dangling, Sarah. At your mercy.”
That caught her attention. What rubbish was he saying? She was the little lovesick puppy, vying for his attention. She needed him to keep doing everything that he was doing, and more. She was just a girl, pretty enough, and easy for him.
“I want to know …”
He nodded then waited, while she chewed on her words. “Why me? What’s here,” she said, gesturing down herself, “that interests you?”
If he could work his way out of that clear hint towards physical value without stumbling or looking awkward, she’d probably believe him.
“The first thing I noticed about you was your innocence. Girls who pursue me make it blatant. You didn’t want to seem that way. They ask what I do for a living in one breath and start pretending to not realise they’re rubbing their chests at me in the next breath. I deal with lots of acts in my line of work and in my life, and there was something pure in you I craved. Something like a magnet I was drawn to.”
Sarah’s eyes were big and unblinking, so Malik added, “Truly, you have no idea how many girls are ‘excited to start our lives together’.” He ticked off one finger. “I’m not even in a relationship with them when they announce this, and,” he ticks off another finger, “I may be a guy but I have brains enough to replace that bullshit with the synonym ‘house’. They move in and they get a share of my assets if they’ve stuck by me long enough.”
So not what I expected. At all.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She frowned. Who was that money hungry? “I’m just cautious with guys, is all. My dad had a long hidden affair with another woman for years, and Mum and I found out when I was a teenager. Just made me cautious of every guy since. You never know, you know? Only get one heart.”
“Gotta take care of it,” he added.
“Yep.”
His tone had changed, but Sarah couldn’t pick at exactly what it was. She watched the bus stop and realised everyone had left, and three new people were waiting now. She hadn’t noticed a thing.
Malik. Him and his charms.
It was just then she realised she knew nothing, and yet everything about this guy. She could reel off her exes jobs, cars, surnames, parents’ jobs, future aspirations. She couldn’t do all that with Malik, but she did feel more like herself than she had with any other guy. She didn’t want to shut guys out, but she hadn’t figured out how to stop hurting, or how to be herself around them.
“So, we know lots about me. What about you, Malik, divorce lawyer? Do you have a girlfriend, wife or kids?”
“I think you know the answer to that.”
She nodded. “No wife, absolutely not. Not a girlfriend, but that doesn’t answer if you’re dating anyone. And kids. Possible.”
Malik smiled. “You’re good. I’m single, free, unattached but with a kid.” He brought Sarah to him with a simple finger under her chin. She came easily, resting her hands on his thigh. Malik pressed a full kiss on her lips. Opening his eyes, she had to blink a few times to get used to him being so close. Her mind spun. This close, his intensity made her dizzy. “And do you want me?”
How did Sarah reply to that? Did she “want” him? Hell yes. Should she say so? “I think you know the answer to that,” she replied.
“Where to next, then?”
• • •
NOW
It was quarter to ten when they’d decided what to do. As much as Sarah was excited at the thought of ending up in his bed, she had enough brains to figure out that, once he had that, she’d have nothing left to keep him hooked. He was too good to lose so quickly. Plus, she didn’t want to act like a kid straight out of university. She wanted to be an accomplished woman, far from the desperate urges of a fresh teenager that she really had inside.
“Crown Casino,” she repeated after him. “The place that never sleeps.”
“Yup.”
Sarah, in the course of the last few hours, had theorised several
That caught her attention. What rubbish was he saying? She was the little lovesick puppy, vying for his attention. She needed him to keep doing everything that he was doing, and more. She was just a girl, pretty enough, and easy for him.
“I want to know …”
He nodded then waited, while she chewed on her words. “Why me? What’s here,” she said, gesturing down herself, “that interests you?”
If he could work his way out of that clear hint towards physical value without stumbling or looking awkward, she’d probably believe him.
“The first thing I noticed about you was your innocence. Girls who pursue me make it blatant. You didn’t want to seem that way. They ask what I do for a living in one breath and start pretending to not realise they’re rubbing their chests at me in the next breath. I deal with lots of acts in my line of work and in my life, and there was something pure in you I craved. Something like a magnet I was drawn to.”
Sarah’s eyes were big and unblinking, so Malik added, “Truly, you have no idea how many girls are ‘excited to start our lives together’.” He ticked off one finger. “I’m not even in a relationship with them when they announce this, and,” he ticks off another finger, “I may be a guy but I have brains enough to replace that bullshit with the synonym ‘house’. They move in and they get a share of my assets if they’ve stuck by me long enough.”
So not what I expected. At all.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She frowned. Who was that money hungry? “I’m just cautious with guys, is all. My dad had a long hidden affair with another woman for years, and Mum and I found out when I was a teenager. Just made me cautious of every guy since. You never know, you know? Only get one heart.”
“Gotta take care of it,” he added.
“Yep.”
His tone had changed, but Sarah couldn’t pick at exactly what it was. She watched the bus stop and realised everyone had left, and three new people were waiting now. She hadn’t noticed a thing.
Malik. Him and his charms.
It was just then she realised she knew nothing, and yet everything about this guy. She could reel off her exes jobs, cars, surnames, parents’ jobs, future aspirations. She couldn’t do all that with Malik, but she did feel more like herself than she had with any other guy. She didn’t want to shut guys out, but she hadn’t figured out how to stop hurting, or how to be herself around them.
“So, we know lots about me. What about you, Malik, divorce lawyer? Do you have a girlfriend, wife or kids?”
“I think you know the answer to that.”
She nodded. “No wife, absolutely not. Not a girlfriend, but that doesn’t answer if you’re dating anyone. And kids. Possible.”
Malik smiled. “You’re good. I’m single, free, unattached but with a kid.” He brought Sarah to him with a simple finger under her chin. She came easily, resting her hands on his thigh. Malik pressed a full kiss on her lips. Opening his eyes, she had to blink a few times to get used to him being so close. Her mind spun. This close, his intensity made her dizzy. “And do you want me?”
How did Sarah reply to that? Did she “want” him? Hell yes. Should she say so? “I think you know the answer to that,” she replied.
“Where to next, then?”
• • •
NOW
It was quarter to ten when they’d decided what to do. As much as Sarah was excited at the thought of ending up in his bed, she had enough brains to figure out that, once he had that, she’d have nothing left to keep him hooked. He was too good to lose so quickly. Plus, she didn’t want to act like a kid straight out of university. She wanted to be an accomplished woman, far from the desperate urges of a fresh teenager that she really had inside.
“Crown Casino,” she repeated after him. “The place that never sleeps.”
“Yup.”
Sarah, in the course of the last few hours, had theorised several
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