i can do it all by myself., [vincent zanes]

OH I WAS OVERWHELMEDand, frankly, scared as hellNyx found herself completely exhausted, her mind nothing short of scrambled after a long few days. She woke up this morning and practically had to force herself out of bed. She knew at that point that it was going to be a long day.. so she decided work wasn't going to happen today, and that she'd spend her day doing a little shopping, trying to spend a little bit of time with friends, and whatever else she felt like. When she'd finally forced herself to get out of bed, she'd taken the dogs out, and decided to get dressed up, which is something she did rarely these days. She'd straightened to her hair, clipped in a few feather extensions, did her makeup, and tossed on some gladiator sandles, bright blue pants, and a black tanktop. Nothing too fancy, but enough to make her feel feminine at least. A heavy sigh parted her lips, frustration ebbing at her. She had so much on her mind, from Tanner, to her brother, to her apparent lack of friends, and everything in between. Walking down main street about noon, she watched the people all around her, completely oblivious to her existence, elation flowing from them as they chattered away with their friends and family. She missed that. She missed California. She lowered her head, staring at the ground as she walked, finding her way into a small italian restaurant. She approached the lady who seated people, smiling half-heartedly. "Just me today." She shifted her heavy leather purse on her arm uncomfortably, wondering how pathetic she looked by herself at a restaurant. A normal person would take their food and go, but she didn't want to be home today. She didn't want to even think about home right now.They sat her in a window seat, naturally, for all the world to see. She still said nothing, hoping maybe she would see somebody she knew walking past that would come in and join her. Unlikely, but not impossible. Her waiter came, and she ordered a glass of iced tea, a plate of mushroom risotto, and a side of shrimp. She knew the wait would be a long one: she'd been here before, and it was a very popular place, especially around lunch time. She'd slept all morning, gone shopping, and made her way here. Essentially a productive day. Digging through her bag, she pulled out a pony tail, and shoved her hair back again. No one to impress, anyway, she thought with a mental shrug. She also pulled out her iPod, popping one headphone into her ear, leaving the other open should someone decide to speak to her.Nyx bit her lip, trying to push away the thoughts that weighed her down for the day. She was tired of this gloomy feeling, because by nature she was a very positive person. She wasn't used to having a big black cloud weighing on her conscience. She clasped her hands together and placed them under her chin, her arms leveraged against the table. She watched the people in the restaurant with genuine curiosity, trying to see if she knew any of them. Not that she could see, but it was a large restaurant. She felt fidgety and awkward today, which were two very new sensations to her. She wasn't sure if it was a feeling because of something that was about to happen, or something that already had. She relaxed her arms again, setting them on her lap, and leaned her head back against the leather booth seat, the music pounding in her ear. At least she had her music. Otherwise she'd be insane from boredom already.TEMPLATE CODING BY GOLDEN ALBATROSS OF CAUTION

Day in and day out it was the same thing for Vince, but did he complain? Not even for a second. Sure he was stuck in Shittybury, Connecticut and not in New York, but he was happy. He liked, no oved, his job; even dealing with drunkards and people who were abusing his waitresses and dancers was something to look forward to each day. For Vinny, every day was an adventure at work. Well, at his day job anyway. His other job was pretty sedentary. The only exciting thing now was getting the money and scouting out new girls. His current sluts were by no means horrible. Babs was a little bit of an issue but the other girls managed to stay on top of things. Regardless of how successful they were, the girls were still making him more money than he ever made in the City, which is mostly why he wanted to get a few more girls on his side. The only thing was, it was much harder to find street performers and girls willing to throw their education away here for a ‘talent scout’ like Vince than it was in New York.

Lately Vinny had been working the night shift. As manager of Canterbury’s only strip club, the night shift was the most sensible. He could mingle with the most customers and hit on pretty ladies who walked in for a nice ladies night. He also got to sell cocaine under the table to the sketchiest of men. It also meant that he got days off. What more could he ask for? Normally Vince just slept or had some mono e mono time with his sluts, but not today. Today Vince was on a mission. He was on a mission to at least woo another girl into at least trying out for the strip club. He was going to creep the dance studio in town and the ones at Stratton for a lucky lady or two, probably take them to dinner – wine and dine them – then offer them an audition – part of it in the form of his bed.

Now, most of the girls at his club weren’t supposed to sleep with the clients, but who was he to deny business to eager girls? If they wanted to take a man or two into the private dance rooms and get nasty then so be it, but they had to pay up. They also couldn’t be bad in bed. That was why the sex ‘audition’ was a requirement. Eventually all the girls made it back there it seemed – at least the super pretty, young ones. If he were a customer there he certainly would take advantage of them. In fact, even as their manager he did. There was nothing in the company policy that stated he couldn’t fornicate with the dancers. He had made sure of that when they wrote it up.

It was around noon when he headed out. Freshly shaven in a pair of dark wash narrow jeans, a freshly pressed white button down, and a sports jacket, Vince headed out of his surprisingly modest apartment just off Main Street. Not even five minutes after he left, his stomach was grumbling; guess it was lunchtime. Luckily he hadn’t gone too far and his favourite place was just a step away. The little Italian place was bustling per usual. He smiled as the waitress sat him down at one of the two seat tables near the window. The other was already occupied by a pretty brunette casually listening to her music. Interested, he stood up with his menu and motioned for her to take her headphones out. “Mind if I sit? No pretty lady deserves to eat alone on such a nice day.”

OH I WAS OVERWHELMEDand, frankly, scared as hellNyx glanced up from her iPod toward the voice and removed the ear buds from her ears. The words made her lift an eyebrow in question, not really sure at first how to respond. She decided to play nice for the time being. "Feel free to join me. I'm Nyx." She offered, shrugging her shoulder as if to offer her name as a peaceful olive branch. He oozed egotistic vibes, or some very bad vibes in general. She wasn't really sure what to make of him. But for now, she'd just play nice and consider him a nice, interesting break from her otherwise shit day. She took a sip of her water, shoved her iPod into her purse, and glanced up at him again.He was interesting. He had a really nice face, probably a great body, but there was something very "off" about him. He'd picked probably the only girl in the whole restaurant who was by herself, which in and of itself was a warning alarm. He was either a really good guy, or a totally bad one. She had her money on the latter at this point. He seemed so confident, polished, and.. practiced. It set off alarms in her head. She wasn't worried for herself, though; she knew how to defend herself, and she highly doubted he'd do much more than try to pick up on her. Or maybe she was totally wrong and he wouldn't even do that. Nyx watched him intently, her eyes staring at him, calculating. She really just didn't know what to think."Can I ask you why you picked the only lonely girl in the whole restaurant to speak to? I'm not stupid.. either you're looking for something in particular, or you're just a really nice guy who shouldn't waste his time trying to talk to me. I'm not really worth the effort right now." She watched his face for a reaction, some kind of sign to show her she had been right. She was pretty good at reading people, but the total contradiction of Vincent's appearance and charm and the feelings she got when he looked at her were at war, and she was having issues. The feelings made her skin crawl. But his appearance was very sweet, genuinely caring. It was interesting.. just interesting.The waitress came back with her food, Nyx thanked her, and returned to her conversation with Vincent. She nibbled the food, suddenly not as hungry as she was before. She realized why his first words to her had bothered her, because she hated being immediately called out on her beauty. She wasn't just a pretty face. If she had been ugly, would he have come over and offered to sit with her ? Probably not. She watched him again, wondering at his angle. With his looks he probably wasn't single. Looking for a quick lay? Most likely. But at noon on a weekday? Seemed kind of out there. A friend? Didn't seem likely with his approach. So she waited and wondered, nibbling absentmindedly at her food. Maybe somebody she knew would come in and save her from this conversation."What's your name, anyway?" She questioned, cocking her head slightly to the right. Maybe she'd heard of him in passing and had just never been able to connect his face to a name.TEMPLATE CODING BY GOLDEN ALBATROSS OF CAUTION

Vince’s eyebrows casually shot up in amusement when she introduced herself as ‘Nyx’. With a name like that she had to be bluffing. Working for two strip clubs, the twenty-seven year old had met his fair share of strangely ‘named’ – named in quotes because really it was just their alias – women. As far as he was concerned the name Nyx was a stage name and nothing but. He knew the heritage of the name – he was Greek after all and had grown up in a largely Greek part of Brooklyn – and no sane adult would name their child after the word Night. It was sure to only bring bad luck for child to be named after someone supposedly so beautiful and obscure. Perhaps that was why she was here now – she wasn’t that beautiful, but not ugly by any sense of the word, and she was being thrust into the spotlight, running from obscurity, by being here in Canterbury.

“I will thanks,” he responded politely nodding his head. Seamlessly he slid into the booth seat across from her. As he grew accustomed to the new seating arrangement and was able to get a better look at his new lunch companion, Vince made note once again that she wasn’t overtly beautiful like some of the wannabe reality stars in this town pretended to be. She was, however, doable and with a little help from a stylist or two she could be walking the streets like a queen. That much he was certain of. However, he knew her guard was up for whatever reason. When a handsome fella like Vincent Zanes walks up to you in a restaurant you don’t be a frigid bitch to him especially if you want to go home with said handsome man.

The silence that descended between the two as Nyx sipped her water and Vince studied her studying him quickly became awkward. Vince didn’t do awkward. He did classy and refined, but bold and confident. He was about to start conversation when she quickly interrupted him before he could begin. Once again his eyebrows shot up, this time in surprise. A smart smile dangled carelessly on his lips as he waited for a chance to speak up again. It was amusing to hear her tell him what he was in her eyes. Frankly, he was both. “Are you finished,” he teased, placing his hands interlocked on the table between them. “You answered your own question though. I asked to sit with you because everyone else is with someone except for you,” he pointed to her, “and me,” he pointed to himself and smiled that winning smile of his. Although he did have some anterior motives, this was also the truth. What fun was there in dining alone?

“And for the record, I am a really nice guy,” he added just as the waitress came around with Nyx’s food. Before she left he ordered a pint of Stella Artois and his favourite pesto in Canterbury. He smiled and politely thanked her when the waitress quickly returned with his beer. He could feel his lunch guest’s eyes burning into him as he chatted briefly with the waitress. “You know it’s impolite to stare Nyx,” he said side-eyeing her. He turned once again to face her, taking a sip of his drink in the process.

“You have no reason to be afraid of me you know? I’m not going to hunt you down in the middle of the night and rape you.” He wasn’t that kind of guy. She may as well know this now. “I’m Vince, or Vinny if you like. So, Nyx, tell me. What do you do here?”

OH I WAS OVERWHELMEDand, frankly, scared as hellIt was odd to her, the feeling of apprehension she got around Vincent. On the outside he seemed very nice, handsome even, but he oozed overconfidence and a few other things she couldn't quite pinpoint. It was almost creepy. And the funny thing was that he had been nothing but civil, but something about the way he moved, operated, had her on edge. She shoved the thoughts to the back of her mind, focusing on her drink. She'd just have to suffer through it, anyway, because she'd invited him to sit with her like a dumbass. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and swirled the straw in her cup while she stared at it, biting her lower lip. His quiet assessment of her did nothing to assuage the feelings she had of him; she had a feeling he was looking for something, or someone, and it just didn't sit well.When he finished answering her question, his appearance was so smug that she could have slapped him. But his response was reasonable enough, his excuse enough to make her not question him again- for now. "I guess that makes sense." She offered, but without putting any real effort into the acceptance. She still didn't trust him, but she'd let it go. Maybe he really was a good guy, and her emotions were just going haywire today. It wouldn't be fair to be a bitch to him if he wasn't doing anything wrong, and so far she had nothing to go on but her gut. It was unfortunate for him that her gut was usually right. But today she'd make an exception. "I believe that you're a really nice guy, at least in public." She said the words with a mocking grin. "All guys are." Her gaze shifted to the waitress who brought out her food, sitting it on the table before her. Her mouth watered slightly at the sight, and she looked up at Vince again. "Eating when your tablemate doesn't have their food yet is also impolite, but I'm going to do it anyway." she replied to his taunting her for staring, not bothered by his words.Nyx grabbed her fork, dove into her risotto, and put it in her mouth, loving the taste of the food. She adored this restaurant, it would forever be one of her favorites. She continued to listen to him talk, laughing inwardly at his name. Vinny. How.. cliche. The suave, sophisticated exterior with a something-to-hide personality, it fit him perfectly. His words sobered her though. "Isn't it my right to choose my own feelings towards you? It's nothing you've said or done, I can't explain it any more than you can. But I'm rarely wrong about people, and you're not what I'm used to." She shrugged her shoulders, returning her attention to the plate of food before her. She stabbed a few mushrooms with her fork, lifting them to her mouth. "Anyway, I'm a dog trainer. Probably not what you're used to around here; I have no dreams of fame and fortune. I've already got the fortune." She said, not sure why she mentioned it. The fortune referred to her trust fund and her inheritance when her parents passed away. Life insurance took her quite far, she hadn't even touched her trust fund yet. "What about you? My guess is you're some kind of talent scout. You have that kind of... charm." She commented, watching him again while she chewed. He did, it wasn't a lie. He was very charming, very handsome- the kind of guy most girls would throw themselves at for a chance to work with him. But she wasn't most girls. Nyx had made that much abundantly clear, she was sure, by the way she'd treated him so far. Part of her felt horrible for it, unsure still if it was simply her mood or if she had a reason to dislike him. She'd figure it out eventually. But for now, she was willing to push her personal feelings aside and enjoy a good meal, and deal with the conversation as it came. It wouldn't hurt her to stare at his pretty face for a while, at least. She may not like him much so far, but she could appreciate a gorgeous face anyway. Thinking to herself, she began to wonder if he had any pets. Pets were usually the way she judged people; what kind of pets? If it was a dog, what kind of dog? If no pets, chances are they'd never get along, because she always had pets in and out of her life like a revolving door. She eyed him, his attire, and quirked a brow. "Do you have any pets, Vinny?" A simple question, one that would answer just about every question she had about him. She didn't pick up her fork again, but instead leaned back against the booth, waiting for his response. She couldn't quite figure him out. Charming and classy on the outside, confident, clearly he had money. But something about him irked her, gave her chills and made her want to run away screaming. It was the most peculiar feeling she'd had about a person since she'd come to Canterbury, and she wasn't really sure what to do with it.TEMPLATE CODING BY GOLDEN ALBATROSS OF CAUTION

To say this was Vincent’s first time introducing himself to a random girl sitting alone in a restaurant would be a lie. Although it wasn’t an every day occurrence, it happened often enough for him to be suave about it. Of course, it also helped that he was naturally that way, at least since all the trouble that happened in New York. To be a successful businessman one had to be polished with every move they made. Every move had to be calm and calculated. He avoided suspicion that way. Of course, Nyx’s reaction wasn’t completely out of the blue. He had had plenty of meals with less than welcoming girls, but in the end they always came to because the truth was, as sneaky and conniving as Vince was, he truly possessed gentlemanly qualities. He wasn’t a chauvinistic pig; he just knew what he wanted out of life and now he knew how to get it.

It was amusing though how much of a fight this Nyx was putting up. Someone had obviously wronged her in her life; daddy issues perhaps? Or maybe her brother had sexually assaulted her as a child hence her obvious issues in trusting men. No matter, Vince was up for the challenge. This was one egg that he was going to crack in due time; he just had to find her weak points first. He nodded and leaned back in the booth. “I thought it did too,” Vince agreed, patting his back in congratulations in his head. There was no question that could astound him and make him look like a fool! Vince raised his eyebrows at her next comment. “I beg to differ. I’ve known plenty of scumbags who weren’t so nice in public. Then again, they didn’t really venture out much because of how repulsive they were,” he chuckled, making light of the conversation.

Of course Nyx had a point: Vince was nice in public. Where she had him wrong though was that he was also fairly pleasant behind closed doors. Sure he had his moments of ugly, but that came with his profession. He had to be rough with his girls when they tried to short-change him; he had to show them who the boss was. Some of the girls got off on his assertiveness which made being less than kind much, much easier. They also understood that it was business; a normal girl like this Nyx wouldn’t understand that. If she saw some of the acts he had committed she would think he was a disgusting monster who lacked morals. Vince was far from that though.

When her food arrived and Nyx began to dig in so nonchalantly, Vince just smirked. “By all means, I crashed your party for one. You have every right to enjoy your lunch even if I have to wait. Hope it’s as delicious as it looks,” he consented, motioning his hand at her plate. Of course it would be. This restaurant was always delicious. In the past five years, Vincent had never had a terrible dish while eating here. In fact, he really hoped his food would arrive soon so he could also enjoy instead of envy. Her frosty reply though, snapped the smile off his face. “If I’ve done or said nothing to offend you then how in the world can you be creeped out by me? No offence, but I’m assuming you’re new and if you judge everyone off a gut feeling you’re not going to meet anyone here worth your while. And,” he added after taking a sip of his beer. “shouldn’t you be happy to experience something different in this place?” He mimicked her shrug before taking another gulp of beer.

Vince nodded along as she answered his last question. He was surprised, needless to say, that ‘dog walker’ was still an actual profession that people made a living off of. He was even more surprised when she openly admitted that she had some sort of ‘fortune’. Most sensible people hid that fact to throw people – con artists and gold diggers in particular – off. Only celebrities and gauche, nouveau riche flaunted their wealth. Apparently Nyx hadn’t received that memo. “So if you have the wealth, why work at all? Especially out here in Canterbury, Connecticut of all places?” Vince was taken aback for a second time when she assumed that he was a talent scout. Guess his act was incredible; if he didn’t like his job here so much, he’d almost consider heading out to Los Angeles and perusing a film career there! He nodded again, “I didn’t know us talent scouts had such an air about us, such ‘charm’. Good to know.” He gave a short laugh just as his food arrived. Vince thanked the waitress and raised his glass to Nyx. “Cheers to new friends.”

After clinking his glass on hers, he dug in to his pesto. As always, it did not disappoint. Nyx asked him another question and Vince swallowed. After briefly patting the cloth napkin against his mouth he answered. “Sadly I don’t. My dog was put down a few years ago and I just haven’t had the heart to get a new one.” His answer was half true: the family dog had passed away and no he hadn’t replaced it, but that was because he was far too busy not because he couldn’t. “Probably a silly question considering your profession, but do you have any pets?”

---

oh god you so don't have to match!

OH I WAS OVERWHELMEDand, frankly, scared as hellThe fact was that Nyx just didn’t trust easily. She had no reason for her mistrust in Vince, other than a gut feeling she was certain was correct. His body language said all she needed to know, but she would play nice with him. For now. Until she could finish her meal and disappear into the sunset, and hope she never ran into him again. She listened to him speak, the corner of her mouth smirking at his first comment. “…I’ve known plenty of scumbags who weren’t so nice in public…” She couldn’t help but smile at that, her first genuine smile of the whole conversation. “So now you admit to me that you converse with scumbags. I have to say, you’re not winning any points in your favor, Vinny.” She swirled her fork around the plate, grabbing bits of rice and mushroom. “Thank you for that.” she said, in response to him giving her permission to eat. How funny.At his next words, she grinned up at him as he showed some form of emotion. He was angry, or at least somehow felt slighted. Some emotion was better than his irritating charm. She still wasn’t a fan, but she could deal with this Vincent. “I didn’t say I was creeped out. You said that yourself. And you’re right, it’s wrong of me to judge you based on a gut feeling. I’ll give you that much.” and she left it at that, filling her mouth with more risotto. She felt like playing with him a bit, because he seemed so desperate to get her to like him. Maybe desperate was the wrong word.. Perhaps determined was a better fit. She just wasn’t buying it, but she’d placate him. “You know, I work because I like it. Because it keeps me sane, happy.. Normal. At least as normal as I can be. It’s not even really a job, because I love animals. I get to work hours that suit me, I can take my dogs to work with me, and I just have fun doing it..” She trailed off, not sure what else to add. It was the truth. She had the means to do whatever she wanted in life. She could start her own vet hospital, she could do any number of things with pets she wanted to. She could probably buy a professional baseball team if she really wanted. But she wouldn’t, for many reasons. She was comfortable. She had always had money, though the money was in her parents’ names before. She was never raised a spoiled child, nor was her brother Oz. They were very down-to-earth kids, never had tantrums to get what they wanted, or cried when they didn’t get their way. Their parents had raised them to be respectful, contributing members of society. Though they had wanted for nothing, they had still had to work to get what they had in some way or another.. Through chores, or through small jobs. Her parent’s death had hurt her deeply, but the one thing she had never worried about was money. Even if she got nothing, she knew eventually life would work itself out. It always did. Dog training may not be overly profitable, but she would have survived.Pulling herself together, Nyx returned her eyes to Vincent, almost unaware that her thoughts had traveled. She’d nearly missed his question, and the clinking of their glasses. “I do, actually. I’ve got a Doberman pinscher named Monster, appropriately named.” She hadn’t bothered to tell anybody that Monster was schutzhund trained, which meant she was trained in bite work.. Protection trained. It didn’t seem necessary, because if she needed to use it, the people deserved to find out suddenly. She took another bite of her food, trying to decide if she was any closer to liking Vince yet. She watched him warily, decided that she wasn’t there yet, and took another bite. He wasn’t terrible. He was a good person to chat with over food, and could probably challenge her intelligently as far as conversation went. That, at least was worth something. She liked to debate, and she felt that Vincent was at least good at witty repartee, perhaps a little light banter. Nyx was always sarcastic, definitely not the easiest to get along with.Most of the time, anyway. Sometimes she just naturally gravitated to people, and it was meant to be. But other times, like now, it just didn’t work out like either party expected. She crossed her arms over her chest, unintentionally pushing her breasts higher and making them more prominent. “I’m really sorry to hear you lost your dog. I kind of suspected you didn’t have a pet.. You seem like that kind of guy. No attachments. Makes life easier that way. Not that I’m judging, I agree, not having pets makes life easier. But I’ve always liked a challenge.” Also the truth. She always picked breeds of dogs that were harder to train. She always fell for guys she shouldn’t like. She always befriended the most unlikely people. It was a constant theme in her life, to leap at challenges and face them head on. The thought brought a small smile to her face as she fiddled with the napkin on the table in front of her absently. “Now, personal feelings aside, I’m just going to enjoy this lunch and have a nice conversation with a hot guy on this otherwise very boring day. I can’t promise anything beyond this meal, but I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.” She spoke by way of peace offering.She wasn’t afraid to mention his good looks to his face. He worked those good looks in his favor, and she knew it. If he truly was a talent scout, which had been a total shot in the dark on her part, he knew it as well as she did. She wasn’t going to say anything about his personality, however. She raised her cup, pressed the cool glass to her lips, and drank. It was nice to have come company while she ate, she would also admit that. But not to him - no reason to encourage Vincent any more than she already had by complimenting his looks. “So what is a talent scout doing in Canterbury, anyway? You find it interesting that I have money and choose to remain here. Well, I find it equally puzzling that a talent scout would waste time on small-town individuals when clearly there’s more money to be made in bigger cities.” She spoke the words cooly, trying to continue the conversation as best she could, not willing the conversation to lull. If it got awkward again, she would just want to leave.TEMPLATE CODING BY GOLDEN ALBATROSS OF CAUTION

Vince was impressed with himself when he finally managed a sincere smile out of this girl. Normally when he ate lunch the ladies he picked weren’t nearly as challenging as Nyx had been thus far, so getting a legitimate reaction from her was a sign of progress. It was small progress mind you, but small was better than none in his books. Besides, a challenge was something different than what he was used to; as long as it was worth it in the end Vince would be all right with putting in the fight. Even if it ended up not being worth it, well, Vince had his little sluts for that. They would make it all better if his afternoon ended in disappointment. Vince smirked and rolled his eyes at her comment. “I’ve had my run-ins with scumbags, but who hasn’t? If you can tell me with a straight face that you’ve never ever once talked to some one who wasn’t even the slightest bit scummy, I’ll buy you a drink and give you a high-five or something,” he bargained, grinning. He had already planned on buying her lunch, but that wasn’t something Nyx needed to know. “And you’re welcome.”

The truth was, Vince kind of hurt that she was barely giving him a chance. Despite the business he was in and the trouble he had gotten into in the past, he was a genuinely nice guy. He lied and cheated, but his intentions were always good – for him anyways. Vince had skewed morals to say the least. It seemed though, that his frustration with her had fixed something small within her. Although it wasn’t an outright apology, he would accept it as such despite the nonchalant style of her statement. Vince nodded his head once, “I’m glad to see you’re not completely stubborn,” he semi-joked, tipping his glass towards her slightly.

At least as normal as I can be. What did that mean? Officially, Vincent Zanes’ interest was caught. He eyed her curiously until she finished explaining why she chose to work. In many ways, he felt the same. Working for him wasn’t really working; the only time it was actual work was when he had to deal with the detectives checking in on the club, which thankfully wasn’t often. “As normal as you can be,” he questioned when she trailed off. He couldn’t think of a single reason as to why she would say that unless she was some foreign princess hiding out in America. Her appearance – dark hair, olive skin, near flawless skin – supported this suspicion. If his guess turned out to be right, Vince knew he’d be working overtime to get this one on his side. He certainly was not above corrupting royalty.

“Appropriately named? Why’s that, if you don’t mind me asking,” he asked. Vince wasn’t really all that curious about why Nyx’s dog was named Monster, or even that she had a dog period; he was just making conversation. Pets didn’t matter when you weren’t planning on making anything out of this meeting except perhaps a quickie back at his place. Of course, Vince didn’t mind that she had a dog – it showed she at least cared about something if not boys and getting laid every so often. Plus, he rather liked dogs when they didn’t shed all over his expensive suits. As far as Vince knew, Dobermans didn’t shed. If something happened and they wound up at Nyx’s place, then his suit would be fine – or so he hoped.

Although it was true that not having a pet was easier, Vince was slightly offended by her accusations. This girl didn’t know the first thing about him or what he actually did. “No offence Nyx, but you have no idea what you’re talking about,” he started, taking a bite of his food. “I don’t have a pet because I dislike attachment; I don’t have one because I can’t replace Axel. If anything it’s because my attachment to my first dog is still so strong. You say you’re not judging, but making these assumptions are very much a judgement of my character.” His voice remained steady and matter-of-fact. “Good try though,” he added with that charming smirk of his, pointing his fork at her briefly before digging back into his food, enjoying every bite he took before Nyx made another surprising comment.

For someone who was so antsy around him, she was turning around and calling him hot. While Vin appreciated the sentiment, he couldn’t help but be slightly confused and astounded by her sudden personality change. Perhaps having lunch with a apparent crazy person wasn’t going to turn out the way he wanted it to. Nonetheless, he didn’t say anything about her compliment. “Well I’m glad that I could bring some excitement to your otherwise dull day. And I’m not asking for promises,” he responded, “Let’s just see where this goes and take it from there.”

Vince chuckled lightly at her next question. This is the area of conversation he was good at. He had built his story up so tightly and perfectly over the past five years that there were no holes. “The fact of the matter is there is a lot of talent out there in the world. Sure some of those people have the means of making it to a big city. That’s where I come in,” he paused to take another drink. “I grew up here after my dad died so I recognized that there was some serious talent here early on. When I had the opportunity to go scout out some new talent outside of New York, I jumped at the chance. Been here since recruiting talented people.” Vince gave a shrug and shovelled another bite of food into his mouth. His story was flawless.