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As they walked side by side through the dark, damp air toward his car, a light, misting rain began to fall. Despite the busy street, the way the hotel was set back on its plot of land allowed them to walk in comfort and peace.
Approaching the circular drive, he watched his car pull up. The valet immediately hopped out and walked toward them, his back straight and his brown eyes on Carter’s as he approached and offered the keys in his outstretched hand.
Carter nodded and pressed a wad of cash into the valet’s palm before walking to his date’s door. Pulling it open for her, he noticed her lips part and surprise filled her eyes. The expression quickly gave way to warmth and her lips curved slightly upward at the corners.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You’re very welcome.”
She closed her eyes at his voice, as if drinking in the sound and that detail only intrigued him more. She was younger than him by a lot, but she was acting as though she was interested in him.
Carter was used to women being interested in him for an array of reasons, be it money, sex, power, a desire to be part of his life and see how he lived, or what have you, but for some reason, her actions felt genuine. That was dangerous thinking he needed to put out of his mind right away.
She gathered her dress’s skirt up and sank into the passenger seat of his car, never taking her gaze off his.
Whatever discomfort she'd seemed to feel on stage appeared to have dissipated. Now she acted comfortable in her own skin and moved with the sureness of someone who knows what she's doing and where she's going in life. This subtle change only left Carter feeling more curious about her.
Sure, he knew the basic details; he knew that she was a stripper, that Devon liked her, and that she was beautiful. But life had taught him that if he only knew the surface details about someone, he didn’t really know anything at all.
With her safely in the passenger seat of his car and the door closed behind her, he walked around the front, nodding at the other valet and the security guard.
His phone chimed and he pulled the device out of his pocket. The notification warned him of a large deduction of funds, the money he’d paid to have a date with her and keep her away from Devon. That was how he’d set things up before the event to ensure that he could take her and walk out before Devon could make a stink.
Fifty thousand dollars was a small price to pay to ensure Devon lost the bet.
Tonight hadn't really been about the charity event for Carter. Tonight had been about being able to see the egg on Devon's face after Carter had challenged him to find a woman, win her over, and have her fall for him.
Of course, Carter had planned to steal away the woman Devon had been eyeing, the one he'd painstakingly gone to great lengths to ensure would be in the charity event tonight so he could win her affections.
Thinking one step ahead had always been Carter’s way of life; this situation was no different. And he’d placed a bet and made sure Devon couldn't win, because Carter had stolen away his only opportunity to get the woman he liked alone. The icing on the cake was that Carter had made sure that Devon knew in front of everyone that Carter was the reason he was losing.
Revenge was sweet.
“Now that we're away from all the noise and prying eyes, my name is Carter Wright and it's a pleasure to meet you, Kaitlyn.” With one hand on the wheel, Carter reached over and offered her his other hand to shake. He knew full well that putting people at ease and making them feel like they were on equal ground was a great way to subtly encourage people to trust him.
She let out a dusky laugh, and he discovered he liked the sound. “The silence was starting to become a bit off-putting. I'm glad you said something.” She took his hand in a firm, feminine grasp. “Kaitlyn Marks, and it's my pleasure.”
Carter wondered how open up front and honest she'd be if he started pushing. He didn't want to push so hard that she broke, but he definitely wanted to control the situation and conversation. He merged into traffic and sped toward their date spot. “So, what do you do for a living, Kaitlyn Marks?”
“I'm a stripper.” Her matter-of-fact tone left him wondering if she was proud of her profession or just comfortable with who she was and what she did.
He couldn't help but be a bit more at ease knowing that she was being honest and forthcoming. “A job is a job. What does Devon want with you?” Throwing a sideways glance in her direction, he saw her wince and knew that he'd hit a sensitive topic. A strangely protective feeling rose up in him and he tamped it down.
“He comes in to see me at work.” Though she left the statement open-ended, Carter knew that there was more to the situation than she was admitting. Carter knew Devon, knew he was possessive, that he viewed women as objects, that he was an awful individual. Carter might not be squeaky clean himself when it came to women, but he didn't abuse them.
“I guess I should thank you for saving me from him.” The sultry tone of her voice left Carter wondering if he'd underestimated her. He'd been around long enough to know when somebody was playing him and she was certainly playing him. He just wasn't sure how or why.
“Nothing to thank me for. I wanted to win this date with you.”
She let out an unladylike snort, glancing at him with those beautifully made-up siren eyes. “No. You wanted to keep him from having the date with me. I see no reason to play games. We’re all adults here.”
Carter had certainly underestimated her. “I agree, and I apologize for leading you off track there. In all honesty, I am glad to have won the date with you.” He meant the words and found himself more excited for the date than he'd been at the start of the night. Of course, he'd known the outcome. He knew it would happen. He'd planned everything down to the last detail. But he hadn't counted on Kaitlin Marks.
In all fairness, or unfairness, as it were, he had expected her to be the typical brain-dead debutante woman he was used to dealing with. While there were a few female sharks he'd worked with previously, they were nothing like Kaitlyn.
In a few short moments, he was parking in front of his favorite restaurant.
“This place is beautiful,” she said, her face lit up by the outdoor string lights illuminating the area around the restaurant.
