Chapter 6: Unwelcome Attention

Milan's POV

I remembered Sorensen mentioning he lived with his two girlfriends. Scum. Trash. Just like Tyrone.

"No," I replied coldly.

My indifference only seemed to pique his interest further. "If you're not, then what are you doing here? There are only two bedrooms in this place, and the only tenants are Sorensen and me."

"Ask him yourself."

I had absolutely no desire to engage with these people. Turning on my heel, I headed straight back to Sorensen's room, shutting the door firmly behind me and cutting off their line of sight. Only then did I feel a measure of relief wash over me.

I despised promiscuous men like that more than anything.

But none of that mattered now. I heard a commotion outside, followed by the sound of doors opening and closing in the adjacent room—apparently everyone had retreated to their respective spaces. I exhaled slowly, finally understanding why Sorensen had warned me not to go out there. If someone like that set his sights on me, I'd be in serious trouble.

Better to just wait for Sorensen to return.

I settled obediently against the headboard, pulling out my phone to scroll through Facebook. Within minutes, I heard the door open.

Had Sorensen come back?

I rolled over onto my side, deliberately tugging the straps of my camisole down just a fraction. "Finally, you're back. I—"

But when I looked up, it wasn't Sorensen standing there. It was Luke.

Luke's eyes locked onto me immediately, his gaze traveling with deliberate slowness from my waist down to the curve where my thighs met my hips, then lingering on my bare legs beneath my shorts. Under the weight of his stare, I felt completely exposed, as if he'd stripped away every layer of clothing with his eyes alone. My skin crawled with discomfort.

"Beautiful lady, you have an absolutely captivating body," he said, his voice dripping with false charm. "Sorensen is one lucky bastard."

I disliked this man intensely—no, it went beyond dislike. I found him utterly repulsive. Whether it was the way he'd been pawing at those two girls earlier or the sleazy way he carried himself now, everything about him screamed lowlife to me.

"I'm not Sorensen's girlfriend," I said flatly. "I'm just renting his room temporarily. This space belongs to me now, so unless you have actual business here, please don't disturb me."

His eyes lit up at that, his smile widening. "Oh, is that so?"

He took a step closer, and I instinctively shrank back, my hand already reaching for my bag. "Sorensen's kind of a straight-laced guy, you know? Real uptight. Doesn't know how to treat a woman right. Being with him, you'll probably end up feeling pretty neglected..."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I snapped.

"Relax, beautiful. I just want to be friends." He moved even closer, his voice taking on a sickeningly suggestive tone. "If he's not treating you right, you can always come to me. I'll be your safe harbor—I'll make you feel good. I promise you won't regret a single moment with me..."

His shamelessness left me absolutely stunned.

There were two girls waiting for him in the other room, yet here he was, hitting on me without a second thought—and he'd been doing this even when he thought I was Sorensen's girlfriend. He completely ignored the disgust written all over my face, continuing his pathetic monologue as if I'd shown even the slightest interest.

"A girl like you deserves to be treated like a princess, not some afterthought. You're the most unique woman I've ever met..."

Looking at his self-satisfied face made my stomach turn. I pressed a hand to my mouth, fighting back nausea. He looked like a dog in heat, ready to pounce at any moment.

"By the way, gorgeous, I don't think I caught your name..."

"Luke, why the hell are you in my room?"

The cold male voice cut through the air like a lifeline, yanking me back from the edge of total revulsion. I saw a hand clamp down on Luke's shoulder, and behind him stood Sorensen, his handsome face radiating an almost divine fury that made him look like my personal savior in that moment.

Luke's voice died in his throat, his entire demeanor shifting to something resembling nervousness. "Sorensen, I was just saying hello to our new... friend. You know, trying to make her feel welcome."

Sorensen's interrogative gaze swung toward me, the intensity in his eyes so fierce it felt like he might devour me whole. "Do you want to get to know him?"

The look on his face was absolutely terrifying—I'd never seen him like this before. I shook my head frantically.

Only then did Sorensen's expression soften slightly. He shoved Luke aside without ceremony, positioning himself between us like a physical barrier. "You see that? She's not interested. Now get the fuck out of here."

Luke's face darkened considerably. He glanced at me one more time, as if about to say something else, but Sorensen's hand tightened on his shoulder. Luke flinched backward as if burned.

"Hey, hey, just being friendly! No need to get worked up. Just looking out for my roommate, you know?" He forced out a laugh. "Anyway, I'll get going now."

As he turned to leave, he shot me one last look—as if committing my face to memory—and the sight of it made my stomach churn all over again.

Sorensen shut the door firmly, then turned back to face me, his expression still dark. "Are you interested in him?"

I made a face of pure revulsion. "Are you blind? Even if you were interested in him, I'd never give that creep the time of day."

Sorensen seemed to exhale in relief at my words, then started to explain. "That guy is bad news. You need to stay far away from him. He's—"

His face suddenly froze mid-sentence.

"I'm not interested in men!" he blurted out defensively.

The delayed reaction was so absurd I couldn't help but laugh, clutching my stomach as the tension finally broke.

Sorensen looked utterly helpless in the face of my amusement. He took a deep breath. "I'm done with my shower. You wanted to use the bathroom, right? It's free now."

At the mention of a shower, my spirits lifted immediately. I was sick of feeling this sticky and gross. I started to climb off the bed, but when my bare feet touched the floor, I realized something was wrong. I couldn't exactly go shower in high heels, could I?

I lifted my chin, sitting on the edge of the bed with my legs crossed elegantly, and pointed at my ankles.

"Daddy, aren't you going to get me some slippers?"