Page 51 of Too Hard to Resist

I squeezed my eyes shut, partly because it was a painful memory, but mainly because it was not really something that I should discuss with a guest.

‘What happened?’ Concern washed over Samantha’s face. ‘Sorry. I’m just being nosy. Tell me to mind my own business if you want.’

‘It is okay.’

Maybe if I told her, she would realise I was not the man she seemed to think I was. Her opinion should not matter to me, but for some reason it did.

Perhaps it was because I had a feeling that Edward was not a good man and I wanted to show her that not all men were dishonest.

‘I had a girlfriend, Greta.’ I took a deep breath. Just saying her name made anger simmer beneath my skin. ‘We started dating when I was twenty-four. It was serious. Well, I thought it was. We dated for four years and I had an opportunity to travel to the US for three months as part of an exchange programme. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, but Greta said she did not want me to go. She wanted us to settle down. Move in together and think about marriage and children. I loved her, so even though I really wanted to go, I gave up the opportunity because I wanted to make her happy. Then I worked night and day to afford the apartment that she wanted.’

‘Where were you working?’

‘In hotels, mainly. The company I worked for was part of a chain with locations around Italy. They asked me to cover some shifts in Rome and I accepted. The money was good because I would be doing lots of late nights. I was supposed to work for a week, but in the end they only needed me for six days, so I came home early to surprise Greta. ButIwas the one that got the surprise.’

‘Oh, no.’ Samantha’s face fell. ‘What happened?’

‘When I got home, she was in bed. With my best friend.’

‘Fuck!’ Samantha’s jaw dropped. ‘That’s awful.’

‘It was the worst. When I asked him to look out for her whilst I was away, I did not expect that he would dothat. I trusted them and they both betrayed me. Later I realised that Terzo – the man who had been my friend since we were seven years old – did it deliberately.’

‘What? Why?’

‘He was convinced that I had done something with his girlfriend. She used to talk a lot to me and ask for advice and he did not like that. He was convinced that the reason she broke up with him was because she was in love with me. I told him I had done nothing to encourage her and had no interest in her, but he did not believe me. So the minute my back was turned, he slept with my girlfriend as revenge for something I had not even done.’

‘What a dick.’ Samantha shook her head.

‘Sì. I found it hard to deal with the betrayal, so I did not go to work and I lost my job and so all of the money I had saved went straight to pay the rent and bills and I gave up the opportunity of a lifetime all because of a woman. Just because I wanted to make her happy. That is why I cannot make that mistake again.’

‘I’m so sorry that happened to you,’ Samantha said sympathetically. I had definitely shared more than I should with a guest, but she was easy to talk to. ‘I’ve been cheated on too and it’s the worst.’

‘It is. So going back to your original comment, it is true that when my ex cheated, once I had dragged myself out of my hole, there was a point that I did sleep around. I trusted Greta. I thought that we were forever and I thought, if I cannot trust her, then I cannot trust anyone. So I just had one-night stands. I did not want to ever get close to anyone again.’

‘But you can’t stay like that forever, right?’

‘Perhaps not forever, but certainly for the next few years. Being single works for me. I am too busy working to have time to date anyway. And there is also an exciting career opportunity coming up and it is important that I stay focused for that.’

‘Ooh, that sounds amazing! What is it?’ Samantha’s eyes widened with interest.

‘The Love Hotel is expanding. Soon they will open a resort in California, which will be their biggest and most prestigious and if I continue to do well here, Victoria said that there is a chance that I could apply to work there for a few months.’

‘That’s amazing!’

‘Sì. I have always wanted to work abroad. It is my dream. They will open applications soon and because there are only three Love Hotel resorts, I have a good chance of succeeding. Once the business expands, it will become almost impossible, so seizing the opportunity now is important. That is why it is easier to be by myself, so that I am free and do not have to answer to anyone. This time I will not let anything stand in my way.’

‘Fair enough,’ Samantha nodded.

‘Come,’ I said, changing the subject. I needed to steer the conversation back to professional ground. ‘There is one more place I want to show you before we meet the others.’

‘Okey dokey!’ Samantha chirped and I couldn’t help but smile at her interesting saying. I had noticed I smiled a lot when I was around her. ‘Lead the way.’

22

SAMMIE

I slid my feet into my sandals, then headed down to the restaurant for breakfast.

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