Free The Turning Point by Marie Meyer

attention, sexual or otherwise. Once I quit soccer, I wasn’t Sophia, the cool kickass athlete anymore. Nobody wanted to hook up with Sophia the book nerd, which was fine with me.
    If I were smart, I’d stick to my old ways. I had no business talking to him, not after what I’d learned of my possible future…or lack thereof.
    Lucas scanned the crowd, first left, then right, before refocusing his vivid blue eyes on me. “You alone?” he asked, cocking his eyebrow.
    Okay. How am I supposed to answer this? It could be a completely innocent question, and he may just want to know if I’m traveling alone. But the warning bells inside my head chimed quietly: What if he’s a criminal…a murderer…a sex slave broker? I’d seen Taken ; I knew how these gorgeous people preyed upon unsuspecting American girls, especially those traveling alone.
    “I’m sorry, that was a dumb question.” He waved his hand. “I just wanted to know if you wanted to get some coffee or something. There’s a café just a short walk from the ruins.” He pointed in that direction.
    I fidgeted with the map in my hands, pressing the corner down one way and then unfolding it to press it down the opposite direction. Play it cool, Soph. Decline his offer and leave.
    “Thanks, but I can’t. It was nice to meet you, Lucas.”
    His lips pressed into a tight smile, hiding his dimple. “Can I at least get your number? If you want to ditch the group you’re traveling with, you could give me a call.”
    I bit my bottom lip, cringing slightly. I had to give him credit; he didn’t give up easily. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Trust me, Lucas, I am not the girl for you….No future here, walk on by.
    “Right,” he drawled. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.” He winked. “It was nice meeting you, Sophia.”
    “Yeah, nice to meet you.” I smiled back.
    There was a sparkle in his eyes as I turned to leave, for good this time. Bumping into Lucas put me off my schedule, not that the permanent inhabitants of Pompeii cared much; they weren’t going anywhere, but strangely, I didn’t care that I was off schedule either…I was actually enjoying myself.

Chapter Eight
    T he sun grew hotter as the day went on, but I was determined to see all the major tourist attractions Pompeii had to offer. The next stop on my self-guided tour was the House of the Vettii. I paused my podcasted tour before I went inside the house and searched for the bottle of water in my bag. After taking a few long swigs, I stowed it and made my way inside, pressing PLAY on my phone. The tour guides picked up where they’d left off, directing me into the home of two freedmen who once lived here, Aulus Vettius Restitutus and Aulus Vettius Conviva. With all the ancient knowledge I’d already gained in my first couple of hours spent on the streets of Pompeii, I was turning into a history buff instead of a science geek.
    With my left earbud fit snuggly into my ear, I listened as the tour guides directed my attention to the right side of the vestibule upon entering the Vettii home. There, halfway up the wall on the right side, in all its grandeur, was the fresco of Priapus. According to my guides, this painting wasn’t meant to be distasteful, even though the man depicted in the artwork was weighing his massive erection against a bag of money on a balance scale. According to historians, the fresco was meant to symbolize the wealth and strength of the homeowners, the Vettii brothers.
    As I continued to listen to my guides, keeping my eyes on Priapus and his prodigious phallus, I felt a tickle at my right ear. “Impressive, isn’t it?”
    “Ahh!” I shouted, turning around and leaping backward at the same time. I slapped my hands over my mouth, realizing how loudly I’d shouted. The guy I’d bumped into in the Forum this morning stood behind me, grinning like an ass. Lucas.
    He chuckled. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
    Lowering my hands to my chest in an attempt to