Page 37 of Sweet Deception

After the screen comes to life, I tap into the contacts to find Luca's and start a text, focusing on the biggest item he bought.

A car? Really? And I hope you brace yourself for the amount of money Joannaspent on me.

I stare at the phone, waiting for a response. When it doesn't come right away, I lay the phone on my chest and stuff my hands under my head as I stare at the ceiling. I requested to stop at the bank before we got distracted with shopping. I never got the chance to pay my parent's mortgage payment and I don't know how long they have before the bank starts foreclosure.

Ms. Wesley handed me a visa gift card with my first week's payment after I signed the contract. She informed me the company takes care of loading the card with the contract payment each week to ensure the girls are paid on time.

Another pinch of guilt hits me. Being a sugar baby isn't exactly legal, so I understand why they are paying us this way.

I can't help but reflect on the banker's reaction this morning. He told me a payment wasn't due and he wouldn't give me details since I'm not on the account, but did reassure me it wasn't because of being foreclosed on.

I don't know if Mom scraped enough to pay the minimum since her last call I overheard. It's the only explanation I can think of. I'll just have to be sneaky and try to find the mortgage letter in their house for next month's payment.

My phone vibrates on my chest, bringing me back to the now. Checking it, my lips tip up and my belly flutters when I see Luca's name displayed on the screen.

Chapter sixteen

Luca

Gio, Rafael and I are working in my home office compiling a list of every client, sugar baby, and employee at Sweet Connections, when I receive the text from Kylie.

Wanting to know how her day went, I decide to call her back and ask the guys if they want coffee before heading to the kitchen. The phone only rings once before she answers. Maybe she's as eager as I am to spend more time together.

"Hi." Her one softly spoken word is all it takes to fill me with need. It's a reminder I should be getting all that softness in bed, not over a phone. When we find the plant, I'll make sure they pay for keeping me from her.

"Hi, Angel. How was shopping?" I place the phone on speaker before laying it on the counter.

"Joanna seemed pleased, so I guess it was successful. I wasn't sure what you wanted me to buy. I left it in her hands, which is why you're going to have one heck of a bill."

A yawn comes through the phone, causing my lips to kick up. There's a reason Joanna is a stylist. With her love of shopping, I'm not surprised she ran her ragged, despite being done earlier than I'd expected.

Dumping several scoops of coffee into the machine, I respond, "I had nothing in particular in mind. Just a day to treat you. I would've taken you myself ifbusiness hadn't interrupted." Surprisingly, I'm speaking the truth. I think I would have enjoyed spoiling her.

"A car though? Don't you think it's a bit much? The contract said you'd cover car payments, not purchase a new car."

I can almost hear her eye roll and the corner of my mouth curls up. "I am covering your car payments—on a new car."

"If you could see me right now, I'm rolling my eyes," she sasses.

I chuckle, feeling smug that I can already predict her reactions.

"Angel, your car looked like you dragged it out of a junkyard. I want you to have safe transportation. It was that or hire a full-time driver. I figured you'd want more freedom than that."

Little does she know, I've already hired Joseph as her driver slash bodyguard.

"Did Rafael say something to you?" She asks. A hint of suspicion in her voice.

I'm about to push the brew button on the machine when I still from her question. "What do you mean?"

"You both used the word junkyard when describing my car." She huffs.

Relaxing my shoulders, I smirk and push the button. I turn to lean against the counter and cross my arms while I wait for the stream of coffee to pour into my mug. "He isn't wrong. And no. You were driving it that first day, remember? I worried you wouldn't make it home."

"Really? Wait, did you know I was applying to be a sugar baby?"

Still not wanting her to know I’m the owner of Sweet Connections, I hedge around my answer. "No, but I knew what door you walked out of. I knew it was that or the dating service, so I asked about you."

"Oh."

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