Into The Fire - E. L. Todd Page 0,16
in the world.” I nudged her in the side. “Come on. It’ll be fun. We can start a band together.”
“A two person group?” she asked. “Wouldn’t we need a drummer?”
“I can play the drums. You can be the lead guitarist.”
She laughed. “People would throw tomatoes at us.”
“Would not.” I set the guitar down then leaned back. “Well, my parents loved you.”
“I could tell,” she said. “How long do we have to keep this up?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “But at least for a few months.”
“Well, they’re nice. Be grateful for that.”
“I guess.” I turned in my seat and stared at her.
“What?” She caught my look.
“Nothing.” I didn’t know what to say or how to explain what I was thinking.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“We’re having a conversation. I’m supposed to look at you.”
“Yes, look. Not stare.”
“You don’t like it when I stare at you?” I asked.
“It’s a little creepy…that’s why I won’t tell you where I live.” She gave me a teasing smile.
“I’m an artist. I appreciate beautiful things.”
She returned my gaze without blinking.
“Is this payback?” I asked with a laugh.
“Yep.” She held my gaze without looking away.
“You can stare at me all you want. It’s a compliment.”
She gave me an irritated look. “So cocky.”
“I have a lot to be cocky about.”
“Like a pierced dick?”
I grinned. “You’ve been thinking about it ever since I told you about it, huh?”
Her cheeks flushed slightly. “I admit it’s interesting…”
“You know why chicks like it so much?”
“Why?”
“Because the metal ball rubs against your G-spot,” I explained. “And the girls go crazy. I don’t have to work nearly has hard to make them come.”
Alessandra looked away but there was still redness in her cheeks.
“So…do you have a boyfriend?” She had to. There was no way in hell a perfect woman like her was single. She had the legs of a supermodel and the ass of a nectarine. If I saw her in a bar, I’d definitely give her my best moves until she was on my sheets.
“No.”
No? No fucking way. “Are you sure?”
“I think I would know if I were seeing someone…”
“It’s just…how is that possible?”
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe you don’t realize it but you’re pretty perfect. You’re gorgeous—on the inside as well as the outside.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “You hardly know me.”
“I’m really good at reading people. I know you well enough.”
“Well…that’s sweet of you to say.”
“You won’t stay single long,” I said. “Not with legs like that.”
She smiled slightly but it didn’t seem genuine.
“What’s your story?” I asked.
“Meaning?”
“When was your last relationship?”
“You’re paying for my time,” she said. “We don’t need to talk about me.”
“I wouldn’t have asked unless I wanted to know.”
She sighed then looked away. “It’s kind of hard for me to talk about…”
I knew this was going to be a sad story and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear it. “There’s no judgment here.”
“Well…I was with this guy for about a year and I was really happy…”
He cheated on her. That’s where the story ended. Who would be stupid enough to cheat on Alessandra? There was no way in hell a guy could find someone better.
“Then my appendix burst and I needed emergency surgery. I didn’t have health insurance and the surgery was a lot. There was other damage because I’d waited so long.”
That’s not where I expected the story to go.
“The surgery was twenty-five grand and I didn’t have that kind of money. I didn’t know what to do and the collectors kept calling me so…”
I was sitting on the edge of my seat.
“I decided to strip—short term. I just needed to earn the cash to pay the bill. I didn’t tell anyone…but Tony walked inside and caught me in the act. He left me without looking back, saying I was a whore for getting naked in front of people…that was four months ago.”
Was she serious? He just left her? “What a fucking asshole.”
“I told him why I did it but he wouldn’t listen to me.”
“What the fuck was he doing in there to begin with?” I snapped. “Talk about a damn hypocrite.”
“He was with his friends…” Her eyes were downcast.
“That’s unacceptable. He had no right to be mad at you.”
She fidgeted with her hands. “I don’t know…”
“You did what you had to do to survive.” I did much worse things overseas. There were things I’d never speak of. But I didn’t have a choice. I had to kill or be killed. Sometimes things weren’t always black and white. Situations were complicated