Chapter 3 Two

• RAYNE
• The song took over and my body swayed in time to the music as I danced right there at the bar, the mission temporarily forgotten.
• “Martini,” I winked and smiled at the mesmerized barman, slowly rocking and locking my hips. “Dirty.”
• Did I mention that my major in college was Performing Arts? Top of my class at that? That I was one of the best dancers in the region? I am. I was. I am. Whenever I danced, people stopped and paid attention.
• Yeah, I was that good.
• That’s why I used it to my advantage and it worked like a charm. A crowd had gathered around and were urging me on. The handsome man was smiling behind his glass, talking to the barman, and threw curious glances in my direction. His face remained impassive as a rock, but not for long. He was human, after all.
• When he slowly turned his head, and that’s when I got the wind knocked out of me. Like a kick to my chest, I wasn’t prepared for it. The stolen glances were nothing compared to the full effect of his devastating good looks when my gaze melted into his. As I live and breathe, I had never seen a man this…this… He was…he was like a demi-god personified. A cross of a fallen angel, Adonis, and a GQ model rolled into one.
• Words failed me, my brain scrambling to come up with something that could acutely describe just how breathtakingly, sinfully, and divinely gorgeous he was. I almost joined my hands to applaud and give him a standing ovation, shouting: ’Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!’ Goodness knows he deserved the flowers and accolades.
• In slow motion, he drained his crystal tumbler and slid off the stool like a lazy panther, his hand flicking back his hair as he took his time. My eyes followed his long, lean, taught legs, encased in tight black pants that could have only been made for him to the limit. They fit him too perfectly, so flawlessly and supremely, it should have been illegal.
• He caught me ogling and a cocky grin tipped his lips, his head taking an arrogant tilt. The hot stranger knew his power and reveled in it. You’d think that would be enough to put me off; it wasn’t.
• I felt like I’d been transported through the portals of his piercing dark eyes. Been sucked in deeper and deeper, his very presence like volcanic lava, consuming everything in its path. Melting and sizzling my insides like butter in an overheated saucepan.
• Long fingers lazily scratched his smooth, chiseled, dark forest-green eyes dancing with suppressed laughter. He was more than six feet tall, with overlong hair the color of midnight, and his tanned face was all hard, sculptured angles that were enough to make a woman’s pulse race just looking at him. Javier Gonzalez wasn’t only one of the most gorgeous bachelors in the world, he was also one of the most lethally bewitching.
• I could have spent all day drinking in his perfection, but a hot blonde guy asked me to dance when another one of my favorite songs came on, and I was willingly pulled into a dance-off on the dancefloor. I got caught up in the music and the crowd again, dancing my butt off. Everyone was dancing with anyone, music, and dance were like a universal language we all understood, there were no barriers here on the dance floor. I swirled around, enjoying the feel of someone’s hands on my hips as I eyed my image in the mirror. That’s when I realized it was his hands skimming my waist, his pelvis teasing my behind.
• “You!” I gasped.
• He pulled me closer until his hips cradled mine. “Challenge accepted, cariña,” his sultry drawl caressed my ears, giving me goosebumps. “No, no, don’t stop now, pequeña. Not when we’ve taken care of the first one,” he murmured, his accent turning my knees to jelly and melting my panties as our bodies kept moving to the upbeat tempo. “Sí?” He swung me around and took the cocktail from my shaking hand, taking an unhurried leisurely sip before returning it.
• “That’s number two,” his voice was low and seductive. “Now…” His penetrating green gaze lingered on my lips, leaning closer until he was a breath away. “And now…” His lips hovered over the skin on my neck, brushing over it so lightly I almost screamed with the teasing sensations. “My favorite…” Was that the tip of his tongue? Did he lick me or was I imagining it? “Number three…the best of all…” His warm lips skimmed over my neck and bare shoulders, his hands gliding along my forearms. “Hmm…number three…” he breathed out slowly, reaching out for my martini again, not taking his eyes off me as he drank from it. Swirling the liquid in his mouth he leaned down.
• OMG! He was going to kiss me!
• Whaaaat??
• Was this really going to happen?? But it was about to, wasn’t it? Why would he want me? Plain old me? He turned down three perfectly hot girls for me-why me? I froze to the spot; fighting for air, finding it so hard to take in air through my nose. Breathe, Rayne.
• Breathe... Breathe in. Breathe out. Inhale. Exhale.
• He bent his head and claimed my lips in a kiss that set off a wildfire inside me. The liquid seeped through his lips into mine without wasting a single drop. He tasted like vodka and lemon, his kiss slow, dominant, and confident. I didn’t expect any less from a man like him.
• I was a rag doll in his hands. My knees were like water, my bones melting and my toes curling. My arms slid around his neck, sliding into his silky black hair as he pulled me against his lean, hard body. I couldn’t get close enough. He was like a drug, I couldn’t get enough of and I was getting drunk on his kisses.
• What was I doing!?
• He was a total stranger. Why was I exchanging fluids with a total stranger I’d just met in a bar?!
• Meh.
• My conscience could wait. His lips felt so good. Too good. He was an excellent kisser. The best I’d ever had, and I’d done a lot of kissing in my virgin lifetime.
• “Hmmmm…” Was that me moaning, or him??
• He lifted his head. “Satisfied?” he drawled, quirking an arrogant eyebrow.
• All I managed was a dazed nod. If he wasn’t holding me up I would have crumpled to the floor, face first.
• “Your turn now, Chiquita,” he announced with a naughty smile.
• “What?” Trying to focus, I blinked rapidly.
• “One good turn deserves another, does it not?” he shrugged as we continued to dance. “I fulfilled my end of the bargain, yes?”
• His words hit me like a freight train. “How did you-”
• “Your waiter told me about your little bet and I never back out of a challenge,” he grinned. “What can I say? He found it amusing so he shared the anecdote with me and earned himself a huge tip in the process,” he revealed with a self-confident smile. “It’s not every day that a man has four beautiful women wagering over him, no?”
• I stopped all pretense of dancing and glared at him.
• “You sir, are no gentleman.”
• “And your behavior is that of a lady?” he raised a challenging brow as he steered me to a quiet corner.
• “What do you want?” I couldn’t help but steal another glance at him.
• “Spend the night with me.”
• “What?!”
• “Since it seems you’re hard of hearing, I will repeat it-”
• “I heard what you said!” I snapped.
• “Then what’s it going to be?” he said. “Are you coming home with me tonight, mi belleza?” he asked for the sake of courtesy. He’d already decided my answer. Yes.
• “I can’t.”
• “I promise you, every part of your anatomy will still be intact when I drop you off at your-motel- is it?”
• “How did you-”
• “Call it a sixth sense, but if you must know your accent gave you away.”
• “I hardly know you.”
• “Ahhh…that’s the beauty of it, no?” he said in a mysterious whisper. “We can spend the night getting…acquainted.” He paused and I should have been offended by the way he blatantly undressed me with his eyes.
• “I can’t spend the night with a total stranger.”
• “You just let a total stranger stick his tongue down your throat and feel you up, chulita. I think we can safely say we know each other rather intimately.” That cock smirk again. “So, I think that argument is now irrelevant and invalid.”
• “I can see why you were sitting alone,” I glowered.
• “I can see why you were all over me like a rash,” he shot back with cocky confidence. “Not to mention your little bet.”
• “Don’t you have a girlfriend?” I retorted. “A fiancée to be exact?” ”
• “You didn’t seem to mind a few moments ago-but to answer your question-no. I am not currently in possession of one.”
• I ran my hand over my hair and discovered that all the dancing and sweating had destroyed Kim’s hard work. My hair was a mess. “Still, we need to set some boundaries. I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”
• His laugh was short and humorless, flashing perfect white even teeth. “We both know I’ve become an eligible bachelor yet again, cariña. Perhaps it is my fate, no?” He inched an eyebrow. “I’m sure you’ve read about my so-called humiliation all over the tabloids. It is-how do you say it-trending?” It bothered him but he made a good attempt at hiding his true feelings. Dark circles imprinted his bloodshot eyes; he probably hadn’t slept for days.
• “I don’t read gossip columns,” I lied unsuccessfully. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
• “I doubt that’s possible, dulce niña,” he smiled and drew his brows together. “Anyway, to cut a long story short, I have a business proposal for you and we need to discuss it in a more conducive environment,” he stared around pointedly. “I’d prefer to do it in a more private, quiet setting where there are no prying eyes and ears.”
• “Like your house?”
• “It’s a villa actually.”
• “And the difference is?” I folded my hands against my chest and rolled my eyes.
• “I wish we could go into the architectural specifics but we need to leave now,” he looked behind me and narrowed his eyes at the person behind us.
• “I won’t sleep with you,” I made known.
• “We’ll see…” he smirked. “But that’s not what I had in mind…for tonight.”
• “What’s this all about then?” I questioned.
• “Go and tell your pretty friends goodnight and meet me outside. Don’t tell them about the proposition. Make them think we’re going to… enjoy each other,” he caressed my chin and flashed that annoying smirk-grin. “I’ll be waiting for my driver to bring the car around.”
• “I didn’t say I would go-”
• He crushed his lips on mine and put to rest all my feeble protests. His head snapped back as I pressed into him. “Name is Javier. But you already knew that. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rayne Stevens.”
• “W-what?” Who was this guy?? Freakin' CIA??
• “I did some research on you and your friends while I was back at the bar,” he winked. “Money can’t buy love but it can give me access to information whenever or wherever I may require it.”
• “You had us investigated?”
• “Yes,” he answered shamelessly.
• “You had no right-”
• “I’ll be outside, my delectable raindrop.” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, caressing the rim of my ear suggestively. “Don’t keep me waiting for too long, cariña.”
• “Oh, my gosh!” Ava squealed as I approached them. “You did it!!! I am so jelly right now!!”
• “What did you even say to him??!” Sophia’s eyes widened in shock and envy. "And are you sure you want to go home with him?? You out of all people??"
• “We saw you making out and thought he’d rip your clothes off!” Kim gushed. “Nice one, Stevens!” she gave me a high-five and I quickly filled them in on the impromptu plan.
• “When you get back tomorrow, you have to tell us everything!” Kim made me promise before they hugged me as we said our goodbyes.
• “You guys are not good friends,” I grumbled. “Encouraging me to make off with a tall dark stranger.”
• “He won’t hurt you,” Ava assured me. “He has a reputation to keep and we know he scooped you away. Don’t overthink it and go at your pace. Enjoy yourself for once.”
• “Have fun babe!” Kim waved as I weaved my way through the crowd.
• What was I doing? I had never done something so reckless before. I hoped I wasn’t making a mistake that I would live to regret.