Zoe And The Beast

Chapter 2 | Someplace Intoxicated

The day passed by quickly, no other interference with Vince occurring. Everyone hugged and said their goodbyes and warned each other to show up to the bowling game tonight. Before I knew it, I was at the school exit, waiting for my brother, Zach, to hurry and pick me up. Going into his fourth year of college, he didn't have to show up to orientation. That lucky duck.

What was taking him so long?

"Hey, again," a voice spoke behind me.

Turning around to see who it was, my jaw almost dropped. Vince stood there, leaning against the wall casually, his long arm draped around a sports bag. His eyes flitted over to mine, meeting them with carelessness.

My mouth froze. Completely stunned by his presence, I could barely croak out a word. "Hey."

He smirked, his eyes moving down to my chest. "I like your shirt. It's classy."

Confused, I glanced down to see what he was talking about. A gasp escaped my lips. He could see my bra. My eyes widened and I quickly pulled the top of my shirt up, higher over my chest, before crossing my arms over my upper body and turning to the side. How humiliating. Maybe if I ignored him long enough, he would leave.

"So, how's your orientation going?" His lazy smile was directed over to me. "Isn't it weird that it happens two months before the school year starts?"

"Y-yeah," I stuttered, dazed. God, I needed to get a hold of myself. I just told myself to ignore him. "How was your orientation?"

He raised his eyebrows and took a deep breath, a grin settling on his lips. "It was good." His eyes shot to me. "It's even better now."

I could feel myself flush and turn further away from him. There was a reason he was popular: he knew exactly what to say to a girl. He would charm them, capture them, and then weave them into his pocket.

He was good.

Clearing my throat, I let out a small breath. "So, are you waiting for a ride home or something?" That would be the only reason he was on this end of the exit – buses and student cars went out the other exit.

"No," he shook his head, speculative. "I have my own car."

My eyebrows scrunched together and I put my attention back to looking for Zach's car, wondering if Vince had a chauffeur drive up to him and take him home. "Then, why are you here?"

It made absolutely no sense. He should be on the other side of school, saying 'bye' to all his friends. He shouldn't be here, with me. Vince was doing the unfathomable.

When I glanced back at him, he was studying me with careful eyes. For some odd reason, I didn't feel uneasy. His gaze was smooth – nothing harsh, nothing judgmental. If anything, I felt comfortable under his scrutiny....no matter how rough and sexy his eyes looked.

"I'm here because I want to talk to you," he finally answered, staring straight at me.

My eyes widened, and I immediately laughed. I could see where this was going. No wonder he was talking to me. "Oh, okay, I get it now. You want me to be one of them. One of those girls that follow you around and listen to everything you say, and-"

"No." His voice stopped me cold as he shook his head. "What I want is much simpler than that." Shooting his voluptuous eyes at me, he added, "I just want to get to know you, Zoe."

At this point, the confusion was killing me. Everything he said was so unordinary. To try and understand his words, I locked my green eyes into his captivating hazel ones. "You just want to get to know me?"

"Why do you look so surprised?" Vince asked. He began stepping towards me, quietly, vigilantly. "I just want us to be friends."

His stride was long, almost half way through the hall. Reality began hitting me, reminding me that I was talking to Vince Mascars here, not just some random guy. I took a frantic step back, shaking my head. "No, I just don't know why-"

"Why I would want to be friends with you?" He stepped forward again, a small smile playing on his lips. "Now, that's a good question isn't it?"

Confused, I stepped back again, now against the wall. "I'm not sure..."

"You're not sure?" His voice was warm like velvet, so deep I could easily lose myself listening to it.

Gripping the wall to keep myself together, I managed to croak out whatever I could. "I need to go." And yet I didn't move.

He smirked, his eyes narrowing flirtatiously, before leaning in, nose to nose, so close I could see beautiful streaks of gold and waves of blue in his hazel eyes, so close that I could hear nothing but his voice, his deep, sexy voice, so close that I could feel a quiet spark stirring between us, preparing to burst into a fierce flame.

Suavely, he put his muscular arms on both sides of my small form. "You're glad I'm talking to you, Zoe. I see it in your eyes. You're intoxicated with me right now, and you wish you were someplace away, alone. Someplace where I couldn't continue enticing you."

My lips parted. I couldn't think, couldn't breathe. Completely dumbfounded by how surreal this situation was, I just stared back into his stunning hazel eyes, wishing this was all a dream.

"But guess what, Zoe?" Vince leaned in closer, his lips a mere inch away from mine. "It's too late now. You're already intoxicated."

This was not happening, this was not happening, this was not happening.

Oh, it was happening.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything to get out of this situation. But nothing came out.

He was just that stunning.

Staring into his eyes made me lose my train of thought. It made me lose my words, lose my mind.

I was intoxicated.

I had two conversations with him, barely any exchanges involved, and I was already intoxicated. His eyes, his lips, his voice – everything about him had me drowned in his power. Just how good could he get?

"Your ride is here," Vince interjected, stepping away from me. His hazel eyes shifted towards the parking lot.

Snapping out of it, I spun to look at the parking lot, sighing in relief when I saw a tattered black car swerve in. My older brother, Zach, was here. Finally.

Turning back to Vince, my eyes widened.

He was gone. Just as quietly as he appeared, he left. Surprised at his disappearance, I realized that all the rumors that led to people fawning over Vince were true.

He really was the Beast.

Author's Note

Please drop a vote or comment if you think this deserves it! What do you think of Vince so far?

Edited: May 20, 2018