Page 19 of Cryptic Curse (Bellamy Brothers #7)

DANIELA

L unch break comes, and there’s a small dining area with several round tables set up for students.

Most of the young men and women are already seated, eating and chatting with new friends.

I scan the room, feeling oddly out of place.

These people are mostly older than I am, though a few look young enough to be fresh out of high school.

I make my way to an empty table at the far end, but Jordan waves me over.

I smile and join them. He’s sitting with two women.

“Daniela, hi,” he says. “Meet Gina and Lavender.”

I recognize both women from class. They were partners in the kitchen. Gina is a pretty woman with dark skin and eyes, and Lavender… Well, she lives up to her name. Her skin is fair, but her hair and her nails are light purple.

Already I’m embarrassed about the lunch I brought. Simple ham and cheese and a Tupperware of fresh blueberries. Gina is—seriously—eating sushi out of a bento box, and Lavender is noshing on a quinoa salad that looks like something out of a gourmet cookbook.

“Hi.” I set my simple lunch down in front of me.

“So you’re the one who blew everyone away with your chopping skills,” Lavender says with a smile. “Jordan wouldn’t shut up about it.”

“He’s exaggerating,” I say, though I can’t help but feel pleased.

“No, he’s not,” Gina interjects. “We all saw. You were incredible.”

I warm at their praise. It’s strange to be on the receiving end of genuine admiration. Back home, the only kind of attention I received was… Well, not the good kind.

“Where are you from, Daniela?” Gina asks.

“Colombia.”

“Really?” She widens her eyes. “I don’t detect an accent at all.”

“I had an American au pair when I was young,” I explain. “She taught me English and I picked it up with her accent. I learned Spanish, of course, from my mother.”

Lavender leans in. “Do you speak any other languages?”

I nod. “French and German.”

“Wow,” Jordan says. “You’re a woman of many talents.”

His words jar me.

I’ve heard them before.

From another American.

* * *

Three Years Earlier…

“I hear you’re a woman of many talents,” the man says.

A woman?

Does he know I’m only fifteen?

It’s been four months since I started entertaining my father’s guests, but this is the first time an American man has come to our home.

I don’t know anything other than that his name is Derek Wolfe, and he’s apparently very important.

Very important.

That’s what my father always says.

“I am?” I reply, attempting to sound confident.

He grins at me through his glass of whiskey—another thing my father insisted upon. If a guest wanted a drink, I was to serve it.

He rakes his gaze over me in a way that makes my skin crawl. “Oh, yes. Your father tells me you’re quite the asset.”

I swallow down the acid that rises in my throat at his predatory smile. I learned early on not to show my fear, to keep my face blank and uninviting. But it’s hard when Mr. Wolfe looks at me like he wants to devour me.

“I do what I can, Senor,” I say politely, ignoring the lecherous grin on his face.

At least this one is good-looking. Tall, with dark hair that’s graying at the temples.

Probably in his fifties.

That’s the usual age of the men I “entertain.”

What a fucking euphemism.

Fuck. Blow. That’s what I do, and it’s sure as hell not entertaining for me.

“Mr. Wolfe, it’s an honor to have you in our home,” my father says, joining us. He claps a hand on the man’s shoulder, giving him a wide smile.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Mr. Wolfe replies, not taking his gaze off me.

“I’ll leave you two to get better acquainted.” My father nods.

“Thank you, Senor Agudelo,” Mr. Wolfe says. “And trust me. If she is as wonderful as I’ve heard, you can be assured we will make our deal.”

* * *

I jerk at Jordan’s voice.

“I’m sorry, what?” I ask.

“You were a million miles away,” he says. “I was just wondering what brought you here to the States?”

“An airplane.” I give a nervous chuckle.

The last thing I want to do is tell them about my marriage of convenience and my past. It’s way too early to trauma dump on these nice people.

Lavender laughs. “Good one. But seriously, how did you end up here?”

I clear my throat and fidget with the blueberry in my hand. “My father passed away recently, and a friend of the family offered to sponsor my trip here and pay for my culinary school.”

“Wow,” Gina says. “I’m so sorry to hear about your dad.”

I simply nod.

“Me too,” Lavender says. “But it’s great that your tuition is covered. I’m taking loans for mine.”

Right. It’s great. I’m fucking luckier than shit.

I paste on a smile. “Yes, I’m very lucky.”

After all, it’s not a lie. I am lucky that Vinnie married me, took me in, and is financing my education. I’m my father’s only heir, but his fortune will be tied up in Colombian probate for years, and most of it is dirty anyway. I don’t want a penny of it.

“What do you think of the States?” Jordan asks. “Of Austin?”

“It’s hot here, but it’s also hot in Colombia,” I say.

“Do you like water parks?” he asks. “They’re a great way to cool off. We could go sometime.”

Is he asking me out? Right in front of two other women?

“I’d like that,” I say, a little stunned. I’ve never been to a water park before. My childhood wasn’t exactly filled with fun outings.

Jordan grins at me, clearly pleased. “Great! We’ll make a plan then.”

His smile holds something else, though.

He’s attracted to me. He’s nice and handsome, but I’m married.

I glance down at my left hand. I’m not wearing a ring, of course. Vinnie’s and my marriage is in name only. Jordan has no way of knowing.

But…

I’m not interested in Jordan that way.

“We should all go,” I say, nodding to Gina and Lavender. “It would be fun to spend time together and get to know each other better outside of class.”

“Yeah, sure,” Jordan says.

Gina and Lavender exchange a glance.

“Sure,” Gina says after a moment. “That would be a blast.”

“We’ll set it up sometime,” Jordan says.

But he says nothing more.

Awkward.

Then again, my whole life has been awkward.

What’s another minute of it?