‘It’s not my intent to hurt her,’ he says. ‘Quite the opposite.’
‘I believe you. But maybe it would’ve been better to wait untilafteryou’d spoken to him before making your move. Better still, waited until his wedding was over?’
Says the women who embarked on her baby-making mission this very week…
‘Patience has never been my strong suit,’ he says, something earnest flickering through the polish. ‘And when I want something as much as I want this…’
I smile, feeling his words to my core. ‘Yeah, I know…’
‘And what is it you want exactly?’
The voice comes from behind me, and my body goes off like a pinball machine, every erogenous zone firing as I spin in my seat.
Axel.
And judging by the veins popping in his neck, he’s not best pleased.
‘What anyone wants?’ Sterling replies smoothly, utterly unfazed by the murderous look Axel levels at him. He slips his arm free from beneath mine and drains the rest of his drink. ‘Peace. Love. Happy ever after.’
I glance back at Sterling, wondering how much of that he means without even realising it. Or maybe he realises it all too well and has set his sights on Anna to get it.
‘Having fun with thebambinos?’ he adds, nodding towards the kids now huddled together on a sunbed, drinking juice.
I can’t tell if he’s purposefully provoking Axel or genuinely curious.
Either way, Axel’s pissed – and I don’t understand why.
‘Chill out, Black,’ Sterling says, lifting a conciliatory hand. ‘I’m not stepping on your toes.’
‘Stepping on his toes?’ I echo, brows lifting. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
Sterling flashes me a grin as he gets to his feet. ‘Is that how you’re playing it?’
‘Playing what?’
But he’s already walking away. ‘Nothing. Nothing at all.’
I watch him go in stunned silence, then turn to Axel. I’m not sure what unsettles me more: Sterling’s response, or Axel’s glare as he tracks the man’s exit, knuckles white as he grips the towel slung around his neck.
And just like that, I’m dragged back to another night.
Outside a bar.
My back against a wall.
A client who saw ‘no extras’ as a challenge, not a boundary.
And Axel storming across the street.
The man ended up in hospital. Axel nearly in a cell.
It marked the beginning of the end for my escort business: private dates out, exclusive clubs in. Which wasn’t a bad thing. But that fight…
There’s no forgetting it.
The speed.
The rage.
