Chapter 7: Sarah’s POV

He plucked up two flutes from the passing waiter before securing us a spot in a corner. I was still feeling out of depth, yet my curiosity had been piqued the second Adam wanted some privacy to speak to me. Casually offering me the flute, he gave me a warm smile as I took it with ease before those intelligent eyes sharpened on me. “You speak French?”

“A little... only the basics,” I murmured before taking a cautious sip, eyes unwavering at the newly introduced man.

He seemed forward yet accommodating enough. I supposed it wouldn’t be too bad if I let my guard down a little. He didn’t seem the type to have their claws out just because I was dating his friend.

“So, Adam... closest friend to Michael; that must be something.” My brow arched as I waited for him to supply me with some information. Aside from what I had seen and knew of Michael, there wasn’t much about him on the internet other than how his family started and how their wealth accumulated from smart investments. There was nothing to clue me in about his personal life, much other than photographs. I needed the puny details to something tell me what made the man tick. After all, I was to be in his “care” for the next six months. Wanting to know more about the man who would see to my welfare didn’t seem unreasonable.

Adam shrugged my question off, looking noncommittal. “We have our moments like the rest. We’ve grown up together since toddlers.” Another casual  shrug before he appointed me another question. “How do you find him and everything else?”

Michael surprisingly seemed harmless. Well, if I took out that first time we met and how he daringly came in my  hands and how powerful I felt then. He’d been distant since, leaving me to my own devices.

“It’s okay...” Blushing as I murmured my answer, feeling quite bothered each time I recalled that incident in my mind. Every time, it never fails to make me feel... things.

“And the girls?”

Rose and Lilly were distant but seemed friendly enough. I could only be thankful that the three of us, though we lived in the same wing, all led separate lives. They had their own sets of friends and lived as if they were boarding in the villa, and not mistresses of Michael Anderson. It was surprisingly harmonious given the odd circumstances.

“They are reserved but pleasant.” Taking another sip, I pondered my next question, hoping I wasn’t probing on a subject that was off-limits. “May I ask why he prefers the triple?”

Adam beamed at me, giving me a glimpse of his own dark, sexy beauty. He and Michael shared that whole laissez- faire attitude, yet it was done with subtle elegance, great confidence, and an underlying power even right up to the way they held their heads high. They had some male ego competition going on, from what I was gathering. I wasn’t sure if it was by birthright or simply by being raised together, but I must admit, it was mesmeric to be around their casual air of certainty.

“How do I explain this delicately...?” Clearing his throat, he took a sip of his drink before focusing on our conversation. “Years ago, this woman he was in a relationship with fell in love with him even though he told her that nothing was going to come out of their union.

“There was always that poor woman who fell for the bad boy. Thank goodness that wouldn’t be the case with me.

“Let’s just say she made a big deal out of it and caused a lot of complications in his life.” When he broke his lips for a smile this time, it appeared sad. “From then on, he thinks having only one is dangerous to the woman’s mental health.”

“A security blanket. One was surely complicated, having two would merely spark competition, but three? Three is perfect harmony.” I figured it out for myself. My thoughts travelled into the villa, picturing a woman smitten and doomed with her love for a man who didn’t accept it. How tragic it must have been for her.

“Sure, you can call it that.”

Well, whatever Michael was harboring, he could rest assured I wouldn’t ever be in that same fate because, even though he was the most beautiful creature I had ever been graced to meet, my heart remained forever with Lukas , who was patiently waiting for me to finish this “job” I had vaguely explained to him, needing space and an excuse for breaking his heart. My father was a selfish brute of a bastard. If it weren’t for my brother and mother, I wouldn’t be standing here tonight. Breathing out my frustration, I carried on with the conversation. “What about you? Do you have a similar outlook with women?”

Adam laughed wholeheartedly. “You’re forward, aren’t you, fresh meat?” I gave him a puzzled look before he produced the answer. “Fresh meat.  is what I shall call you from now on.”

Oh, please. Maybe to his standards I was. I was far from being one, but I didn’t dare argue with him.

“More champagne?”

“I’m afraid your waiting services are no longer needed, Adam.” Michael’s arctic voice interrupted us, making us both turn while my breath caught as our eyes clashed. I supposed whoever he had spoken to earlier on, it hadn’t gone as planned.

Michael harshly said something to him that I did not understand, making me bite my lip as I stared at the both of them, uncertain if I should hide. He sounded like he was infuriated, but Adam’s easy smile contradicted my assumptions.

“Sarah, it was marvelous to speak to you this evening. I will see you again.” He made a gallant bow before he brazenly winked at Michael and then left us in quite a heavy shroud of thick silence. Damn mafias, everything about them is so scary