Blackmailing The Untouched

The Stranger

This man is beautiful. Perfectly carved. Cheekbones sculpted, and a hard jaw. No blemishes anywhere that I can see. He's like no one I’ve ever met.

His devastating blue eyes find my brown ones, and a look of shock washes over his flawless face, but his lips stay tight, giving nothing away.

"Let me guess, you want to use the phone?" He asks, words impeccably commanding attention.

When he swallows, I watch the muscles in his throat contract, establishing the strength he possesses. “Please?" I nod back. "It's just that I’m never late for my father's call, so I need to call someone to come pick me up or else I'm going to be, and I don’t want him to worry." As I speak, I can't help but watch closely as his jaw ticks, a hint of irritation flickering through his eyes.

He takes his time to glance me over, those beautiful blue eyes carefully scanning down the front of my body, before opening the door wider to gesture me inside.

I hesitate on the porch as his gaze locks me in place, my sweater quickly becoming too tight. "No, thank you. I prefer to stay outside." And I hate how small my voice sounds; how fragile I must appear to him.

A cunning grin stretches his lips as he shoves his hands in the front pockets of the faded denim jeans hanging just below his hips. "If you say so. Hold on a second." He turns with a shrug and goes back into the house.

I'm the one left watching him this time, and I do watch him. I watch as his long strides take him to a large granite countertop after only a few steps.

The front door opens into a composed living room with grey walls and polished black furniture. A fire crackles and burns red in the middle of the room, candles placed neatly at the top of the mantle of the stone fireplace. The room smells of light cinnamon, and I take a deep breath, inhaling as much of the comforting scent as my nose will allow.

Mom’s favorite.

"Here you are." The stranger says as he approaches, holding a sleek silver cordless phone.

I take the phone, and he braces his hands on the top of the door frame to relax against it. My eyes dart to the pop muscles when he extends his arms above his head, so before I allow my face to betray me, I quickly turn my back to him so I can dial Toby once more.

This time, the call goes through, and we're connected after only the second ring.

"Hello?" His tone is friendly but cautious because I'm calling from a number he isn't familiar with.

"Hey, it's me, Hollie," I tell him softly, making sure that I'm not being overheard.

"Hollie!?" He exclaims, "Where the hell are you?"

Quickly, I tell him about my vehicle trouble, explaining the situation that I've gotten myself into and letting him know what road I'm on. He agrees to come pick me up.

After ending the call, I turn back to face the attractive stranger who greets me with another killer grin. 

"Boyfriend on his way?" He asks with a curious raised eyebrow and an intense stare that knocks me off balance.

Faking a smile, I nervously tuck some strands of hair behind my ear, "No, not a boyfriend." My stomach quickly fills with the queasy feeling that I’d read so much about. "Thank you so much."

I hesitate for a moment before offering the phone out to him. He lets go of the wooden frame and places his hand on the phone, his fingers just barely grazing the skin of my knuckles. But just that tiny amount of physical contact sends my heart up into my throat. And the will to think or speak starts to fade.

"Not a problem. Do you want to wait inside?" The man's gentle smile turns sly, appearing unaffected by the strong surge of energy that had just passed through us.

Or maybe he didn't feel it.

His stunning eyes captivate me again, and I feel myself being slowly pulled under by the blue in them, like a powerful wave crashing onto a sandy shore. I've never seen such pure blue eyes like his before, and I just know that it will be nearly impossible to get them out of my head.

Looking past him, I mentally shake myself free from the undefined but very strong pull I already feel towards him. "No, it shouldn't be that long." I decide to play it cool, but while I’m speaking my ears begin to ring, my breath catching in my throat. I don't play it cool at all.

"Alright, if you say so." He says, turning his back to me before walking back inside, allowing the door to fall shut behind him.