CHAPTER FOUR

EZRA

Taking a slow sip from his chilled Scotch, Ezra watched the crowd around him with the trained eyes of a man well versed in the luxurious Philadelphia night life. The pounding bass of the music blasting through the club and the smoky, dim lighting kept him well hidden from the crowd below him as he sat in his own private booth high above the dance floor. He didn't like the attention that he received because of his money. In his opinion, those girls were just pitiful, cheap excuses for women. He preferred, therefore, to keep to the shadows and to himself.

His thoughts suddenly turned to the woman he had ran into earlier that day. He didn't seek out women, he had no desire to start any kind of relationship or get involved in any way with anyone. There was something about her, though, that drew him in. He had been unable to stop thinking about her all evening, from the way her soft brown hair framed her face, to the dark, chocolate brown of her eyes. Everything about her was… enthralling.

His best friend, Hardy, nudged him and nodded towards the bar just behind where his private guard, Jackson, stood. "I'm going to grab another drink. Want anything?"

"No, I'm fine thanks. But take your time," Ezra said with a pointed stare, hinting his friend to take the hint. Hardy just rolled his eyes and threw back the rest of his drink before standing and making his way towards the bar.

A minute or two after Hardy had left, a tall, darkly tanned woman was making her way towards Ezra. She balanced herself with practiced poise upon 6" stilettos and wore one of the tightest black dresses he had ever seen, one that left little to the imagination. Sliding into the booth next to him, she wasted no time in curling one hand around Ezra's neck, gently tugging on the short hairs at the nape of his neck.

"Hey there," she purred. Ezra watched as she curled the end of her hair around a finger and smiled coyly up at him.

Ezra nodded his head, taking a moment to glance over her perfect body. "You've got about fifteen minutes. I'm not alone, I'm here with a friend."

Owning this club had its perks. Ezra was treated to a private booth, his own bar and a selection of women the moment he walked in the door. He could honestly say that this was one aspect of his money that he did enjoy.

"Well, we better make this quick then, huh?" She smirked. Lowering her voice to what he assumed was a husky, sexy whisper, she ran a finger over the lapel of his suit jacket. "With you, though, I doubt I'll need five."

Leaning towards him, he caught a whiff of her strawberry scented shampoo and vanilla body spray. Everything about her screamed of the same cheapness he viewed in the other women dancing downstairs. She caught his lips in a passionate embrace, running her fingers just under the collar of his shirt. Ezra suddenly ripped his lips from hers, confusion clouding his face as he stared at the woman brandishing a look of pure hurt upon her own face.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, pulling back to take a good look at him.

Ezra sat there for a moment before abruptly standing and pushing the woman off of him. "Thank you for your time tonight, but I won't be needing your services." He quickly turned and headed for the washroom, not sparing a glance behind him. Jackson would make sure she was gone by the time he returned.

Entering the private restroom, Ezra locked the door and strode over to the sink, turning the water on and splashing it upon his face. Leaning both hands on the edges of the sink he stared up into his reflection in the mirror. What was going on with him? He usually didn't need more than one sultry look or lingering touch to entice him into losing himself, and the rest of his night, in any woman sent his way. This time, however, the moment her lips had touched his, it had just felt… wrong. What had changed?

ARIA

"What do you guys think about this shirt?" Aria asked, cocking her head to one side as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"Hmm," Hanna contemplated, resting her chin on one hand as she studied her. "I don't think yellow is your color, Ar. Try… this one!" She thrust a dark red, silk camisole towards Aria and pushed her back towards the changing rooms.

It was Saturday afternoon, a couple of days after Aria had ran into Ezra, and Hanna had made her way into the city to shop with her and Spencer for Aria's first day on the job Monday. Tugging the yellow shirt over her head, she discarded it upon the slowly growing pile of clothing in her dressing room and turned to pull on Hanna's red shirt. Her eye caught sight of a purple dress she'd squirreled away in the room earlier. It was almost shear, with a lacy overlay and scoop neck line. She decided to try that on instead. Pulling the dress on, she turned to catch her reflection in the mirror. This dress was… hot. There was no way she'd be wearing this to work, that was for sure. But maybe for a night out?

The door was suddenly being thrown open as Hanna sighed dramatically and threw herself into the tiny dressing room. "What is taking so long, Aria? I'm getting hungry!" She quickly stopped in her tracks as she took in Aria's appearance. Clapping her hands excitedly she let out an annoying squeal that instantly drew Spencer into the room as well. Aria watched as Spencer hitched one eyebrow in question and rested her hands upon her hips.

"As cute as that number is, Ar, I think it may be a tad too much for your first week."

Aria sighed in exhaustion, turning to studying her appearance once again in the mirror. "I wasn't going to wear it for work, just… I dunno, what if we go out somewhere fancy for dinner or something? I like it."

"Well, I think it's adorable. You have to get it!" Hanna said excitedly. "Maybe we can even find you a new man before I leave!"

Rolling her eyes, Aria turned to redress. "I don't need a new man, Hannah. Jason and I just broke up. I… I'm fine on my own right now."

She turned to catch Hanna and Spencer giving each other knowing looks.

"What? You two don't believe me?"

Spencer took a step towards her to drop into the only seat in the room before answering. "It's not that we don't believe you, Aria. It's just that eventually, you will want to put yourself back out there and you… how can I put this delicately?... You always seem to gravitate towards the wrong kind of men, and quickly."

"Take Jason, for example," Hanna piped in. "He was always such a douche in high school. Look how that ended."

Aria was silent as she pulled on her shirt and straightened her hair. Her friends did have a point. She always got involved with the wrong guys, usually settling for anyone with a hot body or cute face. An image of Ezra promptly popped into her thoughts. Speaking of cute faces and hot bodies…

"No," Spencer suddenly said, pulling her from her thoughts. Aria shot her a look, one that Hanna didn't miss.

"No what? What am I missing?"

Spencer pointedly stared at Aria until she sighed and turned to face her friends. "Aria has already met the next Mr. Wrong. I'm trying to convince her to leave it alone and to not get involved with him. He is nothing but trouble, Aria. Again, I say no."

"Who is he, Aria? Is he hot?" Hanna asked excitedly. She had instantly forgotten all about their current conversation on Aria's tendencies towards boys from the wrong side of the tracks. Aria again rolled her eyes. Hanna was easily distracted.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. He wouldn't spare two glances at me. I'm definitely not of his caliber," Aria said softly. Suddenly, all of her insecurities were shining clear as day. They could thank Jason for this.

Spencer stood to pull Aria into a tight hug. "You are most definitely up to any man's standards, Ar. Stop bringing yourself down. It's mine and Hanna's job, though, to make sure you don't get hurt again. So stop throwing yourself a pity party and try on that red shirt over there. That'll look bangin'!" She laughed, mimicking Hanna's animated personality.

"And then we can go get smashed on a couple Manhattans down at that cute Martini bar we passed earlier!" Hanna exclaimed. Aria couldn't help but to laugh at her friends' enthusiastic natures. This was why she loved them. She decided to follow their advice, for once. It was time to pull herself up by her bootstraps and let the past remain in the past. She was no longer that old, insecure girl from Rosewood. She was the new, confident Aria Montgomery. Philadelphia watch out.

What's going on with Ezra? Will Aria's confidence keep her from meeting the right guy? I love reading your reviews, especially all of your thoughts on Ezra from the last chapter!