A thousand bucks for a kiss.
If it had been Nicholas or any of the other veteran hosts, they would've already launched themselves at Piper, kissing her until she went broke.
But William?
He stood up slowly, still smiling, looking down at Piper from above. "Piper, like I said—I'm not that kind of guy. I'm not taking your money."
"I earn my paycheck, nothing more. What you just did? That felt like an insult. I'm fine with drinking, but anything else? That's my choice. Money doesn't change that. And if this job doesn't work out because of it, so be it—it's my first day anyway."
William actually found the job kind of interesting. But trying to buy a kiss with cash? That was just ridiculous.
Bella had literally proposed marriage to him earlier—and he'd turned her down too.
"You—!" Piper bit her lip, pointing at William, her hand trembling with frustration.
She came to places like this for a reason. And now this guy was flat-out refusing her money? Even saying he'd quit over it?
But then she took a deep breath, exhaled hard, and suddenly smiled again. "You've got a spine. I like that."
She reached out, tugging at William's sleeve. "Don't be mad, William. I was just teasing you. Don't take it so seriously, okay?"
"Come on, sit down. Let's keep drinking!"
Her mood flipped fast—and even higher than before.
Piper wasn't short on money. And she definitely wasn't short on men.
But a guy like William, with that kind of attitude? That got her blood pumping.
Sure, he was younger. But if it was real love, who cared about age?
You couldn't rush a good thing—especially with someone like William, who was new to this and clearly not in it for the money. That made it all the more intriguing.
Men often lost interest after they got what they wanted. But when a woman really wanted to win a man over, it wasn't just about the body—it was about the heart.
And right now, Piper wanted to conquer this man completely. Not with cash, but with the charm of a mature woman.
William didn't push it any further. Since Piper had backed off, he sat back down and kept drinking with them.
Nicholas and the other four guys were stunned.
Holy shit.
He handled Piper like it was nothing.
Piper was a regular here. Nicholas had been with her before.
He was only nineteen, hormones raging, and even then, after a few nights with Piper, he'd nearly thrown his back out. And she still hadn't been all that satisfied.
But William?
He stood his ground. Had principles.
Damn. That was badass.
Piper and the other rich ladies could really hold their liquor. From 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., they'd already gone through eight bottles of hard liquor and six cases of beer.
Just then, Maria walked into the private room. She clinked glasses with Piper and asked with a smile, "Having fun tonight?"
Piper downed her drink in one go and laughed heartily. "Having a blast. William's great—knows how to talk, and I like his attitude. I might actually start coming here more often because of him."
Maria kept smiling. "Glad to hear it! Oh, by the way, mind if I borrow William for a moment? A friend of his is asking for him."
Piper hesitated for a second, then waved it off. "William works for you, and if it's a friend, of course he should go. I'm not that petty."
William glanced at Maria. A friend?
Could it be Lila and the others were still here?
"Thanks," Maria said, then motioned for William to follow. "Come with me."
They stepped out into the hallway. The music in the main lounge was pounding, so Maria had to lean in close and shout into his ear, "That Miss Bell from earlier—she wants to see you."
William nodded.
Maria raised her voice again. "You two know each other?"
He shook his head. He and Bella had only just met.
Maria gave his shoulder a pat and gestured for him to go.
Sure enough, Lila and the others were still sitting at K8. They'd only ordered a few beers and seemed to be deep in conversation.
Maria led William over. Bella shot him a look—clearly not pleased.
This guy would rather drink with a bunch of cougars than sit with her?
Bella didn't like the marriage arrangement her family had set up, sure—but that was her choice. Being rejected? That was a whole different story.
"William, how about we officially introduce ourselves?" Bella said, extending a slender, elegant hand.
William politely shook it. Her hand was soft, almost boneless—pleasant to hold.
Bella glanced at Maria, who took the hint and tactfully stepped away, leaving them to talk in private.
"I'm Bella," she said. "Vice President at Whitestone Group. I don't know why my grandfather asked me to find you, and I don't know much about your background. But if you're willing to work for my company, I can offer you a solid position. Definitely better than what you're doing now."
William sat across from her and replied calmly, "I'm actually pretty happy with my current job, so I'll have to pass. But thank you for the offer, Miss Bell."
Bella raised an eyebrow. "Your current job is drinking with old women. And I asked you to marry me earlier—was that really so hard to accept?"
William nodded. "Sorry. I sell drinks, not myself."
Bella nearly choked. "Who said anything about selling yourself?" The way he said it made it sound like she was trying to buy him or something.
"But I really do enjoy my job," William continued. "And I don't think the clients I'm drinking with are that old, honestly."
He wasn't lying. The guy had lived for over a billion years—what woman wouldn't seem young to him?
Emily finally couldn't hold back. "William, don't tell me you actually like older women? Earlier you said you weren't into Lila, and I didn't believe you. Now I do!"
William shot her a sideways glance. "My job is to drink with clients. If they buy drinks, I drink with them. Whether I like older women or not has nothing to do with it. To me, you and them—there's no difference."
Bella nearly exploded. No difference?
Those women were clearly here for one thing. How could he lump them together like that?
But she forced herself to calm down. She still didn't know William's background, and now that even Lila and Alice were interested in him, maybe there really was something special about him.
Emily leaned in with a grin. "Then sit here and drink with us. Isn't it better to drink with ladies like us than with those old women? I fully support your career, by the way."
William glanced at the bottles on the table, eyes narrowing slightly. "This is it? You think this is enough?"