Chloe was desperate to shout to the top of her lungs and tell her dearest friend that the world was probably going to stop turning and she might end up in a pile of ashes tomorrow because she was sleeping with Graves tonight! But she was so afraid anything—anything—ruining her evening, she quickly brushed Whitney’s concern aside with an easy, “Just have a crazy day today.” And then she drove home to soak in the tub with lavender.
To anyone else who called, she said she was busy tonight. Busy prettying herself for Graves while lusting and waiting for him and caressing her skin with the bright red rose he’d given her two days before. Busy getting wet and excited just thinking about it. Thinking about him. Remembering his kiss, his eyes.
Busy getting ready, because tonight, she was giving her virginity to Graves Buchanan.
And then at around 3 P.M., she got the best present of them all.
A mysterious-looking present. When the maid let her know something had arrived for her, Chloe brought the package simply addressed to CHLOE to her room, still in her bathrobe. The package contained two gift-wrapped items: one small box and one flat envelope. The envelope contained a gemstone certificate, while the box contained a blue velvet ring box with a sparkling, dazzling white diamond nestled at the center. Also inside the box, a letter I on simple white paper had been tucked into the small dome at the top.
An earthquake that would rate about a ten on the Richter scale went all through Chloe, because suddenly she knew, without the shadow of a doubt, that it was from him.
Every ten minutes for hours, an identical present arrived, and each contained a gemstone certificate, an identical diamond, but each with a different letter.
Chloe had never had such a splendid admirer and her womb clenched in frantic excitement every time she opened a box and stared at her new diamond. Two carats each, D color, internally flawless; Graves sent a total of twenty-five of them, each for a year of her life.
Chloe knew that they were the cleanest, whitest stones, and with a GIA certificate and ideal cut for brilliance, they were the best his money could buy her. She also knew that it was difficult to find one D, internally flawless diamond, but twenty-five? She could only imagine how much time he’d spent having all of these located and then delivered for today.