I inhale deeply before answering, but that's when I smell Dominic's scent: a mix of mint, probably from a shaving gel, with a solid wooden note of his cologne.
I hold my breath. How can he always look so perfect? Even his scent is inviting as if made for women to fall for it.
While I probably smell like a burrito, I remind myself and try to breathe normally again. I can't think straight.
"So we’ve agreed?" He breaks the silence. "Give me your number, and I'll text you the address."
His face still expresses the note of victory. He knows perfectly well how women react to him, and he uses his charm against them all the time.
But I'm not going to be one of those women.
"You give me your number, and I'll text you the address," I say seriously, without even a hint of a smile on my face, my confidence slowly coming back to me. "I don't have time to go through Beverly Hills looking for your house."
For a couple of moments, we simply stare at each other, exactly like two wild animals, expecting the other to look away.
His eyes are locked with mine, and he's not even blinking. I know he's struggling with whether to walk away or agree to my terms. I bet he never compromises, fighting until the end.
And then he finally lowers his gaze, searching for something. I follow him involuntarily, unable to realize what he wants. He takes a piece of paper and a pen from the counter, writes down his phone number, and leaves everything on the table in front of me.
And then he turns around and silently walks away without even saying goodbye.
Chapter Three
Dominic
I park my G-wagon next to the house Serena lives in, not far from our school. When Mr. Spaulding told me that my new tutor works at the bookstore, I thought she probably has a scholarship from Vanderbilt's charity foundation, the one that offers free education for A-students. I was convinced that she lived far away and was surprised to see a Beverly Hills address in the message she sent me yesterday.
As it turned out, she lives not that far from my house. I'm not sure why she works at the bookstore, but I don't really care as long as I don't have to spend hours in traffic jams to have a lesson with her. I don't want to waste that much time to get a good grade. I'd rather find another tutor. This girl isn't worth it.
Right?
Something deep down inside me hints that I'm wrong, and this girl is not as simple as she seems in the first place.
I was thinking about Serena a couple of times after I left that bookshop. I was astonished, to say the least. No girl has ever spoken to me like that.
Yes, I've never received a rejection from a girl before, but that's not the only reason I'm surprised. It's the way she spoke to me in general. As if I'm not an Astor, just some guy preventing her from doing her job. That was what struck a chord with me.
Other people always say how smart, sexy, or powerful I am. And it's not because it's true, but because they want me to like them, to be their friend. All of them try to please me.
All of thembut her.
My heart skips a beat with that thought. For some unexplained reason, deep down inside me, I like the way she spoke to me. Nobody else has dared to do that before. And how sensuously she asked,Why do you want me?That sounded so sexy. I know that she wasn't trying to seduce me, but I've never heard anything more erotic.
And I know she felt that too. Her cheeks flushed when she realized how it sounded. She got nervous, and her huge brown eyes with unbelievably long dark lashes became even bigger. Her lips started trembling a little, and she bit the lower one to stop it.
And I wanted to bite it too.I wanted to punish her for provoking me, and at the same time, I wanted to kiss her deeply, to make her knees weak and to make her realize that she can't resist me, just like every other girl.
Or can she? And why do I want to prove that to her? Or do I want to prove it to myself?
I chuckle at how ridiculous that sounds, even in my head. How can anyone be attracted to a girl like Serena? She dresses as if she's trying to show the whole world that she's not interested in a relationship at all: hair tied in a ponytail, not even a hint of makeup, oversized clothes that hide every inch of her body. She's not my type at all.
Then why am I even thinking about her? Is it only because she's my tutor? That means she’s the only girl I should stay away from. Like a forbidden fruit everyone wants to have because they can't.
Yes, I'm sure that's what’s going on.
I take a step to the gates and press the button. Serena opens the door immediately, and before I can even say hi, she retorts in irritation, "You're late."
And then she turns away and walks inside the house, silently waving for me to follow.