Pursued by the Club Owner: An Age Gap Romance

By Isla Chiu

Before I can realize what's happening, the guy snatches my clutch out of my hand. Am I getting mugged? And by a guy who looks like he's wearing a designer suit? That suit probably cost more than buying all of my textbooks in new condition.

 

A smirk breaks out across his face when he opens my clutch. "You're 24…Angelina?"

 

A big wave of nausea comes over me. Is he a cop? "Yep, turned 24 in March," I say, hoping that I sound chill and not like I'M ABSOLUTELY FREAKING OUT.

 

"What is the capital of Wyoming?" he asks.

 

I nearly say, Are we doing an impromptu trivia night? when I recall that my fake ID is supposed to be a Wyoming driver's license.

 

I'm screwed.

 

"Gillette," I say with every bit of confidence I can muster (which isn't much).

 

He clicks his tongue. "Wrong." He shakes his head. "A fake ID, for shame."

 

The jig is up.

 

"What's your real name?" he asks.

 

Dread fills me as he wraps his hand around my wrist. "Are you a cop?" Am I going to leave this club in handcuffs? 

 

"No. I'm Jackson Hirayama, the owner of this club."

 

WORD COUNT: 9,000

 

A sexy short story about a young woman and the handsome club owner who's determined to claim her for his own!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Isla Chiu
• Release date: Apr 24, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224677092

Isla Chiu

When I manage to tear myself away from taking Buzzfeed quizzes and watching unhealthy amounts of TV, I write romance and smut. My works feature alpha males, sexy times, and/or my sarcastic sense of humor. I hail from Cleveland, aka the best freaking city in the world, and believe LeBron James is the perfect human being. Despite all of my efforts, I have never truly been able to quit caffeine. My favorites include Taylor Swift, Florence + the Machine, and SHINee. I love to hate/hate to love k-dramas. If I say I’m on a diet, I’m just lying to you and myself. One of these days, I'm going to get hypertension from an excess of salt, both literal and figurative. If I'm awkward around you, I probably don't know what to say to you and/or I think you're hot. And despite what anyone says, Forrest Gump so deserved that Oscar over Pulp Fiction.

Book preview

1

MY PALMS TURN SLICK with sweat as the bouncer studies my ID. My real name is Marissa Wong, but according to the driver's license in the bouncer's hand, I'm a 24-year-old woman named Angelina Kim and most certainly not a 19-year-old college student.

When the bouncer doesn't immediately pull up the velvet rope and say, You may go in, person of legal drinking age, it's all I can do to not start hyperventilating. Oh my God, can he tell that I'm under 21? Is he going to call the cops on me? What is the punishment for possessing a fake ID in Ohio? Is it a misdemeanor or felony? Oh Christ, I hope it's a mis–

He pulls up the rope. Have a good time, Angelina.

For a second of total idiocy, I think, Huh? My name isn't Angelina. Fortunately, I remember the name on my driver's license before I can say the idiotic thought out loud. Thank you... I glance at the bouncer's name tag. Brad.

He shoots me a quick smile as I walk beyond the velvet rope.

I hear Julie snicker behind me. You looked like you were about to shit your pants, Wong.

I flush, biting back the urge to say, Shh, don't call me by my real last name. If I said that, Julie would probably shout, "OH CHRIST, DON'T BE SO PARANOID, MARISSA WONG!"

When I look around the room, I suck in a breath. I wasn't expecting much when I heard that a new club called Eden had opened up in Rockton, our sleepy Ohio college town. Before Eden, Rockton's nightlife consisted of a bar mostly populated with boomers who reminisced about the good old days, and sleazy frat houses that only offered bad beer and even worse ambiance.

Eden, however, lives up to its name. With the lavish indoor greenery around us and the impossibly gorgeous servers carrying trays filled with cocktails that look like works of art, I could think that this was paradise.

Then some obviously intoxicated guy says to me, Hey, girl, I put the STD in stud, and all I need is you.

Never mind, this isn't paradise.

Julie giggles. That's kind of funny.

I blink at her in disbelief. Really? I was thinking more, ‘That’s kind of gross.’

The sleazeball grins at her. Really? You thought that was funny?

My jaw hits the floor when Julie bats her eyelashes at him. Christ, is she flirting with him?

Yeah, she says in what is definitely meant to be a sultry voice.

Want me to buy you a drink?

My jaw is on the verge of colliding with the earth's core when I watch Julie take the sleazeball's hand. Without so much as a "See you