VJ

3 - Coc.ky Stranger

Chloe

The idio.t in front of me will try anything to get in my panties. I can read it all over his stupidly handsome face. His charming words won’t work on me. I’m not the kind of girl who picks up randoms in nightclubs, and I most certainly don’t go home with them. I don’t judge others who do, but I have my reasons why I don’t.

I don’t have a good history with men, but who the hell does these days?

However, the more I look at him, the more I feel my legs shaking. There is something so familiar about him, yet I can’t put my finger on what. It’s like I’ve seen him before, even though I know I never have in my life. If I had, I would have remembered. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who is easily forgettable.

He’s so handsome, in a rugged, I’ve been in too many fights and won, kind of way. He’s not my usual type at all. I don’t go for the bad boys, and this man is definitely a bad boy — evil screams from his every pore.

I should be terrified out of my mind, but with his deep blue eyes, dark hair, muscles for days, tattoos no doubt all over his body, and short stubble on his jaw, he calls to me. Not only that, but he’s also deliciously tall, over a foot taller than my five-three, that’s for sure. God, just looking at him, is making me throb.

How crazy is that?

I don’t feel this way about anyone. I’m not a nun by any means, I’ve been with men in my life and felt an attraction, but it’s never happened like this. I don’t understand what’s gotten into me.

“Come have a drink with me.”

“No, thank you.”

I don’t want to have a drink with him. I’m scaring myself with how attracted to this man I am. I haven’t been attracted to a man in a very long time. If I did nothing more than sleep with this man, I have a feeling he’d still find out my past, and then he’d be disgusted with me, and I’d be left feeling like shi.t.

Not that I care what this man thinks of me, but I won’t let myself go down that route. I won’t let him use my body for his pleasure. I’ll never let a man do that to me again.

But what’s stopping me from using his body for my pleasure?

Something about him has floored me. He looks rough and ready to fight. I shouldn’t feel aroused by this monster of a man, but I am. God help me, I am.

How ridiculous is that?

How superficial?

I’m attracted to him because of the way he looks. He’s probably a vile pig of a man with no personality.

“Why not?” He asks me with a smirk on his face.

I can tell by looking at him that he’s a son of a bitc.h who more than likely gets what he wants whenever he wants it. I shouldn’t give a shi.t. I should walk away and never look back, but something in the back of my mind is telling me that I’m safe with this monster. He won’t hurt me as men have in the past. I don’t know how I could know that. He could be a serial killer for all I know!

But why, then, do I honestly feel like I know him?

Stop overthinking things, Chloe, and live a little.

I don’t know; maybe one night with him could be just what I need. I can tell him that I don’t like it rough, but he looks like the kind of man who loves rough se.x.

Then again, how the hell would I know what this man likes?

For all I know, a man such as this one could be a dominant. He could enjoy hurting women sexuall.y just for kicks.

You don’t have to sleep with him, Chloe. Just have a drink with the man.

“Come on; it’s just a drink.”

“Fine. One drink.”

He smiles at me. Really smiles, and it’s the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen on a man. Again, something inside me tells me I should know this man. He looks like someone I know, but I’ll be dammed if I can see who.

He leads me to the bar with his hand on my lower back. It doesn’t repulse me like it would if someone else touched me there. I feel calm, which is strange to me. He orders us both a whiskey, and I don’t want to tell him I can’t stand the stuff, but he should have asked me first what I wanted to drink. He didn’t; he assumed — typical cock.y male.

He only laughs when I tell him.

He knocks back the whiskey and then orders me a vodka and coke, my choice of drink. I shouldn’t really be drinking much more. Four is my limit. I wasn’t going to come out tonight, but my friend Candi-Rose asked me to.

I mean, what in the world could bring a deaf girl to a nightclub?

Yeah, I’m deaf, but not profoundly. It’s not like I can really hear the music. Okay, I can hear it with my hearing aids, but everything sounds like the TV when the volume is turned down low. However, Candi-Rose practically begged, so I came. We were here half an hour before she ditched me for some preppy guy and went home with him.

Charming, right?

I went to pee and was about to leave when I bumped into Mister Handsome. God, I’m drinking with a man I don’t even know the name of.

How stupid can I be?

This man could be a damn murderer for all I know.

So could the Pillsbury dough boy, Chloe. Any person you clap eyes on could be.

True.

“You haven’t told me your name.”

He smirks at me. “You haven’t told me yours either.”

“Chloe,” I tell him without even thinking about it. I never give my real name to people I don’t know. I don’t give a shi.t if it’s deceitful; they could be lunatics for all I know. So could this man. He looks like he could be.

If he is, surely I’d get some kind of feeling about it?

Obviously, I didn’t, or I wouldn’t have given him my real name without thinking about it.

“Vince.” He holds his hand out to me. I take it. I gasp at the current of electricity running through my body from that handshake. Jesus, my hand is tingling! He smirks at me. “Nice to meet you, Chloe.”

“Nice to meet you too, Vince.”

Vince. It suits him.

We’ve been talking for hours. We haven’t even talked about anything important, but it’s been nice. I haven’t been nervous or scared at all. I feel comfortable around him. He’s easy to talk to and listens to every word I speak. We laugh, and it feels good. However, I can’t shake the feeling that Vince is more than what he’s let on.

He might not be wearing any kind of cut, but he reminds me of a biker. The confidence he has, the size of him, and the way he talks. If only I could see if he has tattoos, I’d know for sure. He’s all kinds of wrong for me, especially if he is a biker. Not that I have anything against bikers. My best friend comes from a family of bikers. But I wouldn’t want to be with one of them.

But surely if Vince were a biker, he’d be wearing a cut?

Isn’t it like some kind of law with those people?

Vince leans into me, and I think he’s about to kiss me; I want him to. However, he doesn’t kiss me; he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. My hearing aid might be the smallest ever invented, but he doesn’t seem to have noticed it.

How is that possible?

He couldn’t have paid any attention. I’m glad in a way. Men usually run when they find out I’m deaf. They seem to think deafness is catching. Idiots. Yes, it is classed as a disability, but I am no different from anyone else. I can do pretty much what everyone else can do other than hear as well as they can.

Without the hearing aids, I can’t hear a thing, but these little gadgets in my ears afford me some hearing. No matter how low the volume may sound, I am so very grateful to have even that. It helps me feel like everyone else.

I don’t know what’s happening to me. I never feel like this, but Vince’s eyes draw me in. I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want this man right now. I don’t know what powers he has, but he’s bewitched me. My breathing hitches as he strokes my jaw with the inside of his finger.

“Come home with me,”

I swallow hard.

Go home with him?

I’ve never done anything like that in my life. I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t want to be with him tonight. I can’t remember a moment in my life when I wanted anything more.

But can I really go home with a stranger?

One who doesn’t even realize I’m deaf?

I’d feel safer taking him back to my place, but my roommate would have a shi.t fit if I did that. Ah, the joys of having a male roommate and best friend. He’s very protective of me.

“What are you scared of, beautiful?” When he says sweet things like that, Vince’s deep, husky voice has me weak at the knees.

How do I know he has a deep, husky voice?

I can hear his voice rumbling through my hearing aid as he leans into me, and I can feel it going through my whole body.

“I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t attracted to you,” I refrain from rolling my eyes at the cock.y grin on his face. “But I don’t know you. I never do things like this.” I look at his lips; I can lip-read perfectly.

“There’s always a first time for everything.”

“I know,” I sigh. I’m nervous about going home with him. It’s stupid and wreckless, and anything could happen to me.

“Can you answer me one thing?” I nod my head. “Do I give you the feeling that I’ll hurt you? Deep in your gut, do you believe I plan to harm you?”

“No,” I answer, honestly. I don’t get that feeling from Vince. What I get is a strange urge to climb in his lap and have him fuc.k me senseless.

Before I’ve even thought about it, that’s precisely where I am, in his lap. My arms around his neck, my lips against his. He grabs the back of my head, pulling me closer. Our tongues are dancing erotically, and I’m shamelessly grinding against him like some wanton hussy.

What the hell?

“Let me take you home,” He mumbles against my now swollen lips. Jesus, the man can kiss! He looks at me. “I wanna lick every inch of this beautiful body. I want to bend you to my will and show you the night of your life.”

It must be my lust-addled mind, but I tell him, “Take me home, Vince.”