by E. L. Todd
The host smiled. “I see.” She pulled out the chair for me and let me sit down. “You pass then?”
Beatrice nodded.
The guy who was supposed to see Beatrice next skipped one seat over.
I returned to the chair as the host hit the timer again.
Beatrice stared at me, back to her indifferent façade. “As you were saying…”
“I don’t remember what we were talking about, actually.”
“What’s your last name, Conrad?”
“Preston.”
Her eyes flashed in recognition. “You’re a Preston?”
I knew she recognized my name the moment I said it. “Yeah.”
She nodded her head slowly. “Are you going to take over the company when you graduate?”
I would normally say yes. Girls liked security. Being a billionaire was exactly what they wanted to hear. But I knew Beatrice was different. I took a gamble and went a different direction. “No.”
She stared at me for a moment, her eyes a brilliant green. “No?”
I shook my head.
“Then what do you want to do?”
I went with the truth. “I don’t know. But I don’t want to work for a corporation.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
I gave the right answer. “Are you going to be a partner in the wine business?”
“No.”
I have no idea why, but that defiance and independence was hot as hell. “What do you want to do instead?”
“Law school.”
Seriously, she was amazing. “Are you getting your bachelor’s in political science?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of lawyer do you want to be?”
“I want to work for the DA—put jerks behind bars.”
My throat went dry. “You know they don’t make shit, right?”
“I’m aware of that,” she said hotly. “Everyone thinks money will make them happy and solve all their problems. Well, it won’t. And I get more satisfaction out of my passion than the amount in my bank account.”
I was dying for her to take off that mask. In my mind, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Perhaps her personality had given me unrealistic expectations of how she would look. Even so, I needed to know. “I feel the same way.”
“You don’t know what your passion is?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“What do you like to do?”
“Play basketball,” I blurted.
“Well, I don’t think you should go for the pros,” she teased.
I chuckled. “They would shut me down pretty quickly.”
“What else do you like to do?”
“Hang out with my friends.”
“You sound well rounded,” she said sarcastically.
“Like I said, I don’t know what I want to do.”
“Your father knows this?”
“No. But I’m sure he’ll figure it out.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “One should never assume anything.”
I didn’t know what that last comment meant so I didn’t have a response. I stared into her eyes, unable to look away. Everyone else continued with their conversations, their quiet voices reaching us. Did she ask me to stay because she was into me? Or did she ask because I was the only bearable date she met that night? I wished I could just ask her but I knew she was complicated and cryptic. I had to play by her rules if I wanted to play the game.
“What year are you in school?” she asked.
“Senior.”
“Me too,” she said. “I’m surprised we’ve never crossed paths before.”
“Maybe we have.” I pointed to my mask. “We just don’t recognize each other.”
“I would remember a name like Conrad.”
“And I would remember a woman who loved Star Wars.”
She laughed then grinned, showing perfectly straight teeth.
“Where are you going to law school?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Hopefully here.”
“I’m sure you’ll get in.” I didn’t need to see her transcripts to know she was a diligent student. It was implied in her mannerisms and personality.
“You make a lot of assumptions…”
“I can read people pretty well. And what they don’t say is more important than what they do say.”
She tilted her head to the side in interest. “Perhaps.”
“Assumptions are good—sometimes.”
She stared at me and I stared back. I’d give anything to know what she was thinking. Those green eyes were breathtaking. If the rest of her was just as beautiful, I’d be drawn to her like a moth to a flame. But it sounded too good to be true. How could a woman be so perfect? She had to have a flaw. There had to be scar on her face, something to make her human.
The blonde woman clapped her hands. “Okay, that ends our session. I hope everyone had a good time. The bar is still open if you want to continue to mingle.”
I was relieved I didn’t have to make small talk with another chick. Just the idea gave me a headache. If I hadn’t met Beatrice, this night would have been a total waste.
“Well, it was nice talking to you,” Beatrice said.
Was that her polite way of dismissing me? “You too…”
She stood up then grabbed her purse. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
She still hadn’t taken off her mask. How would I know how to find her again? It was difficult to hold myself back. I didn’t like playing games with women. I always said exactly what I wanted. With Beatrice, I felt like I was playing a very difficult game of tennis. “Yeah…” It took all my strength to rise out of my chair and walk away. If I hit on her, she would just say no. I had to do this right.
Beatrice walked away and headed to her blonde friend. Theo trailed to me and pulled off his mask when he reached me.
“Was that as shitty for you as it was for me?” Theo asked.
I still wasn’t sure. I ignored him and stared at Beatrice.
“You hit it off with her?” he asked.
“I think so.”
“You think?” he asked incredulously. “She asked you to stay at the table, didn’t she?”
“But I’m not sure what that meant.” I watched Beatrice speak to her blonde friend. “Take off the damn mask already.”
“Oh…” He nodded his head. “Still trying to figure out if she’s hot, huh?”
“Something like that…”
The blonde took off her blue mask then tossed it on the table. Then she fluffed her hair. I didn’t even bother to look at her face.
Come on…
Finally, Beatrice grabbed the front of her mask then pulled it off. Her hair went with it, making it slightly messy. She ran her fingers through it and quickly fixed it. When my eyes settled on her face, my heart stopped.
The green eyes I’d been staring at all night were familiar. I’d seen them before, just on a different night. Her full lips finally came back to me, and that smile suddenly became familiar. Her prominent cheekbones and beautiful face were easily recognizable.
“Isn’t that the same girl…” Theo trailed off.
“That we saw at the party,” I finished. “Yeah…”
“Wow. What are the odds?”
“Yeah…what are they?” I stared at her like a psychopath, memorizing every detail of her face. She put every other girl I’d been with to shame. Her beauty was unparalleled. Not a single woman in the room could rival her. Her perfection was untamed. And the fact she was beautiful underneath only heightened my attraction to her.
I wasn’t the only one who noticed her charms. Like a herd of cattle, men swarmed to her and made conversation. She was surrounded on all sides. She tried to be graceful about it, offering a small smile and trying not to be rude, but I could tell she felt suffocated.
“Aren’t you going to ask her out?” Theo said.
I wanted to. But this was no normal girl. How did someone lik
e her pick a guy like me? She literally could have whomever she wanted. And it was pretty clear she resented the overwhelming attention. She would only be attracted to a man that gave her the space she wanted.
Guys continued to make their moves, and she slowly moved toward the door.
“Dude, she’s leaving…”
I had to act fast. If I didn’t do something, she would be gone. Without thinking, I ran after her and followed her outside to the sidewalk. Some guy was still talking her ear off, saying they should have dinner.
“I really need to get going…” She flashed him a smile before she unlocked her car.
“There’s this great place in Boston. Let’s go out next weekend.” The guy followed her all the way to the door, chatting away.
“I already have plans,” she said politely.
“Another night?” he asked. “Because I’m available whenever you are.”
Man, this guy was desperate. I could tell Beatrice wouldn’t be into that. I headed to her side and stopped in front of her, my shoulder touching her admirer’s.
Beatrice turned to me and narrowed her eyes in suspicion, probably expecting me to ask her out.
I pulled off my mask then stuffed it into my pocket. When I looked at her, I saw her reaction. Her eyes widened as she took in my features. Her lips parted slightly, like she wanted to gasp in surprise. I didn’t know her well enough to understand every response she made, but I could tell she was pleased by my appearance. The attraction burned in her eyes. She finally shut her mouth and continued to stare.
Now what?
Beatrice waited for me to speak, predicting exactly what I would say.
I went with the first thing that came to mind. “I forgot to ask you something. What’s your favorite Star Wars film?”
Beatrice didn’t hide her surprise. Her eyes gave her away. She opened her mouth to speak but abruptly closed it again. The guy fighting for her affection raised an eyebrow, obviously thinking my plan of attack was juvenile. She regained her composure then spoke. “The Empire Strikes Back.”
“No way,” I said. “Cool.” I put my hands in my pockets then stepped back. “Well, goodnight. It was nice meeting you, Beatrice.” Pretending to be indifferent to her existence, I turned around and walked away.
Chapter Four
Silke
When I called Arsen, he answered on the first ring.
“Beauty.”
He always greeted me in the same way, the same words and the same voice. “What are you doing?” I sat at my vanity and added a few final touches to my hair.
“Depends.”
I rolled my eyes, hating his hardball act. “On what?”
“What you want to do. If it’s something annoying and stupid, then yes, I’m doing something.”
“Arsen, could you stop being an ass for five seconds?”
“No.” He said it plainly and without conviction.
“My girlfriends want to go out tonight.”
“What does that have to do with me?” He sounded bored, like he might fall asleep any second.
“I want you to come.”
“To do what?”
“Be my date,” I snapped. “I keep talking about you but no one has seen you.”
“Good. I don’t want to see them.”
“Just shut up and come out with us,” I hissed.
“I’m going to pass.” He breathed hard like he was inhaling from a cigarette.
“You’re coming. That’s an order.”
He sighed into the phone. “Stop acting like I’m your boyfriend! I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I can’t count the number of girls I’ve fucked since I met you.”
“No, you can’t,” I said seriously. “Because zero isn’t a real number.”
He growled over the phone.
“Now shut up and pick me up.”
“No,” he argued. “I’m not going to pretend to be your perfect boyfriend.”
“Who said anything about perfect? I’ve made it clear to my friends that you are nothing close to perfect.”
“So, you talk about me?” he asked in an irritated voice.
“Yes, it’s what girlfriends do.”
He sighed while he adjusted the phone. “Forget it. I have other things to do.”
“Like what?”
“Like none of your business.”
“Fine.” I glanced at the time on my nightstand and knew I needed to get going or I’d be late.
“Fine?” he asked in surprise. “That was easy.”
“All my friends think you aren’t real, so when you don’t show up, they’ll continue to think that.”
“Good.”
“They want to hook me up with this guy named Hunter.”
He fell silent.
“I guess he’s seen me around and wants an introduction.” I smiled because I knew he was panicking on his side of the phone. His eyes would be wide and his heartbeat accelerating. I enjoyed the silence, never getting so much joy out of a wordless conversation.
He growled into the phone like a wolf. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” He hung up before I could gloat.
I laughed then put my feet on the vanity. I grabbed my pink nail polish and gave myself a quick pedicure.
***
When I was ready, I opened my front door.
Arsen was sitting on the top stair with his back to me. He was smoking a cigarette, the tendrils dissipating in the night air.
He never knocked on my door. He always stood on the other side, leaning against the wall or sitting on the staircase. Somehow, inexplicably, I knew he was there even when he didn’t announce his presence. There was a static in the air whenever he was near. I couldn’t explain it.
I locked the door behind me then stood near him. “You got here fast.”
He put the cigarette out on the concrete then tossed it down the stairwell. “I was nearby.”
“Where?” I asked. I pulled my dress down then sat beside him.
He glanced at me, his eyes lingering on my long legs in my black pumps. Then he looked away, pretending to be indifferent. “Somewhere.”
“You know what I think?”
“I don’t care.”
“I think you hauled ass over here so I wouldn’t leave without you.”
He didn’t acknowledge my words. “Let’s get this over with.” He rose to his feet then grabbed my hand, pulling me up.
I wore a tight black dress that reached my upper thighs. My brown hair was curled at the ends and it framed my face. Golden earrings hung from my lobes, and my face was heavy with make up. I stared at his face, watching his reaction to me.
His eyes burned in a quiet smolder while he looked me up and down. They lingered on my legs longer than any other part of my body. Then he turned his gaze back on my face. Several heartbeats passed but he didn’t say anything. Then he turned away and headed down the stairs. He didn’t compliment my appearance but he didn’t need to. I knew what he was thinking even if he didn’t say it.
I followed him down the stairs then walked by his side while we headed to his motorcycle. He wore a black leather jacket with a black t-shirt underneath. His dark jeans hung low on his hips. His ass always looked nice in those jeans. Even though he just wore a helmet, his hair still looked perfect. He was naturally sexy, requiring little effort to make him that way.
When we reached his motorcycle, he handed me a pink helmet.
I studied it in my hands. “What’s this?”
“Your helmet.” He put his black one on then started the bike.
I smiled in victory. “You got this for me?”
“No, I got it for all my guests.”
I put it on then straddled the motorcycle. My arms moved around his waist and I held him tight. “Thank you. I love it.”
“Where are we going?”
“Heat.”
He pulled his legs up then took off.
I rested my chin on his shoulder and held on w
hile he made the drive. Sometimes he was adventurous on the road, swerving between cars to get to the fast lane, but I trusted him. Arsen knew what he was doing. And I knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to me—even if he would never admit it.
When we reached the bar, he parked his Harley then pulled his helmet off. “Nice night for a ride.”
“Yeah.” I pulled the helmet off then fixed my hair.
Arsen stared at me, his desire undeniable. He glanced down to my legs again, unable to hide his thoughts.
I left the helmet on the handle. “I like the pink color.”
“It’s your favorite.”
“I thought it was for all your guests?” I loved cornering him and catching him in his lies. It was too easy.
“All girls like pink,” he said in an irritated voice.
“Sure…” I put my hands on my hips and waited on the sidewalk.
He shook his head slightly then came to my side. “Let’s get this shit over with.”
I grabbed his hand and held him still. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“No.” He stared me down, not amused.
I stood back and gave him a sexy pose. “Are you sure?”
The corner of his mouth turned up in a sexy grin. He tried to fight it but he couldn’t. “Yes.”
I did a different pose, showing off my cleavage. “Think about it.”
A light chuckle escaped his lips while he ran his hand through his hair, being sexy without even trying. He dropped his hand and ended the laugh, only a smirk remaining. “Fine.”
“Fine what?” I changed poses.
“You look…great.”
I gave him an offended look. “Come on, bad boy. You can do better than that.”
He walked to me then gripped me hard. Then he pushed me against the brick wall of the building, his hard body pressed to mine. The air left my lungs as I felt the cold tingle of the bricks. My hands were pinned to the wall, and Arsen’s face was pressed close to mine. He stared at my lips for a long time like he wanted to eat me alive. “I want to have you right here, right now.”
“Go ahead,” I said fearlessly. “What’s stopping you?”
A distant light burned in his eyes. “I know you aren’t the kind of girl who fucks in public places.”
“Try me.” I held his gaze, not backing down.
He closed the gap between us and pressed his lips against mine. The kiss wasn’t hard and forceful like I expected. It was gentle and soft, full of purposeful touches and passion. He sucked my bottom lip, feeling me intimately, and then caressed my lips with his warm ones. The light breeze from the evening chill moved through my hair. I pulled him closer to stay warm. He pressed me against the wall, his large body keeping me safe from the cold. One hand fisted my hair while he kissed me gently, telling me everything he couldn’t say with words. Then he slowly pulled away, taking the heat with him.
