come out, but I can’t hear them over the engine of a motorcycle speeding into the parking lot. My gaze focuses on the motorcycle.
No fucking way.
Knight parks the motorcycle in a no parking zone and then spots me.
Shit. This is not happening. He can’t see me like this. I’ll kill him.
I turn to the still bumbling Cole. He can save me from Knight. Knight won’t come over if he thinks Cole is my boyfriend.
I move up on my tiptoes, barely grab Cole’s cheeks, and kiss him. Our eyes both take a second to close as I’ve taken us both by surprise, but it happens. I push my tongue into his mouth, needing to take this kiss with me when I go. It might be a while until I get to kiss a man like this. Unless I decide to whore myself out to survive.
Cole wraps his arms around me caressing my face as he does. His tongue is gentle in my mouth, exploring but not as frantic as my tongue. He moans softly, showing me he enjoys the kiss, but nothing more.
No sparks fly.
No electricity lights.
No emotions form.
Nothing. The kiss is nice, but nice isn’t enough. Not when the fucker who got me fired’s kiss did all of that and more. I’ve been getting myself off every night to the memory of that kiss. A kiss that should be my worst nightmare has become my fantasy.
We both pull away and smile at each other like we’ve just been having a friendly conversation. Nice. Cole Tracker is the hottest man I’ve ever kissed, and all I felt was nice. He’s tall, dark, and handsome. He’s wearing an expensive suit. It’s clear his life is together. I should fall for a man like him, but instead, I want the bad boy who is barreling toward us.
Cole doesn’t turn around, but I can see in his eyes he feels the danger approaching. “This is going to hurt,” he mumbles so quietly I’m not sure I hear him correctly.
I see the blood before I realize what happened. I expect them to get into a brawl. I expect Cole to whip around and punch Knight in the face like he deserves. I grab my phone ready to call in reinforcements to break them up if I need to.
Nothing happens though. Cole laughs as blood drips from his nose. His eye is already swollen and turning different colors with every second that passes. Red, purple, and blue.
Knight glares at me and then walks back to his motorcycle. He looks good. His tattoos hides the scars on his arms; I only find a faint one on his cheek. His hair is cut shorter, but still longer than most men’s. And his eyes see through to my soul. The engine roars, and he’s gone as quickly as he came.
“What just happened?” I ask, my mouth gaping. “Do you know him?”
“You don’t want to know.”
I stare in the direction of Knight’s exit. I really do want to know, but I don’t push Cole. Instead, I watch as the dust settles back on the asphalt by the curb.
“I might have a job for you,” Cole says.
I stare at him, dumbfounded.
“What?” I have no idea what he just said.
He strokes my cheek. It’s not a loving gesture, more like a goodbye.
When he finishes, I’m left with nothing. No chills, no goosebumps, no reaction. Knight had a stronger reaction to me, and he didn’t even touch me or speak to me.
Cole reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a business card. He hands it to me.
“What’s this?”
“A way for you to do more than just survive.”
I blink, not believing my luck might have changed. That Cole might not be able to get my panties wet, but he is obviously successful. He might be able to get me a job. Which, right now, I need more than a boyfriend.
“What’s the job?” I ask.
He smirks. “Meet me at the address tonight at eight. And wear your nicest outfit. I’ll make sure you have a job by tonight.”
He turns to leave.
“Thanks!” I say, suddenly getting my voice back.
He nods solemnly. “And stop kissing strange boys, it keeps getting you in trouble.”
I blush and smile at his words. He has no idea how much kissing men has gotten me in trouble. He said boys though, not men. I watch Cole walk away, while Knight’s body flickers in my head. Neither of which I would call a boy. They might be closer to my age than