A scent she'd been chasing in her memory for days expensive, sharp, impossible to mistake hit her senses. Her head snapped up.
And there he was. Chris.
Standing at the bar, eyes darker than she remembered, Susan swallowed hard.
"Are you going to keep staring?" His deep voice cut through the music, wrapping around her.
She shook her head quickly, tearing her eyes away. "What can I get you?" she asked, her voice a little too breathless.
"You know why I'm here," he said smoothly.
Her irritation returned like armour. It was too easy for her to get irritated by him
"Drinks? Fun? You're at the right place."
"Are you testing me?" He leaned forward across the counter, but Susan rolled her eyes and moved away, deliberately pouring shots for a group of girls instead.
Throughout the night, she could feel him watching her. He ordered nothing but a bottle of water, his gaze never straying. To him, she was like a cheeky little cat elusive, tempting, impossible to ignore. His thoughts drifted dangerously: her waist beneath his hands, the way those curls framed her face and grazed her chest, how her uniform hugged every perfect curve.
For the first time in years, Chris felt truly excited about a woman. Not even Stephanie had stirred this kind of hunger in him. Susan's resistance only fuelled it. And tonight, he decided, he wasn't leaving without at least a taste.
When he finally drained the last of his water and rose to leave the bar, Susan's instinct was to ask where he was going. But she bit her tongue, watching instead as his tall frame disappeared into the crowd.
"Susan, Vanilla called," one of the waitresses shouted over the music.
Susan sighed, pulled off her apron, and handed it over before climbing the stairs. Past the VIP section, down a narrow hallway, she knocked on Vanilla's door.
"Come in!" Vanilla sang out.
Susan stepped inside. Vanilla rushed toward her; eyes dreamy.
"He promised not to harm you and to invest in the business," she whispered eagerly.
Susan frowned, confused, until the bathroom door opened and Chris stepped out.
Her eyes widened. "You can't be serious," she hissed at Vanilla.
"You should be thankful! Do you know who that is?" Vanilla whispered back.
"And I don't want to know," Susan snapped. "I'm not one of your call girls." She turned to leave.
"I'll have no choice but to fire you," Vanilla blurted.
Susan froze, betrayal searing through her chest. Slowly, she turned back. Her gaze shifted from Vanilla to Chris.
"Really?" she demanded.
"You pushed me," he said simply.
"Then I'll find another job," she shot back, moving toward the door.
"You don't know, do you?" Vanilla's words stopped her cold.
Susan turned. "Know what?"
Silence.
Her heart raced. Mafia? No, surely not. But the uncertainty left her unsettled.
"Just give it a try," Vanilla said softly before slipping out, leaving them alone.
The door clicked shut.
Susan immediately adjusted her stance, positioning herself for a quick escape if she needed to. But Chris didn't move toward her. Instead, he leaned casually against the desk.
"Sit," he said, nodding at the chair.
"I don't like re…."
"What do you want?" she cut him off sharply.
His jaw clenched. No one interrupts him.
"Do not interrupt me," he snapped, his voice cold.
Susan rolled her eyes, surprising even herself with how little fear she felt. Some reckless part of her wanted to defy this man.
"Fine. What do you want?" she pressed; chin tilted.
Chris studied her for a long moment. "You."
"I don't…"
"It's not a plea, Susan." His voice thundered now, commanding. He straightened and closed the distance between them in a few strides.
Her heartbeat spiked. For a second, real fear flickered in her eyes she braced for the roughness she knew men like him were capable of. But instead of grabbing her or lashing out, Chris leaned down, eyes locked on hers.
The fear in her gaze softened, replaced by a strange, dangerous warmth. Chris froze, unsettled by the softness. Was it her defiance or her vulnerability that had his blood boiling in ways he couldn't explain?
Susan felt like she was being pulled into a black hole. His breath was warm, minty, his face maddeningly perfect. Her eyes drifted to his lips.
She snapped her gaze back to his eyes, but it was too late. His hand came up, cupping the back of her head. Electricity jolted through her. She shivered, her body betraying her, eyes fluttering closed.
Then his lips brushed hers soft, tentative, but charged with something that melted her resolve.
She kissed him back.
Chris hadn't expected it, but the moment she responded, he deepened the kiss, his hand wandering her body in deliberate, torturous strokes.
Moments ago, she had been ready to walk away.
Now she was moaning into his mouth, every ounce of resistance slipping away.