CHAPTER 4

"Ha! One!" I exclaim.

"Now I'm sure you're cheating." Kamila groans. "You're probably not even shuffling the cards."

I snicker. "Thirty years old and still such a sore loser. Now play your card so I can beat you, for the third time."

She narrows her eyes at her hand of cards, then looks at me over them. I wiggle my brows at her before her mouth curves up into a grin. "Take that."

She puts down a wild card.

"Okay. What's the color?"

"Gre... no. Yellow."

I shout, putting my yellow card at the top of the stack of cards. "I win! I'd like to thank all the little people I had to step over on my way to victory. Your pain was not in vain."

"I cannot stand you."

"Aww, you love me."

I take all the cards and put them back in the box, ending Kamila’s misery.

"What time is it?" I murmur, more to myself than Kamila as I look for where I put my phone.

"This is the third time you’ve asked me that." She arches a brow. "Is there somewhere you need to be tonight? I know damn well you can't be anxious to get to the diner."

I haven't told her I quit last night, and told Laury not to say anything to her either. Telling her would only make her panic, especially when I can't give her answers as to why I was ableto quit. She would have a lot more questions than I can answer right now. Even when I tell her about paying for the surgery, I’ll have to figure out how to explain all of it. Without telling the truth.

"I have a date." I settle on saying.

It is a date, of sorts. Just unlike any date I've ever been on. No dinner, no small talk to get to know one another, no timid kisses, trying to gauge if the other person wants it as much as you. We are skipping all of that. I have no idea if he will kiss me at all, touch me at all. Or just tell me to get on the bed and spread my legs for him.

"A date?" Kamila's eyes light up. "How could you sit here all day and not tell me that?"

Because I didn't really plan to tell you at all,I say in my mind. Not telling her feels bad enough, but now I'm just flat-out lying. I swallow the guilt filling me.

"I'm pretty nervous about it," I tell her. "I haven't been on date in what... three years?"

"Ugh, as if that asshat counted. If I remember correctly, he honked for you to come out, asked you to pay for everything you ordered at that cheap ass restaurant, and then sped to get you home once he realized he wasn’t getting you into bed, or wait, his backseat."

"Don't even remind me of him."

"Well, I hope this date is a hundred times better than that one."

I almost chuckle because... I mean, really. While my date from a few years ago did all the wrong things and somehow still expected me to sleep with him, my date tonight is very much expecting sex, without doing anything at all. Well, other than paying me.

"To better dates." She raises her hand, and I bark out a laugh at what's in it.

"Are we doing toasts with pudding cups?"

"We are. Come on."

I pick up the other pudding cup off of her tray and tap it into hers.

"No way in hell I'm eating that, though," I say.

She rolls her eyes. "If your date goes belly-up, just know it'll be because you didn't eat the good luck pudding."

I give her an exasperated face. "Yeah, that'll be why."

"What time is your date?"

"Nine."

She picks up her phone. "Well, it's already seven-thirty. Get outta here."

"Are you sure? I don't wanna leave you alone all night. Usually, we spend our Saturday nights getting a DVD from the nurses and laughing at how bad the movies are."

"I'll be fine. Laury texted to tell me she was coming tonight to see me anyway. You go out, live your life, Sarah."

"Don't say it like that. I'm living my life just as much when I'm here with you."

"If you really believe that than you really do need to go out on a date." She chuckles. "Text a picture of what you wear, okay?"

"I will." I lean over and kiss her cheek. "Tell Laury I said hi when she gets here. I love you. Call if anything happens. I don't care that I'll be on a date."

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Enjoy your night. Love you too."

I leave the room, waving at Veronica as I go. When I reach the elevators, I can't help but smile just thinking about the words that were said when I got into it yesterday. The smell of him, how his closeness made me both want to back away to be able to breathe and get closer to breathe him in. I get into the elevator when it arrives, pressing the button for the lobby before going to stand in the exact spot I stood in yesterday.

My entire morning and afternoon have been full of my imaginings of what will happen when I get into the hotel room. What I want to happen when I get into the room. Just like after the sole text I got from Law last night, I haven't received a text or call from him today. As I walk out into the lobby, I wonder if he's as anxious about tonight as I am? My feet still though when a thought hits me. What if he does this all the time? Paying women to meet him in hotel rooms. Having sex with complete strangers. I begin walking again, shaking my head. That's no business of mine. All I need to concern myself with is our three months together, our Saturdays together. And the fact that after tonight, the rest of the money should be deposited into my account, enabling me to go straight to the financial department Monday morning.

I drive home and get into the shower, shaving, and gratefully not nicking my legs, and washing my hair. When I get out, I skip my usual lotion, going for the expensive one I still have after a year because I use it so rarely. I haven’t had an occasion to use it for.

Then I step into my closet, already knowing what I'm going to wear. The prettiest dress I own. The only thing that's nice enough to step into a luxury hotel in. I pull it up, zipping the back before going over to the mirror.

The burgundy dress hugs my curves, showing off my hips, and my ass when I turn to the left side a little. One shoulder is bare, my long, dark brown hair swept to that side. The other shoulderand upper part of my arm is covered by a wide sleeve and the ruffle that drapes over my upper half, but still allows the shape of my breasts to be seen.

"I look good enough to fuck. That's for sure," I murmur to myself then laugh.

Could this night get any crazier? Well, I guess it will. How crazy, I have no idea.

I part my hair down the middle and blow-dry it before curling the ends, sweeping it back over my naked shoulder when I'm done. Putting on just some lip gloss and mascara, I go back to my closet and step into my black heels.

"I'm really doing this," I say. "Oh my God. Okay, let's go."

I take a deep breath and turn away from checking out my reflection one more time. Grabbing my black clutch, I head to the door. The entire car ride over I ask myself what the hell I'm doing. Can I actually go inside of that room? Will I get to the door and chicken out, run back into the elevator, down to my car?

Then I'm pulling up to the hotel. What seemed so luxurious and welcoming before now looks like a brick building containing all of my anxieties inside of it. I lean forward, looking up, to the top of the building. Somewhere on that top floor, Law is waiting for me, waiting to do whatever he wants with me. A shudder rushes through me, reminding me I'm not only anxious. I'm also curious, already turned on from the visions that have been wreaking havoc on my mind all day, and excited. To see Law again. To see what he'll be wearing, or not wearing. To hear his voice again, feel his presence again.

I open my door, step out of the car, and grab my clutch with a trembling hand. My first step toward the door has me realizing just how unsteady my legs are, heels wobbling with mynervousness. I pause, closing my eyes, hoping whatever room Law is in isn't facing the parking lot and that he can't see me having to collect myself right now.

Then Laury's words come to me, reminding me that this is for me too. Besides the money, this is my time to get what I want. The things I've never let myself do with anyone else. The fantasies I've never let go beyond my mind. And if Kamila knew what I was doing, why I'm here, she'd tell me to walk in there with every ounce of confidence I can muster, make sure Law knew, even if I am here to do what he wants, I will have what I want as well.

And with that, I begin walking again, my hips swaying with my steps. My heels click a steady rhythm as I walk through the sliding doors and across the lobby. Thankfully, no one stops me as I head toward the elevator, because what the hell would I say?

Oh, I'm going up to room 636 to meet a stranger.

When I get into the elevator, I see my reflection in the doors once they've closed. I certainly don't look halfway as confident as I thought, or was hoping I did. I use the ride up to the sixth floor to sweep my hair over my shoulder once more, get my lip gloss out of my clutch and reapply it. Then the doors are opening, and for a moment, I just stand there, looking into the hallway, knowing that once I step out of this elevator, I'll be that much closer to Law.

Like some sort of deja vu, it's the doors beginning to close that snaps me out of my thoughts and gets my feet moving. I chuckle, part nerves and partly at the craziness of all this, as I begin walking down the hallway. It's a chuckle I desperately need.

I pass the rooms, 630, 632, 634, and then reach the end of the hallway, and see 636 directly in front of me. I arch a brow at it. This room must be the biggest to be where it is at the end.

I take a second as I stand before the door. I could swear I can feel him on the other side of it. Waiting for me, anxious for me, rushing me without a single word or look.

This is it. No turning back. Now or never, to fulfill our arrangement and give him myself so he can give me what I need. To finally see if the reality of being with him matches the fantasies I've been conjuring in my mind all last night and today. To see just what Lawson has in store for me.

And I'm ready, for all of it.

I raise my hand and knock my knuckles against the door, counting the seconds until he opens.

It takes seven. Seven seconds and then he's standing before me, making my nerves return in an instant; tension, excitement, and desire warring with each other. It's the desire that has me looking him over, his black pants, bare feet, and light grey button-down shirt open, letting me see the muscles beneath it. His hair is swept to the side, as if he's been running his fingers through it. And his eyes, those eyes, go up and down my body, again and again, a hunger in them that makes me shiver.

"You look beautiful," he says, his deep voice crashing over me.

"Thank you. You look very handsome yourself."

"Handsome enough for you to come inside the room?" He smirks, and it relieves so much of the tension that was sitting like a rock in my stomach.

"Yes." I chuckle, beginning to walk into the room.

Just smelling his cologne as I pass him, being so close to him again, feeling his eyes on me, it's all enough to have my heart picking up to a thunderous beat. Which only increases as I look around the room.