Chapter 30
LAILA
As I slid onto the back seat of the chauffeur-driven car next to Gabriel and our knees brushed, I swallowed hard and goosebumps erupted across my skin.
Gabriel’s words, when he said he wasn’t going to chase me because he knew things between us would happen organically, kept swirling in my head.
I wanted to tell him that he was wrong. But the truth was much scarier because I was worried that he might be right.
There was some kind of magnetic force pulling us together.
Throughout the short flight to Nice, I’d tried to read, but my mind wasn’t focused on the pages of my paperback. It was just replaying all of the delicious things that Gabriel and I had done last night and this morning.
The way he knew exactly how to touch me, the feel of his mouth as he licked and sucked literally every inch of my body, the way his ginormous and extremely talented cock had stretched me wide open.
At one point I’d even considered dragging him to the plane toilets for a repeat performance.
Joining the mile-high club would’ve been a cool thing to tick off the fantasy list. But then I pulled myself back to reality.
Sleeping with my best friend’s son was bad enough. Imagine getting arrested for doing it.
Luckily, soon afterwards we’d landed and my thoughts were downgraded from rated X to PG. Well, that was until Gabriel just said he knew we would end up shagging again and somehow his confidence sent a flood of anticipation rocketing through my body.
Maybe I was worrying over nothing. The party tonight meant we’d spend less time alone in the villa together, which meant less temptation. And it was even better that his friends would be there too. I was sure they’d want to catch up, which again, would make it easier for us to keep our distance.
Gabriel started talking to me about the various places he’d visited in the South of France and before I knew it, we were pulling up in front of a large golden gate.
‘We have arrived,’ the driver’s voice sounded on the intercom.
As we cruised down the huge driveway, my mouth fell open. I didn’t think it was possible but it was even more glamorous than the Paris resort.
On either side of us there were lush manicured gardens with an array of gorgeous colourful flowers.
Tall palm trees lined the paths and swayed gently in the breeze.
When the driver opened the door and we stepped outside, the first thing that hit me was the salty sea air. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes. We hadn’t even stepped into reception yet or explored the surroundings, but I already felt like I was in paradise.
A tall black woman walked towards us with a warm smile across her face.
‘Laila and Gabriel, welcome!’ she said. ‘I’m Jasmine.’
‘Sammie’s friend!’ I said quickly.
‘That’s right! I’m a Love Empress here. I don’t normally get to greet our guests any more, which is a shame, but when Sammie called and told me about you two, I had to make an exception! Congrats on winning the competition, by the way.’
‘Merci,’ Gabriel smiled.
‘Come, follow me!’ Jasmine said before leading us to the grand reception which had huge white columns and cream marble tiles that were so shiny I was surprised I didn’t slip on them.
‘We’ve already checked you in so let me give you a little tour and then I’ll take you straight to your villa. You’re going to love it!’
As Jasmine showed us around the hotel and the grounds which had elaborate water fountains, fragrant rose beds and colourful flowers, my jaw trailed along the ground so much I was lucky that no one stepped on it.
My head swivelled from left to right as I took in the sight of the sun-filled terraces, huge infinity swimming pool, outdoor jacuzzi and panoramic views of the stunning Mediterranean Sea.
The hotel was perched on a peninsula, so Jasmine had to lead us down to the beach.
‘Wow. It’s sandy!’ I gasped. ‘I thought all the beaches in the South of France had pebbles or rocks?’
‘Most of them do.’ Jasmine nodded. ‘From what I’ve been told, sandy beaches are rare here.
And hotels that have direct beach access without busy roads or promenades to cross to get to them are even rarer.
So the Love Hotel secured an excellent location.
This area is very exclusive and calm, but it’s still easy to get to many other attractions in the region. ’
‘Impressive,’ Gabriel agreed.
‘Let me take you to where you’ll be staying.’
Jasmine led us to a villa which she said was ours but I must’ve misheard because it looked like somewhere a superstar like Beyoncé or Taylor Swift would stay. Not a single mother from South-East London.
‘Here we are,’ Jasmine said before opening the solid oak front door.
‘Bloody hell!’ I gasped as I stood in the large open-plan living room. It had a plush white sofa, a ginormous flat-screen TV that looked like it belonged in a cinema and…
Oh. My. God.
‘Look!’ I said, racing to the huge sliding patio doors. Right in front of me were uninterrupted sea views.
‘Not bad, eh?’ Jasmine said. ‘Why don’t you have a little look outside too?’
‘Okay!’ I stepped out onto the patio. ‘Gabriel!’ I called out. ‘Come and look at this! We have our own pool!’
I should probably try to play down my excitement a bit and act like staying in a place like this was just standard, but right now, I had zero cool (not sure I ever had any to begin with). There was only one word to describe this: mind-blowing.
Gabriel stepped outside and nodded his approval.
‘There’s a hot tub too! I’ve never even been in a hot tub!’ I sprinted over to have a look.
As well as the pool and the hot tub, there was a large daybed, plus patio table and chairs and even a hammock.
Once I calmed down, Jasmine invited me back inside to show me the rest of the rooms.
‘So the villa has two bedrooms.’ She opened the door to the first room. ‘This one is slightly smaller,’ she said, ‘then next door we have the master bedroom, which is ideal for couples who are comfortable sharing a bed.’ She smiled.
I was about to protest and tell her that wouldn’t be relevant to us, but when I caught sight of the room, I changed my mind.
It was a four-poster bed which was so big that never mind fitting a couple on here, you could literally have a foursome on it and still have room. Not that it was that kind of hotel, of course.
‘Great bed,’ Gabriel grinned.
‘It’s very… big,’ I added.
‘That is what you said last night,’ Gabriel whispered in my ear. My cheeks heated and a bolt of desire shot straight to my core.
A small smile touched Jasmine’s lips and I wondered if she’d heard Gabriel’s comment.
Once she’d showed us the bathroom which had a gorgeous waterfall shower which stretched across the entire back wall and even had a seat attached (which I assumed wasn’t just for sitting on, if you catch my drift), Jasmine left.
Gabriel stood in front of me and our eyes locked.
I wanted him to scoop me up into his arms and carry me to that big bed so badly, but I’d promised myself that we wouldn’t do anything again and I had to stick to it.
He stepped forward and as his intoxicating scent surrounded me, I felt electricity crackling in the air. One small move would be all that was needed and his lips would be pressed against mine.
Just a few teeny, tiny inches were all that separated us.
It would be so simple to just…
‘I should take a shower.’ I stepped back. ‘Jasmine said the party starts in about an hour, right? And I have no idea what to wear.’
I quickly raced to where our suitcases had been placed in the hallway. ‘I’ll take the small bedroom.’ I shot through the door, closed it behind me and pressed my back against it.
Jesus.
If I found it hard to resist temptation after being left alone in this villa with him for less than one minute, how the hell was I going to last one week?