Lured (Team Zero #1) - Rina Kent Page 0,4

around. She remains frozen in place. Even her eyes are almost bulging out.

“Nancy…?” I run a hand in front of her face, worried about her.

She gulps in a long breath then blurts. “He asked you out? Like date out? Like he’s bloody interested in you?”

“I guess.” I really am not sure. He’s hard to read.

“OMG! OMG!” She goes back to jumping, only this time, she attacks me in a hug. “Go get it, girl! When you sleep with him, I want all the dirty details. I’m so curious about how he is in bed.”

That’s Nancy. No filter.

I pull away. I want to tell her that it’s early to talk about sleeping with him, but who am I kidding? That’s most likely what he wants from me. Judging from how he measured me and the way he said, ‘Because I said so’, he’ll be getting to the sex part in no time.

Heat creeps up my cheek because… I might let him.

“Do you want me to lend you one of my dresses?” Nancy asks.

“No. I’m fine.” And it’s not because he told me not to change, but it’s because I refuse to become a chameleon for anyone. That’s probably why my high school boyfriend Pierre dumped me.

I’m too hot-headed, he said. I make no compromises. I like controlling everything.

J’en ai marre, Camille. Were his last words.

It hurt so much back then. I was so attached to him and he told me he was fed up with me. After that heartbreak, I decided to never expose myself to that vulnerability again. I spent my two years in college refusing any advances and just focused on my studies.

Dominic is different. I doubt he’d be proposing any type of relationship. I stare at the mirror across from the storage room. My cheeks are flushed and my green eyes I inherited from Papa are gleaming with a smile.

After two weeks in London, I finally found my adventure.

I’m so thrilled, and slightly scared, about what Dominic can do to me.

The place in which Dominic asked me to meet him is a hotel’s underground pub. The infrastructure seems decades’ old, and I’m glad it isn’t one of those ridiculously expensive hotels. It isn’t a cheap one either, but a happy medium.

I can’t help wondering why he picked this place. Is it so I can feel more at ease and therefore, he can make me agree to anything?

He doesn’t need a setting to do that. His personality is domineering enough.

I slide into a stool at the bar and order a coffee. I spilt juice on my shorts at work so I changed into a mid-thigh denim skirt. I always liked wearing short things. Maman’s influence, I guess. She says my legs are too toned and beautiful, it’s a shame to hide them.

No ounce of makeup covers my face. I was never keen on that and I won’t start for Dominic.

I already had my lunch so he won’t feel the obligation to feed me. I’m not here for the food anyway. The sooner we get to what he wants, the better.

And I’m sure he wants something. His kind always does.

I have a shift in two hours, so it’s a good excuse to bail out.

My defences are all set. Now, I just have to wait for his move. I’m giddy just thinking about it.

This feeling is similar to when I played Chess with Papa. He has a strong strategic mind, and it’s nearly impossible to predict his next move. However, I still felt excited and pumped every time I tried to read him.

If I didn’t run away from home, Papa would be so effing proud of me if he knew I detected a sociopath. Only… well, he only taught me to read people so I’d avoid Dominic’s type, not become obsessed with them.

The bartender, who doesn’t look much older than me, smiles while sliding the cup of coffee in front of me. Give it to the British to have coffee in their pubs. It’s one of the best things they ever did.

“Thank you.” Both my hands surround the cup and its warmth seeps straight to my bones. It would’ve been better if I had my favourite mug with me, but oh, well.

“French?” the bartender asks while wiping a glass. He has boyish features and a tall body. A few tribal tattoos peek from underneath his T-shirt’s sleeves. I always had a weakness for tattoos.

“Yes.” I take a sip from the coffee and stifle a moan. This is the best beverage humans