am.
Her gaze narrows, her tone wary with suspicion. “How is that perfect?”
I dip my chin to my SUV. “Get in. I’m giving you a ride.”
She snorts, a real and actual snort, then crosses her hands over her chest. “I’m not getting in your car.”
I might be irritated at her defiance if her tits didn’t look so good pressed together. My eyes want to stay there, but I glance back to her scowl before I start sporting a full hard-on. There’re two ways to play this. One would be to charm her, which, given her responses so far, chances aren’t in my favor. The other? It’s fun and a little mean. I smile just thinking about her reaction as I further rile her up. Both have about the same odds, but I’ve never been risk adverse. “Oh, come on, sweetheart. We’re both adults here. No need to play hard to get.” I allow a chuckle to escape my lips at her incredulous gasp, then add a wink for good measure. “When I give you a ride, you’ll enjoy every second.”
4
Rachel
My mouth falls open and I sputter at his brash arrogance. “You’re kidding. Right?”
“Not even a little.” He laughs again and sweeps his arm toward his ride. “Get in. I left the AC running.”
An incredulous scoff leaves my lips and I shake my head. “Uh, I’m sorry, but I don’t get in cars with strangers.”
“What if there’s candy involved?”
Who says shit like that? He’s got to be joking. Or he’s crazy and planning to abduct me right off the side of the freeway. I grate my teeth and stare so fiercely any sane man would run away.
Apparently not this one. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his dress slacks and shrugs. “Puppies, then?”
I roll my eyes, a burst of nervous laughter escaping my lips. “Who doesn’t love puppies?”
“Oh, I have a treat for you.” He rubs his hands together, devious as his smirk.
I should be alarmed, but the look rather suits him. Shit. Zac Efron made Ted Bundy look real good. No matter how charming this man is, I can’t trust him. “I am not taking a ride from you.”
“Oh, come on.” He takes a causal step forward, closing the space between us.
I take a step backward. A horn blares, a rush of air practically knocking me on my ass. My body stiffens, realization coursing through my veins at how close that car came to hitting me or one of our vehicles.
He grabs my elbow and tugs me back towards the cement barrier wall. His gaze is sincere as he shouts above the traffic noise. “Get in the car and I’ll take you wherever you need to go. We’re sitting ducks out here.”
He’s not wrong. But I’m still warry. “You could be a murderer. A rapist. A psychopath.”
“You’re in luck.” His smile pulls wide. “I’m none of those.”
A scoff leaves my lips. “And I’m supposed to believe you?”
“Google me. Or text my contact info to your family members.” He shifts his weight to his side in a bored manner, nodding to where my cell is clenched in my hand. “Either way, we’re losing valuable time if you’re trying to get to Americana anytime soon.”
He’s right. God, I hate that he’s right. What option do I really have? I can wait for a tow, but I’ll miss the day of work. I’ll ruin any future opportunity of working with the director, and in this industry reputation is everything. People talk.
If I accept his offer, I could end up dead and buried in a shallow grave. Or I could get to work and come back to deal with Iron Maiden tonight. I’ll still have my job. I won’t burn any bridges. I can’t believe I’m actually considering this. It’s crazy, right?
I unlock my phone. “What’s your number?”
“Here.” He takes my phone and types on the screen. Seconds later his pocket rings. Satisfaction beams from his smug grin as he hands back my cell.
“What’s your name?” I lift my phone, snap a photo of his face, save the contact, and send it to my brother. It’s not a complete guarantee of my safety, but I’ve watched enough true crime documentaries to leave digital evidence of my last known whereabouts.
He laughs, and when I don’t move, his eyes lift in surprise. “Oh, right. You really don’t know. Jude. And you are . . .”
“Rachel.” I appraise his face, looking for something that shoots off warning bells or screams murderer, but come up empty. It