She Likes How He Handles It

The black sedan they were in parked at the spot away from the street light and the first thing Era noticed was the city lights from the other side of the harbor looks like a string of Christmas lights on the dark horizon.

Era exhaled a deep breath and found herself wishing that she was here to admire the view and not parade herself in the arms of a stranger who paid for her presence.

'No time to think,' she reprimanded herself inwardly as she listened halfheartedly from Dommie's last minute instructions.

"Era, remember what I told you. I want to see you again. Do your best out there."

She grimaced when Dommie kisses the air towards her while their driver open the door for her.

"That car is your client."

Era clicked her tongue.

"Why is he parking in the dark?"

"He doesn't want someone to see you getting in his car and assuming that you are paid to be with him."

Era stared at the driver for a few seconds then laughed.

"But I am," she said in between laughter.

"Even so."

Era controlled the nervous laughter that was bubbling behind her throat and exhaled a deep breath. She's here and she needed the money. No way to way cold feet. The loan sharks were waiting at their house with her mother and brother. The hospital bills were running as her father continued to stay in the hospital.

"What should I do?" She asked Dommie before stepping out of the open car door where the driver was impatiently waiting.

"Darling, just have fun. Don't worry too much about it. And I'll see you soon," she said, blowing kisses in her direction.

"Have fun, have fun," she mumbled under her breath like a kid on her first errand, afraid to forget the one thing she was told.

The driver slammed the door shut the moment she stepped out.

"Have fun."

Era chuckled with what the driver said. She was about to say something bitchy to him but keep it to herself when she saw the seriousness in the driver's face. He was genuinely wishing her to have fun.

"Thank you," she said with a grateful smile.

The gratefulness that she was feeling didn't last long for the driver turned his back on her without any words and went in behind the wheel and started the engine.

Era, still shaking her head in disbelief, walked to the car waiting for her.

The two parking slots seemed to stretch for eternity. She felt like she was walking to the dark horizon in the distance, wishing to those city lights that she was born with enough money so as not to be in this situation right now.

'You're selling yourself,' she thought mockingly to herself.

She exhaled a deep breath to clear the tightness in her chest before rapping her knuckles on the passenger window of the red Ferrari. It's the latest model, very flashy for her taste and too expensive for her wallet.

She heard the click of the lock being opened from the inside and Era buried her feet on the damp concrete for they felt like running away from here.

"Get in."

The baritone voice inside the car made Era gulped down the cool night air like a fish swallowing air out of its fish tank.

She gingerly opened the passenger door with her shaking hand while praying at the back of her mind that it was locked and she wasn't in this situation.

She carefully lowered herself into the passenger seat making sure to gather the hem of her flowing white dress in her hands. She knew that she was being obnoxious with it, however, she couldn't help because she needed something to do while she sat her ass in the expensive leather cover of the passenger seat.

"Good evening," she breathed in a shaky tone, remembering what Dommie said about being polite and amicable.

"Apology if I am late."

There was a moment of silence and Era could not help but tore her attention from the hem of her dress to the man sitting next to her, behind the steering wheel.

The man is wearing white, just like her. She's guessing it's the required choice of color in the party they are going to.

Her gaze didn't linger on his outfit and quickly got taken in by the chiseled jawline adorned with a five o'clock shadow of beard. Next, her senses were assaulted by the hint of a pleasant cologne. She didn't need to know the name of the smell to know it's expensive as well. Everything reeks of money. Something she didn't have. And Era felt little and trapped in her insecurities for the first time in her life.

Her curiosity of why the man didn't reply to her apology was long forgotten. She lowered her head, heaving a deep breath, thinking of some random facts about the engine of his car.

"You're breathing taking. Sorry if for a moment I lost my ability to speak. You are just phenomenal."

Era felt the heat from the middle of her stomach came up and warm her face. Her throat constricted and it was her turn to lose the ability to speak.

She wasn't new to compliment but since she had been altering her looks, relying on heavy makeup, thick eyeglasses, baggy and unfashionable clothes, she hadn't heard the kind of compliments her companion had uttered.

It added to her embarrassment the fact that she likes how he looks.

"T–thannk y-you…"

She heard a light chuckle and she gathered the courage to look at his face again.

"I'm Ridge. You are?"

"Era," she said before she remembered that she had told Dommie a different name. However, Ridge didn't say anything except ever so slightly lifted the end of his right eyebrow in questions.

"I mean, Mira," she said again, blushing.

She had chosen the name Mira, taken from her real name Emerald. The nickname Era was chosen by herself with she was six because her parents had been calling her Precious Gift and she could not take the bullying of the neighborhood kids because of the cheesy nickname her parents had given her.

"Mira. It suits you."

He commented with the expectations of hearing an alias just like what had Dommie said about this job.

"I was told it's your first time. I'm wondering if you're brief about what you are paid to do for the night."

The business-like tone of Ridge put her at ease. She thanked him inwardly for it.

"Yes," she replied curtly.

Ridge raised his right brow in question and when she didn't budge he nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"Okay, let's go. Let's not waste the night away," he said, grinning like a villain, cracking the engine of his sports car and Era knew that she's liking him more than she first laid her eyes on him, the moment he drove the car out of the parking lot in a way a sports car should be handled.