Coral loved finding her victim for the night.

When she was out clubbing, she would watch for him: the swanky, handsome, seemingly perfect rich guy. They usually had a very particular drink in hand, thinking it would make them look sophisticated, and they would hit on the attractive women around them. They knew what they were doing, or at least they thought they did. That’s what made them so gullible.

This was the first time Coral was going to go through with her plan—a plan she’d imagined so many times in her head. She had to keep reminding herself that whatever guy she chose tonight deserved what was coming to him.

The man across the bar was the perfect victim. He was tall and handsome, with a fitted, bold blue sports jacket that matched his startling blue eyes, which looked at all the ladies throughout the room. He had a strange suaveness about him, like he expected to always have a beautiful woman on his arm and own a sports car that cost more than some people make over a lifetime. A flash of his wrist showed that he had expensive tastes in watches.

Oh, yeah.

Coral had found her man. He had everything she was looking for. She judged him from across the room, trying to determine what kind of drink he was into. All men seemed to have a favorite drink. It was always fun trying to guess what, exactly, it was. It wasn’t like buying the correct first drink was everything, but Coral was convinced that it was important to get a good head start.

She made a decision on the drink: a Manhattan. She ordered two. Her victim looked like the kind of man who dined on top-shelf alcohol, so it was good that Coral knew a thing or two about whiskey.

The club was the picture of elitism and sexism. Expensive? Oh, definitely. You could go in there and drop a thousand dollars without even trying. It was an exclusive club, one of the dozens that Coral had wiggled her way into with only her looks. Tonight would be different, though—she wasn’t going to chicken out.

The servers, who were all gorgeous women, were the only thing Coral hated about the club. They walked around in short skirts and shirts that covered no more than a swimsuit. Of course, the women looked great, she wasn’t jealous of them; it just meant she had more competition.

The bartender brought Coral her two drinks. Time to prepare for her advance. She wore her battle suit: a sexy dress that showed off her breathtaking body. It was green, a bold statement piece that matched her eyes. She wasn’t a big fan of heels but guys loved them for some reason, so she wore four-inch stilettos. She looked down to check out her chest and shifted her dress around to make her breasts even more voluptuous, and then she brushed her blonde hair out of her face with just one playful curl around her eye. She grabbed the drinks.

Time to get rich.

She moved in a direct line to the stranger. Ugh. He was probably the most classic example of a womanizer Coral had ever seen. A hot brunette server walked past him. He turned to look at her as she did, as if he had considered slapping her ass before thinking better of it. People like that drove Coral absolutely nuts. Her slender fingers tightened around one of her drinks. She forced a smile on her lips. She had to play it right.

The stranger wasn’t looking at her when she walked up, so she bopped her hip against his to get his attention. “Hey, stranger.”

He turned to her. For a moment, he had fire in his eyes. Then he saw that the person who had hit him was not only a woman, but a knockout woman, and the corners of his mouth turned up in an easy smile. “Hey,” he said, his voice suave and confident.

“I bought you a drink,” Coral said while batting her lashes.

She thought about saying something such as, Oops! I got too many drinks and now I’m looking or someone who’ll help me. But it sounded too stupid, and besides, she thought a direct approach would be better.

“Interested?”

The man eyed one of the drinks she was carrying. “What is it?”

“A Manhattan,” she answered.

He gave her a funny look before nodding in admiration. “Good guess.”

“I’m Tara,” Coral said. She had always liked that name.

She handed the man his drink, making absolutely sure that her fingers slid against his knuckles. Rule one of flirting: make physical contact. It’s a big deal. In case he was an idiot and didn’t realize the drink was a sign of her being interested, the contact drove it home.

“Kai,” he said in return.

The way he noticed the contact, and yet coolly played it off, was impressive. She was looking at a pro.

“Pretty name,” she said, and she meant it.

Coral engaged in small talk, but she had a feeling that she wasn’t dealing with the typical womanizer. He was smooth—too smooth.

Maybe he’s going to try to rip me off, she thought.

Her guard was up. When he thought she wasn’t looking, she saw Kai check out her body from head to toe. He made skin-to-skin contact at least five times, but played it off as an accident or part of their natural interactions.

He’s faking a genuine interest in me! He must know that I know he only wants to sleep with me.

Although she still planned on stealing his wallet and that expensive watch, she felt a touch of admiration for him. Well, admiration wasn’t the exact feeling. She was impressed, while simultaneously disgusted, with the fact that he was such a pro.

Even though she had never trusted men, Kai’s charm still made her genuinely laugh. He was funny and witty. The conversation flowed naturally. When she had tried to pull off stealing from these types of arrogant men before, she instigated the conversation and then listened through thirty minutes of them bragging about themselves and how big they were below the belt through poorly articulated allusions that were supposed to be funny, but ended up being simply crude and unappealing.

The handsome stranger kept flipping the conversation back on her as though he was hanging onto every word she said. Even though she suspected it was a scam, it was a pleasant surprise.

Soon enough, Coral was ready to drop the mic. Time for the ego booster.

“So,” she said, “a man like you has to be pretty important, right?”

She purred that last part, like the idea of wealth and power turned her on for some reason. Contrary to what most people thought, she didn’t care about money. When she found the man who was perfect for her, the last thing she’d care about was the health of his net worth. She’d met plenty of rich men, and one thing she knew was that money didn’t make the man. Instead, she’d care about his hopes and dreams, and whether or not their values aligned. Hopefully, she wouldn’t still be stealing when she met the perfect man, because that was definitely out of alignment with her values. But, a girl had to do what she must to survive.

Coral didn’t believe she was a bad person. She felt that the type of men she preyed on deserved it. Oftentimes, they were out cheating on their wives or were used to taking advantage of people. She saw her actions as a way to give them a taste of their own medicine. She knew these types of men too well. Of course, this was going to be the first time she was actually going to steal from someone. She had planned to do it so many times before, but she always felt too guilty, and ended up sneaking out of the nightclub to go home.

Coral’s father had left her family when she was just an infant. As a single mom, Coral’s mother tried to get a job and pay the bills, but then she couldn’t afford daycare for Coral. Eventually, her mother resorted to prostitution. Coral watched the men leave every night, and it disgusted her. As a young child, she began to harbor a bit of resentment towards men. Not all of them, of course. But most. She had learned what to look for in her victims from watching the rich men who paid for her mother’s services. She decided her only victims would be the type of men that used those who were desperate and then left them after they’d had their fun.

Coral’s mother had died when she was sixteen, and ever since, she’d had to fend for herself. Stealing was a last resort and her only way out of her current situation. Even though she justified her actions by telling herself that this man deserved it, deep down, she harbored a great amount of guilt.

At no point in her life did she aspire to be in the position she was in, struggling just to get through the day. After her mother died, her foster parents were abusive, and she was kicked out the day the government checks stopped coming, after she became a legal adult. Every month it was the same balancing act to avoid getting evicted. She just didn’t have the education or experience to get a job that paid enough to cover rent, food, and other bare necessities.

Aside for her dress and one pair of designer shoes, she didn’t own much that had any value. She’d sold most of her clothes to pay the rent recently, and she was not going to accept hand-outs. She’d lost her job last month when business was slow. After she was let go, she applied to dozens of jobs, but nobody was hiring. She was punctual and a hard worker. If only someone would give her a chance!

Kai answered her question with a sly smirk, but no words. He was playing her.

Men usually liked to talk about their self-perceived importance, so his coyness threw her off her game.

Kai finally broke the silence. “Tell you what. It’s late. Why don’t we head back to my place? I can show you around.”

She glanced down shyly and twirled a curl of her hair. “I’d love that.”

He reached out for her hand. She gave it to him. His skin was abnormally warm, like he had a fever.

“Your hand is so warm,” she said. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Absolutely,” he assured. “I’m just warm by nature.”

More like hot, she thought to herself. Double sided meaning there, both of which were true.

“Oh,” she said. “I almost forgot! I have to get something from my car.” She met his eyes and felt a tingle in her heart. He was good. “Be right back. Wait for me!”

“No problem.”

She didn’t actually have a car. She just needed some fresh air and a second alone to decide if she was actually going to go through with robbing him. Trying to avoid wiping out because of the heels she was wearing, Coral walked out to the parking lot.

I got him, she thought. Or did he get me? She wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter in the end.

Either way, she planned to steal all the cash and valuables she could in his house before he woke up. He had nothing on her. He didn’t even have her name. The great thing about guys like him was that they would rather shoot themselves in the foot than admit they had been ripped off by a woman they’d picked up at a bar. Or at least, that’s what she hoped.

She stood outside, convincing herself that what she was doing was right.

Abruptly, the light was blocked out by a shadow towering above her.

“Shit,” Coral cursed under her breath.

She turned to see the two men she was hoping she would be able to keep avoiding: Earl and Josh, the men who had been ripped off by her ex-boyfriend. They always seemed to find her. They were big men. Enormous, really. Coral had always thought they looked like rhinos in street clothes.

“Hey, guys,” she managed. She suddenly felt rather small. “Have you found Chase yet?”

Chase was her ex-boyfriend, a man who sold drugs and stole from his dealer. When he found out he’d been caught, he had run away, leaving Coral to face the wrath of the dealer’s cronies.

“The boss is getting pretty tired of your shit,” Earl growled. He had a cigarette in his mouth. He took a draw and exhaled a puff of smoke into Coral’s face. “Give us the money.”

She didn’t have his money. She couldn’t even afford to eat if her plan to steal from Kai didn’t work out. Besides, it wasn’t even her fault. She had never even tried pot—she didn’t want to feel out of control, even for a second.

“I don’t have it right now,” Coral said with a shaking voice. “But I will!”

Earl stepped forward, and Coral immediately took a step back. She suddenly felt dwarfed. “I’m gonna ask you one more time.”

“We’re all reasonable. Can’t we work this out? I’ll have it within a week!” She hoped they couldn’t hear her voice quivering.

“We saw you with the man inside,” Josh told her. “Tomorrow morning, or we’re coming back for you and next time, we won’t be so forgiving.”

“I need that money!” she argued. “I’m going to be evicted, and I—”

“Evicted or broken,” Earl said. “Boss don’t give a fuck what excuses you have. He wants his money back. You know how to reach me.”

These men were true to their word. She knew their threats weren’t empty—they were promises. Earl and Josh would absolutely hurt her, even kill her, if she didn’t give them what they wanted.

“Fine,” she hissed. “Tomorrow morning.”

Another man walked up behind Josh, his steps echoing throughout the parking lot.

“Tara?” came Kai’s voice. “You okay?”

Earl turned to face Kai. He and Josh were both bigger than him, but Kai didn’t look intimidated. “Get outta here. This ain’t none of your business.”

Kai stared him down. “I think it is.”

Earl walked up to Kai and roughly poked him in the chest with his index finger. “Maybe you didn’t hear me. Get the fuck out of here!”

Kai’s steely blue eyes glared at him. With one deft move, he plucked Earl’s cigarette out of his mouth. After a dramatic pause, he grabbed Earl’s hand and pressed the red-hot part onto Earl’s palm. Kai grinned at Earl while doing it. It was a scare tactic, through and through.

Earl attempted to remove his hand from Kai’s grasp, but was unsuccessful. Finally, Kai let him go.

For a second, Coral thought Earl might punch him or do something worse, but he simply scoffed. Then he nodded to Josh, and both men vanished off into the gloom, leaving Coral and Kai behind.

“You okay?” Kai asked, turning his attention to her. His eyes were surprisingly gentle as he looked her over.

“Yes. Thank you. I love the whole knight in shining armor tactic, but you’ve opened up a floodgate of trouble for yourself,” she replied.

“I’ve never liked knights,” said Kai seriously. “And you don’t need to worry about me. I can handle myself. I want to make sure they didn’t hurt you.”

Maybe Coral was wrong about him; he seemed like a good guy. She reconsidered her plan, but Earl and Josh were going to hurt her if she didn’t get their money.

“Where’s your car?” she asked, looking around the parking lot.

“Valet,” he said.

Kai grabbed her hand and walked over to the valet to give the man his ticket. When the valet returned, she had to do a double take. Kai drove a million-dollar car. She wasn’t into cars per se, but it didn’t take a pro to recognize something that valuable. It was the true status symbol. Her jaw dropped looking at it. When she got in, she moved carefully to avoid scratching anything.

I’m going to rob this man and I’m worried about scratching his car?

Something about Kai didn’t add up. Coral hoped she wouldn’t regret what she was about to do.