Kiara got to the coffee shop earlier to grab a bite to eat. She was on practice all day and was eager to reward herself with a nice meal. The place Carina suggested was really cute and had an extensive menu of light and healthy options. The girl must have thought she was all into healthy food, being a circus artist and all. Kiara snorted at the idea, thinking about her undying love for good food in all its forms and shapes.
She chose the avocado toast with smoked salmon but asked for a poached egg on top to make it more interesting. It was still healthy, but at least it tasted like real food. If she had to eat another bitter melon, quinoa, and black beans mix with no seasoning whatsoever, she’d kill someone.
Halfway through her dish, she heard the door opening and hoped Carina had arrived, preferably with her bag attached to her arm. When she turned around, the small piece of avocado that was halfway through her oropharynx decided to avoid her esophagus, falling straight into her trachea.
She started coughing so hard, the whole establishment quit their activities to pay attention to her. She would have hated the commotion if she were able to think about anything other than preventing the encounter of her once cherished food with her lungs.
The waitress that helped her out before came to the rescue, giving her some water and patting her back, but as soon as she was able to go a second without coughing, she told the girl she was fine, motioning for her to leave. Her teary eyes caught sight of a moving male figure approaching, and she almost wished the choking had been her ticket to the afterlife. Death would definitely outclass that encounter.
Unfortunately, her struggle subsided in a few seconds and she was left to face that absolutely gorgeous man who would most certainly accomplish what the toast failed to do.
“I believe you have something that belongs to me” His voice was deep, and she could see he was struggling with something. Probably the urge to murder her.
“Likewise” She retorted, unable to hold her tongue.
“What?”
“I suppose you have my bag, considering Carina is not here”
“How dare you…” his voice began to rise, causing Kiara to uncomfortably shift her weight. People were staring.
“Stop yelling, you are calling unnecessary attention. It’s clear we have some business to discuss, so let’s do it outside” The street was not deserted enough to make her scared to be out, but not as crowded as the coffee shop where people would hear the fallout.
“Don’t you dare…” She had already left a few dollars on the table and proceeded to the exit, leaving him no choice but to follow her.
Finally outside, she took him out of the passage and stood in the open parking lot, where people wouldn’t hear them out.
“Where is Carina?”
“You don’t get to ask questions here!” His fists were clenched, and his face was turning red, but somehow, she wasn’t scared of him. Despite the clear depiction of anger, he seemed in control. Just in case, she grabbed her keys between her fingers.
“I just want to know she’s ok. It wasn’t her fault, we never met before.” She felt the need to explain, hating the idea of getting the girl in trouble due to their association.
“Of course she is ok, who do you think I am?” His voice was outraged, and she felt he was truly offended by her assumption.
“I have no idea who you are”
“Yet you had no problem taking something that is mine”
“Damn you, I saw your house, I saw that drawer full of jewelry. What difference does a single ring make?” She knew she was wrong, but couldn’t help trying to defend herself.
“It is mine, and I need it back”
“Fine! Jesus, what is it with you rich people? Don’t you have enough already?”
“You don’t know what you are talking about” She expected him to be mad, they always were when she attacked the lifestyle of the one percent.
“Whatever. I don’t have it with me right now. I can give it back to you tomorrow”
“No. We will get it now” There it was again, that commanding tone that both she and Michael noticed. She began to think it was his standard voice. He didn’t ask for things, he simply demanded it. Well, she wasn’t one to comply that easily.
“I won’t take you to my house, I don’t even know your name”
“Chris”
“Christian?”
“Just Chris”
“I bet it isn’t. Rich people are never called ‘just something’. What is it?”
“You are a fucking pain in the ass”
“Is it Christopher?”
His silence gave her the answer. Christopher. It suited him, though she really preferred just Chris. It didn’t matter though; she was still not willing to let him push her around.
“So, Christopher, I won’t bring you to my house. We can meet tomorrow and you can keep my bag as collateral” She was searching her memory for the negotiation talk her father once taught her and was glad to remember a few terms.
“That ring is worth a thousand of your bags”
“Maybe, but I want the bag back” and she’d never sell the ring or any of her prizes. That would mean she was a thief, stealing for money. She wasn’t, they were just her private collection. Still, he didn’t need to know that.
“Fine”
“I need my cellphone back”
“No” His voice was final, but she was not one to let people impose their wishes upon.
“I need it to call you, so we can set the exchange” She knew it was reasonable enough to pass, but truth was she just wanted to win over him. He was already getting his ring back; she needed a victory of her own.
“You are so damn annoying”
“Thanks. Can I have it now?”
He sighed heavily and walked towards an Aston Martin Vanquish she was almost certain came from one of the James Bond movies. If her memory didn’t fail her, it was the one from Die Another Day. What? She hated the rich, but she sure as hell loved the richness.
“Here” he spat, putting the phone on her hands. She noticed how big his hands were in comparison to hers and wondered how she escaped his grip the night they met.
“What is your number?”
“What?”
“I’ll call you so you can save it. Then you text me where we can meet.”
“Oh, right” He seemed a bit uncomfortable ever since he agreed on giving her the phone back. She couldn’t help the satisfied smile that reached her face. Good, a little taste of his own medicine. No doubt he enjoyed making people uncomfortable with his tough attitude.
He hissed the number, and she immediately called him. She saw his phone vibrating and decided to head off, despite enjoying the view of that clearly dominating man so off his game.
“You didn’t tell me your name” He shouted when she was already a few feet away
“Kiara” She shouted back, shooting her signature wink.
Chris was left dumbfounded next to his car. That wink sent an electric shock down his body, landing right on his crotch. He shifted his weight, suddenly uncomfortable in his tight jeans. Shit. What the fuck was that?He tried to replay the scene of their encounter to understand how things so indisputably fled his control. The goal was easy: meet the woman, get his ring back, make her feel sorry for her petty existence. The final result was her number saved on his contact list and a semi-hard cock.That last part wasn't his fault. The woman was a damn seductress, standing there with her sports clothes and messy after-practice hair. She was clea
Kiara felt like she was heading straight to a prisoner exchange that sunny Tuesday afternoon. A ring for a bag. Surprisingly, she was feeling more excited about it than scared. Their last encounter was interesting, to say the least. She had a blast seeing that bulked man caving to her, giving her phone back and getting nothing in return. She was hoping to get that thrilling sensation again. It felt like those times in her childhood when she took her father's weapon from its not-carefully-enough hidden spot and just held it in her hands, hoping the man didn't wake up from his lazy Sunday naps. They had agreed to meet in the same spot as last
Kiara was taken into custody by a surprisingly gentle officer, who didn’t even cuff her to take her in. When she virtually told Chris to shove his crazy deal up his ass, she knew he’d make good on his word, but was kind of hoping he didn’t. Despite the thrill that came by standing up to that man, she was absolutely terrified.Having grown up around police stations, she thought it might be easier to face the whole going to jail procedure. But she was never on the perpetrator’s side of the table and it wasn’t the same station she used to know like the back of her hand. It was a whole different feeling. To make thin
The public defender assigned to handle Kiara’s case was sketchy, to say the least. She disliked him immediately but was unwilling to pay for a lawyer for something so petty, as the charge’s name suggested. It was not even considered a felony. It was classified as a misdemeanor, whatever the hell that meant. Those were the terms that shady lawyer was telling her non-stop for the last half an hour, making her head throb with a crushing headache. It was worsened by the fact she couldn’t speak her mind to the man, who insisted she called him Greg instead of Gregory. “Gregory,
“What now?” She demanded. Chris watched her turn around rolling her eyes and was glad to hear the annoyance in her voice. She was incredibly underdressed for a day in court but still had been more comfortable in that room than the four men in suits. He was utterly delighted when his move threw her off and hoped to leverage it now that the legal part was over. “We need to sort the payment out” He didn’t try to hide the amusement in his voice, and it did the trick. Her eyes squinted into thin lines and… did she bare her teeth? Oh god, that was perfect. He almost wished she would growl.
Kiara sat at her small kitchen table literally bumping her head into the wood. Several times. Why the hell did she agree to spend four days in a fucking island with loaded snobs she knew nothing about? Of course, she didn’t know exactly what she signed up for before she accepted his offer, but she knew it came from the guy who sent her to fucking jail and said yes anyway. And based on what? A hunch. Something so intangible and arbitrary she would
That woman was sent straight from hell to make his life miserable. She was progressively becoming his least favorite person to be around, earning several points at that race by causing him a hard-on in the middle of his favorite restaurant. This time, unfortunately, he couldn’t say it was entirely her fault. He asked her to dress nice, and she kind of did with that blue dress and heels, and then said he’d fuck her. It was not the first time he’d been so blunt, but it usually caused the woman to blush and change the subject. Not that incarnated devil. Oh no, she had to look him right in the eye and make the promise they neve
Kiara was, to put it in simple terms, dodging Chris. She did not want to go to his apartment, so during the following weeks, she craftily made him believe she was too busy. Luckily for her, his work actually seemed to be chaotic during that period. He had no idea how flexible her schedule was, but she wasn’t about to tell him she spent his only available hours binge-watching Netflix. Sooner than she expected, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving was there, and she saw herself preparing a small bag of clothes for the trip. A quick call to Michael was enough to clear her performances for the long weekend and she was ready to go. Against her