Chapter 198: The night bird
"Yes... Sasha," the man murmured, pulling the door wider. "Come in, darling."
She stepped inside. The room smelled of whiskey and cologne, low lights casting everything in an amber glow. The man gestured toward a small round table where a white envelope sat neatly against a half-empty glass.
Without a word, Aveline crossed the room, picked up the envelope, and slid it into her handbag. She didn’t count it. Never did.
He watched her every move, eyes greedy, already undressing her in his mind.
Aveline turned her back to him, unbuttoned the coat slowly, letting it slip from her shoulders. When she faced him again, the lace clung to her skin like a second, darker soul.
The man’s smile widened. "Goddamn... you’re even more beautiful in person than your pictures ."
Aveline’s lips curved up in a dangerous little smirk.
"Let’s just say... I’m one of a kind." She moved closer, the room closing in around them like a secret neither of them would ever speak of in daylight.
The man was stunned, for a moment, just standing there, eyes drinking her in as if she were some rare delicacy served on a silver tray. But it wasn’t the lingerie, the long legs, or the midnight hair that caught him off guard. It was the softness in her voice, the gentle offering he hadn’t expected.
"We can talk if you want," Aveline murmured, a soft smile curving her lips. "I’m a good listener."
He blinked, thrown. Then, almost bashfully, he nodded and gestured toward the small, leather armchair by the window. The city stretched out below them in a blur of restless lights.