Chapter 5: Another Side To Colton

"No thanks. I'll return to Las Vegas when Davion comes home," said Victoria, refusing to give in. She knew how twisted guys like him were. Well! She wasn't the innocent girl he thought her to be! He might have manipulated her into his car and home but that was as far as she would go with him.

"Oh, that's bad. I could give you a tour of Reno and beyond, you know!" He pointed out with a smirk that made her roll her eyes at him. Why did he always have to throw in se*ual innuendos in every sentence of his?

"Was this the important discussion that you wanted to have with me?" she asked sarcastically. Colton smirked and nodded. Victoria rolled her eyes at him again. This guy was too shameless and arrogant.

"Then I'm going," she said but Colton grabbed her hand as always.

"What's the hurry? Have dinner with me before going," he asked her. Victoria gave him a surprised look. Was he asking, pleading, or ordering her? It was so difficult to understand him.

"How is it that you're free tonight? Don't you have any other plans?" asked Victoria, sarcastically while Colton blinked and gazed at her for a moment.

"No, I don't go out every night. Only when I'm too lonely," he shrugged. His answer made Victoria soften a little towards him. Maybe he was really lonely. Then why didn't he live with his family?

"You could live with your family if you're that lonely, " she suggested, walking towards the huge floor-to-ceiling windows with breathtaking views of the park opposite at night, lit up with scattered lights here and there like glittering jewels. Colton clenched his jaws together and walked towards the kitchen. Victoria found his reaction weird and followed him there. She stood beside him watching him pick up some bell pepper, shallots and carrots and chop them. Was he making dinner wearing his expensive suit? This was really a side to Colton she never knew existed. His face looked solemn as if he was mentally far away, lost in his thoughts. Victoria didn't disturb him and took another knife, starting to chop the vegetables to help him. They worked silently. Although Victoria wanted to talk, she didn't know how to start a conversation with him when he was in such a weird mood.

"I don't have anyone," he said in a low whisper. Victoria's heart sank hearing his words. "My mom died three months ago," he said, turning to look at her. Victoria held his gaze, she could see the pain in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Colton. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't know," she told him. Colton nodded and walked toward the refrigerator to take out the chicken breasts.

"Are you up for creamy tomato chicken?" He asked, lifting a brow. Victoria gaped at him. He didn't look the type who could cook that!

"Are you dumbstruck or what?" he chuckled.

"Who wouldn't be? I've never seen a guy cook wearing a suit," she pointed out with an eye roll. Colton laughed, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Then what would you prefer me in? Maybe my birthday suit? The one I was born with?" he wiggled his eyebrows at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement. Victoria glared at him with horror, wondering how he managed a business empire if he didn't have a filter to his mouth. How could he say it even in front of a stranger?

"Carry on in this suit. I'm only concerned with the results, " shrugged Victoria casually, not willing to show that his dirty talk was affecting her, making sinful thoughts invade her mind. Colton grinned but unbuttoned his suit to her complete horror and she looked at the door to make a dash for it.

"What are you doing, Colton?" she asked him, eyeing him suspiciously, ready to flee the kitchen if he started stripping. He laughed at her instead of answering her and threw the suit onto the arm of a nearby chair. His hand went to his tie.

"Can you help me, please?" he asked her, lifting an eyebrow to look at her. Victoria was immediately alarmed.

"Good heavens, no!" she said with wide eyes but Colton laughed more. "What's so funny? I think I said that I'm fine with you cooking in that suit. I don't need a strip show!" she stated with an eye roll.

"Don't get your hopes up, lady. I'm not stripping to my birthday suit. I'm just getting rid of this tie, that's all," he pointed out, taking off the tie. Victoria's cheeks flamed with embarrassment and she rolled her eyes at him, trying to concentrate on her work. Why did she always have to let her imagination run? Colton rolled his sleeves and got down to prepare dinner. Victoria was too stunned to react. He seemed to be so at home in the kitchen like an expert master chef at work. She herself wasn't much of a cook, making food only due to necessity. At home, she helped Sofia make dinner but given a choice she would rather eat milk and cornflakes and go off to bed. Who would take so much effort?

The dish came out extremely mouthwatering and Victoria tasted it straight from the pan. Colton chuckled at her antics and went on to prepare garlic breadsticks and angel hair pasta to go with it. "Do you always cook such dishes?" asked Victoria with wide eyes seeing the lavish meal spread out on the table.

"Nope, a special dinner for a special lady," said Colton with a small bow.

"Such a cliché line! Do you say that to each and every woman you have dinner with? Or are you trying to woo me to win the challenge?" she asked and Colton clutched at his heart with a wide grin on his face, knowing the last question was partially true. He was trying to woo her over but not for any challenge, for his own sinful pleasure.

"Why do you have such a low opinion of me, Victoria?" he asked with a wink.

"Isn't it true?" asked Victoria but strangely Colton shook his head.

"I don't cook for those who satisfy my needs. I just pay them," he said, his eyes probing into hers, not answering the last question. Victoria didn't say a word more. Colton had also produced a red rose in a vase from God only knew where!

"Shall we start?" he asked, holding out a chair for her. Victoria was suspicious as to why he was going out of his way to be the perfect gentleman for her when in reality he was a devil in disguise. What could he possibly want from her? She thanked him and sat down to eat.

"So, how's it?" he asked her after they'd served themselves and had started eating.

"Mmmm, good. I'm impressed," she said, honestly. She herself couldn't have cooked all this delicious food in so less time.

"Stick with me and you'll be more impressed, " he said with a smirk.

"No thanks. Don't get your hopes up, mister. Whatever you do, I'd never be spending time with you after this. I'm out of Reno for good," said Victoria. Colton chuckled, knowing he never lost a challenge.

"You wanna bet? There'll come a day when you'll be begging me to spend time with you," said Colton. Victoria snorted rolling her eyes at him. As if that could ever happen. He didn't know that Victoria Blakesley never begged anyone for anything!

"You're really despicable," she said, shaking her head.

"Are you avoiding the topic of the bet? If you're so confident, then let's have a bet. In the next few months, we'll try our level best to impress one another. Whoever falls in love first is the loser and the punishment will be to fulfill one wish of the winner. Agreed?" asked Colton, his eyes dancing with excitement.

"Are we, what? Pre-teens? I won't go into that," said Victoria with apprehension.

"Scared, are you?" asked Colton, his eyes blazing with fire, challenging her to prod further. Victoria was stunned by the intensity of the blazing inferno in his eyes. There was a magnetic pull in him that was attracting her to jump into that blazing fire and she did.

"Scared of what?" she scoffed, trying to sound casual although she was far from feeling that.

"Scared that you might fall in love with me?" he said in a menacingly low tone. A tremor went down her body listening to his threat. Falling in love with Colton Glenn was nothing short of a threat for an ordinary girl like her. It was too dangerous and she would never go down that path.

"Not at all. So sure of yourself? I can give it in writing that you're the one who'll fall for me first," she said in a tone that matched his while he raised an eyebrow at her with disbelief.

"We shall see about that. So have a bet with me and prove me wrong," he continued relentlessly.

"Fine, done. I'm ready," she said with a toss of her hair, rising to the bait. She was certain that whatever Colton did, she would never fall for him. She hated men like him. "How long will we continue with this?" she asked him curiously.

"As long as it takes. Till one of us accepts defeat or falls in love with the other," said Colton, his eyes blazing with that same strange fire.

"This is crazy, Colton. I have no idea why I'm agreeing in the first place. We will have this bet until either of us gets married since I'll never fall for you," muttered Victoria.

"You won't marry anyone but me. I'll make you fall for me if you haven't already!" muttered Colton, feeling a little upset to hear her talk of marrying someone else.

"You can't force me, Colton. Anyway, I don't think this is a good idea at all," she said with a groan.

"So are you giving up without even trying? I never thought you were such a coward," said Colton with a laugh. Victoria gave him a look filled with hatred.

"I'm not a coward. Mind your tongue, " she threatened.

"I can't mind my tongue. It wants to taste you now," he said with eyes glittering with mischief. Victoria got up with her plate and walked into the kitchen, purposely ignoring his remark. He followed her there.

"Don't act like you haven't heard me," he said with a smirk.

"Why won't I hear it? I'm not deaf. It entered from this ear and went out through the other. I'm immune to such talks," she said, rinsing the dishes.

"Why? Are you not straight?" he chuckled. Victoria felt pissed off by his attempts to get her to react.

"Of course I am," she said, rinsing the last plate. "Thank you for the dinner. I really should be going," she said, rushing towards the door.

"You can't run away from me, Victoria. I never lose a bet," he called out threateningly. Victoria didn't wait to hear more. She opened the door and ran out with her heart beating wildly in her chest. 'What have you gotten yourself into Vicky?' She chided herself, all the way to Sofia's house oblivious to the fact that someone was watching her go with a pair of binoculars stuck to his eyes. The bet wasn't enough to satisfy him. He wanted more. He wanted to force her to surrender to him. When all the women in the world were after him, how could she be immune to him?