Chapter 11 Kira
KIRA
“Ihonestly can't believe this is happening.” Gem sits cross-legged on my bed, grinning like a maniac. She idly flips an old wallet around in her hands. “My big sister is going on a date.”
I glare at her through the mirror. “Don't make this harder than it already is.”
Gem laughs, shaking her head. “Why are you acting like you're marching off to a funeral?” Her eyebrows raise. “And why are you dressed like it?”
“Well, that's rude as hell.” I look at the black dress I'm wearing. “It's conservative, but it's not that bad.”
“You look like you’re about to walk down a receiving line. Why don’t you put on that blue one?”
“You mean the one that shows off my boobs? No, thanks.”
“You’re going on a date, Kira. The whole point is to show off your assets.”
“Is that what they’re teaching you in that fancy smart kid school?”
“Nope, I learned about this on Instagram.”
“I knew you needed less screen time.”
She jumps up, roots around my closet, and comes back with the blue dress. I frown at it and shake my head when she insistently shoves it into my arms. “Put it on. If you hate how you look, then you can go as Goth Laura Ingalls Wilder, okay?”
“You’re a nightmare.”
“Just do it.” She flops back down on my bed. “For me?”
I groan, but I can’t deny my sister anything, even my own embarrassment.
But like always, Gem’s right. Somehow the old navy wrap dress still fits. Sleeveless, a little tie at the waist, neckline plunging but not too bad. I find decent heels and earrings, and actually feel good about myself for once.
For a second, I can pretend that I’m not a waitress and a dog washer. Most of my life is spent either a mess or about to become a mess. But standing in front of the mirror right now, I feel almost… attractive.
I haven’t felt this way in a long time.
“That’s the one.” Gem sits up straight, grinning.
“It’s too formal.”
“Oh my god, no more excuses. Here, wear this necklace. He’ll stare at your cleavage when he notices it.”
“I hate you.”
A half hour later, Stellan’s car shows up in front of our apartment building. I hurry out, and luckily, nobody notices me going. I feel strangely mortified that I’m going out to dinner with a handsome, terrifying man, when I could be spending my time doing something more important.
Like slinging cheap coffee.
Stellan’s waiting for me beside the open back door to the expensive black town car. His eyes roam my body, and I feel wildly vulnerable. I figure he must be pretty disappointed, but instead he moves forward, puts a hand on the small of my back, and lightly kisses my cheek.
A thrill runs down my spine.
“You look fantastic,” he whispers.
“You don’t miss the apron?”
“Not at all.”
We climb into the car together. It takes off without Stellan having to say a word. I glance back at the building, worried about Gem, but she’ll be fine.
I should be more concerned about myself.
Stellan doesn’t speak. He looks out the window with a dark, brooding stare.
He’s a big man, and our knees nearly touch.
I wouldn’t mind if they did, which is strange.
He’s wearing a sleek, expensive suit, and I’d bet one shoe is worth more than my entire ensemble.
I feel silly for fussing over myself when this man could afford to buy my closet a thousand times over and still have enough left to retire comfortably.
None of this makes sense. I don’t get what a man like Stellan would want with a girl like me.
I’m just some average waitress struggling to make ends meet.
Ever since Mom ran off with her latest junkie boyfriend, my entire life’s been revolving around Gem.
My sister’s the real catch. She’s the one with the actual future.
When she’s off to college, maybe then I can figure out what I want out of life.
But right now, I’m just the shell of a woman going through the days.
I don’t know what Stellan can possibly see in me.
“You’re staring,” he says suddenly.
I start and look down at the floor. “Just thinking.”
“What about?”
“Your fly’s unzipped.”
He grunts and checks himself. Then he sighs. “Real mature.”
“Whatever.” I grin at him. “Made you look.”
Some of the tension drains. I have to remind myself that Stellan’s just a man—a rich, powerful, dangerous, beautiful man—but still just a man.
I can handle him.
The car drops us at an expensive Italian place near Rittenhouse.
It’s the kind of spot I’ve walked past a dozen times over the years but never dreamed I’d actually go inside.
Stellan keeps a hand on my lower back, practically guiding me into the dark, cramped entryway, and I’m surprised when the hostess practically stumbles over herself to get us seated immediately.
She knows him by sight and doesn’t seem shy about shamelessly flirting with him.
Stellan barely notices though. His fingers lightly stroke my back, and I think about telling him to keep his hands to himself, but it feels good.
And we’re on a date. So why not live a little?
Besides, the hostess is visibly flustered by the time she realizes he’s not going to give her any attention, which is kind of funny.
“You come here often?” I ask once we’re at a great, private table near the kitchen. It’s warm and cozy. I look around at the modern, expensive decor. Lots of glass and wood with dim, comfortable lighting, and soft jazz playing over hidden speakers. Everyone’s well dressed and talking quietly.
“Not particularly.”
“But they know you here.”
“They know me in a lot of places.”
I want to push on that, but the waitress shows up. Stellan orders wine, bread, and salads to start. I look at the menu and nearly choke.
An entree costs more than I make in a shift at the diner.
Panic starts to rise in my guts. I planned on offering to split this with him. I don’t know why, but the idea of owing him more doesn’t sit right. But there’s no way in hell I can do that. Not with all my bills piling up and Gem’s college application fees.
I clear my throat, trying very hard not to start crying. “This looks like a nice place. But listen, Stellan—”
“Are you about to say something about money right now?”
I grimace. “Am I really that obvious?”
“Your face turned red the second you looked at the menu.”
“Eighty dollars for a steak!”
He laughs softly and leans forward. “Get whatever you want. You’re with me tonight.”
I bite back a comment. The waitress returns with the wine. She offers Stellan a taste, but he waves her away. She pours, and as soon as she’s gone, I drink down half my glass. Stellan seems amused by that.
“You got me to dinner.” I sit back, determined not to make a fool of myself anymore. “Does that mean my rent goes back to normal?”
“Getting right to business?” He swirls his glass, watching me with a dangerous gleam in his eye. I like the way his gaze strays to my necklace just like Gem predicted. He’s checking me out. And I think he likes it.
I have to admit, I like him too. I like the stubble on his jaw and chin. I like the memory of his lean muscles under my fingers when I stitched him up. I like his tattoos, his voice, his toned body. I like the way he handled those assholes the first night we met.
But I hate pretty much everything else about him.
“I’m not here for anything else, and you know it.”
He shrugs slightly as if that’s not a concern. “We can talk business if that’s what you really want.”
“What do you want to talk about instead?”
“Whatever normal people say on dates. Movies they watch, television shows they like.”
“I can’t really picture you firing up Netflix.”
“That’s not my thing. I prefer novels.”
My eyebrows raise. “You’re literate? Go figure.”
“Spy novels, thrillers, that sort of thing.”
“Ah, makes sense. Anything with a bunch of guns and violence, right?”
“Exactly.” More excited twinkle in his eyes, like he’s amused. “What about you?”
I finish my glass. He quickly refills it from the bottle the waitress left. “This isn’t a real date.”
“No?”
“It’s just business. That’s all.”
He grunts, almost like he’s disappointed. But once the salads arrive, he finally relents. “Your rent will go back to normal. Actually, I’ll drop it down to be on par with everyone else in the building. No matter what happens from here on out, you’ll be fine.”
Relief hits me so hard I could almost cry. I have to take another drink to cover the sudden rush of emotions. This fucker’s been blackmailing me, but now I’m almost grateful he’s easing off the pressure. It’s a little bit insane.
“Thank you,” I manage to say.
He nods once. “But there’s more. I have an offer for you. Something that could help change your life.”
I start eating the salad. Arugula, balsamic, beets, walnuts, and crumbly cheese. I try to focus on the food instead of on him. Because whatever he’s about to say, I have no doubt that it’s going to be bad.
“I don’t understand what you see in me,” I murmur, not meeting his gaze.
That seems to surprise him. “I need you, Kira.”
I sit back. He’s looking at me intently. His jaw’s tight, and I don’t know what the hell he means. “But why me?”
“I have a problem. It’s a problem I can’t solve on my own. We can help each other.”
“How? I don’t understand.”
“You need money. You need stability. You need someone to take care of Gem so you can have a life again.”
“That’s not—”
“You’re killing yourself for your sister.
You think I don’t see it? Everyone within a ten-mile radius can tell.
You’re committing suicide by diner food to make sure Gem gets a good education.
I know your sister is smart. She’s a very bright young woman with a future ahead of her.
And you think that if you burn yourself like a candle to the very nub, that’ll somehow guarantee good things will happen to her. Tell me I’m wrong.”
I swallow more wine. What the hell is happening right now? I know I’m not exactly subtle, but it’s like he’s cutting straight to my core with a scalpel. I don’t like it at all. I feel exposed.