|| LORENZO's POV ||
" Lo.. actually..I..fuck...", Luka shouted, pushing open the door. His voice snapped me out of my actions. I looked down at Valentina blankly. We both were panting, struggling to catch the breath. Her sweet rosy smell still brushed past my nostrils.
What the fuck was I doing?
I couldn't understand myself these days anymore. Some things had started to change ever since she started to live together with me. I felt like I had started to see her as my child's mother more than a surrogate.
I got up from her shyly and whipped back to growl at Luka who was standing, facing the door,
" Can't you knock?"
He let out a dark chuckle, teasing me,
" Who knew that things were getting hot here? Come outside. I came to tell you something!"
_________
" What's up between you two?", Luka asked with a grin, helping me out to light up the cigarette.
I drew a long puff, looking at the starry sky outside. After the unexpected kiss, I didn't dare to look into her eyes. I came out with Luka, giving her space to erase the awkwardness between us. I shrugged it as a response, murmuring,
" Nothing! We..we were just too emotional.."
Luka scoffed disdainfully,
" Come on, Lo! I can clearly see that things are getting odd between you two. You surely like her, don't you? Or maybe love at first sight? Wait, don't tell me, you made her your surrogate because you liked her?"
I rebuked sharply, growling at his weird assumptions,
" Shut up! Love isn't for me anymore. You know better than anyone else, Luka. I hate the name 'Love'. Things between me and Valentina, it was just a mistake that we did as an adult."
Luka wasn't going to let it off. He crossed his arms over his chest, demanding an answer,
" Fine! Tell me then! What will you do if someday you see that she is fucking a guy right in front of your eyes? Maybe, she will come late at night because she is dating someone else?"
I pictured those things mentally and unexpectedly erupted like a volcano,
" Shut the fuck up? Why would she fuck someone else when she is carrying my baby? It's... it's.. just impossible.."
Then, Luka let out a delightful laughter of victory. I felt awkwardly silent. Truly, why was it going to bother me that she fucked some other guy?
Luka patted on my shoulders, sighing,
" Just admit that you have feelings for Valentina. I know, her identity is complicated but finally, you have liked someone after so many years, Lo. This time, don't be too late to hold her or else you will regret it again."
Luka's words made sense in my mind. I really couldn't bear to see her with someone else. Subconsciously, she became a part of my life.
Luka spoke again, remembering something,
" Oh..I came to show you this..She is probably getting engaged... There has been news all over the media outlets."
Luka showed an article to me. I barely sneaked a glance of her smiling face then looked away, mumbling,
" Whatever she does, it has nothing to do with me anymore. She is no longer important to me."
________________
|| VALENTINA'S POV ||
I couldn't sleep last night. Although I expected a romantic dream after what happened between us, I ended up crying for the rest of the night. After Lorenzo went out with Luka, I was worried that he was still feeling heartbroken. So I ended up, following them to the corridor. I didn't intend to overheard their conversation but some unpleasant words came into my ears. When Luka made fun of our intimacy, Lorenzo declined it completely and said that we were just messed up.
Fool..how could I dare to think that Lorenzo took a liking to me?
That night, I was deprived of sleep and ended up sleeping all the morning until Emily gave me a call.
" Hello darling! Guess, I got good news for you!", Emily sounded all excited about the speaker. I forced myself to talk normally, sitting up on the bed groggily,
" Mmmh! What happened again? We just met yesterday."
Emily's tone sounded mysterious as she replied with a toothy grin,
" A group of people came to find me today. They are looking for you actually. It was the manager of a bar. They want to perform as their stripper. Guess what? They wanted to give you advance payment."
I smiled at the news happily but soon it faded away from my mind. Lorenzo already said that I couldn't be a stripper because of his reputation. But he hasn't introduced me publicly yet. It shouldn't be an issue if I took the job now. Besides, my belly was still small and could be hidden under a loose dress. A few months later, I would be strictly bedridden.
So why should I sacrifice myself for someone who didn't care for me? Plus, didn't he call me a cheap stripper the other day? We had no sort of relationship except a boss and employee.
Perhaps, I would get a huge sum of money for giving birth to his heir but I still had a long life ahead to fulfill my dreams. I needed my personal savings and self-identity.
I responded by giving it a final thought,
" Tell them that I will do the show but Emily, I need your help. I can't go alone in this state."
Emily chirped happily,
" Sure, anything for you bitch! I am confirming it then. I will see you in the evening."
As the evening hit the weather, I climbed down to inform the butler that I was leaving again. However, the rude butler surprised me, telling me that I was allowed to leave the house. I guess after what happened the last time, Lorenzo was finally giving me freedom. But it didn't change the fate of us. Still, I was his hired surrogate only.
__________
" Thank you for accepting the offer, Miss Valentina. We heard a lot about your show!", the young manager greeted me politely which I just ignored. I was more cautious about my safety first because this bar was completely new to me.
It was modest and high-class. Most of their customers came from powerful families which was less troublesome. Basically, random teenagers cause trouble in places like this. I replied, pushing my hair back,
" Mention not! Actually, I am on break from work. I was free today and thought of doing this show."
His smile broadened in happiness and gave me a check of two hundred dollars,
" This is your advance! After you finish the show, we will pay the rest. Let me know if you need anything. The changing room is on the left."
I felt alive again after getting the salary. Although I hated this job, I enjoyed doing it naturally. Grabbing Emily's arms, I headed for the changing room, ready to change into a costume that they prepared. They looked like a gentleman but that didn't mean, I was letting my guard off.
Emily returned to the room after taking a stall around,
" Valentina! You are going to get a lot of tips today. Those people are all from rich classes. You should take a lot."
I shrugged at her excitement and thought of using the bathroom in front of our changing room,
" Emily! I have to use the bathroom. Stay inside the room, okay?"
She nodded affirmatively as I headed to use the toilet. However just when I was about to cross the door, I saw two shadows walking past in opposite directions, a few feet away from me. When I whipped my head back to take a better look, they were gone into the vip areas. I didn't why but those figures felt similar to me.
Could it be Lorenzo? But how was it possible? He said that he hated bars...Maybe, I was just overthinking.