Page 11 of Collide

Ten thousand dollars?

Was he for real?

Thoughts whizzed through my head at just what I could do with thatkind of money. I would have been able to buy Angel that stupid video game. Hell, I would have been able to buy her a laptop and pay for the internet so she didn’t have to spend hours in the library trying to use their crappy computers to do her homework.

Ten thousand dollars would have solved a whole heap of problems,and all I’d have to do was have a drink with this man and dance just one song for him.

I could not believe I was considering it, but here I was,arguing with myself as to why I should or should not agree to it. This man was right when he said that anything was available at the right price and from the look on his face as he stared at me, he knew he had me where he wanted me, right in the palm of his big hands, and as much as I didn’t like that, I knew I’d be damned stupid not to take him up on his offer.

I tried to keep myself composed and not let on that I was genuinelyconsidering it. This seemed too good to be true, nothing like thiseverhappened to girls like me in places like Club Sin.

“What’s the catch?” I said, cynicism dripping from my tone. “Yousurely can’t expect me to believe that you’ll give me ten thousand dollars for having a drink and then dancing for you. I don’t care how much you offer, I don’t take my clothes off, and I certainly don’t do what some of the other girls here do.” I held firm, even sounding a bit angry at his audacity.

Okay, so even if there was a teeny-tiny part of me that said if I had toget down and dirty with this man, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, even if a ten thousand dollar offer wasn’t on the table.

But if I didn’t have my morals, then what else did I have?

The man reached over to where his suit jacket lay abandoned andpulled out his phone. I watched silently as he tapped away at the screen before holding it up for me to see. The screen displayed an online banking page, a bank transfer set up for ten thousand dollars, payable to me.

“I don’t want you to take your clothes off, and I certainly won’t pay youto do anything else. One drink, once dance, that’s it. You have my word that I won’t touch you. All you need to do is give me your account number and the money will be transferred into your account within minutes. Of course, that’s only if you agree to the terms.”

I gaped at the screen, an array of thoughts flying through my mind ofwhat I could do with that money.

For some, it wouldn’t have made a huge amount of difference. ForAngel and me, it would be life changing.

Only an idiot would have walked away from the deal.

And I was no idiot.

Chapter 4

Kai

MytimewithRileywas over far too fucking quickly for my liking. Butshort of threatening the girl to spend more time with me, which I did not want to do, not yet at least, there wasn't much I could do other than watch her walk back through the atrium of the club.

I watched her go, right to the point where she reached the door thatwould lead her backstage, and when she finally reached the door, she turned and looked back to where I had been standing on the other side of the club. She gave me a small smile and fuck, if I didn't want to storm across the shithole of a club, grab her and take her far, far away from here.

There was something about this girl that stirred something burieddeep within me and it was unsettling, I didn't do feelings or emotional bullshit.

And yet here I was.

Fucking infatuated.

It didn't matter that Riley had disappeared from my sight though, I'dbe seeing her again soon, not that she knew it yet.

She had no idea she'd become my prey and Ineverlet my preyget away from me. If there was one thing I had learned from my father, it was that patience was a virtue.

My phone had vibrated during Riley's dance, indicating a text hadcome through but I hadn't read it, I couldn't give two fucks as to who it was, they could wait. The whole world could have been burning for all I cared, there was no way I was going to miss one second of the enigma that was Riley.

Being in such close proximity to her was sheer torture. Countlesstimes I wanted to reach out and touch her, feel how soft her skin was, and pull her close enough to inhale her scent. But I had given her my word that I wouldn’t lay a finger on her, and I was always a man of my word.

Besides, when the time came, I wouldn’t need to pay Riley for ataste of her sweet cunt, she’d be begging for me to fuck her.

Pulling out my phone, I found a message from Vince. He hadsecured Blaze at the warehouse, ready for her to be interrogated. It was followed by a second text telling me he had sent Frank, one of my drivers, to wait outside the club for me.

Despite his distraction earlier in the club, Vince was a goodbodyguard and I knew he wouldn't have been happy to leave me alone. I never normally went anywhere without at least two or three of my security team but I had wanted this visit to be low-key. I hadn't expected for one second I'd be staying put in the club while my one and only security detail took our target away.

Pocketing my phone, I made my way out of the club, glad to beleaving the dump but not at all glad to be leaving Riley. My black Mercedes AMG S65 was parked directly outside the club and my driver, Frank, was engrossed in a heated conversation with one of the door staff. As I approached, I realized instantly what they were arguing about.

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