by Juniper Hart
“I bought you a drink,” Coral said while batting her lashes.
She thought about saying something such as, Oops! I got too many drinks and now I’m looking or someone who’ll help me. But it sounded too stupid, and besides, she thought a direct approach would be better.
“Interested?”
The man eyed one of the drinks she was carrying. “What is it?”
“A Manhattan,” she answered.
He gave her a funny look before nodding in admiration. “Good guess.”
“I’m Tara,” Coral said. She had always liked that name.
She handed the man his drink, making absolutely sure that her fingers slid against his knuckles. Rule one of flirting: make physical contact. It’s a big deal. In case he was an idiot and didn’t realize the drink was a sign of her being interested, the contact drove it home.
“Kai,” he said in return.
The way he noticed the contact, and yet coolly played it off, was impressive. She was looking at a pro.
“Pretty name,” she said, and she meant it.
Coral engaged in small talk, but she had a feeling that she wasn’t dealing with the typical womanizer. He was smooth—too smooth.
Maybe he’s going to try to rip me off, she thought.
Her guard was up. When he thought she wasn’t looking, she saw Kai check out her body from head to toe. He made skin-to-skin contact at least five times, but played it off as an accident or part of their natural interactions.
He’s faking a genuine interest in me! He must know that I know he only wants to sleep with me.
Although she still planned on stealing his wallet and that expensive watch, she felt a touch of admiration for him. Well, admiration wasn’t the exact feeling. She was impressed, while simultaneously disgusted, with the fact that he was such a pro.
Even though she had never trusted men, Kai’s charm still made her genuinely laugh. He was funny and witty. The conversation flowed naturally. When she had tried to pull off stealing from these types of arrogant men before, she instigated the conversation and then listened through thirty minutes of them bragging about themselves and how big they were below the belt through poorly articulated allusions that were supposed to be funny, but ended up being simply crude and unappealing.
The handsome stranger kept flipping the conversation back on her as though he was hanging onto every word she said. Even though she suspected it was a scam, it was a pleasant surprise.
Soon enough, Coral was ready to drop the mic. Time for the ego booster.
“So,” she said, “a man like you has to be pretty important, right?”
She purred that last part, like the idea of wealth and power turned her on for some reason. Contrary to what most people thought, she didn’t care about money. When she found the man who was perfect for her, the last thing she’d care about was the health of his net worth. She’d met plenty of rich men, and one thing she knew was that money didn’t make the man. Instead, she’d care about his hopes and dreams, and whether or not their values aligned. Hopefully, she wouldn’t still be stealing when she met the perfect man, because that was definitely out of alignment with her values. But, a girl had to do what she must to survive.
Coral didn’t believe she was a bad person. She felt that the type of men she preyed on deserved it. Oftentimes, they were out cheating on their wives or were used to taking advantage of people. She saw her actions as a way to give them a taste of their own medicine. She knew these types of men too well. Of course, this was going to be the first time she was actually going to steal from someone. She had planned to do it so many times before, but she always felt too guilty, and ended up sneaking out of the nightclub to go home.
Coral’s father had left her family when she was just an infant. As a single mom, Coral’s mother tried to get a job and pay the bills, but then she couldn’t afford daycare for Coral. Eventually, her mother resorted to prostitution. Coral watched the men leave every night, and it disgusted her. As a young child, she began to harbor a bit of resentment towards men. Not all of them, of course. But most. She had learned what to look for in her victims from watching the rich men who paid for her mother’s services. She decided her only victims would be the type of men that used those who were desperate and then left them after they’d had their fun.
Coral’s mother had died when she was sixteen, and ever since, she’d had to fend for herself. Stealing was a last resort and her only way out of her current situation. Even though she justified her actions by telling herself that this man deserved it, deep down, she harbored a great amount of guilt.
At no point in her life did she aspire to be in the position she was in, struggling just to get through the day. After her mother died, her foster parents were abusive, and she was kicked out the day the government checks stopped coming, after she became a legal adult. Every month it was the same balancing act to avoid getting evicted. She just didn’t have the education or experience to get a job that paid enough to cover rent, food, and other bare necessities.
Aside for her dress and one pair of designer shoes, she didn’t own much that had any value. She’d sold most of her clothes to pay the rent recently, and she was not going to accept hand-outs. She’d lost her job last month when business was slow. After she was let go, she applied to dozens of jobs, but nobody was hiring. She was punctual and a hard worker. If only someone would give her a chance!
Kai answered her question with a sly smirk, but no words. He was playing her.
Men usually liked to talk about their self-perceived importance, so his coyness threw her off her game.
Kai finally broke the silence. “Tell you what. It’s late. Why don’t we head back to my place? I can show you around.”
She glanced down shyly and twirled a curl of her hair. “I’d love that.”
He reached out for her hand. She gave it to him. His skin was abnormally warm, like he had a fever.
“Your hand is so warm,” she said. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Absolutely,” he assured. “I’m just warm by nature.”
More like hot, she thought to herself. Double sided meaning there, both of which were true.
“Oh,” she said. “I almost forgot! I have to get something from my car.” She met his eyes and felt a tingle in her heart. He was good. “Be right back. Wait for me!”
“No problem.”
She didn’t actually have a car. She just needed some fresh air and a second alone to decide if she was actually going to go through with robbing him. Trying to avoid wiping out because of the heels she was wearing, Coral walked out to the parking lot.
I got him, she thought. Or did he get me? She wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter in the end.
Either way, she planned to steal all the cash and valuables she could in his house before he woke up. He had nothing on her. He didn’t even have her name. The great thing about guys like him was that they would rather shoot themselves in the foot than admit they had been ripped off by a woman they’d picked up at a bar. Or at least, that’s what she hoped.
She stood outside, convincing herself that what she was doing was right.
Abruptly, the light was blocked out by a shadow towering above her.
“Shit,” Coral cursed under her breath.
She turned to see the two men she was hoping she would be able to keep avoiding: Earl and Josh, the men who had been ripped off by her ex-boyfriend. They always seemed to find her. They were big men. Enormous, really. Coral had always thought they looked like rhinos in street clothes.
“Hey, guys,” she managed. She suddenly felt rather small. “Have you found Chase yet?”
Chase was her ex-boyfriend, a man who sold drugs and stole from his dealer. When he found out he’d been caught, he had run away, leaving Coral to face the wrath of the dealer’s cronies.
“The boss is getting pretty tired of your shit,” Earl growled. He had a cigarette in his mouth. He took a draw and exhaled a puff of smoke into Coral’s face. “Give us th
e money.”
She didn’t have his money. She couldn’t even afford to eat if her plan to steal from Kai didn’t work out. Besides, it wasn’t even her fault. She had never even tried pot—she didn’t want to feel out of control, even for a second.
“I don’t have it right now,” Coral said with a shaking voice. “But I will!”
Earl stepped forward, and Coral immediately took a step back. She suddenly felt dwarfed. “I’m gonna ask you one more time.”
“We’re all reasonable. Can’t we work this out? I’ll have it within a week!” She hoped they couldn’t hear her voice quivering.
“We saw you with the man inside,” Josh told her. “Tomorrow morning, or we’re coming back for you and next time, we won’t be so forgiving.”
“I need that money!” she argued. “I’m going to be evicted, and I—”
“Evicted or broken,” Earl said. “Boss don’t give a fuck what excuses you have. He wants his money back. You know how to reach me.”
These men were true to their word. She knew their threats weren’t empty—they were promises. Earl and Josh would absolutely hurt her, even kill her, if she didn’t give them what they wanted.
“Fine,” she hissed. “Tomorrow morning.”
Another man walked up behind Josh, his steps echoing throughout the parking lot.
“Tara?” came Kai’s voice. “You okay?”
Earl turned to face Kai. He and Josh were both bigger than him, but Kai didn’t look intimidated. “Get outta here. This ain’t none of your business.”
Kai stared him down. “I think it is.”
Earl walked up to Kai and roughly poked him in the chest with his index finger. “Maybe you didn’t hear me. Get the fuck out of here!”
Kai’s steely blue eyes glared at him. With one deft move, he plucked Earl’s cigarette out of his mouth. After a dramatic pause, he grabbed Earl’s hand and pressed the red-hot part onto Earl’s palm. Kai grinned at Earl while doing it. It was a scare tactic, through and through.
Earl attempted to remove his hand from Kai’s grasp, but was unsuccessful. Finally, Kai let him go.
For a second, Coral thought Earl might punch him or do something worse, but he simply scoffed. Then he nodded to Josh, and both men vanished off into the gloom, leaving Coral and Kai behind.
“You okay?” Kai asked, turning his attention to her. His eyes were surprisingly gentle as he looked her over.
“Yes. Thank you. I love the whole knight in shining armor tactic, but you’ve opened up a floodgate of trouble for yourself,” she replied.
“I’ve never liked knights,” said Kai seriously. “And you don’t need to worry about me. I can handle myself. I want to make sure they didn’t hurt you.”
Maybe Coral was wrong about him; he seemed like a good guy. She reconsidered her plan, but Earl and Josh were going to hurt her if she didn’t get their money.
“Where’s your car?” she asked, looking around the parking lot.
“Valet,” he said.
Kai grabbed her hand and walked over to the valet to give the man his ticket. When the valet returned, she had to do a double take. Kai drove a million-dollar car. She wasn’t into cars per se, but it didn’t take a pro to recognize something that valuable. It was the true status symbol. Her jaw dropped looking at it. When she got in, she moved carefully to avoid scratching anything.
I’m going to rob this man and I’m worried about scratching his car?
Something about Kai didn’t add up. Coral hoped she wouldn’t regret what she was about to do.
2
Kai kept his eyes on the road while they drove. “What was all that about earlier?”
Coral tensed, but she quickly regained her composure. “In the parking lot?”
He nodded silently.
“Long story,” she said with a shrug.
Kai glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Interesting,” was all he said.
He didn’t pry, and for that, Coral was grateful.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that he could see through her. But that was ridiculous. He couldn’t know that she was planning to drug him and take his valuables. No way. He might suspect she was up to no good. It didn’t look like he cared all that much about it, though.
Finally, they showed up at his house. “House.” That wasn’t the right word. “Fortress” was more appropriate, but not a medieval fortress. The architecture was modern with strong horizontal lines and glass curtain walls. It was surrounded by a tall concrete wall and large iron gates that welcomed them at the entrance. It wouldn’t be an easy escape for Coral to make.
Play it cool, Coral.
She settled back in her seat and smiled. She’d hit the mother-load. All she had to do was drug this man, steal his valuables, and be on her way.
When Kai entered the code for his gate, Coral watched the reflection in the mirror as he pressed the numbers, and she memorized the combination: 5062. She repeated the number in her head until it was practically engraved inside her—after all, she would need it later.
As Kai drove them through the iron gates, Coral kept an eye out for guards or staff members.
“Do you live here alone?” she asked.
He laid a hand on her thigh and gently stroked it. “Yes.”
She looked over at him and smiled. Coral didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she felt excited by his touch. Goosebumps formed on her skin, but in her mind, she blamed it on the air conditioning in his car. He kept it way too cold.
He grinned. It was the first time that she noticed, but he had very sharp canines, like those of a lion. Weird, but she’d seen weirder. One guy she met had two knobs coming out slightly from his forehead like a demon, which was creepy as hell, but he claimed that he had been born with them, so she let it go. It wasn’t her business to judge.
The inside of Kai’s house was just as extravagant as the outside. Coral inhaled sharply when he escorted her inside. If she had sketched a dream house in her mind, Kai’s house would have been it. Like the outside, the décor was simple with straight lines. The furniture was white, but he had the most magnificent art that added splashes of color. Some of the art depicted beautiful ocean scenes, while other paintings were historical portraits of warriors throughout time. Strangely, the men all bore a certain resemblance to Kai, but Coral could tell that the paintings were much older than him.
“Ancestors?” asked Coral jokingly while motioning to the paintings.
“Yes,” he said.
“Oh! Wow! That’s amazing that you can trace your ancestors back so many years. I definitely see the resemblance.”
“Well,” he added with a smile, “that’s how genetics work, right?”
She couldn’t stop staring at the paintings. They were Kai. She was sure of it. Every portrait shared his same eyes, the same smile, the same chiseled bone structure.
She tugged down her dress to expose more of her cleavage, which seemed to drive every guy nuts. The pill to drug him was in her purse. It wouldn’t hurt him, only knock him out long enough so that Coral could get away with enough valuables to pay her rent, get something to eat, and pay Josh and Earl. She was ready. Now, all she had to do was get him to swallow the pill and she’d be off like a bandit.
As they walked through his home, she caught a glimpse of an old grand piano.
“Do you play?” she asked Kai. He briefly glanced at the instrument.
“A little…”
She sat back and crossed her arms. “I don’t believe you.”
“I do,” he assured her.
Kai looked at her and she wilted for a moment. Yes, there was no doubt: she was interacting with a professional womanizer.
“Prove it.”
He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. Just put the gun down,” he teased.
He sat down at the piano and set his fingers on the keys. A smile came to his lips and he ran his finger across the piano from the deepest to the highest notes. Coral walked over and
stood behind him to watch as his fingers took over. They moved quickly across the piano, coaxing forth a beautiful melody. It was fast, peppy, and just a plain thrill to listen to and enjoy. Every note left her wanting, craving more.
She playfully slapped his shoulder. “You said you just knew a little!”
“This is a little,” he replied with a laugh.
“What are you?” she cried. “You’re protective, and obviously strong. I still don’t know how you overpowered Earl. You live in this amazing house, and you have unparalleled musical talent.”
His fingers kept flying as he looked at her. He was splitting his concentration between talking to her and playing, which was impressive.
“I’ve had a while to practice.”
She shook her head. “Teach me?”
He scooted over on the bench to make space for her.
“Please,” he said, taking his fingers off the keys.
She missed the music immediately. It had been so warm and nice, like a hug from an old friend. Once it was gone, she felt cold and empty.
Coral sat next to him and set her purse down. When she was in grade school, she grew close to her music teacher, who had given her free lessons after school. Coral always had a love for playing piano, but had never had the money to buy one or even to afford long-term lessons.
The piano keys were cold, smooth, and oddly familiar, though Kai’s piano was much more opulent than the one that her teacher had used.
Coral let her subconscious take over and she played a little tune. It was shaky. She hadn’t played in years, but she was still rather impressed that she remembered any of it.
“Hey, that’s nice!” Kai encouraged. “You play?”
“A little, but nothing like your definition of it.”
He laughed. It sounded like water running over a bed of rocks in a river. It was a beautiful sound, one that she immediately wanted to hear again.
She mentally stepped back. She was going to rob him and vanish off into the night. She wasn’t allowed to like him. It wasn’t okay. Robbing someone you considered a friend was a thousand times harder and worse than robbing someone you will never see again.
