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He pauses a step away from me and frowns. His head cocks to the side as his eyes drill into me. Letting out an amused breath, he says. “I’m not going to hurt you, angel. I just don’t want you to dance tonight.”
It’s my turn to frown. “Then what do you want with me?”
He smirks. “I just want to talk.”
Shaking my head, I shuffle sideways towards the door. No man ever just wants to talk. There is always an ulterior motive, and I’m not about to wait around to find out what his is. No matter how gorgeous he is.
My eyes snap to his, and I stop when his deep drawl shatters the silence. “Please. I don’t beg Crystal, but I’m willing to beg you. Just give me an hour of your time. I paid good money for that hour, and I will pay more if that’s what it takes to get you to stay.” The plea in his tone gives me pause.
“Why do you want to talk to me? You don’t even know me,” I murmur.
He smiles. “Exactly. I want to get to know you.”
My brows furrow in confusion. It doesn’t make sense. “Look, you seem like a nice guy and not some weird, hot serial killer.” He smirks, no doubt at the fact I called him hot. “I just don’t understand why someone that looks like you,” I wave my hand at him as if to prove a point. “Is payingmeto talk to them. You probably have women throwing themselves at you, so why are you here wasting money on me?”
He steps closer, his hand comes up and a finger runs down my cheek, making me flinch. He frowns, softly stroking me. I shiver at his touch, my body coming alive at just that small contact. He knows it, too, if his smug grin is anything to go by. “You’re right, women do throw themselves at me. But it’s you that I am captivated by. One look at you on that stage last night, and I knew I had to know you.”
I suck in a breath. What the hell? Is this for real? The words are out before I can stop myself. “Why me?”
He shrugs. “Why not you?”
I chew my bottom lip in contemplation, but I know my mind is made up. “Okay,” I blurt.
His lips curve into a triumphant smile. He steps away from me, his hand dropping from my cheek. The loss of contact makes me feel empty. With that thought, I know I should walk away, I don’t need any distractions. Especially not the male kind. Before I have the chance to change my mind, his hand connects with my lower back, and he pushes me towards the sofa that sits to the right of the stage.
Dropping down, I shift until I am against the arm, making sure to put space between us. He notices but doesn’t make any move to close the distance. Instead, he reaches to the ice bucketbeside him and pulls out two bottles of water, handing one to me.
“Thank you,” I mumble.
Nodding, he leans back to get comfortable, those piercing eyes never leaving me. I twist the cap on the bottle and take a long sip, trying to wet my now dry throat. The atmosphere in here is almost stifling, suffocating me as I wait for him to speak.
“What’s your name?” he repeats his question from last night, but I won’t give in and tell him. Rule number one: don’t reveal your identity. I don’t need anyone finding out who I really am.
“Crystal.” I give him the same answer as before.
With a shake of his head, he smiles. “Yourrealname.”
“No,” I snap, my eyes narrowing in on him, daring him to argue.
“Fine, I will leave that question for now,Crystal,but mark my words, you will tell me. Now, how old are you?”
I scoff at his arrogance. “None of your damn business. What is this? An interrogation?”
He growls, making my spine stiffen. As if sensing that I’ve tensed, he softens his features. “I just want to know you.” His voice is soft, making me relax some.
“Twenty-one.” The lie rolls from my mouth easily.
He nods. “Now, what is a girl like you doing in a place like this?”
I groan as I rub at my tired eyes. I’ve had this question asked a couple of times. People don’t seem to understand that when you’re desperate, you will do almost anything. “I need to eat, pay my bills. It pays better than working in a diner or a grocery store.”
He seems to mull over my words for a long beat before speaking again. “Did you not go to school?”
My heart pounds in my chest as my whole body turns rigid with his question. It’s a basic question, sure, but one I couldeasily trip up on if I don’t think carefully. “Of course, I did. I just didn’t have the money to go to college. That’s why I’m here. I applied for community college and figured I could make good money here while studying.”
His thumb runs across his full bottom lip, drawing my attention. I lick my lips at the thought of him kissing me, of those lips running over my body, and I shiver. “Mmm,” he hums, and I bring my eyes back to his. My cheeks heat as he smirks, and I drop my eyes to the couch. We sit in silence for a while which makes me anxious. Is this all he really wants? To talk? It seems weird to me, if so.
“What are you going to study at college?” he asks, breaking the quiet.
