Ethan Shaw had arranged everything last night. The room was at a hotel right next to Azure Bay. Leah Sinclair had assumed they would go to the hotel, so she was surprised when Asher Keating pulled up in his car.
When she saw the small winged ornament on the hood, she knew this was no ordinary car. She hesitated, debating whether to get in the back or the front passenger seat. Getting in the back felt like treating him as a chauffeur.
But she didn't know if Asher Keating would mind her just getting into the passenger seat. Asher rolled down the window, his brow furrowed as he looked at her. Gritting her teeth, she decisively opened the passenger-side door.
Thankfully, Asher Keating said nothing. She quickly buckled her seatbelt, and Asher stomped on the gas. It was Leah Sinclair's first time in such a luxurious car, and she was still clutching his jacket, worth fifty thousand yuan.
She secretly took out her phone to search for how many jackets like the one she was holding it would take to buy a Rolls-Royce. The results of a quick search made her swallow hard.
Her entire outfit, all told, wasn't worth more than five hundred yuan. Leah Sinclair silently chanted to herself, 'Totally worth it. Totally worth it.'
While waiting at a red light, Asher Keating glanced over at Leah Sinclair. They'd been driving for ten minutes, but her head was still lowered. She seemed very nervous, with a timid, almost fearful posture.
The light from outside the car reflected off her face, showing the swelling still hadn't subsided. It made her look all the more pitiful.
"What are you looking at?" Asher Keating's sudden question startled Leah so much she nearly dropped her phone.
"N-Nothing."
Leah Sinclair immediately sat up straight, like a schoolgirl. For some reason, Asher Keating chuckled. He started to reach out to touch her face, but the light turned green. He drew his hand back and kept driving.
When they arrived at the Silverwood villa, the surroundings once again redefined what Leah Sinclair understood about the wealthy. Once inside, she stood there, at a loss, clutching tightly to Asher Keating's jacket.
Asher Keating glanced back, sensing her unease. He approached her, step by step. As Leah Sinclair watched him walk toward her, she nervously backed away.
Asher Keating reached out. She clutched the jacket tighter and squeezed her eyes shut. But all he did was close the door behind her. With a soft CLICK, Leah Sinclair realized her entire body was pressed against the door.
She peeked her eyes open. Asher Keating was staring at her, a look of exasperation on his face. She gave a hollow laugh and tried to lower her head to hide her embarrassment, but he caught her chin.
The morning's fear, from when her chin had been grabbed, was still fresh. She was terrified Asher Keating was about to do that again. She wanted to pull away but didn't dare.
"Are you afraid of me?" Asher Keating asked softly.
"No, I'm just a little nervous," Leah Sinclair replied, trying to calm herself down.
Asher Keating cupped the back of her head with one hand and pressed a domineering kiss to her lips. With his other hand, he snatched the jacket she'd been clutching and tossed it carelessly aside.
Leah Sinclair desperately wanted to scream, 'That's worth fifty thousand! How could you just throw it on the floor?' But before her brain could process it, the same hand that had tossed the suit jacket was already wrapping around her waist.
Leah Sinclair was five-foot-eight, quite tall for a woman, but in front of the six-foot-two Asher Keating, she felt like a small chick encircled in his arms. She had to get on her tiptoes just to meet his kiss.
But Asher's kiss was a domineering conquest, and Leah was far too inexperienced. It wasn't long before she felt breathless and overwhelmed, at which point Asher finally let her go.
Leah Sinclair gasped for breath. For a moment, she'd genuinely thought she was going to suffocate. She stared, stunned, at the man before her.
Asher Keating gave a silent laugh and walked further into the room. "Don't tell me," he said, "last night wasn't just your first time. Was that your first kiss, too?"
"...Yes," Leah Sinclair admitted, her face turning impossibly red.
Asher sat on the sofa and raised an eyebrow. He was intrigued. The girl was attractive; though her features were simple and unadorned, she did bear a slight resemblance to Madeline Sterling after the staff at Azure Bay had done her makeup.
She also possessed an innocence that Madeline lacked. 'Could it be she's never even dated anyone at school?'
Fearing Asher Keating wouldn't believe her, Leah Sinclair followed him to explain, "I've never dated anyone. I mean, there were guys at school who were interested, but... I just didn't want to be in a relationship."
Asher Keating lit a cigarette. "Why not? Isn't dating supposed to be part of the complete college experience?"
"Dating is too much trouble. All the dates... it's too time-consuming. I was focused on getting into grad school; I didn't want to waste time on those things," Leah Sinclair answered earnestly.
Asher had already reviewed her file earlier that evening. He knew she was a civil engineering student at Riverfall University who had even secured a guaranteed spot in a graduate program, but she had turned it down.
He had no desire to pry into her private life. She was just someone he was sleeping with. If things got too entangled with her personal life, it would change the nature of their arrangement.
Asher Keating didn't dwell on it. After finishing his cigarette, he went to the fridge for a drink. He asked Leah what she wanted, and when she said she'd have a drink, he grabbed a can for her.
Leah Sinclair thanked him and took the can. It was a brand she didn't recognize, but what did it matter? She just needed a drink to calm her nerves. She popped it open and, GLUG GLUG GLUG, chugged more than half of it down. It was surprisingly good.
It was smoother and less bitter than ordinary beer. Leah Sinclair mentally filed away the brand name, planning to look up the price later to see if she could afford to drink it once or twice a month on her salary.
"What's the plan? Get drunk so you don't have to feel anything later?" Asher Keating asked, watching the way she was downing her drink.
"No, I'm just nervous. Besides," Leah Sinclair explained quickly, "this won't be enough to get me drunk."
Asher Keating took the beer can from her hand, set it on the coffee table, and then pressed down on top of her, his lips finding hers. Leah hadn't expected him to move so directly, and she tensed up all over again.
Her hands balled up in the fabric of his shirt. As Asher's lips trailed downward, she suddenly pushed him away.
Asher looked up at her. She asked nervously, "Could I... could I take a shower first? Here..." She pointed to her neck. "That pervert just grabbed me there... I feel kind of... gross."
At the thought, the color drained from Leah Sinclair's face. Asher Keating didn't object. He simply swept her up into his arms, carried her upstairs, and deposited her in the bathroom. "Wash up. There's a bathrobe in the cabinet."
Closing the bathroom door, Asher lit a cigarette to bank the fire in his veins. He found it strange. He'd always had a great deal of self-control in this department.
Last night was because of the drug. But tonight, seeing her looking so pitiful, he'd lost control and ended up booking her for the night. 'Could the drug's effects still be lingering? Is that why I can't keep this fire in check? Just what kind of drug did that girl use?'
He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. Asher Keating wasn't actually nearsighted; the old Mr. Keating had once said his gaze was too cold and piercing, so he'd had a pair of non-prescription glasses made to soften his look. After wearing them for so long, it had become a habit.
Leah Sinclair scrubbed viciously at the spots Ben Coleman had sniffed and touched, rubbing until her skin was red and sore. Everything had happened too fast before, but now that she was alone, the true, delayed terror finally washed over her.
She sank to the floor, hugging her knees as the hot water cascaded over her. She bit her lip, refusing to let herself cry out. She didn't know how much time had passed, only that her legs had gone numb by the time she used the wall to haul herself back to her feet and quickly rinse off.