Page 52 of The Forbidden Villain
“How old were you when you lost your virginity?”
Scarlett pauses reading the menu, presses the button, and in a second, a server shows up, a young man who must be in his twenties. “Hello, ladies. My name is Andy, and I’ll be your server tonight.”
“We need two glasses of champagne, salted mixed nuts, fresh strawberries, melted chocolate, and vanilla ice cream. As soon as possible.”
“Got it.” He darts toward the bar before I can even blink.
“I figured we needed alcohol for such an interesting conversation. Are you allowed to drink?”
“Yes. In moderation.”
“Eighteen.”
“What?”
“I was eighteen when I lost my virginity.”
“Oh.”
“Were you hoping for me to be a late bloomer so I could relate to you more?” Damn, these lawyers read faces like the pros that they are. “If it helps, I was the oldest virgin in my class, and the entire town knew about it because my vicious bully kept on cock-blocking everyone, including my boyfriend at the time.”
The mention of anyone bullying Scarlett shocks me to no end. Everything I know about her makes her seem confident and she takes zero shit from people.
“You had a bully in high school?”
Something akin to pain graces her eyes, but it’s gone so quick I think I must have imagined it. “He used to be my childhood best friend, but then he became my worst nightmare. He had ways of making my life miserable every single day, and his methods were always cruel, precise, and methodical. In different circumstances, I would have applauded his dedication to a cause.”
Andy chooses this moment to return, placing the glasses and the food in front of us. “Let me know if you need anything else, ladies.” And he disappears once again.
The servers here have some kind of super speed for real.
We lift our glasses and clink them together. “Cheers, darling.” We take a small sip, and I welcome the cold, sweet liquid down my throat.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“It’s been fifteen years since we last saw each other. It’s all right. I’ve long moved on from it. Besides, trust me, I gave as good as I got. His life was hell too.” Her slightly shaken tone indicates otherwise.
I remember Rafael mentioning that Scarlett comes from a small town in the middle of nowhere. Based on what Emmaline told me, she never goes home to visit and avoids it like the plague, so whatever happened there must have been really hideous.
I grab a pecan nut. “What happened? Your boyfriend stood up for you, and you guys finally did it?” Better to bring the conversation back to sex because she didn’t sign up to relive her nightmares with me.
A hollow chuckle escapes her, and she takes a large sip this time from her glass while dipping a strawberry in the chocolate. “No one could ever stand up to Camden. He was the devil in his own hell, and he ruled it as he pleased.”
How much power could an eighteen-year-old guy have?
“His family must have been rich.”
“Nope. He was a bad boy, and I was the town’s princess. My father was a mayor and a billionaire. His was the town’s drunk, and they lived in a trailer park, barely scraping by.”
A mayor’s daughter bullied for years, and no one did shit? What kind of fucked-up town is that?
“Look, I don’t want to sound as if I’m preaching… Either way, there is nothing wrong with having experience or being a virgin. When you are ready to have sex, make sure you really want your partner. That’s all that matters. I know everyone says that, but it’s true. Each partner is different, so all this talk about gaining experience or otherwise, that no one would want you or dump your ass. It’s noise that you should ignore. Sex is not complicated, you’ll figure it out.”
Grabbing my spoon, I dip into the ice cream and scoop a generous amount. Her words sound like every other piece of advice out there.
“Maybe I should worry about finding a sexual partner first. Not many men want this.” I tap my cheek with my index finger.
“You’re beautiful, and if he says anything about your looks or sexual history, give him the boot and shut the door in his face.” We clink our glasses again. “So relax and enjoy. We are practically at the Venetian ball right now.” We finish ourchampagne, and Scarlett motions to Andy, who stands by the bar, for a refill, and he gives us a thumbs-up.
