Chantal Fernando - Toxic Girl

“Come home with me?” Justin asks, not for the first time. I shake my head, giving him a teasing smile to soften the blow of rejection. I walk out and nod to the bouncer, letting him know all is well.

“Hey, Snow,” Diamond says, smiling up at me as I walk into the change rooms. Diamond always has a smile on her face. She’s the opposite of me. She’s not embarrassed about what she does, and she has fun doing it. I envy her sometimes.

“Hey, how are you?” I ask her, sitting down next to her. I look in the mirror and gently remove my false lashes.

“I’m good baby girl, good tips tonight,” she says, smiling widely and pulling notes out of her top. ”You want to go out? Enjoy a night on the town?” she asks, raising a finely arched brow.

I shake my head. “Sorry, Diamond, how about I take a raincheck? I have class tomorrow morning,” I tell her honestly.

She pauses. “You’re a good girl, Paris,” she says, using my real name for the first time. She flashes me one more smile before walking out of the change room.

I change and catch a taxi home.

I open my apartment door, surprised when I come face to face with Grayson. “Hey,” I mutter, wondering what he’s doing here. Dropping by unexpectedly could become a problem, but that doesn’t mean I’m not happy to see him. Over the last few weeks, we’ve gotten to know each other. No matter how much I didn’t want to get involved with anyone, in the end I fell for his charm and easy demeanour. He really is a great guy. I learnt that quickly. Perfect guy, not so perfect timing.

“Hey, mind if I come in?” he says. I realise I’ve been standing there with my arms crossed, staring at him, lost in my thoughts.

“Sorry, of course,” I say, my face hot as I open the door. “Where did you go dressed like that?” I ask, taking in his black pants and white shirt. He looks professional and extremely sexy.

“Came here from work,” he says, smiling at me. “We had a meeting.” Right, the hotel job. He takes my hand and pulls me into his arms. “I missed you today.”

“Missed you too,” I say into his chest.

“How was work last night?” he asks, rubbing his hands down my back.

I stiffen a little at his mention of my work. “It was fine. Can I get you something to drink?”

“No, thanks,” he says, yawning. “Just wanted to drop in and see you.”

“You look tired,” I say, seeing the weary look in his eyes.

“Yeah, didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Come on then,” I say.

His brows furrow, so I take him by the hand and pull him into my bedroom and close the door. He makes himself at home, like he’s been in my room a million times. He takes off his shoes and climbs into my bed, lifting the purple leopard print sheets over him. He looks good in my bed. Too good.

“You going to join me?” he asks, his eyes closed.

I walk over to the other side of the bed and slide in next to him. As soon as my head hits the pillow, he reaches over and cradles me in his arms. “I could get used to this,” he mumbles sleepily. So could I. I’m a little uncomfortable at first, lying like this with him, but soon I hear his breathing even out, and know he is fast asleep. Why did he come here? I have to wonder. He was obviously tired after work. Wouldn’t he want to go straight home?

An hour later, Grayson is still fast asleep. I’ve been working on an assignment in that time and am almost finished when I hear Anaya call out my name. A second later, she bursts into my room. Seeing Grayson, she stills. “Sorry,” she mutters, not looking sorry one bit.

“What’s up?” I ask quietly, not wanting to wake Grayson up. I save the file, close my laptop, and put it on the side table.

“We got invited to a party this weekend,” she says, grinning ear to ear.

“A party?” I repeat, my voice showing my lack of enthusiasm.

“The party,” she corrects. She looks at Grayson. “You two official then.”

I point to the door, my eyes wide. I do not want Grayson to be present for that conversation. Anaya giggles and walks out, closing the door behind her. That girl is always in a good mood.

“So, are we?” comes an amused sleepy voice. Well, shit.

“Hey,” I say.

“Your bed is comfy,” he says, sitting up and looking at me. His shirt is wrinkled, his hair dishevelled, but he still looks sexy as always. He leans closer and pushes a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I’m going to kiss you, Paris,” he says, dark eyes never leaving mine. I nod, unable to say anything. My eyes are already on his lips, anticipating what’s to come. He takes his time, giving me a slow spreading smile before tentatively touching his lips to mine. He draws back a little, studying me before he kisses me again, deeper this time. He gently holds the back of my head, pulling me closer into him. Pushing me back into the mattress, our mouths still connected, he lies on top of me. He moans as he pulls away, placing a sweet kiss on my forehead.

“You taste so good,” he says, his eyes smiling down at me.

“Good” I say, dazed and breathless.

“So are we?”

“Are we what?” I ask.

“Official,” he says, lip twitching in amusement.

Official? Shit. If I’m in a relationship, I will need to either tell him the truth or stop stripping. I need the money, so the latter isn’t really an option right now. I need to tell him no. I’m sorry but I can’t. Now’s not a good time. Instead I pull his mouth back to mine.

Distraction is key.

“How did you talk me into going to this party?” I ask Anaya for the third time.

She rolls her eyes at me. “Don’t be a party pooper. You need to get out. You can’t spend all your time with just Grayson.”

I wince, knowing that it’s true—I have spent all my spare time alone with Grayson over the last few days. But Anaya spends all her time with Paul too, so, pot meet kettle.

“Is Paul coming?” I ask, smoothing my dress.

“Yeah, he will be here with his mates,” she replies. The taxi stops, we pay and get out, walking toward the house.

“Whose house is this?” I ask, staring up at the mansion. Without bothering to knock, Anaya opens the door. We follow the sound of the music, passing a few people on the way. Everyone seems to be outside, where there is a pool and a DJ. Anaya drags me to dance for a few songs, before she sees Paul, standing around with a few of his friends. She runs into his arms, while I trail slowly behind her. Paul lifts his chin in greeting when he sees me, and I smile back at him. I’ve met him twice so far, and he seems really nice. He introduces me to his friends, and I smile and say hello politely. My phone vibrates, so I pull it out of my bra to check it.

Your boyfriend might get jealous seeing you talking to all those guys.

Grayson. He’s here? I look around the backyard, until I see him standing with his sister and another girl. One I haven’t seen before.

“Who’s that?” I ask Anaya. She follows my line of sight.

“That’s Dylan, this is her house,” she says. Dylan. The name sounds familiar. Grayson says something to his sister, and then starts to approach me. He’s wearing jeans, a black shirt, and a dimpled smile. He told me he would meet me here after work, so I thought he would have been a little later.

“You’re here,” I say stupidly, smiling up at him. He wraps his hand around the back of my neck and pulls me into him, his lips briefly touching mine. The gesture is possessive, causing me to roll my eyes, but secretly I’m thrilled.

“I left work early,” he says. “You look amazing.”

“Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself,” I reply, wrapping my arms around his narrow hips. Grayson says hello to Anaya, Paul, and his friends. “How do you know so many people?” I ask him.

“Some of them went to high school with me, some I just met at uni, or around at parties,” he says, kissing my forehead. I’m not really used to public displays of affection, but with him, I couldn’t care less who was looking.

“Mr Social,” I utter under my breath.

Grayson chuckles. “One of us needs to be. Can I get you a drink?”

“No, I’m fine, but thanks.”

“How about you, Anaya?” he asks, earning a scowl from Paul, who is yet to offer her one.

My roommate sighs dramatically. “No, but thank you for asking, Grayson.” She scowls at Paul, who in return shoots Grayson a look that clearly says ‘thanks for making me look bad’. Grayson, looking amused, ignores Paul and looks down at me.

“Dance with me?” he asks.

“I’d love to,” I reply. He reaches his hand out, and when I take it, our fingers intertwine. We walk near the DJ stand, where others are dancing. A Jason Derulo song plays as we start to move to the music. I grind on him a little, seeing the lust in his eyes, but then tone it down. If only he knew the moves I could do, the many ways I’m capable of seductively moving my body.

“Fuck, you’re sexy,” he whispers into my ear, pushing my hair back and to the side. I’m glad he thinks so. The song ends, and it’s then that I notice Dylan standing there, arms crossed, her eyes on me. And she doesn’t look happy. Instantly suspicious, I remind myself to ask Grayson what the deal is with her. We spend the rest of the night enjoying each other’s company. When I get home, I realise something. I need to tell Grayson the truth. If someone else tells him, I could lose him forever. I’d hate to lose the way he looks at me. The way his eyes go soft and gentle, as if I’m something precious to him. Something to be protected, nurtured.

I hope he never stops looking at me like that.