“Of course.” Taking it, I crack open the bottle of Jack and pour her another drink. I hand her the refreshed glass as I take a seat next to her. Not too close, but not too far either.
“Thank you.” Manda takes a small sip.
“You’re welcome.” I smile warmly. I want her to feel relaxed with me. Feel comfortable.
“I’ve never done anything like this before,” Manda confesses.
“Can I tell you a secret?” I lean a little closer to her. “Neither have I,” I share softly.
The corners of her plump pink lips turn up. “First time for everything, huh?”
“I guess.” I chuckle.
Manda looks around the spacious room. “So, what do you do?” She breaks the ice.
“Business man. Nothing very exciting, but very profitable. The details will bore you to death.”
“Is that why you came looking for me? A little adventure?” She spins the glass in her fingers apprehensively.
I’m rendered speechless for half a second. “Maybe,” I answer shrewdly. This girl is not only beautiful, she’s sharp. A lethal combination.
“Is that why you offered yourself up? Looking for a little adventure yourself?” I fish.
Manda bites her bottom lip. “Not exactly.”
“Financial issues?”
“Sort of.”
“Are you in trouble?” My instincts kick into high gear.
“No, nothing like that.” She shakes her dark head vigorously.
“Then why? Why auction yourself off?”
Manda takes another large swig of whiskey. “Maybe it’s a mix of everything. The adrenaline rush of the unknown, financial issues,Pretty Womansyndrome.”
“Pretty Womansyndrome?” I question.
“The idea is easier to swallow when you wrap it up in fairytale ideals.” She shrugs.
That statement actually saddens me. Sitting next to me is a vibrant young woman who has the world at her feet and for some reason—a reason I will soon find out—she’s here, with me, serving herself up on a silver platter to a man she doesn’t even know. A man who needs to keep a safe distance, but the more time he spends in her company, the more he wants to touch her. Feel her, do all the things she came here with the expectation to do.
I clear my throat, pushing away the beating desire. “So, what do you do?” I keep the conversation rolling, grasping at straws for a distraction.
“I’m in school. Studying business, actually.” She smirks as she takes another sip of her drink, the amber liquid sliding so seductively into her mouth.Breathe.I wonder if she even knows how sexy she is.
“Interesting. How much longer do you have left?”
“It’s my senior year. I’m applying to grad school now.”
“Impressive.”
“We’ll see. If a successful career pans out, then you can be impressed.”
“I have a feeling”—I unconsciously scoot a little closer to Manda—“whatever you put your mind to you achieve.” I look directly into her eyes and sizzle from the electric blue of her irises. She bats her long eyelashes, my compliment clearly affecting her.
“You don’t even know me, how can you be so convinced?”