I felt weak. My stomach was turning and my hands were shaking. I could feel the sweat breaking out all over my body. How was it possible to be so attracted to a stranger?

My eyes dropped first. I couldn't take the intensity from the peculiar green depths anymore.

He cleared his throat as he shifted slightly on the seat. The spell was broken but the tension still surrounded us. I was attracted to a fucking stranger. A hot tattooed stranger. Oh my gosh! I moved to the edge of the seat. I was ready to hightail it out of here but the waitress appeared.

I froze, watching as she placed the coffee cups in front of us. A small plate was placed down which contained some sugar packets.

“Can I get you anything else?”

My eyes snapped up to her. She was leaning slightly forward which made the top of her boobs visible to every eye. She was smiling at him– her blood red lips pulled up into a small smile. Well that's not very professional.

“No,” he said, dismissing her.

I glanced at him to find him watching me with a smirk. With a huff she walked away. My eyes followed her for a few seconds before turning back to him. He was busy mixing some sugar into his cup. I did the same. My hands clutched the cup as I waited for him to speak, but he didn't.

I sucked in a breath before raising the cup. A gasp fell from my lips when the coffee splashed over the rim and onto me. It burned through the material of my shirt straight to my skin. The cup clattered onto the table spilling even more coffee, but I could care less. I gripped my shirt to pull it away from my skin.

“Are you okay?” He was by my side holding out a white serviette.

Tears burned my eyes as the pain intensified. I was aware of him yelling something and then gripping my arm. He pulled me up and down a hall where he pushed open a blue door.

“Take off your shirt.” My eyes snapped up to his. “I need to check how bad the burn is. I'm not going to do anything to you.”

He wouldn't do anything in a public restroom, right? My face was burning with embarrassment as I pulled the t-shirt over my head.  I stood in front of a sexy stranger with just my pants and an old pink bra.

My skin was still burning. His hands gripped my hips and before I could open my mouth to question him, he had picked me up to place me on the counter.

He opened the tap next before sticking his hand beneath the water. I sucked in a sharp breath when he pressed his wet hand against my chest. He did that a few times until droplets dripped into my bra. I kept my eyes on his face when he bent slightly, his eyes falling to my chest.

“It's not so bad, but it'll hurt for a few days,” he muttered. “The best option would be to get some ointment from the pharmacy.”

“T-thank you.”

His eyes caught mine but only for a second before dropping. It was like he suddenly wanted to get away from me. He grabbed some paper towels then held it out for me. I took it from him and gently pressed it against the burn. It wasn't hurting as badly as it did a few minutes ago.

“She did that on purpose,” I muttered. It was burning hot even though there was milk in the cup.

When he didn't answer me, I looked up to find him standing with his back to me. A wave of shame hit me. Of course a man as hot as him wouldn't be able to look at someone like me.

My eyes dropped down my body making an unfamiliar feeling fill me. The fat around my stomach and hips was clearly visible. I pushed myself off the counter and quickly bend down to pick up my shirt.

“How old are you?”

I paused with the shirt halfway over my head. “Seventeen.”

“When do you turn eighteen?”

I pulled the shirt down before risking a glance up at him. “In two months.”

For a few more minutes he stood like that before turning around to face me. His eyes instantly dropped before locking with mine. He was tense again. His hands clenched at his sides as he stared at me.

“Why did you post that ad on the website?”

“Because I want to be prepared when my crush finally makes his move,” I lied easily.

He raised his eyebrow. “Really?”

I nodded. He suddenly moved forward making me step back. My back hit the wall but thankfully he stopped his movement.

“Let’s see if I understood you right. So you were willing to have someone pay you for sex so you impress for some guy?”

Stated like that it made it seem bad. It was the first thing I was able to come up with when he asked me that.

“Let's say that's the real reason-”

“It is!”

“-you want to sell something so rare. What if the person that offers you a large sum of money is some old guy?”

“I heard the older they are the more experience they have,” I whispered.

My heart escalated at a dangerous rate when he stepped closer again. There were only a few inches of space between us. This man was towering over me which made me crane my neck to stare up at him. I sucked in a breath and instantly wished I hadn't. I got a whiff of his cologne. It smelled delicious and addictive. Trying to be as discreet as possible, I sucked in another breath.

“It's not always true.” I blinked. “Even older men take without giving. They don't last long and they definitely don't have the patience for foreplay.”

“And you do?” The question fell from my lips before I could stop it.

He chuckled. “Of course I do Alia.”

“How old are you?”

“That's not a question you bring up in a conversation like this,” he said as he stepped back.

I crossed my arms over my chest as I leaned against the wall. He had walked across the small space to lean against the door. His back was turned to me once again. With an oath, he turned to face me again.

“You want to learn about sex?”

“Yes.”

“About what exactly?”

“Everything,” I whispered.

For a few minutes he only watched me silently. His eyes had seemed to darken as he watched me. After what felt like hours, he finally spoke up.

“I've deleted your ad from the website. You want to learn so I'll teach you, but we need to make a few things clear.”

“Okay,” I nodded, waiting for him to continue.

Before he could, someone knocked on the door. “Stephen?”

I felt the anger in me rise when I heard her voice. The bitch that served us. I wasn't a violent person but she made me what to beat the shit out of her.

“I'm ready to go home now. My shift is finished.”

I needed to get out of here. Pushing myself off the wall, I stepped around him and opened the door. The redhead stood there dressed in a short skirt with a tight crop top. I felt the jealousy from earlier return as I stared at her. She was glaring at me. Without saying a word, I pushed past her and walked back into the cafe. Our table had been cleaned while we were in the bathroom. I glanced around to find most of the people had already left.

“Miss?” An elderly lady touched my arm. “I'm sorry about your coffee.”

“It's okay. It's nothing serious.”

“Still… You don't have to worry ‘bout paying for it dear, it's on the house.”

“Thank you.” I gave her a small smile before making my way out of the cafe.

I was almost by my car when a hand closed around my arm. Stephen stood in front of me looking grim.

“We haven't finished talking yet.”

“Your girlfriend is waiting,” I glanced at the red head that was standing at the entrance, “I would really appreciate it if you don't tell anybody about the post. You don't have-” 

“She's not my girlfriend.”

“You kissed her!”

His lips twitched, “If you looked closely you would have seen that I kissed her on the cheek, not on the lips.”

I frowned. The image of them flashed through my mind again.

“She wants to go home with you,” I pointed out, making him roll his eyes.

“A lot of girls want to go home with me,” he said softly.

Without warning he reached out. I sucked in a sharp breath when he traced a single finger down my cheek. I was aware of eyes burning into us but all I could focus on was him.

“Give me your phone.”

“Why?”

“So I can get your number. We still need to talk about a few things before your lessons start.”

* * *

I stared at the black dress in horror. Wearing dresses was definitely not on my list of clothes to impress my father’s deputy.

“You have five minutes!” My mom called from the hall.

I winced. After I got home she told me that she had gotten me something special to wear for tonight. I definitely didn't fucking expect it to be a dress. A black dress with a plunging neckline. It was beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't me. No way in hell was I wearing this.

I walked over to my closet and pulled open the doors. I grabbed a hanger before turning to the bed. I hung it in the closet then grabbed a pair of dark wash jeans and a light blue formal shirt.

“Two minutes!”

Pulling on the jeans, I hesitated before grabbing the shirt. The material was thin but I doubt my bra should be visible. It was a new bra I got during the summer. Kate had forced me to buy it and I didn't regret it. It made my boobs look bigger than they actually were. The doorbell rang. Father would definitely be angry at me for being late. I quickly did up the buttons and then pulled on my shoes. Next I brushed my hair before pulling it up into a high ponytail. I added some lip-gloss before stepping out of my bedroom. I hated meeting new people. The voices from the living room made me slow my steps. I sucked in a breath before entering. My mouth fell open. The color drained from my face as I stared at him.

“Ah, this is Alia,” my father said.

He turned around, the smile freezing on his face as our eyes locked.

“Alia this is my new deputy, Stephen Daniels.”

He stepped forward with his hand held out. I swallowed. This can't be happening, I thought to myself as I stared up at him.

“Nice to meet you,” he said as his fingers closed around my hand.

A shiver raced down my spine when our skin touched. His were dry while mine were slightly sweaty. I pulled my hand from his when my mom entered with Sam in her arms.

“And this is the baby of our family.”

Half an hour later I was forced to sit next to him at the table. His scent drifted across to me which made me even more nervous. I wiped my hands on my thighs as I waited for them to pass the salad.

Stephen was dressed in the same clothes as earlier. Only difference was the fact that his hair was dry now. I added a spoon of salad into my plate before passing the bowl to him. Our fingers brushed making my stomach turn. From the corner of my eyes I saw him tense at the contact. Why was he acting like that?

My mom kept the conversation going during dinner. Stephen clamped up every time she would ask him something about himself. He would give her a brief answer before steering the conversation into another direction.

“Alia can show you around.”

My head snapped up. “What?”

“Since Stephen is new in town you can show him around,” my mom said with a bright smile.

“I have school,” I said, narrowing my eyes on her.

“That has never stopped you from bunking it,” my father spoke up. “You're not worried about your school work since your grade has obviously been dropping-”

“Michael!”

My father was watching me with cold eyes. Once again he managed to ruin dinner. I pushed my half eaten plate away before standing.

“Sit down Alia.”

“Why?” I tilted my head slightly. “You don't want me here anyway. Nothing I do is every good enough for you! I'm sick of trying to make you happy,” I sucked in a breath, “Thank you for dinner mom, it was delicious.”