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  “How do I look?” Jessica asked, strutting into the room.

  Vesper turned around, an appreciative whistle escaped her lips. “Wow. Very hot.” Jessica was gorgeous to begin with but with red curls flowing over her breasts and black lingerie peeking through beneath a velvet cape, she made for an especially stunning Red Riding Hood. “I’m jealous. There’s no way I could pull something like that off.”

  “Yeah, you could. You just have to try.”

  “I don’t want to try.”

  “Coward,” Jessica teased. “You don’t look too bad either but I wish it was a little slutty.”

  “It’s plenty slutty,” Vesper retorted, studying her reflection in the mirror. Tonight she’d decided to go with more dramatic make-up in the form of purple smoky eye which not only highlighted her brown eyes but also worked well with her brown skin tone. That coupled with a mid-length shimmery black dress, long black gloves that reached above her elbows, and a matching feather headband and boa, she looked like the quintessential flapper.

  “Fine, whatever.” Jessica blew out a breath. “I guess you look good.”

  “Gee, thanks.” A quick glance at the clock revealed it was almost ten. “We should call a cab. Hopefully the line won’t be too long to get into the club.”

  “Eh, I’m not worried about it.”

  “Why? Are you going to bribe the bouncer?”

  Jessica gave her a coy smile. “My charming smile will be enough.”

  “In what universe?”

  “Fine.” Jessica twirled her hair with her finger. “I’ll let him cop a feel.”

  Vesper chuckled. “Very noble of you.” Despite being friends only a few months, Vesper felt a solid connection with the younger girl. Jessica was sweet, bubbly, and exuded an infectious dose of positivity that helped Vesper escape the stress of work and college responsibilities.

  “Hey, you okay?” Jessica asked, watching her with concern. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

  “Hell, no!” Vesper grinned. “Halloween is my night! And we’re going to have a blast.” Picking up the cell phone, she called a cab.

  *****

  The line at the club was around the block and barely moving. Vesper knew there was no way they were getting in; Jessica, however, seemed to think otherwise.

  “I’m going to talk to the bouncer,” Jessica said. “Wait here.”

  “Jess, come on. He’s not going to let us in.”

  “You give up way too easy,” Jessica replied, already walking away.

  Some guys in the queue hollered after Jessica, making lewd comments; Vesper shot them a dirty look. Much to her surprise, Red Riding Hood returned a few minutes later with a beaming smile.

  “Seriously?” Vesper asked. “We’re getting in?”

  “Don’t look so shocked.”

  “Oh god. Don’t tell me you promised him a blow job or something.”

  “Ew. No,” Jessica huffed. “Give me some credit.”

  “Then how?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  *****

  Once inside the club, Jessica took Vesper’s hand and led her through the crowd of people dressed in every costume imaginable. Vesper wondered why they were heading upstairs, toward the terrace reserved for VIP guests. It wasn’t until the bouncers ticked off their names on the guest list that she realised something fishy was going on. “What are we doing here?”

  Jessica winked at her.

  “How did you pull this off?” Vesper had her answer as soon the bouncer opened the door and they entered the rooftop area. Standing a few feet away was Tristan, dressed as a Naval officer in dress whites, surrounded by his usual group of friends. While he always stood out in a crowd, he appeared even taller and more prominent thanks to the hat that was part of his uniform. As soon as their eyes met, he flashed a smug smile, tipping his hat. Vesper turned her back to him. “Jessica, please tell me he had nothing to do with this.”

  “What’s the big deal? He was at the restaurant yesterday and we started talking and stuff. I told him about us coming to this place and he mentioned he would put us on the guest list. I thought he was just bullshitting but I guess he wasn’t.”

  “You know I can’t stand him.”

  “Then ignore him,” Jessica fired back. “I’m going to get us some drinks.”

  Vesper watched after Jessica as the redhead sauntered over to the bar. In a matter of seconds, Jessica was surrounded by guys clamouring for her attention.

  “Stalking me now?”

  A husky voice whispered in her ear from behind. Her body stiffened at Tristan’s sudden proximity. “That’s more your thing, isn’t it?” she countered, turning around. In spite of the five inch heels, she still had to look up at him.

  He smirked, enjoying her discomfort.

  “Using my friend to get me here?” Vesper retorted. “Some people would call that pathetic.”

  “Others would see it as being resourceful.”

  “They would be wrong.”

  “Damn.” He grinned. “And here I was so proud of myself.”

  “For what? Getting me to go out in a costume? On Halloween? Yes, you’ve accomplished a remarkable feat.”

  “When you put it like that….” He paused, and then flashed a wicked smile. “Nah, I’m still pretty fucking proud of myself.”

  She chuckled, and regretted it right away when his eyes wandered over her body. Despite the cool breeze, she suddenly felt flushed.

  “Look at that,” he said cheekily. “She laughs.”

  “I do that from time to time. Doesn’t mean I want to sleep with you.”

  “That’s too bad. I’ve been told I’m a lot of fun.”

  “By who? Prostitutes? They just want your money.”

  “You think I have to pay for sex?”

  “Probably. Why would anyone want to voluntarily have sex with you?”

  He laughed. The hearty sound was filled with mirth and good humour, surprising her. He may have been a cocky jackass but he didn’t get pissy when someone made fun of him; not a lot of people were able to laugh at themselves.

  “Can’t remember the last time someone hated me as much as you do,” he said.

  “I don’t hate you.”

  His eyebrow arched up. “Really?”

  “Really, but I don’t like you either.”

  “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I’m madly in love with you.”

  “I figured. Don’t fight your feelings. Just go with the flow.”

  “Is it really that hard to imagine a woman not being into you?”

  “It’s never happened before.”

  She bit back a smile. “First time for everything. Consider it a lesson in humility.”

  “For future reference, I learn better from naughty school teachers.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Can I buy you a drink?” he asked, leaning in closer.

  “No. Jessica’s getting me one.”

  His blue eyes flicked from her face to the bar behind. “She looks busy.”

  “It’s fine. I can wait.”

  “Come on. Don’t you want a drink in your hand in case I say something that pisses you off? You could throw it at me.”

  “That sounds like fun.”

  “Imagine the possibilities.”

  “I am. Too bad wasting alcohol is a sin.”

  “In what religion?”

  “One of the ten commandments, I think. Thou shalt not waste thy drink.”

  “But I love breaking commandments.”

  “Broken many?”

  “Broken all.”

  She played along with the ruse. “Which
one’s your favourite? Wait, let me guess. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s–”

  “Parking spot? Yup, you got me. I very much covet that.”

  She shook her head at the incorrigible grin on his face.

  “I never actually introduced myself to you,” Tristan pointed out.

  “You just assume everyone knows who you are.”

  “They usually do.” He extended his right hand, wiggling his fingers when she refused to co-operate. “You’re just going to leave me hanging here? Didn’t your parents teach you that’s rude?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Fine.” Her hand linked with his, the handshake strong, firm. Of course he took it a step further and raised her hand to his lips, dropping a kiss on her gloved fingers.

  “Hi, I’m Tristan but you don’t have to call me that. You can keep using jackass, asshole, whatever you’re comfortable with.”

  An amused smile escaped her lips. “I intend to.” When she tried to retract her hand he clung to it tightly, refusing to let go. “I guess I’ll be adding creep to that list.”

  “Implying I wasn’t a creep before now? Wow. That’s almost a compliment.”

  “Don’t let it go to your head.”

  “Then you should aim lower.”

  “Have a spot in mind?”

  “Somewhere below the belt?”

  “How about your crotch?”

  His eyes sparkled with mischief. “There’s my girl.”

  “And I’ll aim with my knee.”

  “Painful and kinky. I like it.”

  She laughed. “Shut up.”

  He released her hand, took a step back. “Looks like your girlfriend’s coming back.”

  Vesper looked over her shoulder to find Jessica heading towards them. The redhead had a pointed expression on her face, and a mischievous smirk. She faced Tristan again.

  “Have fun with Red Riding Hood.”

  Her eyebrow quirked up, genuinely surprised that he was going to leave her alone.

  He winked at her. “If you get bored later, come find me.”

  She watched him walk away, relieved yet disappointed. He may have been a jerk but he was fun to spar with and didn’t get easily offended, which was almost shocking considering how fragile male egos were.

  “So you can’t stand him, huh?” Jessica asked, nudging her shoulder. “Liar.”

  Vesper grabbed her drink from Jessica’s hands. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I saw you guys flirting.”

  “That wasn’t flirting. That was me telling him off.”

  “Yeah, that’s why you had a big grin on your face, right?”

  “Shut up.” Vesper took a sip of her drink.

  “Come on, let’s go downstairs. I thought VIP would be fun but everyone here is so stuck up and boring.”

  Following Jessica to the door, she looked over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of Tristan. Despite the hot blonde latched on to him, he was watching her intently. Blue eyes locked on her, predator studying its prey. Rattled by the intensity of his gaze, she quickly turned around and exited the terrace.

  Chapter Four

  There were very few things about people that actually surprised Tristan. Essentially everyone had the same wants and desires and within minutes of meeting someone he could easily determine what inane hopes bloomed in their pathetic hearts. It was ridiculously easy to exploit their fears and insecurities if he so desired, and figuring out the women in his circle, well, that required even less effort on his part. Some were on the hunt for a rich sugar daddy, more ambitious ones were after a husband. He was interested in being neither but since he came from a wealthy family, he was often surrounded by women and getting laid was never an issue. Of course there were always exceptions and for those women who wanted a bit more substance than wealth, his good looks and magnetic charm – courtesy of his asshole of a father – came in handy. A breezy smile here, flattering compliment there, and then even the most stubborn women crumbled, just like he knew Vesper Malik would do. He was already halfway there to thawing the ice queen, despite her protests of not being like others.

  For the next hour he kept himself entertained with the two women who were clamouring for his attention but inadvertently his eyes would always check the terrace to see if Vesper had returned. He’d contemplated following her and the hot redhead when they left to go downstairs but quickly decided against it; something told him persistence would only work against him when it came to Vesper’s prickly personality. Besides, he didn’t want her to think he was desperate or anything; women tended to steer clear away from pathetic losers, wealthy or not.

  Much later he was walking towards his car with Glinda – the not-so-good witch of Oz who had practically sucked him off inside the club and promised to finish the job once they were alone – when someone started screaming his name from behind. He turned around and found himself facing Vesper. His eyebrow arched up in surprise. “Here to join us?”

  “I need your help. I think some guys roofied Jessica or something. She’s not acting like herself, and I just–”

  “Slow down,” he urged, worried Vesper was about to pass out any second from lack of air. “Breathe.”

  “I don’t have time for that! These guys took her into one of the private rooms and they wouldn’t let me in. And when I went to the bouncer for help he kicked me out! I have no idea what those assholes are doing to her! Are you going to help me get back in or not?”

  “Okay, let’s go.” He started to walk back to the club when Glinda blocked his path, her green eyes staring back at him incredulously.

  “What the fuck? Are you serious? We were leaving, remember?”

  “Take my keys. Wait for me in the car. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he said, casting a quick glance at Vesper who was already hurrying away.

  “I don’t think so!” Glinda fired back. “You’re not leaving me here to go off with some ugly nigger!”

  “Then get the fuck out of my face.” He sidestepped past her and quickly caught up to Vesper, Glinda hurling insults at both of them from behind.

  “She’s quite a charmer, that one.”

  He gave Vesper a sheepish smile. “In my defense, she was supposed to be a good witch.”

  “Instead she ended up being a racist one.”

  “Yeah. About that, I’m sorry for what she said.”

  “Why? You’re not the one who said it.”

  Although surprised by her casual attitude about the encounter, he chose not to dwell on it and instead sped up. “Come on. We need to be quicker if you want to rescue Red Riding Hood.”

  Vesper picked up the pace, practically running to keep up with his quick stride.

  *****

  While the bouncers may have ignored Vesper, he was a known guest at the club and within minutes of showing his face they had kicked out the frat boys who had taken Jessica and apologised profusely for the “misunderstanding.” Shortly after, he strode out with Jessica in his arms and Vesper trailing behind. He looked over his shoulder at her. “Want me to carry you too, speed demon?”

  “Not everyone was blessed with long legs.”

  “Been checking out my legs, huh?”

  She rolled her eyes at him.

  He slowed down his pace, allowing Vesper to catch up to him. “Where’s your car?”

  “We were going to Uber it back.”

  “Or I can drive you home.”

  “No, that’s okay. You’ve already done enough for today.”

  “I doubt you’re going to be able to carry this one by yourself.”

  “Because I’m too weak or she’s too heavy?”

  “That sounds like a trick question. I’m fucked either way, aren’t I?”

  She chuckled. “Pick your poison.”


  “How about you just accept the ride and let me off the hook?”

  A teasing smile tugged at her lips. “How do I know you’re not just being nice to get into my apartment?”

  “You don’t.” They stopped close to his car. “So, what’s it going to be? Cab or me?”

  “I guess you’ll have to do.”

  “In that case, take the keys out of my back pocket.”

  “This is why you offered me a ride, wasn’t it? To get me to grope you?”

  “Can’t believe it took you this long to figure it out. Seriously disappointed in you, Malik.”

  Smiling, she stepped closer and slid her hand into his pocket. He breathed in the faint scent of her perfume. It was light and floral and way more feminine than he’d expected. She was tiny next to him, most people were, but unlike others she didn’t back down from his stare. She held his gaze, as if taunting him, and the pleasant, friendly atmosphere between them suddenly shifted into something uncomfortably intense. A strange sensation of nervousness crept into his stomach, something he wasn’t accustomed to, which then quickly transformed into heavy panic spreading through the rest of his body. Yet he couldn’t look away, no matter how much he willed himself to.

  “Thanks for helping me,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here.”

  “Careful now. I might just start to think you like me.”

  “Well, you are a nice guy.”

  “Was that an actual compliment? Damn, I think hell just froze over.”

  “That would explain the cold draft I just felt.” She graced him with a smile. “Don’t get me wrong. I still think you’re a jerk.”

  “Good. I’m not used to being flattered by you. It’s kinda weird.”

  “But I think there’s a decent person hiding in there somewhere.”

  “I doubt it.”

  Finally she broke eye contact and something like relief washed over him. When she moved to the back door and held it open, he sauntered over, placing her friend carefully on the backseat. Once the redhead was settled in, Tristan stood up straight, feeling that strange bit of awkwardness again until Vesper gave him a lopsided grin and opened the driver’s side door for him.