Page 4 of Her Pretty Words
He stares at me for an uncomfortable amount of time before answering. “And you’re well versed in manners?”
“You don’t know me,” I sneer.
He scoffs, then shakes his head, like he thought better of whatever he was going to say. My raised brow answers him, daring him to speak whatever is on his mind.
“You’re Macy Brookes, a brunette with olive skin and an attitude the size of Mount Everest. You probably live in Idaho since you’re wearing the college hoodie and your flight to Fort Myers was canceled, leaving you stranded in New York with a handsome stranger you are quick to dislike.”
“Youaregoing to kill me,” I say more to myself. “You’ve kidnapped me, and now you want to kill me.”
He laughs without humor. “If someone were to hypothetically kidnap you, they would return you after five minutes.” He looks up like he’s considering something. “Make it two.”
“Excuse me? Can you take me to the nearest hotel please?” I speak up to the driver.
“Stop at a diner first. The Mrs. gets catty when she’s hungry,” the guy says, handing the driver money.
“Just the hotel is fine,” I say, but he ignores me as he pockets the extra cash.Humanity at its finest.
We stop for the hundredth time. I don’t think we’ve made it more than half a mile from the airport. I’ve heard that a five-minute drive anywhere else could turn into an hour in New York City.
“Tell him to take me to a hotel!” I whisper-scream at my cab mate.
“No.”
“No?” I gape at him.
“It’s a word used in speech that indicates something is not entirely tru?—”
I interrupt him with a groan. “You…”
“Me?” he asks with raised brows and a smirk.
“I don’t like you,” I say, matter of factly, ignoring the honking and constant stopping. I think I’m going to be sick.
“You don’t even know me.” He throws my statement back at me.
“You are…” the guy probably has a name, but since I have no interest in learning it, I let that part of my sentence trail off. “You’re a very rude man, who probably doesn’t have any friends because you’re ridiculously obsessed with yourself. Oh, and I’ll bet you have a cat who hisses and claws at everyone and it’s no coincidence that it only takes a liking to you.”
He seems amused by this, fighting a grin by pressing two fingers to his lips. His features reflect the traffic surrounding us. He glows red like the devil. “Would a rude man offer a stranded woman his cab?”
A serial killer would.“I wasn’t stranded.” I roll my eyes. “Can you just be a decent human being and tell him to take me to a hotel, since he refuses to listen to the woman who’s clearly in an uncomfortable situation, thanks to the help of your bribery.”
He sighs. “I’m Grayson.”Of course, he’d have a sexy name like Grayson.“I was supposed to go home today from a business trip in the city, but my flight was canceled.”
I try to ignore him by looking out the window.
“Let me buy you apology food. Do you like chicken tenders? There’s this diner by my hotel with the best you’ll ever eat.”
I mumble, “I’m not hungry.” My stomach betrays me, choosing this moment to let out the loudest growl. I lift my chin even higher.
A smirk plays on his features when I glance at him. “Fine, you aren’t hungry. ButIam, and you’re riding inmycab.”
This guy’s got to be a narcissist or something. I once read the best way to win an argument with one is to ignore them, so that’s what I do. I watch the city surrounding me. The people who walk the sidewalks, the names on the buildings, the benches with ads on them.
After forty-five minutes of being confined in a car with Grayson, I can finally stretch my legs. We stand in front of a diner.
“You coming, Tato?” He flicks his head toward the restaurant.
“No,” I say, walking in the direction of a hotel I spot only a block away. A breeze goes right through my sweatshirt, rattling my teeth and carrying the scent of cigarette smoke.