Chapter 2

My heart is racing when I step out of my bedroom, knowing my parents probably won’t approve. I’m eighteen now, I remind myself. That may not have been enough to get me out of this function, but I can at least dress myself, damn it. My mom arches a sculpted brow when I walk into the living room.

“I don’t think so,” she immediately says, her eyes running over me in a slow sweep, no doubt searching for sequins and coming up short.

“Don’t you look nice,” my dad says, walking into the room in one of his black tuxes.

“She can’t wear that,” my mom says, walking up to fix his bowtie.

My dad looks me over like he doesn’t understand the problem. “Don’t be silly, honey. She looks beautiful, and this is a great opportunity for Sophia to make some connections and possibly get a job offer.”

My mom’s eyes light up at his words. They both turn their eyes to me like all their future hopes and dreams are riding on my shoulders.

Before I can protest, my dad says, “We have to go or we’re going to be late. You know how much the Colfaxes hate tardiness.”

That snaps my mom into action. Heaven forbid we keep the fucking Colfaxes waiting. They’ve donated tons of money to my dad’s campaigns, and my parents gush over them to an embarrassing degree. We walk out together to the waiting limo and head to the even ritzier neighborhood on the other side of town. I look out the window and watch the mansions pass by, thinking about what a load of shit all this is. All these fake people living inside their massive houses that are all just for show anyway. I mean, even my parents are full of shit. My dad has cheated on my mom so many times I’ve lost count. Doesn’t matter, though. All that matters is that it’s kept on the down low and that he never files for divorce. I can’t prove it, but I’m pretty sure my mom is cheating, too. Why else would she care so little about my dad banging every blonde he can get his hands on?

When the car pulls into the circular drive of the biggest house around, I wait for the door to open before stepping out and looking up at the mansion in front of me. Wow, compensate much? I almost start laughing but manage to bite it back. Now is not the time for inappropriate penis jokes. Now is the time for me to behave and be the good little girl that I am. Nothing but smiles and silence, just like all these men like their women.

We step inside and go through the customary greeting bullshit of fake smiles and oh, it’s so good to see you again! comments. Mr. Colfax is staring at me with pale blue, watery eyes and I start to regret my dress decision, especially when he places a hand on my back and caresses my bare skin with his old man thumb as he guides me further inside. I let out a sigh of relief when his wife waves him back over.

Before he goes, he leans in and whispers, “Don’t go disappearing on me, Sophia. Now that you’re eighteen, I’d like to talk to you about a business opportunity.” He pauses and gives me a pervy grin that has me almost cringing. “A very lucrative one.”

He doesn’t wait for a response, just turns and gives his wife a too-wide grin as he walks back to her. Gross! I’ve heard rumors that he likes to hire young women to work for him and that it’s an absolute nightmare for those poor girls. He basically harasses them every day until he wears them down and they finally give in. No way in hell am I working for that sleazebag.

I glance around at the full room and notice that my parents are deep in conversation with two other couples. I highly doubt I’ll be missed in this large of a group, so as discreetly as I can, I slip down the hall. I don’t know where I’m going. I just know I need to get away. After traveling up one staircase and down several different hallways, I stop when I hear a soft rustling sound.

Curious, I step closer to the closed door and press my ear against it. Someone’s definitely in there. I can hear someone rummaging around. Not giving myself a chance to think, I grab onto the fancy doorknob and gently open the door. It takes a second for my brain to catch up and process what I’m seeing. There’s a tall man in a black tux with very broad shoulders next to one of those standing jewelry boxes that I cannot imagine ever having enough jewelry to fill. He’s opening drawers and deftly running his gloved fingers over the items, obviously looking for something in particular. When I let out a soft gasp, he jerks his head toward me, and I clap my hand over my mouth when I see a pair of piercing green eyes stare at me from the black ski mask he’s wearing.

“Fuck,” he mutters before moving a lot quicker than I figured his large frame could move. His movements are graceful, though, and I can’t help but think that he looks like a boxer, so strong and powerful but also graceful and fast. The most dangerous kind of predator, my mind screams at me.

He shuts the door and turns back to me. It’s hard to tell with most of his face covered, but he looks pissed, like really fucking pissed. His green eyes are hard and his full lips are pressed in a tight line. This probably isn’t the best time for my pussy to remind me that I never did get to cum earlier, but it happens all the same. I feel a warmth run through my body and a very familiar wetness between my legs. What the fuck is wrong with me? This is not the reaction I should be having to walking in on what is obviously a burglary in progress.

When he doesn’t say anything, just studies me with those intense eyes, I hold up my hands and give a nervous laugh. “Sorry. I’ll just let myself out and pretend I didn’t see anything, and you can go back to doing whatever the hell you were doing that I’m certainly not paying any attention to.”

The silence stretches between us, and for some ungodly reason I feel like I need to fill it.

“I mean, these people are so fucking rich anyway, right? And Mr. Colfax is a complete pervert and deserves every nasty thing he gets.”

He turns his head slightly like he can’t quite figure out what in the hell is going on or what he should do with me. Clearly, me walking in on his heist had not been in the plans for tonight. We stand there staring at one another when the sound of footsteps coming down the hall has my heart nearly jumping right out of my damn chest. I turn back to the thief and take an unconscious step towards him.

His eyes widen, and I’m honestly just as confused as he is. Why am I instinctively getting closer to the bad guy, looking to him for protection and safety? Shouldn’t I be screaming and running for help?