Free For The Night (Luna, #1) by Violet Haze Page A

business card with his personal number on it.
    Apparently he thought I’d call him and we’d get together again.
    “Fat chance,” I muttered before tossing it in the trash and leaving the room.
    The sex had been great. He’d been an attentive lover.
    However, I didn’t have sex with anyone more than once. It was one night and done; most weren’t worth a second time anyway. It sucked for those who might keep me entertained for more than a night, but there were no exceptions.
    And now, I walk home from the hotel. I don’t live far; that’s why this is my pick-up place of choice.
    Not even half a mile away is my townhouse, which I share with my two roommates and best friends from college, Iris and Dexter.
    I’m lost in thought when my high heel snaps and I topple forward. I put my hands out, hissing as my palms scrape against the ground. I roll to sit and pick up the shoe, checking out the damage before I smack it repeatedly on the ground in frustration.
    “Fuck!”
    It takes a second for me to notice that a sleek, shiny black car has stopped next to the curb. I glance up only to freeze, then scowl at his smiling face. He’s taken off his seatbelt and has leaned across the middle of the vehicle to keep me in his view.
    “You won’t break ground by using a shoe. You do know that, don’t you?”
    At his mirth filled observation, I throw my shoe and he ducks, making sure it flies past his head and lands inside the car somewhere.
    He chuckles before stepping out, leaving the car idling as he walks over and offers me his hand.
    I stare up at him, realizing that he doesn’t recognize me in my short-haired brown wig. I also have color contacts in, but I doubt he’s ever taken note of my eye color.
    Accepting his hand, I wince as my raw palm meets his and stand up. Letting go immediately, I gently kick my other shoe off and lean over to pick it up.
    I rack my brain, trying to remember his name and failing. He comes into my work three mornings a week, ordering a black coffee and a bowl of mixed fruit, then sits at the table for an hour while reading the newspaper. A routine he’s kept up for over a month now.
    As I meet his dark chocolate gaze with my fake green one, he grins and gestures to his car.
    “May I give you a ride to wherever you need to go?”
    I shake my head and step back. “No, thanks. I’m not far from here.”
    Wince.
    Why did I say that? For all I know, he could be stalker and now he knows I live nearby!
    He looks down at my feet, then back up at my face. “You aren’t wearing any shoes; you could hurt yourself.”
    “I’ll be fine,” I insist, turning toward the direction I need to go when he speaks again.
    “Why don’t you let me at least drop you really close by? I’ll even drive off and you can watch me go before you head to your building.”
    I whirl around, crossing my arms over my chest. “I don’t even know your name. I’m not getting into your car with you because you could kidnap me and—“
    “Tobias Giles-Blackburn,” he cuts in, taking out his wallet and flipping it open to show me his drivers license. “I’m not going to kidnap you. Even if I wanted to, now you know my name, so I’d have to kill you to keep you silent and I’m wearing my best suit.”
    My mouth drops open at his statement, even as I acknowledge that his ensemble — a light grey three-piece suit and white undershirt with a red tie for a pop of color — flatters his physique and features quite well.
    “I saw you fall and all I want to do is help.” He walks over to the car and opens the passenger door. “Now, are you going to get in or what?”
    I snap my mouth shut and look to my right, discerning that I am at least a quarter mile away from my place. It would be a long walk for me shoeless, since I’d have to walk slowly and watch the ground to make sure I didn’t injure the bottom of my feet.
    With a sigh, I face him once more and walk the few steps until only the passenger door separates