Masked Encounters (Intoxicating Passion #1) by Felicia Tatum Read Free Book Online

Chapter One- Korah Daniels
          He
slurped his drink entirely too loudly, making me want to rip the glass from his hands and throw the ice cold Coke in his face. I
didn’t, of course, but I imagined. A few times, actually. The liquid spraying
as it impacted his small, weasel-like expression. His eyes bulging as he
realized what happened. Yeah…I’d thought about it. Tonight was the worst date
of my life. I glanced at the clock, once again, hopeful enough time had passed
for it to be acceptable to leave.
          This
is why I hated being set up on blind-dates, especially from the neighboring
frat house. I got creepy men who obviously never spoke to a girl before, or
slimy losers who saw me as another lay. It got old. My friend, Leela , insisted on setting me up, and who could resist her
adorable pout? Not me, obviously. So here I sat, poking the food around on my
plate, head sunk in hand not caring it squished my cheek in an unflattering
manner, while this weirdo droned on and on about who knows what. I quit
listening at least fifteen minutes ago.
    The sudden silence from Mr. Talker caught my
attention, only to be skewered by his eager eyes. “I’m sorry, what?” I asked,
hoping I sounded as bored as I was.   In
all honesty, I didn’t even remember his name. John?   Josh? Or maybe it was Jacob. It was a J name.
I think.
    He leaned closer, giving my slight cleavage a
hungry gaze. “I said, The way you look in that dress makes me want to
do things to you only Prince would sing about ,” he repeated, in what I
supposed was his seductive voice. It sounded more like a snake hissing, or a
balloon deflating…as I hoped his ego would be doing soon.
    The urge to vomit was fairly strong at this
point. I pushed my plate away, took a pointed look at the clock, and pulled my
purse from the chair back. “Thank you, for that, I think. It’s time for me to
go. I have a bedtime, you know. I assume you’ll be paying?” I asked
rhetorically, not really interested in his answer. I stood, straightened my
dress, and sauntered out. The weight of his beady eyes followed me, no doubt
imagining my body beneath his, but I didn’t care. Perverse fantasy would be as
far as he ever got with me.
    ###
    Slipping quietly into the apartment I shared
with Leela and Windi , I
slid my shoes off hoping they wouldn’t hear me enter. I turned the knob,
closing the door silently, before tiptoeing across the living area to my
bedroom. I was almost there, seconds from being free of interrogation, when I
heard my name.
    “ Korah !” Leela exclaimed
sharply. She reminded me of a stern school teacher in 1950.
    I turned, seeing her with hands on hips,
staring me down. Her long blond locks fell in curls around her shoulders, while
deep blue eyes quietly assessed me. She was in her last year, while I was only
in my second, so she embraced the big sister role with fervor. Holding my hair
while I threw up, helping me treat hangovers, giving me boy advice, etc. I
loved her immensely, but the jerk she set me up with tonight was not her best
choice. Judging from her stance and, blazing eyes, she’d already heard how I
left. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first bad blind-date I’d gone on, and they
always seemed to call her before I got home. It was pathetically annoying how
immature some boys were.
    “Well?” she challenged.
    I shrugged, smiling at her. “Well?” I mocked
back.
    “You just left him there! He was so embarrassed.
Poor, Zane,” she sympathized, trying to guilt me.
    Zane… that was it. I was all kinds of wrong about his name.
“Yeah…he said something that made me uncomfortable. So, I left.” Shifting my
weight to the right, I bent my left leg up to lightly scratch the back of my
calf. Finally starting to unwind from my difficult evening, I folded my arm
across my chest, standing with my purse dangling from my hand.
    “ Korah …I just want
you to be happy. Ever since Christopher…” she started, her expression torn and