Isabela Part 3

"Why should I let 'the view' go?" he asks, and now I can catch a small glimpse of his clear eyes behind the mask, coming closer as he leans towards my ear. "It could be the perfect way for you to end the night." My heart skips at his words, with his deep and seductive voice so close to my ear. The proximity should make me more uncomfortable, but something about his scent and tone brings me a bit of calm. It's quite curious. Usually, I would be crying from feeling cornered. "That hood on your head already makes it clear what you're looking for. And you're at least... too exotic for me to let slip away."
"What makes you think you're the one who decides whether I stay or leave, Wolf?" I ask, giving a slight smirk as he pulls away from my ear. I roughly snatch my beer from his big hands. "I can decide for myself how I'll end the night."
"Okay!" he says after staring at me while I drink the entire beer, only stopping to breathe when there's no more liquid left in the glass.
I take a deep breath, though I'm not sure if it's relief or sadness that he seems to be giving up. I watch him as he moves away from me. When I think he's going to turn around and find someone more receptive, the bastard plops down on the stool next to me and orders a beer from the bartender. I roll my eyes at him, irritated. Damn! Why am I mad at this idiotic... hot... and... good-smelling guy next to me?
And why is he here? I can see the curious glances around us. A lot of the girls are giggling while looking at him, and here he is, focused on annoying me just because he saw the wannabe drug dealer lurking around the hall.
"I'll watch you choose your 'little wolf,'" he says, with a smirk almost disappearing under the mask as his mouth twists.
"Feel free to stay and watch. But don't touch my body. I have a problem with being touched!" I warn, before the moment goes from fun and irritating to just irritating.
Although the ambient noise is quite loud, I feel a deadly silence between the guy next to me and me. He spends minutes staring at me without saying a damn thing. I feel awkward under his contemplative gaze. I know he must have understood the weight of what I said. This usually happens when I mention I have issues with being touched. People have two types of reactions: some chatter endlessly, interrogating me about the trauma, and others fall silent. I always prefer the latter reaction.
"What? Are you just going to stand there staring at me like an idiot?"
I grab another beer from the bartender, taking the opportunity to sip the cold liquid.
"You’re so polite, Little Red Riding Hood, it almost moves me," he says, sarcastically. "What's your name?"
"Will you tell me yours too?" I ask, seeing him shake his head and refuse. "Then, for you, it's Little Red Riding Hood."
"Wolf!" he introduces himself, raising his hand between us, waiting for a handshake.
I take a deep breath and accept it, feeling the roughness of his warm fingers. Our eyes meet as I finish our handshake. Why is this idiot I barely know affecting me like this? It’s not the usual insecurity I feel when facing strangers... It’s a warm feeling in my stomach, along with a cold shiver making my skin tingle.
"So, you’re intriguing and have left me with many questions buzzing in my mind," he hums, as I walk away from him to escape his burning gaze on my face. "Little Red Riding Hood, how do you plan to end the night with a 'little wolf' if you don’t like being touched? And if you don’t like being touched, why did you shake my hand?"
"Well, I need to find a guy willing to let me be in control, and I shook your hand because I felt in control. I decided to do it; it's different from feeling like someone is touching me without my permission."
"I’m fascinated... You answer everything directly, you don’t dodge questions," he observes, making me turn to face him.
"I hate when people drag things out. It wears down my patience, so I tend to be straightforward." I shrug. "And you? Anything to say about yourself?"
"Hmm... Let me think of something as striking as a hot redhead looking for a guy to sleep with, but not including me in her options, who gives objective answers and likes control..." he muses aloud, his sexy voice sending shivers down my spine. Wow, he’s managing to make me feel some very strange sensations as I watch him take carefree swigs of his drink. I think I’m interested. Damn... I’m very interested! "I study Arts, I’m 23, and I’m also an entrepreneur. And I’m eager to end the night inside you."
I feel my mouth suddenly dry as I realize breathing and thinking has become difficult. I clear my throat, and just as I’m about to respond, I stop and gulp down my beer bottle entirely.
Okay! I need someone to sleep with, even if I’m running in circles inside myself, terrified of what I’m planning to do to lose my virginity. There’s no reason to avoid the Wolf, after all, he’s what I came looking for. He’s a very interesting man. He heard that I need control, that I have trauma with touch, and he's still willing to end the night with me. I just need to say one more thing...

"I'm a virgin!" I blurt out in one go. "And I have no idea how to do this without being touched, so you're going to need to be patient if you really want to end the night inside me."
"Shit!" He chokes on his drink. I can see his chest rising and falling rapidly. Is he nervous? "This story keeps getting more intriguing. This is going to take a lot from me. I don't handle giving up control well, but I'll try because I'm really excited about the idea. But I need a deal."
"Go ahead... But I warn you, I’m not planning on anything beyond tonight," I say, shifting in my seat as I have a flashback of the kick in the ass I got after falling in love, always because of my trauma.
"I have dinner with a business partner tomorrow night, who, by the way, is my father. He thinks I'm reckless, with no future, and a bunch of other crap. My sister suggested that showing up with a girlfriend might improve my image, so..."
"You want me to go with you and pretend to be your girlfriend?" I laugh, practically choking on my laughter. It must be a joke, but the way he goes serious and clenches his jaw shows me it’s not. "Look at me... Do you really think that would improve your image?"
"I’m looking," he replies, and his blue eyes shine under the mask, making my heart skip a beat. "And yes, I think so. Just dress in a more... formal way."
"So you still want me to change my style?" I huff, barely holding back a scornful laugh. "I’m out!"
"Then good luck finding someone willing to be kind, make your night special, and respect your limits!" he says, standing up and turning his back to me. Damn!
"Wait!" I shout, standing up quickly. "Okay! I’ll go to this damn dinner, and dressed in a 'formal' way."
"So, Little Red Riding Hood, can we go to my room and solve both our problems?" he invites, turning towards me with a suggestive smile framing his lips.
"Two problems?"
"Your virginity and my hard-on."
I take a deep breath, feeling my face flush and considering if it would be too humiliating to run away right now. He extends his hand toward me, with people passing by and bumping into me, startling me. I place my hand over his. Then I walk beside him, hand in hand, toward my doom.