Page 2 of Pick Your Poison

As if his gaze alone was holding me in my place, I physically feel the disconnection when he looks away, and so I begin walking forward again.

I don’t go back to the other side of the street like I would any other night; I continue on toward the path that leads directly in front of the hotel. Part of me wants to stay in the warmth of the heaters for a bit longer, but the other part wants to peer through the large, glass doors in order to see him again.

For an inexplicable reason, I need to see him again.

I pauseto see if he’s still in the lobby and it’s a moment that changes everything for me.

“Looking for someone?” A deep timber voice sounds behind me.

I swing around and see the very mysterious man I was trying to sneak a peek at.

“What? Oh, uh no… I thought I saw someone I knew,” I panic, and blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.

“Are you sure about that?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest. He’s just as intimidating right now as he was from a distance.

“You’ve been speaking to me for less than a minute and you’re already calling me a liar?” I ask plainly, placing my hand on my hip.

He laughs at me a little under his breath, and it pisses me off as much as it turns me on.

“No, not at all. I just have a way of… reading people, that’s all.”

I watch his eyes for a moment, watch them move over my face and down my body, then back up. He’s not doing it in a creepy way, like some of the guys down at the restaurant do. It doesn’t feel predatory, at least not in a way that I don’t somewhat like. It feels like he’s trying to understand me, trying to read my mind.

I clear my throat. “Well, I should let you get going. You seemed preoccupied on the way in.” I try to walk around him, but he steps to the side, directly in my path.

“So, you were watching me.”

“I didn’t say that.” I shift on my aching feet.

“Actually, you did. You were staring at me. I saw you, and I saw you see me.” He leans forward in the way arrogant men do when they think they’ve made a point.

I wish I could explain what’s happening to me in this moment. It’s something I seriously need to unpack with my therapist, because all I can think about right now is kissing him.

I don’t even know him. I’ve only said a handful of words to him, but I want to throw myself into his arms, and then fall to my knees for him. It’s so visceral and real that it takes my breath away.

“You seem very arrogant, and I’m not sure it’s a good look for you,” I say, even though it’s a bold-faced lie. It very much is a good look for him.

He smiles proudly then reaches into his pocket. “Listen, I know it’s a long shot, but there’s going to be a party here tomorrow night. Exclusive.” He hands me a gold plated key card. “You’ll need that to get in.”

I stare down at the keycard. There is nothing written on the front, nothing engraved. It’s just a blank, unassuming card, but for reasons I don’t understand, it feels like it weighs ten pounds in my hand.

“A party?”

“Yes, here at the hotel. Tomorrow at eleven pm.”

“I appreciate the offer, but—” I try to hand the key back, but he holds up his hand in refusal.

“Consider it. There’s no need to refuse right now. Think on it, and I’ll hope we see each other again tomorrow.”

With that, he slips by me like he’s walking on air, never looking back at me, never saying goodbye.

I look over my shoulder just as he slips through the large doors then I turn the keycard over in my hand.

On the back, which I hadn’t looked at before, is engraved a phrase that sends electricity tingling over my skin.

Come where desire is explored without judgement, and hedonism is king.

---