I'd never seen her all dolled up before. Her tight blue dress accented her curvy figure, and her wavy hair fell over her shoulders. Usually, she kept it up in a ponytail.
Christ, she was an angel. I had to make her mine. Tonight. No matter what, I wasn't leaving this club without her.
“Asher, you paying attention?” Rosa purred. “I'll be a good wife. Promise. What do you think, hmm? We can get hitched tomorrow morning. All you have to do is say yes.”
I prayed Sarah didn't notice me with this psycho on my lap, but Rosa's loud mention of my name got her attention.
She looked at me, then at Rosa. The hurt on her face was palpable from across the room.
I had a choice to make.
Agree to this sham of a wedding. Save my business – but lose Sarah.
Or give in to my desire for her. Take her home and strip her naked and savor every inch of her heavenly body the whole night long.
Was she worth it? Was it worth risking the loss of it all, just for a chance to have her in my arms at last?
Hell yeah it was.
Chapter 7 - Sarah
“Oof!” Lana bumped into me hard from behind, dropping everything she was holding. “Dang it, Sarah, why'd you stop right in front of me?”
My brother, Cole, gracefully stepped around her to pick up the spilled presents. I was too stunned, too sick to my stomach, to tell him thanks.
Asher sat at a table a dozen yards away from me. He had a beautiful girl on his lap – that slutty girl from earlier, Rosa.
He made no attempt to push her away. In fact, he didn't seem to mind her affection at all.
I wanted to cry and punch him and run away all at once.
“You okay?” Cole put a hand on my shoulder and spoke so softly, I could hardly hear him over the band's music. “I know that face. Why do you look like you wanna kill someone all of a sudden?”
I laughed bitterly. “You know me way too well.”
“I am your brother, so I'd hope so.”
Harry, the owner of Club Neon, greeted us warmly. He beamed at the multiple bags of gifts we'd brought.
“So many! How kind of you and your store.” He carried a bag to our table on the stage. “Ah, I hope these aren't vintage toys, however. You're aware of the rules, yes? All toys must be new and in original packaging for donation.”
“They are. I'm aware.”
I hoped the publicity this brought to Hazel's Curiosities was worth the money spent. I liked helping poor children as much as anyone, but this was the third credit card I'd maxed out in the past three months.
“I know you're doing this to drum up new business or whatever, but still, this is really good of you,” Lana said. “I was lucky to be adopted right out of the hospital, but my siblings came from orphanages and homes where they didn't have much for Christmas. Means a lot to me.”
Cole stood nearby, quiet and stoic as usual, as if scanning the club for threats. He might have been a tech-loving geek, but if the wrong guy tried to put the moves on me, my brother would quickly make him regret it.
“You didn't have to come tonight, Cole,” I told him. “Didn't you have something going on with your gaming clan?”
“It was just a couple of dungeon raids. No big deal.” He threw his arm around me. “I wasn't gonna let you go to the club by yourself. You know the kind of creeps that hang out here.”
I wriggled out of his grasp and faked annoyance. “I wouldn't have been alone. Lana's with me. Besides, I'm a grown woman now, so you know. Maybe I actually like it when guys show me some attention.”
He bristled. “That's what I'm here for, to keep the losers away from you.”
“In your opinion, every man who checks me out is a loser.”
While he and Lana hovered around the bar to order drinks, I kept my eye on Asher. No matter how irritated he made me, I couldn't stop staring.
Rosa had gotten off his lap, thank goodness. I swore everything about that woman made me want to march over and slap her.
“Well? Don't be shy. You do like what you see, yes?”
She twirled around for him and shook her bouncy butt in his face. I fumed silently and planned the best way to get rid of her.
“I mean, yeah, of course. You're a lovely woman.”
I didn't understand. Rosa had a boyfriend, he said. She only wanted to marry an American so she could stay in the States. But then why was she acting so brazen?
If he married her, he could save both of our businesses. Everything would be okay again.
I didn't care. I wanted him to be mine – maybe only for a night, because everyone knew Asher didn't return for seconds.
That was okay by me.
I'd spent too long lusting over him and denying it to myself. Time to stop running from the pleasure he offered.
“No need to be shy, sweetie.” She grabbed his hands and pulled. “How about a dance? I love dancing.”
He got to his feet, albeit reluctantly. As she carted him off to the dance floor, his eyes met mine once more.
He mouthed the word “help.”
Help? What did he expect me to do? Oh, I'd gladly steal him away from her if that's what he wanted.
“Thank you once again, ladies and gentlemen, for coming tonight,” Harry said into the microphone. “Your generous donations are helping to give underprivileged children their best Christmas yet. Remember, Club Neon will match your contributions dollar for dollar.”
The
