“Come with me.” I untie the ridiculous mask I’m wearing from the back of my head and reach out to take her hand. She takes it without hesitation, and I lead her down the hall towards the games room.
It may have been a long-assed night, but I'm anything but tired, and I’d like to learn more about this intriguing woman before the night is over.
“I think you had fun tonight,” I accuse her, opening the fridge under the bar and grabbing us both a beer.
“Isn’t being held hostage every girl's idea of a good time?” She smiles sarcastically as I twist the top off her bottle and hand it over.
“Are you always so stubborn?” I shake my head and start racking up the pool table, while she takes a casual sip of her beer and looks around the room…no doubt trying to locate an escape route. I step towards her, taking her lace mask between my thumb and finger, then slowly raising it to sit in her hair. “You have no need for this anymore,” I remind her, studying her face and taking in how pretty she is. What's most attractive of all is that I don’t think she sees it herself. Her eyes drop to my lips like she’s wondering what they’d taste like, and when she gets the sense I’ve noticed, she quickly looks away.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I point out as I reach past her and take a cue from the bracket on the wall.
“Are you always so self-assured?” She waits for me to break before stepping forward to take a shot of her own. She proves she’s committed by crouching low, and when her tits press against the edge of the table, they get my full attention.
She acts humble when she manages to pot a red, but I can see this girl thrives on victory.
“I don’t see myself as self-assured at all, quite the opposite in fact.” I decide to be honest as I take another strike at the table and luckily pot a ball of my own. “So, explain. Why the necklace and why tonight of all nights?” I can’t hold off any longer. I need answers.
“This necklace is worth eight million pounds.” She strokes her fingers over it before taking another shot that hits just right. “And we figured the party was not only a good way to get in, but would also be a distraction.”
“And who exactly is 'we’?”
“That’s not important.” Shaking her head, she suddenly goes rigid.
“You know, I could have that call that you made on my phone earlier traced and find out for myself.”
“Good luck.” She laughs confidently as she takes another sip of her beer.
“I’m guessing it’s those people who depend on you that you're protecting?” I refer her back to the conversation we had in the bedroom.
“I’m not prepared to talk about them. Now, are you gonna take your shot or keep me waiting?” She tilts her head and makes me want to snap the cue in my hand in two.
“I want to know more about you,” I admit, placing it calmly on the table and making my way around so I’m standing right in front of her.
“Like what?” She laughs.
“Like how you became a criminal?”
“Believe me, it wasn't by choice.” She smiles as if she’s shielding me, and herself, from the answer.
“Why are you on parole? And why were you prepared to risk all that for a necklace that would be impossible to sell, even on the black market?” None of it makes sense to me.
“Nothing’s impossible, Jack. I’m not a petty thief; I’ve been doing this a long time. Do you really think I would have risked all this if I didn’t already have a buyer?” Her answer surprises as much as it intrigues. It’s obvious this girl is no amateur; her plan was well-orchestrated. I’m sure, had I not entered the bedroom when I did, she and the necklace would have been long gone by now.
“Earlier, you said you were desperate; what did you mean by that?” I ask, feeling a little desperate myself. Desperate to rip that tight dress off her body and see what she’s concealing beneath it.
“I…I never said I was desperate. Isaiddesperate people do?—”
“You didn’t have to say it. I could see it; you had fear in your eyes up there, and you have it right now. You know, if you tell me what it is, I might be able to help.”
It frustrates the hell out of me when she shakes her head and laughs at my offer of kindness.
“I appreciate your heroics, but you can’t help me.”
“I can’t if you won’t tell me what it is. Who are these people that you feel so responsible for? Are they really worth the risk of going to jai–”
“They’re girls like me,” she snaps, looking angry and wounded all at the same time. “Girls who the world has treated wrongly; who never had any guidance and have to somehow make their way past the shit they’ve been handed and survive the best they can.” There's a passion in her eyes as they fill with tears that I can see she’s trying really hard not to release. “I’m their guidance. I ensure that they are safe, and that they never endure the things they’ve had to go through again.”
“Hey.” I reach my hand out to touch her shoulder, trying to offer her some comfort, but she forces it away.
