Page 236 of The First Taste

Her lips part in a sneer. She pins me with her gaze and yanks at her arm, but I am so much bigger than her that it is an almost comical attempt to free herself. I squeeze her arm, pulling her closer. She doesn’t come easily; her expression is a combination of fear and hatred. When I see the loathing in her eyes, I am a little taken aback. It’s not like I am used to strangers having such a profound distaste for me.

"Let me go," she hisses.

She yanks her arm from my grip, but just as quickly, I manage to grab her by the shoulders. She looks so incredibly pretty right now, her head thrown back and her eyes glittering. I realize that she must be an absolute firecracker in bed. Rile her up enough, and you would certainly get a show. I can just imagine her in the middle of an orgasm, her head thrown back, a moan escaping her lips, calling my name into the air as she begs me to make her cum. Feeling her feeble struggles and seeing her fight against me, her hands scrabbling at my coat, I can’t help my reaction. In an instant, I feel my cock harden.

"I know about you," she says through clenched teeth. "I know about your little deception. I know that you have a twin. So which one are you? Burn or Dare?"

Fuck, I really thought that I had an advantage there. No matter; it was bound to come out sooner or later.

I let out a menacing chuckle and pull her closer, enjoying the panic written all over her face. "If you must know, little girl, I am Dare. Not that that’s going to help you any. In fact, I don't think anyone can help you."

Her cheeks flush a deeper shade of red, and she looks angry. "You’re horrible. Let me go. You can’t just grab women in back alleys."

I want nothing more than to draw her in and make her behave like a good little girl. But in the next second, her friend is standing next to me, her hands raised like she is going to hit me.

Would it hurt if she hit me? Probably not. She’s a tiny thing, and she has no visible weapon that I can see. But I let Talia go for a second, taking a quarter of a step back and raising my hands as a gesture of goodwill.

I turn to the other girl and try to give her a pacifying glance. "Easy. Your friend knows me."

The girl scoffs. "I’ve heard stories about you, Dare."

"I need you to fuck off now. I have to talk to Talia alone, and you are butting into the middle of our business." I flash her an icy smile.

Talia backs up a little, but I grab her shoulder, pinning her in place. The friend looks terrified but stands her ground. "No way. I’m not leaving her here."

Talia struggles again, and before I can even focus on her, she hauls off and pops me right in the jaw. I am so stunned for a moment that I let go of her shoulder and put my hand to my face.

My eyes connect with Talia’s. When I speak, my words are dripping with venomous sarcasm.

"Well aren’t you a darling girl?"

The friend pulls out a cell phone and starts dialing. "I’m calling the police, just so you know. You need to get away from us right now."

I narrow my eyes on her face and then look at Talia. I know what she wants. I know what everyone wants from me, especially pretty young girls.

More than anything else, they want money.

If I throw money at the situation, the problem will magically resolve itself. I’ve seen it time and time again. Running my tongue over my teeth, I pull out a wad of cash from my money clip. Holding it up, I tilt my head to the side.

"Will this change your mind, Talia? If you talk to me right here and now, you get the cash."

Talia’s eyes widen. She looks nervous, and a flush creeps from her face down her neck. But her eyes are glued on the money.

Of course they fucking are. She’s just the same as every other fucking girl in the world. It’s the only thing that women ever want from me.

I hold out the money toward her. I can see the dollar signs in her eyes, the calculation she has to do. I have no doubt that the money will win out over any worries she might have about talking to me here in the dark.

Talia’s friend grabs Talia’s wrist and pulls her away from me. I let Talia go because I have already baited the hook. After I flashed a little bit of money, I knew that I would get what I wanted. The question is whether she will force me to listen to her friend's nonsense for another couple of minutes.

I cross my arms and ready myself, pressing my lips into a thin line. Talia glances at me and hooks her hair behind her ears.

"Just tell her already," I say. "Tell her to leave you here."

The friend pulls at her sleeve again. Talia grasps her arm and looks her in the eye. "It’s fine, Olivia. He says that he just wants to talk to me."

Her friend looks at me with skeptical eyes. "You sure?"

Talia nods and very gently removes her friend's hand from her wrists. "I am absolutely sure. I’ll text you on my way home so that you don’t worry about me. Okay?"