Blind Girl: A Dark Billionaire Romance Read Free Page A

whisper, laying his hands just below my shoulders and guiding me to turn away from the cage. “Humor me for a moment .”
    “What do you want?” I stare at him with shaking vision. Blood rushes through my veins, igniting the thrill of my pounding heart.
    He steps in closer. His hands inch up my shoulders, crawling closer to my neck. “Close your eyes,” he whispers.
    I’m too defeated to argue with him and I do as he asks of me. I let the darkness fill my mind, pushing all of my focus towards the sound of his voice.
    “Imagine you’re inside one of these cages,” he whispers. “You’re nearly naked. Exposed, but warm. Darkness fills the space around you, closing in on you. But inside that darkness lies a mystery. There’s one guiding light, Alice — and only one — that you can put your complete trust in.”
    “And what’s that?” I ask, clinging to his every word.
    “Me.”
    I open my eyes and he smiles down at me.
    “I’ll be there to show you the way when you cannot see it. To teach you when you don’t know what to do. To lead you when you lose your way. And you’ll enjoy every moment of it. I guarantee it.”
    His seduction overwhelms me, leaving me mute, but consciously aware of his roaming touch. His fingers crawl down my arms like spiders until finally resting along the curve of my waist.
    “Leave Gabby be,” he urges. “She’s made her choice. Now it’s time for you to make yours.”
    I can’t look away from him, no matter how hard I try.
    “Come upstairs with me, Alice,” he whispers. “I’ll show you what I mean.”
    I nod my head.
    “Good girl.” He takes my hand and leads me across the room, back to the exit. “You can call me Charles.”
    I don’t look back at Gabby once.

Chapter 2
    Don’t Do That, Alice
     
    “Sit down.”
    Charles points to the edge of the bed. I follow his instructions silently and sit down, happy to get a break from the unfamiliar shoes strapped tightly to my ankles.
    I study the hotel room. It’s a large and beautiful suite on the twelfth floor with a king-sized bed and ornate, hand-carved, wooden furniture to match. I spy a jacuzzi tub through the bathroom door. When I glance out the window behind me, I’m met with a view I’ve only ever dreamed of witnessing.
    “Are you all right?”
    Charles stares at me with an amused grin, standing above a golden drink cart next to the door. He drops an ice cube into a glass, which clinks around as he fills it with bourbon. He moves in to join me with his glass in one hand and another glass of champagne in the other.
    “Yes,” I say, unconvincingly. I’m not doing a good job of hiding the fact that I don’t belong in this world. He hands me the champagne and I immediately take my first sip of it. The bubbles tingle along my tongue and my throat twitches as I force it down.
    “You’re a very beautiful young woman, Alice,” he says.
    I feel the blood rush to my cheeks. I try to think of something witty to reply with, but I stumble over my tongue instead. “Thank you,” I manage to whisper.
    “I feel like a very lucky man,” he says, “to have found you down in that lobby tonight.”
    “Is that right?” I ask. The bubbles begin to work their magic and my tongue loosens. I feel a surge of confidence, even with my knees shaking together.
    “Yes,” he says. “Almost as if it were… meant to be.”
    “You don’t believe in coincidences?” I ask.
    “Sure I do.” He smiles. “But not tonight.”
    “What’s so special about tonight?”
    He splits his lips and I see the tip of his tongue glisten between his teeth. “It’s Blind Girl Party night,” he explains. “Tonight is fate’s night.”
    He leans in closer, so close I can feel the warmth of his breath on my lips. I recoil as my thoughts overcome the bubble-fueled urges pulling me towards him.
    “I— I can’t. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be here.” I push the champagne glass into his hand and stand up from the bed. As I move to make my