He smiled and took his time going through his wallet so he could check me out a little longer. Voices brought my attention over my shoulder, and my heart quickened at the sight of Alfred pointing in my direction with an overgrown man in a dark suit by his side. Mr. Brown slipped a fifty to me. I snatched it up. “Pd say thanks, but you really inconvenienced me today.” “Whatever, babe.” A mountain of a man was headed my way with irritation in his eyes. I probably had ruined his lunch. So I did what any sane woman would do. I ran. Pushing a black curtain out of the way, I scrambled to find a way out of this place. Multiple doors lined the hall on either side, but no red exit sign beckoned me to safety. “I swear to God, when I catch you .. .” the bouncer muttered from not far behind me. It felt like I was a preteen again running from the police with a pilfered can of baby formula in my hoodie. The only options had been stealing or listening to hungry cries while my foster parents of the month were out on a binge. Where was the freaking exit? This Wonderland was no longer sparkly, but a nightmare of red doors and black curtains. The sounds of the bouncer’s steps were closing in, and the idea of being caught in his oversized paws grabbed ahold of my chest. I opened the nearest door and shut it with a quiet click. I kept my hand on the knob, listening to my heavy breaths and the bouncer’s footsteps pass in the hall. “I said I wasn’t interested in entertainment tonight.” The cold and distant voice prickled my back. Exhaling, I spun around to see I stood in a private room furnished with a silver pole, a bar, red velvet chairs, and a couch where a suit jacket had been discarded. A man sat at the booth in the corner. His forearms rested on the table while he studied the paperwork strewn in front of him. A white dress shirt molded his torso like a second skin, the fabric pulled taut at his biceps. The lighting was dim, but by the way the shadows caressed his face, it was clear he was undeniably handsome.