Chapter 2 #2
“I do not, unfortunately. Do you?” He’s watching me again, and I know if I didn’t have that fourth drink, I’d be crawling under the table.
His gaze is . . . intense.
“I have Speckles. He’s a box turtle. His favorite things to eat are raspberries and pickles, but he also drinks cabernet.”
His eyes light up as he stares at me. “You have a turtle?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. I’ve never met anyone who owns a turtle.” He takes another sip of his drink as the waitress returns with the water. “Especially one that drinks wine.”
He hands the water to me, and I accept because I am so thirsty. I take a long gulp before responding.
“Well, not everyone knows what amazing pets and companions they make. Did you know that turtles can live to be over one hundred years old? So, I got Speckles when I was three. He could stay with me my entire lifetime, and I’ll never go through the devastation people experience when a pet dies.”
I am studying the veins in his hand curved around the glass, but I look up to see another smile on his face.
“What?” I ask, feeling self-conscious about my turtle-related ramblings.
He shakes his head, tipping the remnants of the glass back over his lips. “Nothing. Do you want to come home with me?”
The intense green stare is back, and I realize that I very much want to go home with this man.
“Do you . . . want to take me home with you?” It’s a dumb thing to say, but for some reason, I feel the need to confirm his words.
“I don’t ask people to do things if I don’t want them to do it.”
I get lost in his eyes and the alcohol swirling inside me for a few long breaths.
Then, I nod, standing up from the booth. I’m fueled by four mystery pink drinks and a terrible morning that I want permanently erased.
In fact, I’d like the last eight years I spent with Stephen to be erased. This man seems like the perfect one to get the job done.
I realize that I have no idea where Mel went. Glancing around, I see her back over at the bar, laughing with the long-haired bartender. A warm, strong hand unexpectedly curls around mine, and I immediately sink into the contact.
Looking up, I see that he’s taller than I realized when he was sitting down—at least six foot four. I like the feeling of being tiny next to him.
He guides me through the crowd, which seems to part for him too easily. I tap Mel on the shoulder as I pass by, and she turns to me with an enormous smile and a thumbs-up.
She mouths, Text me, and I nod to confirm.
Once we get out on the street, it starts to sprinkle. He quickly pulls me over the slick sidewalk, and we come up to the shiny black-and-red sports car I saw earlier. He must click a button because the doors open automatically, twisting toward the sky to reveal a red leather interior.
“Yikes,” I say under my breath.
He laughs out loud. “Yikes, huh? You’re adorable.”
I turn to him, annoyed at the word choice. “Adorable?” Ouch.
“Yes.” He stares down at me, hair shiny from the misting rain.
The streetlights somehow make him look even more out of my league. Perfect jawline. Perfect physique. Fancy suit. Fancy car.
“I don’t want to be adorable.” I pause, trying to envision the type of girl he should be with. “I want to be . . . sexy.” I am going to cry tomorrow when I remember all the embarrassing things I said tonight.
“You are sexy.” His hands are in his pockets as he stares at me, and it starts to rain a little harder.
Isn’t he concerned about the damage to his red leather seats?
“Okay, but . . . I want to be only sexy, not adorable.”
“That’s unfortunate because you are equally both.”
We’re getting soaked. After a few more seconds of staring at me, he gently tugs my hand to lead me into the vehicle.
I settle inside, still holding his hand.
He pushes a button, and the door starts to close while he walks around to the driver’s side.
He makes climbing into the low body of the car somehow look effortlessly hot.
“I just feel like it would be fair to warn you that I have my location enabled on my phone. My friend can find me anywhere. So, don’t try any funny business.”
His hand is gripping the steering wheel, and again, I’m obsessed with the display of veins as he maneuvers the vehicle through the streets.
“If I was going to try any ‘funny business,’ I would make sure to get rid of your phone first now that you’ve told me that.”
Dang it. He’s totally right.
“Well . . . I also have a tracking device . . . embedded in my hip.” I’m really not a great liar. I’m actually the world’s worst.
“Hmm, I’ll be sure to pay attention to that.”
He’s got a sexy smirk on his lips. The alcohol content in my blood is the main reason I’m not throwing up from the nerves tickling my stomach at the mention of how naked we are about to be. I turn to watch him drive for a few seconds, but his eyes stay forward.
“So . . . you’re single, right?”
I might be intoxicated, but I really don’t have any interest in making enemies with whatever exotic creature this man could potentially be in a relationship with. I’m a bit worried right now that faithful males don’t exist in the world anymore.
“Are you?”
The streetlights are shining over his form, enhancing the muscular frame clearly hidden underneath the tailored black suit.
“Yes.” I almost tack on, as of this morning, but I don’t want to share the sob story of my cheating ex with this man.
I’m someone else tonight, an elusive woman who regularly meets sexy strangers and rides home with them in cars worth more than everything she owns—times a thousand.
He pulls into an underground parking garage and parks in a special little bay with a door right at the entrance.
We both get out, and he leads me over to the elevator. I’m not surprised when he presses the button with the P on it, but it’s not something I’ve ever witnessed happening in real life.
I refuse to look at him on our journey into the sky. It feels instant and endless at the same time. My determination to follow through hasn’t wavered, but I can only assume that liquid courage is the main reason I haven’t run away in a panic, flagging down a yellow cab.
The doors finally part, revealing the fancy interior of an apartment that looks like something I’ve seen on the Netflix show Selling Sunset.
“Fancy pants, fancy car, fancy penthouse,” I murmur to myself as I trail inside.
You’re not regular Kate tonight. Don’t be impressed.
I turn back to him, perching my hand on my hip. “Bedroom?”
His shoulder is leaning up against a black marble column right inside the entryway. He’s watching me silently, hands casually resting in his pockets.
“To the left.” His voice seems a tad deeper, but then I’m not sure with my head so fuzzy.
I turn and sway into the door he indicated.
The gigantic king-size bed has a rich violet cover. The wall on the right side is just a dark window stretching from floor to ceiling. Raindrops are steadily pelting the glass.
This is it. I’m either going through with this or backing out right now.
“Who do you want to be tonight, Kate?” I mumble to myself.
Still facing the window, I reach down for the short, silky hem of my dress and peel it off, tossing it to the side.
I don’t want to be Kate tonight. The new girl inhabiting my frame is bold and beautiful, and she’s going to have sex with a random guy she met at a bar an hour ago.
New life, here I come.
I see his reflection in the window as he approaches me from behind.
“You seem nervous.” The depth of his voice pricks my skin, and I shiver.
“Not at all.” I’m still attempting the sexy voice, but I have no idea if it’s convincing him or not.
I’m wearing the lingerie I bought for Stephen’s birthday coming up in a few weeks.
It’s probably simple compared to what this man is accustomed to seeing, but for me, it’s fancier than my usual.
The royal-blue silk set has a tiny yellow bow at the top of the thong and in the center of the breasts.
There’s enough padding in the bra to stuff a child’s car seat.
I feel his finger trace over the fabric above my butt, right where the tiny bow rests.
“Why blue and yellow?” he growls.
I can feel his warm breath at the top of my shoulder, and I let out a sigh.
“Umm, the saleslady said it enhanced my eyes.” I’m a sucker for a compliment from a stranger.
“Hmm,” is all he says.
Well, okay then. My confidence falters.
“Do you want a drink?” he asks.
“Uh, yes . . . cabernet?”
His reflection in the window is all I can see, and he stares at my back for another few seconds before turning to exit the room.
Being alone again is like being snapped halfway back to reality.
“Oh shit, shit.”
I nearly sprint into the adjoining bathroom. A mirror the size of my entire car welcomes me. I have to say, in Mel’s heels, her perfect makeup job, and my new special undies, I look pretty much like the part I’m trying—and probably failing—to play.
I point directly at my round, cobalt-blue eyes in the reflection. “You. Got. This. Kate Dawson. Make that man remember your name.”
I square my shoulders back, check my teeth, and strut back into the dimly lit bedroom like I’ve done it a thousand times before.