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“Oh, that must be fun at least,” I said. “I’ve never left the country.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Can I ask...how old are you?”
“Um...I just turned twenty-one.”
Her brows raised and she glanced at Duran, eyes narrowing. Then she pushed back from the table. “I have to go to the bathroom. Want to come with?”
“Sure,” I said, leaning towards Duran. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
He nodded once and I felt his eyes follow Raina and I as we disappeared down the hall and into the bathroom. It was a big room with a line of mirrors and marble sinks. Raina sat on the counter and took a little bag of makeup from her purse.
“You okay, Iris?” she asked lightly.
I leaned on the counter, watching as she applied lipstain. “Duran doesn’t hurt me.”
She turned her head to the side, admiring her work. “I’m just checking on you, babe. I remember what it was like to be as young as you and suddenly be surrounded by men like that.”
My throat felt tight out of nowhere. I didn’t have any sisters and I didn’t have a lot of close female friends. It was something I’d always wanted, but struggled to get.
My chest felt too full, like there were so many pent up words inside me I just had to let them out. My eyes smarted and my lashes were wet.
“He took my virginity,” I said.
She froze, looking at me in the mirror. Her shoulders sagged. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry.”
I swiped a tear off my cheek without smearing my makeup. “It’s fine. It’s not like I didn’t enjoy it…it’s just been a lot.”
“When?” she asked gently.
“Last night.”
She slipped off the sink and wrapped me in a brief hug. Then she took a tissue out and dabbed my cheeks carefully. I kept still while she touched up my lipstick for me, comforted by being fussed over.
“Did he give you birth control? Or use protection?”
I nodded. “I’m on the pill.”
She smiled encouragingly. “Just make sure you don’t forget to take it.”
I nodded. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to just dump my feelings on you. Are you okay? I know you’re not in an ideal situation.”
She shrugged her bare shoulders. “I’m not afraid of these men anymore. I know how to work Leonid like a puppet. He’d get down on his knees and beg like a dog if I told him to.”
“Oh my,” I said, surprised, but incredibly impressed.
She tucked her bag over her shoulder. “It’s all in what you’re willing to do and what you’re willing to withhold from them, honey. Just make sure you don’t catch any feelings.”
She ducked into the bathroom stall and I stood there, staring at my reflection as a sudden realization hit me. In my head flashed dozens of images of Duran—him on his knees, face buried between my legs; his crooked smirk as he looked me from head to toe; the way he’d held me while I slept last night. Too late.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
DURAN
My body was on high alert the moment she stepped out of my sight. I took my phone out and swiped the screen. The bracelet I’d given her had a tracking chip in it so I could watch her little red dot move on my phone. After the night on the ship and our evening at the bar, I was never letting her out from under my protection.
I kept my eyes on the screen for my entire conversation with Leonid.
It felt like forever before her red dot moved. I glanced up and saw her walk out alongside Leonid’s mistress, Raina. They took their seats and I slid my phone in my pocket and put my hand on her thigh. Back where it belonged.
