CIARA
"Well, well, we meet again..."
"Unfortunately," I answered through gritted teeth.
"I thought I asked Tanner for a pretty lady. You're neither pretty or a lady," he remarked snidely. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"I remember hoping that you weren't a wrinkly old guy and yet somehow you turned out worse."
"Makes sense that you're a slut when you aren't harassing customers," he fired back.
Rage bubbled up in me as I marched up to him and stared at him squarely in the face.
"I'd watch my mouth if I was you, asshole. My fists feel itchy tonight and your nose is looking really breakable."
My threat seemed to get to him and I couldn't resist a smile when he gulped and backed away. I took a step back as well, gave him my best fake smile as I said, "I'm sorry, Sir but I cannot escort you tonight. I'm sure that you'll be able to find more ladies that are to your liking if you head inside. Good night."
I turned around and was heading back to the agency, muttering curses at the douchebag and bemoaning how unlucky I was when he asked me to stop. I did and took a deep breath before turning to face him.
"I'm. Sorry." he eventually said after a long pause, stunning me for a second.
"Okay. Why are you apologizing?"
"Well, I realize that I crossed a line with my earlier comment and behaviour so I'm sorry about that."
"Okay. Thank you. I'll be on my way now," I excused myself and tried to make a quick escape but he wouldn't let me leave.
"I would like you to escort me for the night."
"Seriously? Are you sure about that, Sir?"
"Very sure," he replied. Then he walked over to the passenger's side and held the door open for me.
It was on the tip of my tongue to reject his offer and tell Tanner to give him another escort but I thought of the money involved, money I needed, so I decided to go with him. At least he had apologized and looked like he'd behave for the time being.
We both got in the car and he started driving. Neither of us said a word to each other during the drive which I felt was probably for the best. I wasn't particularly sure what I wanted to say or if I even wanted to talk to him. He wasn't like my other clients and the thought of having to sleep with him of all people petrified me.
We arrived at the building where the gala was being held and stepped out of the car together. He awkwardly extended his arm to me and I awkwardly slipped my arm in the crook of his. This didn't feel weird at all.
Once we got in, my client whose name I still didn't know began to mingle with the other people present and I could tell he'd found his crowd. Compared to how brash he'd been with me, he was a lot more polite and charming, probably because he saw them as equals unlike me. Still, the change was surprising to say the least.
Unable to keep up with the conversation he was having, I zoned out and just clung onto his arm, acting like the eyecandy I was hired to be. In my head, I was counting the seconds until the gala ended and I had to complete the rest of my job.
That time came all too soon and before I knew it, we were pulling up in front of an hotel.
"Come on," he said to me after parking the car. He stepped out and I forced myself to follow suit with a straight expression on my face. I refused to let him know how nervous I was.
On walking into the brightly lit and cozy hotel lobby, the receptionist handed him a key without asking any questions and I couldn't help but wonder how many times he'd been here.
As though he read my mind, he said, "I own this hotel so there's usually a room already set aside for me when I need it."
"Of course you do," I remarked dryly, walking into the elevator ahead of him.
He followed and stood beside me as the elevator doors closed. Just like when we were in the car, an awkward silence filled the confined space and I found myself wondering how exactly I was supposed to spend the night with someone I couldn't even talk to. Then again, there probably wouldn't be much talking.
When the elevator doors finally opened after what seemed like an eternity, I almost rushed out to the open lobby. The only thing that stopped me was my need to maintain my dignity in front of my client.
We walked out together and headed straight ahead until we reached a large wooden door with golden symbols on it. Was this the penthouse suite?
He threw the door open and my eyes grew wide at the luxurious setting in front of me. Everything in the room looked polished to perfection and the bright lights emanating from the active New York streets and buildings below only made the whole setting even more beautiful.
I could see why he kept this whole room to himself and for a moment, I forgot all about what brought me here.
"Are you coming in or what?" my client asked, watching me with a quizzical look on his face.
"Oh yeah, yeah," I answered and walked into the room quickly, closing the door behind me.
"Want a drink?" he asked, making his way to the bar.
Was he trying to get me drunk? On a second thought, that didn't sound like such a bad idea.
"Sure. I'll have a whiskey on the rocks."
"Coming right up."
I wandered around for a bit before settling down on a leather couch while I waited for my drink.
"Here you go." He extended the glass of whiskey to me with a small smile on his face as he took the seat beside me, a glass in hand.
As I downed my drink, I kept my eyes on him, looking for any signs as to what he intended to do next. He had already taken his jacket off and had unbuttoned a few buttons of his tight fitting white shirt, giving me a glimpse of the muscular chest underneath.
He was a jerk but he was an attractive jerk, at least. That would certainly make things a lot easier.
He glanced at me just then and I looked away quickly. He didn't have to know that I found him attractive.
"Do you need another drink?" he asked, his voice low and husky. That whiskey must have been a lot stronger than I thought it was.
"No, I'm okay. I can't get too drunk, you know," I chuckled nervously.
"Hmmm." He looked away from me and downed the rest of his drink in a gulp before fixing me another look. "What's your name?"
"Ciara. Ciara Bloom," I replied as naturally as I could manage under the circumstances.
"Ciara... You don't have to look so scared, Ciara. I don't bite," he uttered and smirked.
"I'm not scared! I have no reason to be scared!" I fired back.
He turned serious all of a sudden and turned to face me fully. "Ciara, I'm going to ask you a question that might sound crazy but I promise I'm normal."
"Okay? What's the question?"
"Will you marry me?"
My eyes widened and my jaw dropped as I gawked at the strange man I'd somehow ended up with for the night.
"Huh?" was all I could say.