Euro Trip Read online

  Euro Trip

  Holiday Heartthrob Book 1

  Holly Hathaway

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Copyright © 2020 by Holly Hathaway

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Afterword

  Also by Holly Hathaway

  Let‘s Stay Connected!

  Chapter One

  Allie

  “I don’t know about that,” I tell Mindy as I set my suitcase down on the floor with a heavy thump. “We just got to the hotel, and we should get some rest.”

  Maybe I should have packed a little lighter.

  I take off my glasses to wipe the lenses on my shirt, and for those few seconds, everything is a blur through the slits of my bangs.

  “Oh, come on, Allie,” she whines and whizzes past me into our hotel room, paid for by her father. He is the reason we were able to score a beautiful three-bedroom suite with a stunning ocean view. "We came here to have fun, and that's exactly what we're going to do."

  "Mindy's right," chirps Kate, throwing her suitcase down next to mine. "We did not come all the way to Europe to sit in the hotel room. Not even on day one. We’re going out, and you’re coming with us.”

  “I don’t know, guys. The flight was long, and I'm feeling really beat. Maybe just relaxing in the hotel for the day wouldn't be so bad?”

  I'm exhausted and still so nervous about being abroad. I've never been this far away from home before. Hell, I hardly ever leave Wyoming. My anxiety is getting the best of me.

  “How about this,” says Kate, who is a perfect blend of Mindy’s wild spirit and my reasonability. “We’ll have a couple of drinks here, relax for an hour, and then we’ll go party it up once we're nice and refreshed."

  “I can work with that,” agrees Mindy while she explores the suite. “We’re only going to be in Ibiza for a few days, anyway. We have to make the most of it.”

  “Okay,” I say and start shoving my suitcase across the floor with my foot. Do I have rocks in there?

  I plop down on the sofa in the living room, exhaustion taking over my body. I'm starting to regret my decision to come to Europe in the first place. I had significant reservations about this trip, but somehow Mindy and Kate coaxed me into it like they always coax me into doing things I don't want to do. Eventually, I gave in to their point that I needed to break out of my comfort zone and live a little.

  Besides, I just graduated from college a month ago. It's more difficult than I thought to get a job with a degree in Environmental Science. I have the feeling I will be applying to jobs for a long time. Once I do land a job, I won't have the opportunity to go gallivanting around Europe with my two best friends.

  But what if we get lost? Or separated? Or kidnapped? These fears rush through my mind so fast my head is spinning, and I feel the panic rising in my chest. I take some deep breaths to steady my nerves and convince myself that everything will be okay.

  Mindy is already in the kitchen making drinks. She turns up some music.

  “Let’s not stay out too late,” I tell Kate.

  “Why not?”

  “So that we’re not too exhausted to go see the sights tomorrow.”

  “See the sights!” Mindy laughs from the kitchen. “We came here to have a good time, not go to school. We’re partying, Allie.”

  I sigh. There's no point in arguing with these two. I always end up doing whatever they want in the end.

  "We're going to go meet hot, sexy guys, dive into their pants, and then move on to the next adventure. This is what you do when you graduate from college. Just join the fun.”

  Mindy sashays into the living room, hands us our drinks, and we all clink glasses. Both of them sit down on the couch beside me, and I feel like an Allie sandwich.

  “I don’t think I want to screw around with anybody while I’m here,” I say with a nervous laugh and take my first sip. Very strong.

  I can feel them leaning behind me to exchange a glance.

  Kate touches my shoulder. “Allie, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do…”

  “But…” Mindy continues with a hand on my knee. “We dragged you here so you could finally lose that pesky virginity of yours to some European hunk.”

  “As long as you want to.”

  “Whether you want to or not.”

  “No pressure.”

  “You’re getting screwed, and that’s an order.”

  “You guys!” I yell and put my hands up. “Fine. I’ll come out with you. I’ll have fun. I’ll even try to stay out late. But I am definitely not going to be jumping into bed with some stranger.”

  “Okay, okay,” says Mindy as she throws back the last of her drink. Mine is still half full, and I am unsure if I'll be able to finish it and walk out of here in a straight line. Did she pour us straight vodka? "Let's just agree to have a good time. I'm going to get ready. I brought the perfect dress for our first day."

  This hour of relaxation is going to go by too quickly. All I really want to do is sleep. I lean on Kate’s shoulder and sip on my drink.

  I don't want to go out with them, but if I flake, I will never hear the end of it. I fidget with the bracelet on my wrist, touching the dangling bear charm. My mother, knowing how much I love animals, gave it to me for good luck. Animals are the reason I went into Environmental Studies.

  The first bar we go to is low key. There aren't too many people there, but it's still relatively early in the afternoon. I'm sure it will pick up later. I am wearing a simple blue sundress, a stark contrast to the strappy, high slit dresses my friends have decided to wear. This is perfect because I am not trying to call attention to myself.

  “Oh my God, two o’clock,” says Mindy.

  “No,” I tell her. “It’s three.”

  “To your two o’clock, genius.” She tries to point as discreetly as possible. “Two total hunks. Up at the bar.”

  We size them up. I find meeting new people so exhausting, but I knew what I was getting myself into. I'll have to be social on this trip. I must agree with Mindy, they are super hot. Some of the hottest guys I’ve ever seen, but they also look like playboys. Not my type.

  “Let’s go sit down,” I say. But Mindy and Kate aren’t listening.

  “Look at their clothes. They’re probably rich.”

  “Do you see that gold watch?”

  “The tall one is to die for. I call him. He’s mine.”

  “Here’s what we’ll do,” Mindy says, and Kate leans in to hear the plan. “We’ll walk right past them, bump into their chairs, apologize profusely with our tits in their faces, and then go sit at that table back there so they can see our asses as we walk away.”

  “Smooth,” says Kate. “I like it.”

  Even though I said I don't want to go messing around with any guys, I still feel a little jealous. There are two of them and three of us. I know exactly who the fifth wheel is going to be.

  Me. It's always me.

  We dutifully follow Mindy's orders, and as she's pretending to apologize for her clumsy mistake, the boys look her up and down.

  “It’s quite alright,” says the taller one with a British accent.

  But now we're walking away
. Ignoring men is an excellent way to receive their full attention. I learned that from Mindy, though, it's never worked for me.

  By the time we sit at the table, the two guys are already on their feet and coming after us. They saunter over with sly smirks on their faces, looking at each other and then back at us. Mindy and Kate both tug their dresses down a little to show more cleavage.

  I may not have much experience with men, but they these two have playboy written all over them from head to toe. I can smell their bad intentions from the moment they sit beside me and stare at my two friends. I feel like a piece of luggage stuffed in the corner.

  I scan the bar. Maybe they have a friend who could keep me company. But it doesn’t look like it.

  "How are you, ladies?" says the taller one. He sticks out his hand. “I’m Tucker.”

  Tucker. Such a player's name. Although I can't deny how good looking he is.

  “Charlie,” says the other one. Their accents are thickly British, which is so sexy. Maybe too sexy to resist. “Can we get you beautiful ladies some drinks?”

  “We would love that,” says Kate. She winks at me.

  The music turns up and starts blaring from the speakers on the wall. Mindy and Kate act completely enthralled by what Charlie and Tucker are saying, though I doubt they can even properly hear their story. I'm sitting right next to them, and I can't make out a single word. I feel my whole body vibrating from the music. For some odd reason, it's very calming to me and I begin to feel more relaxed.

  Our drinks show up. Tucker hands me one, but then turns back to Kate and Mindy. I let my mind wander. I think back to home. I would never admit this to my friends, but I miss my parents. I miss my brother and all the horses on our ranch in Wyoming. I just want to be out riding in the mountains, listening to the quiet whisper of nature. It’s so peaceful and serene and nothing at all like this bar. I sink into myself, starting to feel sad and tired and homesick. I swirl the ice around in my cocktail.

  Maybe I should tell them I feel sick, and I’m going back to the hotel. It’s only a short walk. It’s the middle of the day, so I’m sure it would be safe to walk there by myself.

  But then they all start to get up.

  Tucker touches my arm and looks me in the eye like he just now notices that I exist. I get a little shiver looking into those eyes, but the logical part of me says to resist.

  “Come on,” Mindy says. I don’t hear it, but I can read her lips.

  I have no idea what’s going on, but I follow them right out of the bar and into the afternoon sun.

  “Where are we going?” I whisper to Kate, the two of us lagging behind just a bit.

  “To their yacht,” she says with an excited squeal, and both of the young men look back at me. I don’t like their sinister grins, even if I do like the way their asses look in those jeans.

  I wish I could tell Kate that I think this is a bad idea, but I don’t want to start an argument. I know exactly what these boys want, and it makes me nervous. Kate reaches over and tugs at my dress, and my boobs almost fall out.

  “You’re a hottie. Go ahead and show it off,” she whispers. Then she snatches my glasses off my face and stuffs them down into her bra. “There. Perfect.”

  “Kate!” I hiss at her, but she drags me to catch up with the other three.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll guide you. Hold my arm.”

  When Kate drinks, the part of her that is more like me fades away, and the Mindy part of her takes the reins. And that's the part I'm afraid of.

  Tucker is telling an amusing story about running into a feral hog while he was biking in the Alps, but I’m paying attention to basically everything else. The sounds. The smells. The people walking by that I can’t see very clearly. And before I know it, we’re walking from a dock and onto the yacht. At least it's docked, I think, reassured. That way I can go back to the hotel whenever I want if I can just dig my glasses out of Kate’s boobs.

  I wonder if these guys even know I’m here. They haven’t said a word to me, yet.

  “Let’s go up to the deck. I’ll have some drinks brought out,” says Tucker.

  “So, is this your yacht, Tucker?” Mindy asks.

  “Well, yeah.” But he doesn’t sound very confident. “Kinda. It’s my brother’s. But he works all the time, so it’s like he’s not even here.”

  “And somebody’s got to enjoy this thing,” says Charlie loudly. “That’s where Tucker and I come in. Also, Peter and James. They’re around here somewhere.”

  Great. More playboys lurking around.

  We walk up to another deck. I can't believe how big this thing is. Staff are standing around waiting for orders, some of them cleaning. I squint to try to get a good feel for my surroundings. I feel like I just don’t belong here. After all, I’m a country bumpkin from the mountains. I have no idea how to be the kind of girl that parties on a yacht in Ibiza. I feel my anxiety growing again.

  “I think we’ve got some extra bikinis if you girls would like to borrow them.”

  “Oh my God, yes,” Mindy and Kate say in unison.

  “No thanks, I’m okay.”

  Kate and Mindy look at me like I'm a total party pooper. But I know I would just be worried about how I look in a bikini in front of all these strangers. It’s one thing to have your friends tell you that you have a hot body. It's another thing to actually believe it. And I guess I just have never fully believed it.

  “Two it is, then,” Tucker says and disappears inside.

  Charlie sidles right up to Mindy so that their bodies are lightly touching. "Can't wait to see you in a little two-piece.” He strokes her hair. She looks up at him with fluttering eyelashes and a hand on his chest.

  “Just relax,” Kate whispers to me. We each take a drink from a tray brought out to us by a server.

  “Thank you,” I say.

  “Have a little fun for once. Let loose," continues Kate. “Don’t worry about anything. You always worry.”

  She’s right. I do always worry. Most of the time, I don't even know what I'm worried about. I stroll up to the railing and look overboard. And I realize I have something very big to worry about. I gasp, nearly dropping my drink over the edge of the boat. The yacht is moving. We're heading away from the dock and out to sea.

  Chapter Two

  Ben

  I hear Charlie's and Tucker's voices down below on the deck, and I can only roll my eyes. I was hoping they'd run amok on the island for the night instead of bringing their mischief back here.

  Despite what they think, I'm not always working. Sometimes I just want to read and enjoy some peace and quiet. And I can't do that when they're running around the boat with women, yelling, drinking, and causing a ruckus. Sooner or later, they're going to come up here and bother me. Pound on my door and try to see if I'm awake. They have been known to create fake emergencies to get me to come out. I don't understand why they feel the need to disturb me at all when they know I don't like it. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't have this yacht to play on.

  I just want to layout on my personal sundeck that overlooks the one below and read a book while enjoying some wine. I'd like to bask in the few hours of sunshine we have left today. Completely alone and undisturbed.

  I decide to grab my noise-canceling headphones, but first, I feel compelled to look over the edge and see who are new guests are. More often than not, they bring girls, but sometimes they bring back other guys who are just as into partying as they are. Either way, it's always trouble. Today, I feel curious.

  How did my personal yacht become infested with entitled little party animals?

  I look down on these newcomers from above, careful to stay back a little so they don’t see me spying. Yep, they brought girls. Three of them. Two are already in bikinis, but one is in a pale blue sundress facing the sea, her back to me.

  I'm about to go inside when she turns around, and I get a glimpse of her face. Suddenly, I'm frozen with awe. She has her arms out in front of her like she can't see an
ything.

  "Kate, can you please give me back my glasses? I can't see a thing," she yells. She is adorable.

  Another girl sighs. “I suppose. Here.” I assume that’s Kate.

  She puts her glasses back on, but she is still just as beautiful. She whips her head to flick her bangs out of her face. I realize I'm still staring. She's standing on the outskirts, a little bit away from everyone. I can also see down her dress, right down into the crevice of two youthful breasts.

  I should be a gentleman and not stare, but I don’t want to be a gentleman. I want to keep watching her. I’m entranced.

  She seems nervous, like she doesn't want to be here. She is fidgeting with something on her wrist. I don't want this beautiful lady to feel uncomfortable on my yacht.

  “Allie,” I hear someone say.

  She turns her head. Okay, so her name is Allie.

  “Everything’s fine. We’ll be back before it gets too late,” Tucker promises.

  The two girls in bikinis are clearly already a little bit tipsy. But not Allie. Even if she's having a drink, she appears to maintain her self-control.

  I feel like such a lurker. A predator almost. But I try not to think of it that way. Something tells me I need to watch over this girl. My brother and his friends, and even her friends, seem like they’re trying to push her outside her comfort zone.

  I start to walk away and go back inside, but I stop halfway and turn back to the railing. I have to get another look at her. And not just her plunging cleavage showing two perfect breasts under that dress. I also want to see her face, her hair, her legs, her skinny waist and curvy hips. I have to see her again.

  “Come on, Allie, just relax,” says Tucker, who sidles up next to her, tugging a little at her dress. “Here, have something a little stronger and come to Tuck Tuck.”