Pleasure

I was too engrossed with my books to notice Luca had barged into my apartment. I rolled my eyes as he glanced at me with a grimace on his face. Right now, I'm regretting giving him a key to my place.

I get it, Luca, I'm boring.

"Valentina Morales, what are you doing?!" He yelled causing me to jump. He is so dramatic.

"I'm studying, Luca," I said as I closed my books. "Becoming a lawyer takes time, and I need to study." It was now his turn to squint and roll his eyes at me.

"You promised that you'd get out and date more!" He exclaimed, placing a hand on his hip, completely ignoring what I said.

Luca has been one of my closest friends for a long time. He's always been there for me since I was able to walk. My mother and his mother were best friends, and they made us hang out all the time. It just rubbed off on us. Now we are best friends, and we're still going strong.

Luca is a orthodontist, therefore he has all the time in the world, whereas I have to study like a madman if I want to pass my exams to become a lawyer. I am twenty-three years old and will hopefully be a licensed lawyer by the end of this semester. Because of my later birthday in June, Luca is twenty-four, making him six months older than me.

"But Vale, it's the weekend! I'll help you in setting up a Bumble account and arranging a date for you today!" He grabbed my phone and began downloading Bumble, exclaiming. I just shook my head and let him do his thing.

I got up and stood there watching him 'work his magic'. He types in my phone number and starts building a profile for me. Luca completes all of the necessary steps before handing me my phone and instructing me to write a bio and upload photos of myself.

'What? I don't even take pictures.' I think to myself.

Looking through my camera roll, I see photos taken by Luca while we were out at the bar. They looked good, and since I didn't have any other photos, it would have to do.

I was dressed in a skin-tight red dress and white heels. My curly hair was down, and the moonlight glistened on my tanned skin. My makeup consisted of a smoky eye shadow look with lip gloss that made my lips look delicious.

The dress complimented my figure. I had a full round ass and medium sized boobs. I had large thighs and a couple rolls on my stomach, which I was always self-conscious about. Regardless of my physical appearance, I appreciated my mother for the beautiful genetics she had given me.

Luca hums, as if pleased with my choice of pictures.

For a good minute, I stare at the bio. What exactly do you put in a bio? I didn't want to come across as boring, but I had no idea what to say. I started writing, smirking at what I'm about to write.

'Don't swipe right if you expect me to eat a salad on a date,' my bio stated.

When I turned the phone around so Luca could see what I'd written, he laughed and said, "I love it." I laughed quietly as I shook my head. I scrolled through other people's profiles, swiping right anytime I saw something I liked.

Surprisingly, I got many matches within minutes of setting my profile up. Luca managed to persuade me to let him choose the man for the date. Luca set me up with someone he thinks I'll like.

A blind date? Those never work out.

It was around 4 p.m., still very early in the afternoon. Luca had scheduled the date for 6 p.m., giving me plenty of time to prepare. Having already showered this morning, I walked to my closet, in hopes of finding something to wear for tonight.

I wanted to look simple yet elegant because it was a date at a famous restaurant. I chose to wear an off-the-shoulder bodycon dress that had a slit on the left leg. I wore it with a pair of red bottom leather heels. Putting on the dress and shoes, I gave myself a twirl in the mirror.

Yeah, I look hot and expensive.

I exited my closet and approached Luca, who was sitting on my bed. He looked up when he heard my heels. His eyes widened.

He stood up and said, "Te ves linda, Valentina."

"Gracias, guapo," I replied, winking at him.

We both liked to 'fake flirt', as we called it. He was quite attractive. Anyone would love to run their fingers through his long curly hair. Luca had a button nose that complimented his facial structure. His strong jawline was very sharp and attractive. His green eyes completed his appearance. Luca's Spanish accent alone was enough to bring both men and women to their knees.

Despite the fact that he ran for the other team, it didn't take a genius to figure out how attractive he is.

Our attempts at flirting makes the both of us laugh. To complete the outfit, Luca goes up to my jewelry box near my bed and pulls out a slew of gold necklaces and bracelets. I put on the bracelets as he puts on the necklaces for me.

He takes my hand in his and enters the restroom. "I think it's best if we let your hair down." He says while applying water and products to my hair. He looks down at me and adds, "Your curls are too gorgeous to be kept up." Even though I preferred his curls, I smiled at his compliment.

He took my makeup bag and began looking through it once he's finished with my hair. He gave me a simple look, highlighting and blushing up my cheeks and filling in my brows. He finished the look by applying clear lipgloss.

I smiled as I gazed in the mirror and nodded, pleased with how I looked. I returned my gaze to Luca and hugged him.

"Thank you for your help," I said, "But you owe me one." He laughs and returns the hug. We both take a step back, and I returned back to my room to spray perfume on myself. I grabbed my wallet, keys, and purse and walked towards the door once I look and smell good.

Before I left, I turned to look at Luca.

"Are you going to be here when I get back?" When I asked, he snickerd. I raised my brows, confused by his smirk.

He laughs and says, "That's if you come back, hun." I scoff at his bland sense of humour. He straightens up once he finishes laughing and says, "But no, I won't be here when you get back, but phone me after the date to let me know how it went."

I nodded my head and blew him a kiss, before walking out the door and heading towards my car.

As I was driving, I admired the lights around me. Italy was beautiful. Sure, it had its ups and downs, but living here was simply breathtaking. I was relieved that I had been able to save up enough money for a decent and secure place to live.

As I approached the restaurant where my supposedly date was, I smiled. 'Villa di Roma', was the name of the restaurant. I'd heard good things about this place, but I'd never eaten there.

School kept me quite busy.

I parked my car and entered the restaurant. We were supposed to meet in the reserved meeting spot that Luca had set aside for us. I walked over there and waited for my date to arrive. I was a few minutes early, so I wasn't disappointed when he wasn't there yet.

After ten minutes, it was 6:04 p.m. Four minutes late, already a red flag. The server had already asked what I wanted for a beverage by this point, and I respectfully declined, explaining that I was still waiting for someone.

It was humiliating to be sitting here waiting for someone I didn't even know.

After another 10 minutes, I was ready to leave. When I looked down at my phone, there was no text from this man. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

If you're busy, the very least you could do is reschedule.

As I got up, I realized something.

I was stood up.

My mood quickly dampened. This is why I don't date or go on dates. Some shit always happens.

With a shake of my head, I make my way to the entrance. When I get home, you can bet I'll call Luca and scold him. I'm not going to lie, getting stood up did a number on my ego.

As I made my way towards the entrance, I took out my phone. I stared down at it for a few moments before looking up and coming to a complete stop. I was on the verge of colliding into someone. As I got a closer look, I realized who this certain someone was.

Enrico Bernardi.

He was well-known and well-respected by all. He was a playboy and a billionaire bachelor. You couldn't visit Italy without hearing about this man. He possessed majority, if not all, of Italy's enterprises and corporations.

His curls were loose and he had curly dark black hair. One of his brows was slit, giving him a considerably more appealing appearance. He had gorgeous hazel eyes that strangely suited him. Enrico had a neatly kept stubble beard that made me want to stroke it.

His physique was muscular and he stood tall. Given my height of 5'11, I'd estimate he was around 6'4. There was no ignoring the fact that this man was handsome.

He looked at me after clearing his throat. My brows lifted.

"You know, you could've ran into me if you waited a second longer staring at your phone," he added, a smirk on his lips.

"The key word here is 'could've'," I responded, mentally patting myself on the back for the comeback. His smirk faltered a little.

"Hm, feisty and beautiful," he said, extending his hand. "I'm Enrico, and you are?"

I didn't want to be disrespectful, so I shook his hand and said, "Valentina." He hummed and slightly squeezed my hand for a few seconds longer. I gulped and drew my hand back as I cleared my throat.

He stepped closer, smirking at the reaction he elicited from me. "Are you here by yourself?" He asked, while inspecting the restaurant.

I sighed and nodded, rolling my eyes. I finally make eye contact with him and reply, "Yeah, I got stood up."

He wetted his lips as he scanned over my body and attire. "What a shame, who would leave a beauty like you all alone?" He says this while staring at me as if I were his next meal.

"Yeah, but it is what it is," I say, shrugging my shoulders. He hummed as he approached me.

Is this man unaware of the concept of personal space?

I tried to take a step back, but he grabbed my hand and pulled it towards him, preventing me from doing so.

"Well, since you're not busy, you should come with me." He says, making me roll my eyes. He took a firm grip on my chin.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, bambina," he states, and I feel tempted to do so once more.

"I'm not going home with you. What would we do, have sex? No thanks." I answer, firmly standing my ground. I wasn't sure if I should get involved with this man because he was a playboy. I wish Luca could be here to help me.

He hums and pulls a card from his suit pocket. He steps back and inserts it inside my handbag, letting go of my chin.

"If you change your mind, call me Valentina and I'll show you a good time," he states cockily as he walks away.

How he said my name sent a vibration down- No, Valentina.

I rolled my eyes at him once he was out of range. He was a little too arrogant for his good. I grunted and made my way outside to my car.

Fuck him for being so hot.