Oh, my God…. This man… I think he could do anything he wanted to me and I wouldn’t stop him. How come I didn’t stop him in the limo?
I can still feel his hand down there… I’m getting so hot and damp. I feel like there’s a fire between my legs as I remember how he touched me.
He brings me to the bar and we order drinks. He’s drinking a scotch, neat, and I feel like a kid with my big pink fruity drink with the huge pineapple slice on it. It looks ridiculous but it tastes really good.
“So, that was the guy? Mr. Brown?”
He nods. “He invests a lot of money with us.”
“He doesn’t seem to approve of your lifestyle too much.”
“Yeah, well, Mr. Brown is very conservative. I bought him shares in an upcoming fashion magazine and he made me sell them when he found out that they had a model in a bikini on the cover. He thinks sex is the devil’s work.”
We chat for a bit and I’m happy to say that he’s opening up. He’s not all one word grunts like he was when we were texting on the phone and at the beginning of the night. He’s actually very smart and interesting.
By the end of my second fruity drink, I’m developing a serious crush on Mr. Nolan Cline.
“You’ve never been to a concert?” I say, staring at him in shock.
He just shakes his head. “Never.”
“How is that possible? I know you can afford it!”
He sighs as he thinks about it. “I’ve been working a lot over the past decade. I never got around to it.”
“You never got around to it?” I say with a laugh. “Nolan, it’s a concert, not a dentist cleaning. Come on!”
He laughs and the sound makes my heart constrict. He has a gorgeous smile when he brings it out, which I can tell is a rare occurrence. I like being the one to tease it out of him.
“I’m going to take you to a concert,” I tell him with a grin. “A loud one and we’re going to get flat beer and soggy hot dogs and it’s going to be crowded and sweaty and ear-piercing and awesome.”
He stands up a little straighter, eyeing me with a curious stare. “So, does that mean we’re going to go out again?”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to assume—”
“I would love to go to a concert with you.”
My mouth stretches into a wide embarrassing grin, and even though I’m trying, I can’t seem to close it.
We walk around the room and spot a large box for donations with some volunteers from the turtle habitat standing around, showing pictures and answering questions.
“I do love turtles,” I say as I drag Nolan over. “They’re so cute. Did you know that they cross the ocean? Isn’t that amazing?”
Nolan is so patient with me as he lets me talk to the volunteer and ask a million questions. His hand is on the small of my back, feeling so natural, so at home, so perfect. I look up at him and he’s watching me with a territorial gaze, his eyes full of… adoration? Love? I don’t know, but I like it…
I suddenly realize that I don’t want this to be a job. I don’t want to be paid to be here. I want this to be a real date. I’m here because I want to be now.
“What are you doing?” Nolan asks when I pull out the cheque.
I close my eyes and swallow the saliva in my mouth. “Do you have a pen?” I ask the volunteer.
She hands me one and I quickly sign my name on the back.
“Arya, what are you doing?” Nolan repeats as I hand the pen back and fold the cheque in two.
I take a deep breath and drop the cheque into the donation box. It’s more money than I’ve ever had in my life and now it’s gone.
Stupid fucking turtles…
He takes my hand and squeezes it to get my attention. “Why did you do that? That was your money.”
“I didn’t want it for this.”
“I don’t understand…”
I take a deep breath and then look into his eyes. “I don’t want to be paid to be here anymore.”
“You want to go home?”
I quickly shake my head. “No. I’m having fun. I want this to be a…”
“Real date?”
I nod.
He wraps his big muscular arms around me and kisses me hard on the lips. My legs go weak as his tongue thrusts into my mouth, stealing my breath as I fall deeper in love with him.
“All right,” he says when he pulls away. The whole room is spinning. I’m glad he’s holding me tightly. “It’s a date. A real date.”
I can’t help but smile, even when he kisses me again.Chapter FiveAryaThe dinner is the best food I’ve had since I left my parents’ house last year. I can’t stop moaning with every bite.