was intentionally trying to take a shot at me, but she did. I’ve noticed this more and more lately, how her attitude seems to slip out, or she takes a jab whenever she can. “I thought your flight didn’t leave for three more days?” I question her; because we all purchased seats next to one another for our arrival and departure.
She cocks a brow at me, and almost like a sixth sense, I can tell that attitude is coming my way. “You’re right ,but I changed my flight so I can leave today. I’m not the only one who’s a bit homesick either,” she states snidely.
I glance over to Paulo and Sky. “You both want to leave too?” I ask, a bit shocked that they’d go to Heather and not just come to me directly. They both know how Heather and I have been trying to make our friendship work and how our friendship has been changing. I know that ,for the most part, we’re out of our element, but coming to me would be the adult thing to do, not go behind my back to Heather.
Sky turns beet red, “Not Paulo, just me. I have a lot of work to get done on a couple murals, and honestly, it’s so hard for me to even fall asleep every night. The past two days I’ve barely slept because I’m not at home. It doesn’t matter if it’s alcohol or an antihistamine, I just can’t seem to stay asleep, and I’m exhausted because of it.” It’s obvious to me that Sky really is having a problem. She’s not being a cunt or making up some elaborate excuse to leave like Heather is.
I want to shake my head, frustrated that Heather talked Sky into leaving with her early. Knowing Sky for as long as I have, she’d be the type to stick around until the trip was up. I don’t want her to be uncomfortable . . . but Heather acted out, and she knows it. It just makes me feel even more distant from her, and here I thought things were getting a little better.
I look to Paulo now, wondering if he’s going to abandon me in this beautiful city. “What about you? Are you going to leave too?”
Shaking his head, “I thought about it when Heather brought it up, but I think a few more days of rest and relaxation is what I need. Plus, there’s this cute bartender named Gabriel. I’m determined to get a romp in the sac with him. He’s a Jake Gyllenhaal level hottie!” I see how Paulo just slyly told me that Heather approached them to see if they wanted to leave. It’s like she wants to ruin my good time. Honestly, I think she does . . . butwhy. That is my question.
“Our flight leaves in a little over two hours, so Heather and I should get back to the hotel and pack our bags,” Sky suggests. I’m sure she can tell that there’s tension in the air. It’s so thick someone could cut it with a friggin’ butter knife.
I rise, giving Heather a pathetic attempt at a hug and walk over to Sky and do the same. It takes every bit of strength left inside me to not go over to Heather and slap her across the face. She did this on purpose, and I doubt I’ll ever understand. Seems to me like she’s just being a spiteful bitch. Over the last year she’s been so frustrated with me for focusing on school and working. I might be an heiress, but that doesn’t mean everything I have is something my daddy’s money bought. No, I’d much rather claim I’ve purchased it, because I have.
One thing I hate more than anything in this world is when kids from large, prominent families don’t get off their asses and do anything for themselves. Instead, they choose to live off their family’s money. While I know that I’ll never struggle, I don’t want to fully rely on them because feeling indebted to my daddy is something I don’t want. He’s the type of dick that holds it over my head.
“Well, you two have a safe flight home and text me when you land,” I say, looking to the both of them.
“Ditto. Gotta make sure my bitches are alright!” Paulo cackles. Looking from the corner of my eye, I catch the glare from Heather. She really is not a fan of Paulo at all. I can’t tell if it’s jealousy or if because he’s gay. Heather and I became friends through our parents, both sharing very similar viewpoints, including their ultra-conservativeness. I remember as a teen how my mother was actually the one to speak to me about staying away from ‘certain individuals’ as she called them. I rolled my eyes back then the same way I do now. Never will I outcast people based on their sexual preferences.
Heather and Sky walk away, and I watch as they get a taxi. Honestly, this trip might be a hell of a lot better with Heather gone. I came here to relax, and instead, I’ve spent almost the entire thing trying to repair my friendship with her. At this point, I don’t think there’s any salvaging it. It’s sad, but sometimes this happens. People grow apart over the years and just don’t have the same relationship that they once had. I keep thinking I’m selfish to be feeling this way, but I know that I’m not.
Out of any country I’ve ever visited, Brazil has to be one of the most beautiful. It’s in the mid-eighties with what feels like little humidity. With every day we’ve been here in Rio, it’s been close to the same temperature. There’s a slight wind gust that keeps you from getting too overheated, and the sun beams down from above, giving us all glowing tans. The beach is beautiful at sunset, when the orange color fades over the night sky and reflects on the vibrant blue color of the water. The city is even as colorful as the rest of the area. Homes aren’t just earthy colors like they are back home in Texas but are painted in pink, green, yellow and blue. It’s refreshing to see so much life in one place, and I know that I chose just the right setting for some time away.
“C’mon, let’s go to the bar!” Paulo grabs my hand and takes me down the street. I have this gut feeling that the bar he’s taking me to is actually where his boy toy works, and the moment we sit down on barstools, I know I’m correct in thinking that. A man who looks like he’s in his mid-thirties comes walking over with a shit eating grin on his face.
Paulo tells him something that I don’t understand, and the man walks away for a moment, grabs a shaker, and pours a multitude of liquors into it. After a minute, he’s coming back to us with two drinks in glasses. “So, would you be annoyed with me if I stay with Gabriel tonight? Honestly, I may stay with him for as many nights as I can. You know what I’m saying.” Paulo’s question comes out of nowhere, but just from looking at this guy . . . I can’t blame him. He’s the epitome of physical perfection, looking like he’s a chiseled statue that somehow brought to life.
“No, I totally get it,” I answer as any friend would, even though I’m nervous beyond belief. Rio is a great city, but I’ve heard about what happens to American women who are here by themselves. If anyone knows I’m here alone, or sees me alone, I’ll instantly become a target.
Paulo smirks, tossing his head back and does a little shimmy, showing me how excited he is. “You are the best friend a man could ask for, cutie patootie!”
I raise a brow, speaking firmly. “If you ever call me that again I will take this straw and shove it so forcefully into your eyeball that it hits your brain matter and you drop dead.”
“Such a sick bitch, I love it.” He wiggles an eyebrow at me, and I have to chuckle a little. Yes, this is better without Heather.
Paulo and I sit at the bar for what feels like a couple hours, drinking everything that comes our way and going dancing on the floor a few feet back. With every hour that passes, the crowd grows larger.
I start flirting with this cute British man. He looks Eastern Indian, and dammit if he isn’t the hottest man in the room. He keeps offering to buy me a drink, one after another, and I finally cave in and accept. He brings me back a shot of tequila from the smell of it ,and I throw it back. “Woo!” I giggle afterwards, sliding my arms around his.
Right now, I’m not Presley Richards, heiress to Richards Energy. I’m just a young woman on a life changing trip to Rio.
Only, when I feel faint and my legs go out from under me . . . I wonder what the hell is happening, but before I can ask, everything goes dark.
