POV SARAH

Ever since I was a child, I had always dreamed of being here. I still felt a little incredulous that it was all real, that I was living my dream in the best possible way.

My father bought me an apartment and said he would support me until I could find a job. That was great, because I had a place to stay, which was mine, and I didn't have to worry about rent.

Today was Friday and classes wouldn't start until the following week, so I had plenty of free time to enjoy the city. I didn't know what my schedule would be like after school started if I'd have enough time to balance work, college, and leisure. So it was good to make the most of it while I could.

I opened one of my suitcases and looked at the pile of clothes. I thought: "Shit, what am I going to wear?" My eyes found a little black dress and I smiled at the thought of how sexy I would look that night.

I took the dress and put it on. It was short and fitted my body perfectly, emphasizing my curves. I also chose a black leather jacket, even though it was summer, as I knew I might get cold somewhere with air conditioning.

I looked for my make-up bag among my things, pausing to think about where I could have kept it. Suddenly, I remembered that I had put it in my shoe bag. Seizing the opportunity, I also grabbed a pair of black boots that went perfectly with my outfit.

I opened my make-up bag and began my beauty ritual. Careful eyeliner highlighted my eyes, blush added a touch of color to my cheeks, mascara lengthened my lashes, highlighter highlighted my features and gloss finished off my lips. Satisfied with the result, I combed my hair and applied a little perfume, adding a final touch of sophistication to my look.

Deciding to leave the house, I looked up some bars on the Upper West Side. After all, if I was going out to meet people, at least they should be rich and interesting!

...

I came across a bar that I thought had a funny name, Pony Bar. I was a little disappointed to go in and find no decorations of ponies as if to play on the name. I sat down at the counter and the barman soon came to serve me. I ordered a drink and fiddled with my cell phone, completely distracted.

I was so glued to Instagram that I didn't even notice when a guy sat down next to me. He had a silly smile on his face, wore a formal black suit, and was quite attractive too.

"Hi!" he started the conversation with a broad smile.

"Ah, hi!" I smiled back.

"My name is Coule, nice to meet you." he nodded.

"I'm Sarah." I smiled back, taking a sip of my drink.

"Cool! Can I buy you a drink?" he asked.

"That's up to you." I shrugged.

"Right!" he turns to the barman and calls him over "Julian, make that special for our friend Sarah here.

Special? I hope that drink doesn't include a good night Cinderella.

"I see you come here a lot."

"Yeah, I work in the King building across the street, so I come here all the time."

"I see, well, it's my first time here," I say with a short smile, a little shy because of the closeness he's trying to create between us by leaning towards me to speak.

"It's great here, I'm sure you'll like it," he says cheerfully.

I confess I liked Coule a bit, he was very lively and had great energy.

"So... you're not from around here, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Hmm... and where are you from?"

"I was born in Brazil."

"Rio?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Haha, no." He was going to ask if I was from Rio.

"Hmmm, São Paulo?" is he still trying to guess?

So predictable...

"Not either! But it's close."

"Is it true that every Brazilian has a big ass?" He asks excitedly.

"No." I smile at the question. "Many do, but some not so much."

"Got it..." suddenly his cheerful look turns into a serious expression as he stares after me as if he's just seen a ghost

"Good evening, Mr. King."

"Good evening." the man says seriously.

Hearing that deep, beautiful voice, a shiver ran through me. Sensing his presence, Coule promptly got up and offered him a seat.

"Do you want to sit here?" he asked, his voice shaking

"Yes, I do," he replied harshly.

He got up and sat down next to me. I was confused by the sudden departure of the man who had been with me before. I watched him carefully as he ordered a whisky.

He was tall, with brown hair, black eyes, and fair skin. Tattoos could be seen on his hands, and one of them even appeared a little on his neck. Perhaps there were more tattoos hidden under that dress shirt, which made him even more attractive. Damn, he was a stunning man.

"Was Coule bothering you?" he asked, looking down at his glass and snapping me out of my reverie.

"What? No, of course not," I stammered, shaking my head negatively. I was taken aback, I'd never expected him to start a conversation with me.

"Good! Why are you alone?" he asked, squeezing his eyes shut as he questioned me.

"I don't know anyone here," I replied, shrugging.

"Got it..." He turned to look at the TV broadcasting a baseball game.

I decided to put my shyness aside and ignore the heat between my legs, trying to talk to him in a more relaxed way.

"So... why did you want to sit next to me?" I asked curiously.

"Because I wanted to," he replied firmly.

"Oh, because you wanted to..." I replied with a smile.

"Yes, I only do what I want," he said.

"That's good, then." I laughed.

"What's so funny?" he asked seriously.

"Nothing," I replied, still laughing.

"Ah... nothing, got it." he took a sip of his whisky, muttering quietly: "asshole."

"Hey! Did you just call me an asshole?" I asked indignantly, but I found it funny.

"Yeah, is there a problem?" he retorted.

"Of course, there's a problem," I replied as if it were obvious.

"I don't care." he shrugged.

What an asshole!

I snorted, how could he be so unpleasant and still be so attractive to me?

He turned the glass over, drank all the remaining liquid, got up, and walked towards the exit. I just watched him.

"Are you coming or not?" he turned to me and asked.

"Me? What? But I haven't even paid yet," I protested.

"Your bill is already paid," he said.

"Oh, right." I agreed suspiciously.

I got up and followed him, even though I didn't understand why I was doing it. I hardly knew him, I didn't even know his name. We stopped in front of a very nice black Volvo. He opened the door for me and at that moment I realized what was happening.

"Hey! Why would I go in there? I don't even know your name, I don't know you. How do I know you don't want to kidnap me?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes, sighed, and took a step closer to me. Only now did I realize how tall he was, he must have been almost a meter tall.

"Adam King, now you know my name. Are you coming in or not?" he said.

I hesitated for a moment but eventually went in. I didn't know what was happening to me, but even though I was an asshole, I was very curious.

I sat down on the seat and put my seatbelt on.

He did the same and started driving.

"Where are we going?" I asked, trying not to sound nervous.

"Somewhere," he replied seriously.

"Hmm, why is Coule so scared of you?" I asked.

"People are usually afraid of me," he replied.

"I can't understand why," I joked.

"You're so silly, aren't you?" he commented.

"Yes!" I replied with a smile.

He didn't say anything else, he carried on driving. I decided to break the silence.

"How old are you, Adam?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter," he replied.

"I'm just asking how old you are..."

"Yes, you ask a lot of questions."

"And you don't answer any of them properly," I snorted.

"Exactly."

I sighed and crossed my arms, giving up on asking him any questions. Fucking asshole, lucky he was hot and I was dying to give it to him.

"Why did you do it?" he asked after a few seconds.

"Because I wanted to." I mimicked his previous answer to me.

"Why did you do it? Answer me." he insisted.

"Because you won't answer my questions," I replied, slightly upset.

"So you're getting angry?" he asked, with a little smile on his face.

"No, I'm not angry." I crossed my arms.

"Uh-huh, got it."

He drove into a building and parked the car. We got out and took the elevator. He went up quickly, but it felt like an eternity with him next to me, staring at me unashamedly. I felt my body burn, I didn't know how I could still stand, my legs were shaking like an angry pinscher.

The elevator stopped on the top floor, opening into his house, which was beautiful and huge.

"Hmm, so this is your slaughterhouse?" I commented, trying not to look nervous.

"Yes." For the first time, he laughed, and I liked that.

"I have good taste," he said.

"You're very conceited." I smiled.

"Shut up," he said, moving closer to me.

"What?"

At that moment, he pushed me against the wall and put a hand on my neck.

"I told you to shut up," he said in a quiet voice.

I pressed my lips together and decided to keep quiet. Maybe it would be better for me to obey him.

"Good girl." he gave a short smile. "Come on."

He let go of me, started walking again and I followed him in silence.