Page 105 of Beast: Part Two

“You look like a woman that likes excitement.”

I chuckle. “Considering your eyes have not strayed far from my tits, I find it hard to believe you read me so quickly.”

He grins. “You do have nice tits.”

“They are average at best. Not as full as your young friend over there.” I point to the taller blonde that’s now giving me the evil eye. Turning back to Archie, I grin. “You’re missing your chance to get lucky with your little friends.”

He looks at the girls and then back at me. “I think I’ll be luckier here.”

Running my tongue over my bottom lip, I shake my head. My goal is to give him the illusion that I am softening toward him. I can’t give in too fast. Most of his attraction is due to the chase. The moment I make it easy he will lose interest.

I roll my eyes. “You’re cocky. That’s not really a turn on for me.”

He grins. “Not cocky, beautiful, just confident.”

I take a beat of silence to look him up and down as if I’m trying to get a better read on him. I didn’t really need to read him. I knew everything I needed to know about him. “Tell me, Mr. Corbyn.”

“Archie,” he says cutting me off. “Mr. Corbyn is my father.”

His eyes gleam, and his chest lifts as he speaks of his father. Everything I know about the siblings aligns with his actions. Twice he’s brought his father into this conversation. Just then, when he mentioned him, pride filled his face. He is in awe of the man.

“Does Mr. Corbyn know his son is out here trying to pick up unattainable women?”

A huge smile lifts his face. He leans closer to me. “My father would be very proud. We both like challenges. He has never met one he could not conquer.”

“Is that so?” It takes everything in me not to react to that statement. Even mentioning Corbyn in a roundabout way makes my trigger finger itch. The day we put a bullet in his head can’t get here soon enough.

“It is.”

“Your father sounds like a very interesting man. I wonder if his son is anything like him?”

Archie’s eyes light up. Giving Corbyn even that simple of a compliment has Archie nearly drooling. I imagine his dick got hard.

“How about we head to my place, and you can find out?”

I give the appropriate amount of hesitation, allowing him to sweat it out a little longer. I’m keeping up the façade that I’m hard to get.

Without responding to him, I raise my hand to the bartender. He walks over to me with a grin.

“Close out my tab,” I say but don’t take my eyes off Archie. “And James,” I turn to face the bartender. “Remember his face. If I’m not back in here at my regular time tomorrow night, call the cops.”

Archie chuckles beside me. If he had been paying attention, he might have noticed the confused look on the bartender’s face. Considering this is my first time coming here, and I knew his name without him telling me warranted his confusion. But I wasn’t worried about him ratting me out. He knew I was using him as a precaution, like many women do when going home with a stranger. I needed Archie to think that I was a regular woman worried about regular stuff, like being raped or murdered.

Picking up my purse off the bar, I stand and run a hand down the front of my dress. Archie stands as well, holding a hand out for me to take. I keep him on my left side so that he won’t notice the earpiece tucked down in my ear.

We walk out of the bar, side by side. The conversation remains light the entire ten-minute walk to his apartment.

We take the elevator instead of the stairs. He stands across from me, his back pressed to the left side. His gaze is intense as he stares at me.

“I’ll have you know; I’ve never fucked a black chick before.”

I smile, even though it doesn’t reach my eyes. “Depending on how the next ten minutes go, you still may not.”

He chuckles, before running a hand down his face. “I got you this far. I’m sure it won’t take much longer to get you out of that pretty red dress.”

I don’t comment. The elevator dings and the doors slide open. He steps out first. I follow behind him. He stops in front of his door and looks back at me with a smug smile. When he opens the door, he allows me inside first.

I walk down a narrow hallway until I enter a wide-open room with an open floor plan. The large, picturesque windows give a clear view of the New York city skyline.

---