Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
ASHLEY
I lost it all, our entire savings. What came over me? I was so hurt, so angry, and now I feel incredibly stupid because, in a split second of anger, I drained our savings account and blew the lot on a chance that was never going to work out for me.
I’ve lost everything.
My future, my rose-colored new life, and my dream house. I have nothing left, and it’s all because I caught my fiancé cheating on me with another man.
A sob catches in my throat as I struggle to breathe. I’m such a fool. What will I do now? Edward will be angry; my parents will be upset, and I will never recover from the humiliation.
“Excuse me.”
A husky whisper in my ear drags my attention back into the room and I turn toward the voice and almost choke on my tears when I see a man staring at me through the eyes of the devil.
Something is warning me about this man, and I swallow hard.
Tall, dark, and handsome doesn’t do him justice. His dark hair is styled slightly long on top and cut short on the sides. His eyes appear almost black as they glitter with wicked depravity and his muscles strain against the fabric of the crisp black shirt he is wearing that is open at his chest, revealing a deep script that mesmerizes me. He is something else and is definitely a man I should walk away from, but it’s as if I’ve been hypnotized.
I blink in astonishment as he places his hand on my arm and says in a deep, husky whisper, “Come with me.”
I stumble as he moves and say quickly, “I’m sorry, um, I need to find my fiancé.”
If I thought that was going to cut it, I was wrong because he laughs softly and his eyes flash as he whispers in my ear, “I don’t think so, angel. You are coming with me whether you like it or not.”
I stare at him in shock as he grips my arm hard and propels me toward the elevator and as I open my mouth to object, he clamps a strong hand across my mouth. Then he leans down and whispers, “Trust me, angel. I’m not the big bad wolf here. Consider me as your knight in shining armor instead.”
He chuckles softly. “Did I mention that some knights hide the darkest souls and I have a feeling that is exactly what you need right now?”
As the elevator doors open, he pushes me inside, and as several others attempt to join us, he growls, “Take the next one.”
There is something in his tone that makes them step back and, as the doors close, he releases his hold and leans back against the wall of the elevator and says in a husky whisper, “Now, this is where it gets interesting.”
I stare at him in shock and my voice trembles as I attempt to speak.
“Please. I just want to go home.”
“Where is home?”
“San Diego.”
He raises his eyes.
“That’s not just a few blocks from here. Are you sure you want to go home tonight?”
“Yes.” I lower my eyes as my lip trembles and I’m shocked when a rough hand, covered in a dark tattoo, grips my chin and forces me to stare directly into his eyes.
“Why?”
My tears glisten as I say softly, “If you must know, I caught my fiancé with–”
The word catches in my throat because I can’t even say it out loud.
“Another woman?” He says softly, with a hint of pity in his voice, and I shake my head.
“A man.”
His gasp of surprise oddly satisfies me because I’m guessing he isn’t surprised often and he says with a rough whisper, “He cheated on you with a man? No wonder you’re upset.”
Maybe it’s because we’re alone and the fact he’s a stranger, lowers my guard a little and I laugh bitterly.
“I feel like such a fool.”
He releases his hold and I slump against the mirror of the elevator and wipe the tears away.
“I wanted to surprise him.”
“Did you?” He leans against the wall and regards me through velvet pools of obsidian ruin.
“No.” I sigh heavily. “I left before he saw me.”
“So, you thought you’d gamble away the pain?”
His voice holds no judgment and I shrug. “It was our savings. We’ve been saving for a house, and I was so angry I wasted it all on two spins of the wheel. I’ve lost everything.”
I raise my eyes to his and laugh ruefully. “Now you see what a hot mess I am, and do you know what the worst thing of all is?”
I am delirious with anger and couldn’t give a fuck what’s spouting from my mouth and his silence is encouraging as I laugh loudly. “It was his lucky night. I came here to seal the deal, as they say. To move things on and throw away something that has been holding us back for too long now.”
As the elevator stops, the door opens and a man attempts to join us causing the dark stranger to growl, “Take the next one.”
Then he presses the button again, causing us to continue our journey.
“That was rude.” I snap and he shrugs.
“I don’t care. I’m a rude man. Deal with it.”
For some reason, it makes me laugh, and as I note the twinkle in his eye I smile shyly.
“I think you’re a fraud.”
He raises his eyes and I grin. “You pretend to be something you’re not.”
“Is that what you hope because when it concerns me there is no hope?”
His eyes flash and yet I shrug away the danger and say softly, “Then this could be your lucky night because right now I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
He pushes off from the wall and in one step is before me and as his hand slides around my waist, he whispers in my ear, “Are you sure about that? You see, I’m guessing you have something extremely precious to lose and I want you to consider your options very carefully.”
“My options?”
My heart flutters as his lips hover close to mine and he whispers, “You need money, and you need revenge. I can give you both, but the price may be higher than you are willing to pay.”
“Name it.”
My heart races as his fingers slide around my waist, resting on my ass as he pulls me in hard against his body.
“One night with you in exchange for five hundred thousand dollars.”
I blink as if his words were a dream that float around my mind in unbelievable delight.
I say nothing and he raises his hand and traces a light trail down my face, runs his thumb across my lips and whispers, “I can also deal with your fiancé as my gift to you.”
“Deal with him?”
My eyes are wide as his lips flutter against mine and he says huskily, “Revenge is sweet, angel, but you must accept the demons that take up residence in your soul.”
I swear my entire body shakes as I whisper, “What do I have to do?”