I let it hang there and watched closely as she licked her lips.
“You don’t want me,” she finally said. “Not really. Not like that… Right?”
I leaned forward, dropping my voice, and she followed suit.
“Did it feel like I didn’t want you last night, Pearl?”
She looked down at the table.
“Answer me.”
“No,” she whispered.
“Good. You’re smart enough to understand what I want. I certainly know what you want—and like. With the money from the auction, you can quit working here. Stay with me. I’ll even give you time to restart your classes. Just tell me your schedule and I’ll block out that time.”
She dropped her fork and sat back in her chair, a frown marring her beautiful face. I hated seeing it.
“How did you know that?”
“I know a lot of things about you, Pearl. The only thing I don’t know is why you dropped out of NYU in your fourth year.”
This got a reaction from her, but not the one I wanted. She looked… scared.
Anger burst through my veins.
What the fuck happened there?
Who the fuck hurt her?
They’re dead.
She shook her head and stood abruptly.
“Thank you for the meal, but this was a mistake.”
“You didn’t finish,” I all but snapped.
“I’m full.” She took a step back, creating distance between us. “Last night was… everything, but this… What you’re saying… I can’t.”
She turned around and walked away, just like she had done all those years ago.
With a sigh, I leaned back in my chair and threw back my drink.
“How was our service?—”
“Don’t fucking talk to me,” I growled at her boss as he came up to my side with a smile that told me he had gone to the back to count exactly how much I’d given him.
I still had Pearl’s tip in my pocket, but I didn’t trust him to give it to her.
“Sorry, did Pearl say something wrong?—”
“Pearl did nothing wrong. She’s obviously the best server you have in this goddamn place. The problem is your shit food. Hire better chefs.”
With that, I grabbed my phone from the table before storming out.
You’ll be mine, Pearl. Just you wait.
Chapter 4
