Page 53 of Dr. Stone
I passed through a vine-covered terrace and was greeted by the spa attendant. She smiled, nodded, and gestured for me to follow her deeper into the cave-like structure, where, at the back, Nat and Avery were already indulging themselves in the steam-filled pool.
“Finally,” Avery chirped. “What held you up? Did Titus join you for lunch?”
Nat smirked. “It would be an interesting plot twist if he had,” she winked. “Step in, gorgeous. This water is singing your name.”
I chuckled at Nat’s dramatics. “No, I didn’t have lunch with Titus,” I said, getting in and taking the glass of rosé Avery handed me once I sat in the sunken stone pool. “I probably won’t see him until tonight.” I took a sip, “The guy is opening his resort to all these people, so I’m sure he’s busy.”
“To that point, thank God you didn’t fall for the guy. He’s great and everything, but damn. He puts all his energy into work, like he’s trying to prove something with every project. It’s like everything else comes in second, and whatever he’s building always gets the best of him,” Nat said. “I mean, all these rich men are busy, self-absorbed dicks, but some actually make time for other people’s emotional needs. Titus doesn’t seem to be the latter.”
“He’ll learn one day,” Avery grinned. “Jim was the same way before we met. Who knows, you could be the one who brings his head out of his ass?”
“I’m not in the business of fixing men or helping them figure out how to be present in a relationship. Besides, something’s off with him. Everyone says he’s a player, has his ladies for a night, and then moves on—kind of the way Ash says that Jace was before me—but the only sexual advance Titus has made is to kiss the back of my hand.”
Nat practically spit her drink back into her glass, “And you haven’t kicked his dry ass to the curb over that yet? I’m telling you, honey, a man who won’t fuck you to prove he’s got a dick bigger than his ego hasgotto kick rocks.”
“I know,” I agreed. “It doesn’t bother me or anything, and I think that’s because I’m not really interested in fucking him anyway. It just seems odd, the things he says to me as if I’m the only woman he has ever adored and will ever adore. He spoils me with bespoke gowns for our dates but nothing more. His words always seem dangerously daring, but homeboy ain’t got the actions to back that shit up,” I chuckled.
Both women stared at me blankly before Avery spoke.
“This is very interesting,” she said, “because you’re right, Titus will fuck any woman he wants whenever he wants. In fact, if the rumors are true, he’s enjoyed the billionaire playboy life with more than one or two ladies at once, so he’s living his dream,” she arched an eyebrow.
“Well, that’s nowhere near the man I’ve come to know,” I answered.
“I think he’s terrified,” Nat said bluntly. “He’s scared of your hot ass hurting him. If he fucks you, he’ll grow even more attached than he already is and truly not be able to let you go.” She sat up straighter, “And get a load of this shit…Spence told me last night that he already knew you’ve got Jace on the sidelines, waiting for when Titus frees up your time. Got to love that my husband knew about this shit this entire time while I was in the fucking dark until last night. The treachery!”
“That’s just because Spence knows exactly how you’d be about it,” Avery chuckled.
“What? By calling shit exactly as I see it?” Nat shot back. Then she turned to me, wagging a finger. “Doesn’t matter. Bottom line? Titus is being a chicken shit—robbing you of endless orgasms and glorious pleasure. Which means, naturally, your mind drifts back to Jace, who already delivered. And now? Voilà! You’ve realized you’re wasting time with Titus when you could be thoroughly fucked by that hot snack of a doctor waiting for you back home.”
I grinned, “Well, I don’t want Titus to get hurt. That’s not something I want for either man.”
“Someone’s going to get hurt. Shit like that always happens when you’re dating and one person falls first. It’s fine.” Avery shrugged, sipping her wine. “Titus will cry into his cashmere handkerchief, then hop on the next flight to Madrid to buy another boy-toy jet from Jace’s baby brother.”
“I’m sorry, what?” I said, still surprised that Jace’s family was like Titus’s.
“Yeah, it’s the gem of the family business,” Nat said. “Everyone who’s anyone overseas will purchase their luxury yachts and jets from Dorian Stone.”
“And you’ll probably meet him tonight, too,” Avery said. “All of the Stones plan to be here to celebrate Titus’s tribute to his late mother and their friend.”
“This will be very interesting,” I said, a ripple of nerves tightening in my chest at the thought that I might meet Jace’s family before he ever got the chance to introduce me himself.
“Unfortunately, Jace knows Titus brought you here for this,” Avery said. “He’d planned on joining the family for the event, most likely so he would have the chance to introduce you to his family instead of Titus getting to do the honors. Sadly, the hospital is understaffed this week, and he couldn’t break away.”
“Wow,” I said.
What the hell had I gotten myself into? This was supposed to be a fun, carefree weekend, not a crash course in how tangled things were between Titus, Jace, and their families.
Now, I was suddenly on the verge of meeting Jace’s family, without Jace, at an event hosted by Titus, and it was all starting to feel way too complicated. Suddenly, this weekend felt less like an escape and more like a collision course.
I just had to hope I could get through it with as little drama as possible, but considering I was basically living inThe Billionaire Bachelorette, I was starting to doubt that was even an option.
TWENTY-FOUR
Andie
The evening wasbeyond perfect and beautiful. The setting for the grand opening felt like we were deep in the heart of a Costa Rican rainforest.
Tall palms and thick greenery formed a canopy overhead, with large golden lanterns hanging throughout. The sound of water trickling down the rock walls surrounding us gave the space an intimate, soothing feel, blending perfectly with the soft string symphony playing by the glowing pool next to our table.
