I swallowed and couldn’t stop my mind from wondering why he’d been on the site in the first place if he was a good guy.
“Do you have a family?” he asked again.
I dropped my eyes. “No. I have no one.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed and his shoulders dropped. I watched his hands move up to pull his hat off and run his fingers through his short, dark hair before putting the cap back on. He searched the room like it’d have answers for what to do next. Hopefully, he’d just give up and go, leaving the money behind. He was silent for so long, but I didn’t know what to do to fill it, so I continued to hold my dress up and wait.
He eventually faced me again and stood to his full height. I matched his posture, preparing for whatever he was going to say next.
“I want you to leave with me.”
My eyes bulged and I reeled back. “What?” My voice was shrill. Why would he want me to come with him? Was he kidnapping me like he’d mentioned others would? Had he decided to take advantage of the situation now that he was here? My chest rose and fell faster and faster with each thought. I held my hands up in front of me like I could fend him off. “No. Please. I’m sorry. You can go and take the money. You’re right, this was a mistake. Please just don’t…don’t…” My voice trailed off, unable to voice the possibilities.
“Stop.” He made an effort to soften his features. “I’m not going to kidnap you. I’m…I’m just trying to help you.” It looked painful for him to say. “You say you’re hungry and desperate, well I’m trying to give you another option that doesn’t require you to sell your virginity. I’ll give you five thousand to come with me.”
Five thousand dollars, just to leave with him? The thought alone had the air rushing from my body. “Whe—where would you take me?”
Was it stupid to even consider? Probably, but my curiosity rose and the sandwich I’d stolen from the market earlier wasn’t enough. The thought of real food had my mouth watering and my standards lowering.
“I have an apartment in the city.”
“Are you still wanting my virginity?”
He cringed and shook his head.
“I just need to know what to expect.”
“Expect dinner and a warm bed. Alone.”
And five thousand dollars.
“I don’t understand.” The night was spiraling out of my control and I was struggling to keep up.
“It’s not hard. I’m offering you a safe haven tonight and help tomorrow.”
He made it seem so easy. I looked over to the bed, still made with its cheap comforter covered in God knows what. My options were to sleep there or to return back to the trailer and face Leah and Oscar again.
Or I could go with the green-eyed stranger who could have easily done any of the things he’d mentioned, but hadn’t.
Maybe I was as stupid as he claimed, but like I’d said, I was desperate. “Okay.”
He sighed, his shoulders dropping the tension as he’d waited for my answer. “Pull your dress up and let’s go.”
I turned sideways, still unsure of turning my back on him and tugged my dress over my shoulders.
“I still need to pay for the room,” I explained, grabbing my bag and following him to the door.
“Already done,” he explained, not bothering to turn around.
The cool night air brushed across my bare skin. After the onslaught of emotions and fear that had consumed me in the hotel, the fresh air washed over me like a freedom I wasn’t sure I’d get again.
He walked to the end of the lot and the lights flashed on a sleek black car. With my hand on the passenger door, I hesitated. Closing my eyes, I said a quick prayer I wasn’t wrong—that getting in the car wasn’t a mistake.
My mind whispered the reminder that he’d been on that site for a reason I wasn’t sure of yet. But my stomach growled and the promise of an actual dinner had me pushing the whispered warning aside and getting in.
4
Erik
What the hell was I doing?
The question rattled in my brain with each step I took toward the car, the girl’s heels clicking behind me. By the time we both sat in the small space and the engine purred to life, I still was no closer to figuring out the answer. Glancing out of my peripheral, I watched her tug the too short dress down unsuccessfully to cover her long legs and then shift the bag to do the job.
Neither worked.
My hands squeezed the wheel, hearing the leather creak under the pressure as I forced myself to look away. Realistically, I knew she had to be at least eighteen, but she looked so much younger even under all that makeup. It was the innocence in her silvery eyes that still managed to peek through the hard edge life had given her. My cock had failed to take note of her age when she’d begun stripping out of her clothes. Hell, my cock had failed to be soft at any point after I’d walked into the room. Her innocence had been like a fist squeezing my chest, pushing all the blood down to my groin.