Page 13 of Violent Hearts

"Or else I'm going to make you sit."

I ponder his threat for a moment, assessing the situation at hand. He's big, tall, and strong and could overpower me easily. Would he actually risk causing a scene in a public place just to make me sit at his command? And what would stop me from jumping right back up?

"Five," he begins counting, his eyes seething with anger.

"You can't be serious."

"Four."

"Now, listen to me, I'm not going to-"

"Three."

"This is ridiculous."

"Two."

He moves closer to me still, and I instinctively tense up, preparing for an aggressive move. He's standing so close to me now that our bodies are brushing against one another in various places, but he hasn’t lifted a hand, nor has he grabbed me.

Yet.

"One."

As soon as the word is spoken, I duck, again evading the threat of an assault that doesn't happen. He doesn't move an inch, but watches as I obediently lower myself onto the chair.

"Good girl."

I can't believe I just did that.

Strangely, his words of praise send another shiver down my spine, a pleasant one this time. What the hell is wrong with me?

My eyes follow him as he moves around the table in slow, confident moves, sitting down in his chair like a king on his throne. As soon as he sits, a waiter appears out of nowhere and places two flutes of champagne in front of us. I cast the waiter a confused look as he scurries away noiselessly without even so much as a glance at me.

"Are you hungry?"

His voice draws my attention back to the table.

I shake my head. "Not really."

He raises an eyebrow. "You'll eat. They have excellent appetizers here."

I don't know how to respond, so I just continue regarding him with the same angry expression that’s been on my face since I first stepped inside the building. I've never been to this restaurant, and had actually never even heard of it before receiving the email. When I looked it up, I quickly realized why. This place is so far out of my price range that it was never even worth considering.

He casts me a belittling smile and then states the obvious. "You seem angry at me. Why is that?"

"You know very well, why," I snarl at him. "This can hardly be a coincidence."

He chuckles. "Of course it isn't. As soon as I saw your file, I knew the two of us would be compatible."

My eyes widen in surprise. "You thought-"

"If anything, I should be angry at you, young lady," he goes on. "After all, you lied to me."

I shake my head. "I did not lie to you! I'm not an escort."

"And yet, here you are." He takes a languid sip of champagne.

I let out an angry growl. "Didn't they tell you anything about me?"

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