I'd always figured I was decent-looking. Maybe not movie-star material, but you didn't get to the top of the hosting game with a forgettable face.
And now this woman, this beautiful woman, was looking me dead in the eye and telling me I was nothing.
I couldn't swallow that.
But the second I opened my mouth, she cut me off with a question that shifted the entire conversation.
"What exactly did my husband send you to do?"
I was already running hot. The words came out before I could filter them.
"Make you fall in love with me. And sleep with me."
She didn't look surprised. She picked up her coffee, took a slow, delicate sip, and said nothing.
"Are you really that desperate for money?"
"Yes."
"How desperate?"
I locked my eyes on hers and spoke slowly, each word deliberate.
"Desperate enough to come here knowing I'd be wrecking someone's marriage."
The woman broke into a wide grin, genuinely amused.
"I didn't expect you to be so honest."
At that moment, I felt like a complete fool. I knew she was toying with me, humiliating me on purpose, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.
"The deposit. I'll find a way to return it to your husband."
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."