Head On (Strength And Love)(22)

She fluffs her hair and turns towards the stalls, but stops and pivots back to face me, a small frown plaguing her forehead. “But be careful. He’s gorgeous, and he’s talented in the sack, and if you’re young and inexperienced…well, it might be too easy to forget he’s being paid to be what you want him to be. It’s not real. With Ethan, it’s never real. Remember that.”

She sashays into the stall and closes the door. I give myself one last glance, and head out and back toward the bar. Maybe he’s what I need. I don’t want real. I can’t fall in love with the first guy I have sex with, no one does that. I need to lose my virginity, figure out what I want from life, and start to live a little. I crave to wild things up, and stop being so safe all the time. Ethan could be my Mr. Right Now, even if he’d never be my Mr. Right. I could never trust him, or fall for him now I know what he does for a living, but I can’t seem to stop my body’s response to him.

Paying him ought to be the perfect solution.





Chapter Eleven



Ethan



“Let me get this straight. You want me to deliver sandwiches or some shit to this Smythe guy, and snoop around, maybe take his phone if I get the chance. Give it to our friend with the computer talent to hack, and then sneak back in and put it back? And you want me to do all this, because some young thing has given you a case of blue balls?”

I want to smash Luka’s pretty face in. “She hasn’t given me a case of blue balls.”

“Pull the other one, mate. She’s got you all wrapped around her pretty little finger. I get it, she’s got that whole innocent, but sexy as hell thing going on. Like a less knowing Brigitte Bardot. I’d fuck her, but this? Why get involved?”

I slam my glass on the table, and despite being two thirds empty the beer nearly slops out of the top at the violence of the action. Luka merely raises his eyebrows. “Someone fucking hacked into her shit, and messaged me and booked me to do my special. This isn’t only about her. When they did that they involved me. I could be rotting in jail now. Do you understand?”

He smiles and holds up his hands. “Yeah, I understand, but I still think you’re doing this for her.”

“Fuck’s sake. She’s young, she’s on her own, her dad’s away. Would you leave her to deal with this herself?”

Luka’s face grows serious and he shakes his head.

“Exactly, stop being a twat about it and do me the favour, okay?”

“Done.” Luka shuts up and smiles and I follow his gaze to see Isla approaching our table.

As she nears, she stumbles slightly on her left ankle, going over on the platform heels she’s wearing and falling into a man. His lager splashes all over his shirt. His eyes narrow and he swings his head her way, already opening his mouth. I tense, about to get up, but the moment he clocks her, his face changes. It goes from livid, to interested. He eye-fucks her up and down her body, and smiles.

“I’m sorry.” She’s flushed and embarrassed.

He continues to eat her up with his gaze and gives a cocky smile. “It’s okay. I’ll let you off, pretty thing like you.”

Thing? What a wanker. Then his hands are on her, stroking down her arm, and she’s frozen looking at him with wide eyes. I’m moving before I’m even aware of it.

“Take your hands off her, now.” My voice is low and the idiot looks at me with his smirk firmly in place.

“Fuck off, pal.”

Luka’s by my side in two seconds flat. “I think you ought to do as my friend here requested. Let go of the lady.”

“You with these pricks?” The idiot asks.

Isla nods.

“Your loss.” He takes his hand off her arm but as she walks by he winks at his friends and slaps her arse. Isla gives a small cry and lurches forward and I’m done. I pull my fist back and punch him in the gut. I don’t go for the face because I don’t want to break anything. Getting done for grievous bodily harm is not on my radar for tonight, but he needs to learn a fucking lesson.

He doubles over groaning and I glare at his two friends. They both hold their hands up and back off. Right choice. I lean into the idiot’s face. “Slapping women on their bum like you just did is assault, dickhead. You don’t go around manhandling them that way, okay? I ever see you doing shit like that again, I’ll break your jaw. Understand?”

He looks up and nods, still trying to catch his breath.

“Come on.” I take hold of Isla’s arm. “We’re leaving.”

Selina walks by, and she gives Isla a knowing look as she passes on her way to the double glass doors. “Told you, honey. Definitely invested. But you’ll never know what’s real and what’s not. Pity.”

She looks at me. “Call me, if you’re back in the next few weeks. If not, I’d appreciate the name of someone good you can recommend.”

I give her a puzzled glance. “Of course, I’ll be back in a week or so.”

“Yes, but if not, don’t forget to send me a recommendation or two.”

Is she being purposefully stupid? I shrug because I don’t have the time for this, and head for the doors right behind her. Selina holds it open for me, Isla, and Luka. “Be careful, honey. Look after your heart.”