Romeo snickered at her response. She was clever, but she wasnât very bright. âYou really have no faith in me, do you, Isobel?â he taunted, taking a drink from his vesper. While he was tempted to say that Isobel hadnât taken it easy on him and she was merely fronting, the truth was he didnât know enough about her to know for sure. Romeo may be used to having the upper hand and was certain heâd maintain it, yet he wouldnât go so far as to underestimate her. Not yet, anyway. Once again, Isobel had proven she was just insane enough to put some money where her mouth was. That said, she wasnât wrong in calling him out for bidding his time. It was what he had been doing, after all. Until now. Heâd reached a comfortable conclusion that would see him on a long run game. If Isobel was right and she really could do worse, he wanted to see just how wicked she could get. It was no secret Romeo enjoyed a good game of cat and mouse and the pretty brunette before him was by far the most worthy opponent heâd come across. It wasnât often someone pulled one over Romeo Saint James and her ability to do so was both commendable and intriguing. âBesides, I donât need to blackmail you to get you to sleep with me,â he rejoined quickly. Arrogance had always been a defining trait of his, but he had yet to be proven otherwise. He was as confident in his sexual abilities and charm as he was his predisposition for violence. âBut youâre right,â he continued, meeting her gaze. âI was bidding my time. When an opportunity like this presents itself you canât be too hasty. Thatâs when things get messy and Iâd rather keep this as controlled and clean as I possibly can. See, I canât afford any more trouble with the law. Youâre not the only one with a propensity for losing your shit, Isobel.â A sinister smile accompanied the statement, hazel eyes glinting a wicked mean. âRegardless, letâs get into it then. Like I said, I have no interest in taking you home tonight under forced circumstances. Iâm not a rapist so if youâre looking to satisfy your needs, youâll have to beg first. Until then, weâre keeping this simple and on a less perverted path.â He polished off the rest of his drink before crossing his arms and leaning his elbows atop the counter. âAs youâve correctly assumed, my family comes from a lot of money. A shit ton of money. Mommy dearest is a Rothschild and my father is a banker, a member of a banking dynasty in his own right. As you can see, Iâve always wanted for nothing. Galas, glitz, and glamour is all Iâve ever known. Grew up in the Upper East Side of New York surrounded by the worldâs wealthiest people. Thereâs never been anything I couldnât buy or have. Nothing. However, weâve all seen the movies, right? Ennui permeates the life of the wealthy and weâre all just gilded birds stuck in ivory towers. Nothing to do or be because we already are. Personally, this never bothered me. I make my own entertainment and thatâs precisely what youâre going to help me with. See, Iâve never liked my mother. Sheâs shallow, vapid, and frankly, uninteresting. I suspect she doesnât like me either. So thatâs where you come in. Youâve clearly got a penchant for ruining shit and thatâs exactly what youâll be doing. Raising some hell. Cordelia,â his mother, âwill be hosting one of New York Cityâs biggest galas next week and I need a date. Think of it like a test, to see if you can play your part. If you can, weâll go from there and youâll have access to not only a network of the worldâs wealthiest and most powerful people, but depending on how you do, I may throw in a nice little gift at the end. One that Iâm sure will allow you to commit any crime youâd like and buy yourself out of it. Call it compensation for a job well done.â Romeo watched her carefully, evil aura swirling around him. âWhat do you say?â
Isobelâs curiosity had pushed her to follow the male. This was a game, after all, and sheâd be foolish to keep her enemy anywhere but in her sight. Now, with the public entourage, the brunette felt comfort in the knowledge that she could rise and walk away should her interest diminish throughout the night. The consequences would come in legal papers and sheâd deal with those as they came. Probably fuck her way close to a lawyer until she convinced him to take on her case at a discount. Walking away would be the safe route, but Isobel rarely chose a route for its certainty. Plus, she felt a sense of understanding in the male that sheâd yet to find with another individual. Perhaps it was the deranged mind or the destructive nature he left in his wake. Whatever it was, it was dark and she would be lying if she said she didnât want to toy with it. There was nothing more entertaining than a game with a worthy opponent. Still, his narcissistic tendencies make her want to scratch at her own skin. A dire need to tear down the confidence other women had helped him built. She was certain heâd captured the attention of any women he laid his eyes on in the past. A man like Romeo could walk into a room and pick out the prey amongst the crowd; those women who would fall at their knees for a little attention. They were to blame for the monstrosity that was Romeo St. James. âAfter the stunt you pulledâ unlikely.â Isobelâs pride wouldnât allow her to fall victim to the potential of being rejected twice. His twisted grin was permanently etched at the back of her mind as a reminder to steer clear. A sculpted leg folds over the other as dark hues fixated on the male before her as he begins to lay out his plan before them. The mention of begging makes her chuckle, not because itâs unlikely for Isobel, but the idea of begging Romeo for anything is laughable. Some ground work would have to be paved in abundance if he wanted to get her to a place where sheâd allow her walls to fall long enough for her to beg him for mercy or an orgasm. Men always loved to think they were Gods gift to women while half the women they encountered were quick to finish the job after they left. If anything, St. James seemed like the selfish type. He speaks and thereâs an urge to tell him to get on with it. He tells her his life story and it takes everything in the brunette not to roll her eyes. A smirk is presented to the bartender, a signal of her hand lets him know they require a refill. She hopes it arrives sooner rather than later. As her gaze lingers for a few seconds longer on the bartenderâs ass in those thighs pants, they flick back towards the male whoâs finally arrived at the good stuff. It sounds almost too good to be true. A game sheâd played countless time with her parents throughout the years as the disappointment of her family was the one constant she could count on. Each family gathering, she challenged herself to make it more memorable than the last. Last they knew, she was on her third pregnancy scare and been well on the way to making her first debut in porn. âYou make it sound simple, fun even.â The brunette leans forward and narrows her gaze slightly. âWhereâs the catch, Romeo? You get the disapproval of your mother, perhaps a threat of being disowned. I get the mommy issues better than youâd care to comprehend, but Iâm waiting for the part where you tear down my own character in the process.â She pauses momentarily, dark hues venturing over his being. âIf I guess correctly; destruction is an aphrodisiac for you and my worry is that youâll inevitably turn to me for such excitement. Iâll play my part and watch the world burn alongside you but I need an assurance that your word is kept.â Smiling at the bartender, the brunette brings the drink to her lips. âA contract that dictates that I stick around to make life hell for mommy dearest â and in turn, I walk away with a list of names, a gift, and a clean slate. Then we tear it all down.âÂ