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The only problem is, I can’t pay attention to any of his words when he is staring at me so intently. He has to know that, if he is trying to get me to listen and leave him alone, this is the absolute worst way to do it. Because all I can see are his eyes. Occasionally, my eyes are able to break from his spell long enough to drift down to his lips. I imagine his lips on me. Kissing me again, but harder, more passionately. The kind of kiss that makes me forget about everything but him.
“Owing anyone anything will take away what little freedom you have. You should never be willing to give up your freedom in exchange for some help. Be stronger than that. Figure things out yourself. Giving up your freedom is never worth it,” he continues.
Focus. Just listen to his words. They are important.
“Never be in debt to anyone who already has more power than you do. It will be the end of you,” he says.
But his lips are so good-looking when he talks, it’s distracting.
“You won’t just owe the person who helped you. You’ll owe everyone who had anything to do with the debt you incurred. And paying them back will never end. You will be trapped forever.”
Trapped forever—got it.
But then he looks at me with his beautiful, dark eyes, and I forget.
“And, most importantly, if you do become indebted, run and hide. It’s the only thing you can do. Fighting won’t ever work. You will lose. So, run and hope that what you owe isn’t worth going after. And maybe it will keep you safe.”
After an hour and a half, he gives us a break and disappears from the stage. I exhale probably for the first time since he started talking.
“He couldn’t stop staring at you. What did you do to him? That must have been some freaking amazing sex.”
“We haven’t had sex.”
Eden scrunches her nose. “What? I thought you said…”
“You assumed.”
“Well, I don’t think it would be hard for you to convince him to sleep with you. And, if you aren’t interested, I am. Maybe he has a brother or something for me?”
“He has an annoying, sweet younger sister.”
She sighs. “Too bad. So, what’s your plan?”
“I don’t have a plan.”
Eden laughs. “You always have a plan. That’s part of your obsessive tendencies. You plan because you enjoy the planning almost as much as you enjoy the chase.”
I shrug. “All my plans so far have failed miserably. I’m going to try going with the flow this time.”
7
Nina
I will not make a plan. I will not make a plan…
I keep repeating those words over and over again as Arlo finishes the second half of his presentation.
I don’t hear a single word that he’s said because of the constant replaying of those words in my head.
Occasionally, I switch to, I will not let his smirk or the look in his eyes control me. All while I try to seem confident and poised and not the least bit concerned with whatever Arlo is trying to convince me of.
“Excuse me.”
I look up to see three men standing in front of Eden and me.
“A bunch of us are going out for drinks and dancing. Would you two like to join us?” one of the men asks with the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen. He knows how to work his eyes, too. They would make me say yes to anything.
“Yes!” Eden says almost automatically.
