"I don't want any strings," he gritted out straightening up his clothes angrily. "I want you."
"You can't have me."
He sneered, "Is it my color?"
She had a feeling this man had had problems in the past with other women rejecting him because of his color, but that had nothing to do with it. Even if he was black, Marvin would be the color off her knowing she was involved with anyone. "That's not it. It's not you, Ethan," she implored.
"Is it our age difference?"
"I don't even know how old you are. It's not you at all, Ethan. It's me. Please just understand I can't."
His eyes narrowed. "You want more money."
"No," she said firmly. "I just needed the money you first gave me to pay off my education and now that's done, I don't need anything else from you. I don't want anything else from you. I have too many obligations, I have too many responsibilities."
He looked desperately into her face wanting to believe she was as honest about things as she said, but all he could think about was Lynne and how much she favored him although Nicole was much more. Her inside beauty came to the surface almost making him forget this was his present wife's daughter. The deceitfulness of the mother had not washed off on the girl, had it? He couldn't be sure. Maybe this almost innocent ploy was to get more money or maybe more. Maybe she was using him to get away from the horrible conditions she lived in and once she was away she would drop him like a bad habit. He cupped her face with her hands and looked deeply in her eyes not sure what to believe, not sure what to do, just knowing he needed to convince her to be with him so he could get this all over with. The sooner he took her and threw this in Lynne's face the sooner he could get away from them all.
His lie came easily to his lips as he told her, "I've never wanted any one as much as I've wanted you. Please Nicole, just one night, and I will give you the world. Anything you ask for I would give to be with you for one night."
Just as she was about to protest again, he placed a finger over her lips to stop her.
"I'll give you three days to think about it. To plan, to make time to be with me because I know you want this as much as I want it."