My Lord and Alpha

21 Wolven Street, 4th Avenue, Nashville Tennessee, USA.

Candice took a deep breath, pulling her hair to the side on her left shoulder, she adjusted the helm of her short skirt, and smoothed away any wrinkles.

Popping a mint-flavored gum into her mouth, she opened the bar door and strolled in. A hefty cloud of cigarette smoke wafted through the air, rushing into her nostrils. She barely kept herself from sneezing. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she scanned the dark room.

The place was a downtown bar, full of street junkies, gambling drunks, and middle-aged men playing poker. The smell of alcohol made the already shabby room, look even more unappealing. Dull yellow bulbs hung from diagonal points on the ceiling, casting an eerie shadow over the poorly lit bar.

She scanned the place looking for....

"Trust me Candice, when you see him, you will know. He always stands out in a crowd," Bernice had said.

Shrugging away her thoughts, she squinted through all the smoke, peering at the tables, looking for anyone who might stand out....

There!!!

At the far end of the wall, there was a huge man, immaculately dressed in an expensive suit that looked to be customized and perfectly fitted to his body. His looks screamed wealth, taste and class. He was clean shaven, neatly composed with an aura of confidence, unlike the hollow-eyed, haggard looking men littered around this bar. While most of them looked homeless, he looked like he owned the damn place.

He was sitting alone with a tall glass of untouched beer in front of him. She couldn't see him properly from this distance with all the darkness and smoking going on, squaring her shoulders, she walked straight to him. As she walked, she kept adjusting the length of her skirt. Bernice was the one who had picked out this outfit for her, it was feeling very uncomfortable.

Taking the opposite seat in front of him, she held out her hand "Sorry for keeping you waiting, I had some delay."

The man didn't take the handshake, he just stared at her.

"Nice to meet you. Have you been waiting long?" She asked unsure of his cold reception towards her.

"I am not interested in you, try someone else now pet," he said coldly.

Candice withdrew her hand feeling awkward "You are Mr. Wayne Wyatt? Correct?"

An emotionless face stared back at her "Yes, who's asking?"

Candice felt taken aback "It's me Candice, your date for tonight."

A flash of surprise crossed his face briefly as he gave her an ounce-over look and slowly asked, "You are Candice?"

She felt uncomfortable under his piercing gaze, he seemed to be looking at her from head to toe, searching her, disapproving of what he saw. What had he been expecting?

Candice felt her face redden with embarrassment. She knew she wasn't a top-tier beauty or anything grand, but she would not let herself be discouraged by his rude and cold demeanor.

She desperately needed this deal if she was to meet her target this month. She had been falling short for a few months now and her boss, George was beginning to lose patience with her. He had outrightly told her to prepare her resignation later by month end if she couldn't land a major contract.

Bernice was the one who had set this meeting up, she said he was a big investor, and she needed to do all she could to get him on board. Hence, her provocative choice of clothes. She needed to make him interested, to catch his fancy so he would give in to her demands.

Crossing her legs in front of her, she watched her skirt ride up her thighs, exposing her supple flesh to him. She would tease him, seduce him, show him what he liked, get on his good side, and then attack him with her documents. After all, men were believed to think with their organs rather than their heads.

Bursting a bubble, making a loud pop sound, she leaned on the table and grabbed his beer. She was letting her cleavage linger on the tabletop, letting him get a good view of it, before straightening up to gulp down the entire glass of beer. She wiped the sides of her mouth with the back of her hand, looking at him seductively, she batted her eyelashes at him.

At this point, he was looking at her in astonishment.

"Why did you drink that? All at once?" he exclaimed.

She blinked, her lashes fluttering as she began to feel lightheaded "I hear men like a woman who can drink,"

She had never been a fan of alcohol, she loathed it even, but right now she needed all the confidence she had to pull this off. She just hoped she was not overplaying the part; she had never done this before. Everything in life had a first, this was her first time trying to use her feminine appeal to get what she wanted.

"Look here Miss-" he began.

"Look here Mister, I am all yours for tonight. There's a lot you stand to gain by accepting my offer, none of my other colleagues would tell you secrets that only I know of," she felt her speech begin to slur as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Why wouldn't I be? I feel great. So, tell me, do you like the atmosphere in this bar? The place seems rather noisy and too dark to have a serious conversation. I have better choices in mind," she suggested, feeling a throb in her head.

The man before her gave her a long silent look before a cynical smile turned up the corner of his lips.

"Indeed, what do you propose?" he asked, a dubious smile spreading across his lips.

Candice gave a satisfied nod, at least he was willing to change location. This bar didn't seem like the best place to discuss official matters, and she wondered who had picked the location. Was it him or Bernice?

"We should go somewhere else," she urged as her thoughts grew foggy.

"Where else?" he asked.

"Just anywhere private for us to discuss more personally," she explained as a second wave of dizziness washed over her.

She was already drunk, on just one glass of beer. Even though she rarely drank alcohol, surely only one glass couldn't get her to this point quickly.

The man before her was quiet and was watching her intently. Candice clutched her handbag close to her, she needed to stay focused if she was to succeed.

"Are you sure you won't regret this?" he finally asked.

"What's there to regret about?" she shrugged.

"Good," he said rising to his feet.

She stood up also, then wobbled on her feet "Whoa, that was one serious beer."

"Do you need some assistance walking?" he asked coming over to put a supporting hand on her back.

She felt large warm fingers spread along the expanse of her back, as her body began leaning into his embrace.

Lifting her head to gaze at him, this close to him, she saw him for the first time. His features were stunning.

He was six feet five inches tall, a great height difference over her petite frame of five feet four inches. His shoulders were broad and finely built with muscles bulging the fabric of his long black coat, black pants snuggled around strong legs, and was firmly tucked into black boots. His face was a sculptor's dream. Broad chin with high cheekbones, a flawless straight nose, full lips, and eyes the color of gold coins. A very gorgeous appearance, what was even more gorgeous was the long mane of black locks that fanned down his shoulders.

Up close, she did notice tiny white cowries that were interwoven with his dreadlocks, his skin was golden brown and looked like he was sun-kissed or lathered in alabaster oil. Overall, he had the features of someone from the Caribbeans.

Beautiful islands, clear coastal seas, blossoming flowers, and a lovely horizon.

Bernice was right, once you saw him, you would know.

She thought wistfully to herself as she felt darkness cloud her vision into oblivion.