Chapter 2

AURIELLE

"Aurielle?" Came Victor's voice at my door five minutes later. I didn’t answer him. I could already hear the impatience in his voice.

"Oh, come on, you’re being dramatic. So what if I called another woman's name? At least let me finish first!"

"Are you kidding me right now?!" I roared at him.

He didn’t even try to explain and pacify me. He just let out a low, annoyed exhale, and then his footsteps faded away.

I really wasn't okay. I mean, outwardly, I looked fine, but I wasn't. I had packed a bag that same night and booked an Airbnb.

What I needed instead was to feel something that wasn't humiliation, entirely on my own terms. I needed to be touched by someone who actually wanted to touch me, who would look at my face and see me and not some other woman he'd rather be with.

Was it healthy? Probably not. Did I care? I ignored that question.

Once I settled in the room I had booked, I swung my laptop open.

The gigolo website I found was called something vulgar that I will not be repeating out loud. The profiles were surprisingly organized. I scrolled with a determined, slightly crazy energy, looking for the right man.

I didn't bother to check their pictures, because I didn't want to be too choosy. I just needed a good fuck for the night.

"Good." I murmured as I sent the request, paid the deposit, and then sat back and waited.

And waited, and waited, and waited.

I paced the small length of the room, and I checked my phone over and over again. I looked out the window, then I paced again.

I had almost finished a whole bottle of wine out of nervousness.

I was a grown woman who had built a company from nothing. Surely I could handle waiting for a knock on a door from a man who wanted to fuck me, right?

I looked out the window again, and this time, I saw him. I could barely see from all the wine in my system but it didn't matter.

The man was standing by a car parked just outside, leaning against it. From my window, I could see that he was tall, easily over six feet.

He was also sporting a head of beautiful auburn curls, buzzed to a taper fade at the sides, a perfect addition to his handsome face. He was dressed simply in dark trousers and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms, collar open at the throat. Perfect!

Then he looked up, straight at my window. He was looking at me with open interest, and I found myself downstairs in literal seconds.

I stepped out of the front door and he straightened up from the car, his eyes tracking me the whole way. There was a half smile on his face as though he found the whole thing privately amusing.

"Hi," I chirped. "You're here."

"Oh, am I?" He canted his head slightly to the left as he replied, and I felt a sudden wetness between my legs just listening to him speak, probably from the wine or from the fact I'd been touch deprived.

"Yes." I cleared my throat. "You're late, by the way."

Amusement moved across his face. He looked like he wanted to correct me about something.

“Are you drunk?” He asked with a wide smile.

"No, not at all.” I burped and he nodded, I took that as confirmation and kept going.

“So, here is how this is going to work. I don't need anything complicated, I just need to feel good tonight. That's it, can you do that?"

He looked at me for a long moment, still with that half smile on his face that was starting to annoy me.

"Yeah," he replied. "I can do that."

"Okay, great." I turned back toward the door, willing my heartbeat to behave. "Come in then."

He followed me inside. The door had barely even closed behind him, when I turned around and he was standing so close to me. He was closer than I expected, looking down at me with a crazy amount of arousal in his eyes.

“Uhm, s–so," I stuttered.

He smiled at my effort. Then he reached up and slowly folded a strand of hair behind my ear, as if we had all the time in the world.

"You said you wanted to feel something," he reminded me.

"I did say that."

"So stop talking."

I opened my mouth to say what I have absolutely no idea about, but he kissed the words right out of my mouth.