That was all I needed, which I knew made me a shitty friend for not blindly agreeing to it. “I’ll do it.”
Relief and gratitude flashed through his eyes. “Thanks, Bane. I owe you.” Hampton stood and slid the black brochure with the red lettering toward me that had been on the corner of the desk. There was a manila folder underneath it. “Here’s all the info. I’ll be heading out of town tomorrow, but I’ll keep my cell phone on if you need anything.”
I took the folder and thumbed through it. Basic information was scrawled throughout. Before I went to Discrete Encounters, I’d need to do a complete background check on the place. Dating services could be seedy as shit. The last thing I wanted to do was be surprised at what they were doing. Hampton didn’t seem like he was making rational decisions. If there was something else going on, I’d let him know and whether or not he chose to move forward with them was his choice.
“Did they request a date for the initial meeting?”
“Day after tomorrow.”
Shit. That wasn’t much time. Hampton had more important things to worry about. Closing the folder, I responded, “I’ll get on it. Go take care of Felicia. That’s all that matters.”
“Thanks, man. You’re one of a kind.” Hampton looked torn.
Not wanting to get too caught up in all the feelings that were trying to surface about losing a loved one, I left. The fresh air felt good in my lungs as I quickly made it to the car. Winter in Atlanta was good. Not miserable, but tolerable.
It was time to investigate Discrete Encounters.
FOR THE LAST hour, I’d been parked a block away as I watched the dating service, Discrete Encounters. The meeting to go over their expectations was in thirty minutes. The black building had the red rose insignia on it with the classy script underneath.
Behind the dating façade, I confirmed more went on behind the scenes. Who the fuck pays for sex? From experience, I knew there were plenty of women out there that didn’t require a deposit put down to fuck. An average “overnight date” went for around three grand a night there. Some rates were cheaper and some were a hell of a lot more. Unless that pussy was plated in gold, I wasn’t sure why the hell it cost that much.
Mainly men came and went from the building. I’d driven by the employee entrance around back, which had been primarily female. For now, I’d do the initial meeting while Hampton focused on his wife. I hated being put in these types of situations. Fuck.
As I was about to reach for the car door handle to head inside, a guy ushered a girl down the sidewalk. The deep blue scarf wrapped around her face made it hard to make out any features. The man looked like an arrogant asshole. That type always rubbed me the wrong way. They thought they owned women. They were all pricks.
Quickly getting out of my car, I headed to the front door. The black doors kept the outside world from looking in. Walking inside, the place was posh with all the deep colors and velvet furniture.
The man and woman who I’d seen earlier were in a heated discussion. She seemed defeated. The man’s mouth snapped shut when he caught sight of me. I knew I was an intimidating motherfucker with my bald head and the tat that peeked out of the collar of my shirt. The muscles strained against my shirt as I stared him down. This guy was a class-A prick.
There were two people in front of him being helped by the receptionist. A subtle sweet smell swept over me, taking my focus off the asshole. It was understated but drew me in as I glanced to the woman who must have been in her late twenties beside the man. Our eyes locked and instantly I felt ensnared. The hazel eyes with green and blue flecks were breathtaking, even in their sad state—angelic like. I needed to break whatever spell I was under. Wanting to walk forward, I forced myself to remain in place.
What the fuck?
I tried to pull my eyes away from hers, but couldn’t. Her tongue barely came out and wet her lips. Again, my legs wanted to take a step closer to the intoxicating woman, but I denied myself. An attraction this strong was trouble.
What the hell is wrong with me?
She wasn’t able to look away either. Against my zipper, my dick stiffened as a small smile graced her lips. Hell, there was no denying it … she was beautiful.
“May I help you?” the front desk lady called, effectively breaking the spell as we shifted our attention.
The man, Frankie she’d called him, turned to speak to the receptionist. The mysterious brunette beauty locked eyes with me again and I felt trapped. The atmosphere charged between us becoming awkwardly uncomfortable, but I couldn’t stop, like some sort of junkie.
The intensity increased as her expressive eyes watched me. I felt as if she penetrated my darkened soul. Only one person had ever been able to do that. The more she stared, the more I felt unnerved, but drawn to her. I needed to stop this shit in its tracks.
The bastard of a man she was with pulled her forward, breaking the connection again. Thank fuck. After they finished talking, the brunette beauty looked my way once before disappearing behind the door to the left. My gut instinct told me to run from here and not look back. But, I needed to help Hampton out. I could handle this. After all the shit I’d d
ealt with, this woman was not going to be an issue.
Wipe her from your brain.
If she was here, this woman was a hooker or turning into one. That was a situation I did not need to get involved with.
Do the job and get out.
“May I help you?” The receptionist with flame red hair clicked her fingernails as she waited for me.
I shook my head to clear the images of the woman from earlier. “Bane Bradley. I’m here for a meeting with Jewel Mason.”