Ace
"This is a mistake."
I straighten my collar and take the keys from John's hand. "I don't recall asking for your opinion," I say coldly in response to his comment.
"She's a civilian—" he starts before I cut him off.
Rounding on the man, I shove him against the nearest surface—a hard brick wall—and slam my forearm into his throat. "One who you brought into this," I growl. "You took the wrong girl, and now I have to fix it."
"By courting the damn bitch?" John hisses.
Rage descends over me, and I push my forearm down into his esophagus, crushing it under my grip until he starts to struggle. My eyes settle on his face as I feel my irritation flow through my veins. "You will speak to her with nothing but respect. Am I fucking clear?" I snap. "You are the one who fucked this up. Not her. Call her that again, and I'll rip your fucking tongue out and shove it up your ass. Am I clear?"
John's face slowly turns a light blue, darkening with each second as he tries to nod his head. When he finally manages to mouth an acknowledgment, I shove away from him and take a step back as he collapses to the floor, coughing and sputtering.
"Remember your fucking place, John," I say as I crack my neck and step around his body, reaching for the door. "And don't question me again."
Several minutes later, I'm in the car, my hands squeezing the steering wheel as lights fly by over the windshield. I roll the window down and let the fresh air flood the interior of the Audi R8. A part of me recognizes that John is partially right.
My involvement with Cara is unusual. Unprecedented. Yet I can't seem to stop myself, and as I pull up in front of her dorm, catching sight of the girl standing on the sidewalk with her hair pulled back into a curled ponytail, wearing a sleek black dress—I already know that she is far more dangerous like this. Her innocence is like a drug, addictive and heady, and I'm getting used to the high she brings me.
The car slows to a stop, and I pop open the door as she steps up to the side. Her head lifts, and her eyes meet mine, wide and full of... curiosity. Well, that's certainly better than fear. At least, for now. I don't want her to fear me. I want this girl to crave me the same as I do for her.
I stride around the front of the vehicle, and she steps back as I approach. The closer I get, the more her scent invades my space. That sweetness again. I inhale and let it fill my lungs as I lean across her, my fingers locking around the passenger side door's handle.
"Good evening." The words rumble from my throat as I pull the door open for her. "Are you ready?" Cara's tongue pokes out from behind her teeth as she licks across her lower lip and nods. I grant her a smile. "Then let's go."
Cara steps into my car, and I close the door behind her before circling the front once more. Once I'm back in the car, her scent surrounds me even further, practically suffocating me. I can feel my fucking cock straining. Soon. So fucking soon.
* * *
La Mariposa is a sequesteredlittle restaurant that I've frequented in the past. My patronage is well-known and so is that of my family. So, it's no surprise that when I lead Cara into the entrance, the hostess’s eyes widen and dart to the board in front of her.
"Mr. Hale," she says quickly, nodding toward me. "We have your room reserved." She selects two pristine menus, back straight, and turns. "Right this way."
Settling a hand against Cara's spine, feeling the heat of her skin through the fabric of her dress, I push her slightly forward. My eyes catch on her face halfway toward the back room I had specially reserved just for tonight. A blush steals across her cheeks, staining her skin a stunning shade of pink. I catch her eyes sliding toward me, and when she notices my attention, she jerks her head forward once more.
"Here we are, Mr. Hale," the hostess bustles into the private dining room with her menus and places them on either end of a small, cloth-covered table. "Y-Your server will be right with you. Please let us know if you need anything else."
I nod my acknowledgment absently. I have nothing more to give the girl. My entire focus is centered on the woman moving toward our waiting table. My hand goes from her back to her elbow as I draw her up short. Cara's face tilts up, and her lips part in surprise as I lean down.
"Allow me," I offer in a low voice as I release her and then move to pull her chair out for her.
For a moment, as I watch her take her seat, an emotion I'm not used to slides through me. Desire. Want. Need. Craving. I have everything I want. I take whatever else there is to take. But this one...this girl I will seduce. Not because I can't have her any other way, but because I want to see the expression she makes for me when she realizes she wants me as much as I want her.
As she finally sits down in her chair, I cup my hand around the side of her throat, feeling her shiver beneath my hold as I bend slightly. "I'm afraid I've been quite stupid this evening, lovely," I whisper against her skin.
She stiffens. "W-What do you mean?"
"I haven't told you how delicious you look."
Cara clears her throat. "I-I..." Even her little stutter is cute. My mouth waters as I stare at the back of her bare neck. I want to sink my teeth into it, but as the door behind me opens, the sound of a server's cart rattling in the hallway, I realize that now is not the time. It will happen—and soon—I simply must wait for the right moment.
I release her easily enough and take my seat across from her, noting the breath she blows out as our server approaches with a small cart on wheels. "Mr. Hale," the young man says respectfully. "I've brought your usual request—dark red along with a pitcher of ice water." I nod and continue to stare across the table as Cara blushes even harder and lifts her menu as if that'll hide her from me. It won't, but it's amusing to watch her try.
The young man sets down a glass of red wine in front of me and then deposits the rest of the bottle into a small container of ice. "Miss, do you have a preference of—"
"She'll have a glass of red wine as well," I cut him off.