Marcus Horton sat in his living room, stunned. It had been an hour since Chloe McNamee had called him with the news.
He didn't want to call her back. He wasn't sure what to say.
His mind flashed back to that night at the Mirage. He was drawn to her, her skin flashing vividly pale in the middle of the dark club. She had long straight red hair, bright green eyes, a dusting of freckles and a sweet smile. She wore a tight little black dress that made her cleavage and curves extra sexy.
He had to ask her to dance. He just had to. He was filled with an unusual confidence, his body pumped with so much energy.
"Hi," he said, barely audible over the noise of the club.
"Hi there!" she replied in a noticeable accent.
"You wanna dance?"
"Absolutely. What the fuck you think I'm here for?"
Marcus smiled. "You're right."
He loved how she moved; she had the style and the moves of the sisters he knew back in West Philly. As he watched her dance, he became more aroused, thinking about what it would be like to have her naked in his bedroom.
"Hey, can I ask you a question?"
"No!" she smiled.
"Sorry."
"Go ahead. You can ask me anything."
"I love your accent. Where are you from?"
"I'm an Aussie. I'm from Brisbane."
"Oh, cool."
"I've been in the States for about a year."
"I see. What do you do?"
"I work with my sister-she opened a restaurant in Manhattan about a year ago."
"Really? What's it called?"
"Emma's on Fifth Avenue."
"I should check it out."
"You should. The food's really good."
"Thanks for the recommendation."
Chloe smiled. "So what do you do?"
"I work for ICN, the cable channel. I'm an associate producer."
"Oh, sounds cool."