Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 104729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Tonight, unlike in the pictures, she’s wearing makeup. Soft streams of light bounce around the room, hitting her with each step she takes.
With shoulders pulled back, she stands tall and proud. She’s sexy as all fuck with her regal persona. Now that I know who she is, it fits.
She’s the dethroned king’s princess. But that’s not necessarily true, I tell myself. She was hidden away. Like a fairy tale. Far away in a tower. But I’m not a prince, and she’s not my princess.
No, instead, she’s the means to an end.
I’ll bait her to fall into my trap and use her to kill my opponent.
It’s time this war ends once and for all.
She gets closer with each step. She hasn’t noticed me yet, which allows me to admire her from afar without her knowing. My disdain is probably palpable at this moment. As gorgeous as she is, I hate her with every fiber of my being.
No, hate is too strong a word. I don’t give a shit about her. I hate her father.
The world stops when our eyes finally lock. She’s an exotic beauty. Blue eyes stare at me as if I have all the answers in the world, which is impressive. She must be a talented actress.
I stand and place my glass down, heading over to where she is. She stops in her tracks as I approach, making me come to her.
Well played.
If I were a normal fool, I would eat that shit up and be desperate to have her in my arms. But like her, I know the game I’m playing.
Unlucky for her, she’s ignorant.
If she thinks she can get the upper hand on me, she is dead wrong.
Once in front of her, I stare down at her, not smiling and not welcoming. But I don’t smile often, and anyone who knows me knows this.
If my intel is correct, she knows I’m lethal, and anything more than a smirk would give me away.
“I wasn’t sure you would come …” This time, the smirk reaches my eyes. Lies. I knew she would come.
“You didn’t leave me time to answer. You were in a rush to leave.”
“I had business,” I respond before turning toward the table. “Sit,” I instruct, and she gives a small nod. “I’m Alaric.”
“Raven.” Another lie. They slip off her tongue with little resistance. Impressive.
She takes a step forward until our bodies are side by side, and I reach out my arm and splay my hand on the small of her back. My fingers touch the soft slope of her spine until it rests on her warm skin.
I can’t see her full dress, but from what I can tell from my touch, it’s open in the back. Without further delay, I lead us back to the table and have her sit beside me.
“What do you want to drink?”
She looks around the table, scanning all the bottles in front of her.
“Tequila,” she responds.
You can learn a lot about a girl from the drink they pick. Yesterday, she drank champagne, today tequila. She needs liquid courage for whatever the next part of her plan is.
I lift my hand and signal the waitress. “Two shots of Don Julio. Extra chilled.”
There might be a bottle already at my table, but it’s not good enough for me. To get the drink to the right temperature, it needs a shaker, something that is not at my disposal right now. However, the waitress in front of me knows that even though I’m a scotch drinker, when I do indulge in tequila, I like it prepared a certain way, so she has one in her hand already as she smiles down at me.
It doesn’t take long before the shots are poured, and with glasses now in hand, I raise mine for a toast.
“What shall we celebrate?” I ask.
“Letting loose. Having fun. Getting drunk?”
“New friends?” I respond, my voice dropping an octave. All the wicked things I want to do to her are evident in my tone.
Her pupils widen a fraction, but not enough for someone to notice unless they were watching.
Good.
Keep her on her toes.
5
Phoenix
I’m ready to leave. Having a conversation and flirting are hard to do at a location like this.
Sure, I could throw myself at him, but from what I saw the day before when I was watching him, that would not hold his interest for long.
The night before, plenty of women approached him. They rubbed their barely dressed bodies against him, but not one of them held his attention. I was the only one, and that’s because I paid him no mind.
I know plenty of assholes like him.
Not only from my early upbringing, but also from my experience at the private schools I went to in Switzerland. I learned there that men want what they think they can’t have.
So, I played coy. Now, it’s time for me to go, and I’m not sure the gamble paid off.