JULIA’S POV
“Drink! Drink! Drink!” strangers that I must have chatted the night away with or have never spoken to chanted behind me as I downed a glass of tequila barely squirming now at the foul taste because even though my vision wasn’t blurry and my best friend since we were on diapers didn’t have her hand draped around my waist to support my wobbling knees, I should know I was mightily wasted.
Styrofoam cups overfilled with strangely colored alcohol and a billow of smoke, evidence of the party favors that featured all kinds of hard drugs, hip-pop music with its resounding speakers blaring in the room making it hard for the simplest communication, and sweaty bodies grinding into each other wasn’t my typical scene.
My whole life had been about being flawless: the perfect grades, the perfect extracurricular activities, the perfect college, and now I was in law school, it was almost a joke that I was just learning a lesson that nobody should be that flawless.
And no less, while wearing a handkerchief of a dress and six inches stiletto grinding into Skylar who was as drunk as I was if not worse.
My phone buzzed and even in my drunk state I couldn’t help but worry if it was important since it had been going off incessantly for a long time now. I briefly tapped Julia and pointed towards what I hoped was the exit, she nodded probably because I was right or she was too wasted to care but I wobbled my way anyway toward that direction.
My phone has stopped ringing and the loud music was barely a whisper now as I approached the exit. A buff-looking man who looked scary and towered over me stood at the exit door making me peer at him wondering why he was blocking my entry. He looked me up and down with a hostile glare that made me feel ten times smaller despite the heels I had on. I wonder why the scrutiny was that much to leave than it was to go in because all Skye had done was flash pearly whites to cut the line and led us right in.
“Are you the dancer?”
I smiled. It seems like my dancing prowess will finally be acknowledged I thought to myself before I enthusiastically nodded.
He silently backed away from the door and still frowning at his cold disposal, I used the door expecting the chilly air to hit my face and help my journey to sobriety but was welcomed into a world of red-colored walls, women in fishnet stockings, lacey masks, and matching underwear holding a tray.
They are waitresses I think because a man wearing a suit just stopped one of them. He took a champagne flute off her tray and when I thought if he leered any harder at her I might get more than nauseated at the sight and throw up for real, she turned to leave and he hit her on her left ass cheek.
I held my breath waiting for the outburst, for her to threaten to sue him, for the manager to come running and see the need for the waitresses to wear actual clothes but she looked at him over her shoulder and curving a finger at him, gave him a sultry look.
He followed her with his arms around her while my mouth dropped open. I hope that I was seeing things because did they just enter a room together?
Stunned, I stumble farther trying to remember the door that had brought me into this strange place now frantic and desperate to be out already.
A lifetime should have passed or mere 3 minutes but I wouldn’t know the difference because I was seconds away from getting mad at this cobweb-designed room for fornication and embarrassing erotic moans of pleasure. I was just about to enter yet another weird space expecting a drunk man with a woman or women depending on the case allowing him to grope their asses while they dance provocatively around him but stopped in my tracks.
I saw his eyes before I took in his face.
He was sprawled on the couch fully dressed in a crisp white shirt that was loosely tucked into a suit trouser and from what I could see of the woman, even though her back was towards me she was decent too. I sighed in relief. I leaned against the door not believing that I was thankful for the lighting of whatever this place was that allowed me to see them while shrouding me with darkness.
He looked like what I conjured amidst a pleasurable fantasy and if not for his cold turquoise eyes I would have called him perfect but he wasn’t that. He was something more.
He looked Ethereal.
Perfect full red lips, a pale impossibly flawless complexion contrasting against raven tousled black hair, an unbelievably sharp jawline, and a chin that was up in the air informing me he was important in case his dress shirt that looked nothing like what was snagged from a Target shop hadn’t given that away.
I wanted to believe that not drunk me would have ignored them and moved along regardless of how good-looking the man was. But there was something about him that transfixed me. So, I remained in the shadow glad for the blanket of darkness while a thrill of delight strummed within me at the possibility of listening in on a conversation that wasn’t meant for my ears. But to be fair, if they didn’t want anyone to overhear them, they should have picked somewhere more private I thought although it doesn’t get more private than a tavern of wasted and sex-crazed people.
“You shouldn’t be doing this especially not here,” he said with a gravelly masculine voice that sounded decadent even though there were traces of irritation in them.
“Why shouldn’t I?” she muttered and despite the jealousy that struck in my heart that was both confusing and scary, I couldn’t help but admit that even without seeing her, she was the kind of woman I will imagine a man like that to be next to.
Her voice reeked of class and gracefulness.
The sting of bitterness I felt at my thought was so scary even to me.
“This is no place for a woman like you, Rebecca,”
“Call me Becca,” she whined. “And I hate it when you act like my dad. You are only five years older! Besides, I am here only because you have been avoiding me and this was the one place I was sure you’d be at because of your sentimental attachment to it even though it is now below your alley,” she had a hint of disgust in her voice.
“What do you want?”
There was silence for a while between them before the female voice started rather tentatively.
“I called you relentlessly after the last time but you never picked up even once,”
“I had work,” he said with a bored drawl like he had done this for so long he had lost count and I was now sure that I had not been mistaken when I thought he had sounded irritated.
She sighed. “You’ll make time if you want to.”
“I don’t want to,” he answered while my eyes widened at his honesty.
“I love you, Damon.”
“So do 99 other ladies in any vicinity I found myself in,” and just like that, like every other man once they open their mouth long enough the appeal is lost.
I waited for him to look less good-looking, to be less intriguing, for me to frown and cuss at myself while walking away but there was something about his hooded eyes, his blank stare, the calmness in his voice amidst boredom that was transfixing and hot as fuck. And he didn’t look less good-looking too.
I heard a snort… no that was a sob. The woman he was talking to was crying now and from the look of things the handsome asshole looked even more irritated and nauseated by the sight.
“What should I do for you to want me?”
“Want you?” he scoffed. “Becca, we have been down that road. I wanted you, once. We slept together and that was it. You told me you understood when I told you that you and I will never happen.”
“But…”
“I have had a terrible day,” he eyed her with impatience now. “You should not be seen in here, especially with me. The wrong person seeing us together could blow this out of proportion given the setting of this room and what this place is for.”
“I can make you feel better.” She offered and given my position I wished that I didn’t see her hand massage the crotch of his trouser but I watched even while he grabbed her hand and with his eyes on her face fling it towards her.
“I am trying to be respectful, Becca so I am going to say this nicely and carefully,” he smirked showing off dimples that made me curse his filthy personality more. “Not in a million years, Becca. Not if you are the last woman in New York because that’s how averse I am to hitting that ass again.” He sat up and his voice took on an undertone that I would have found scary if directed at me. “And honestly, your desperation reeks so no matter how hard you throw yourself at me, I will never touch anything that looks like you again even with a tent pole.”
She ran off now full-blown sobbing. I didn’t get to see her features well because of her hasty exit but I had seen a smear of mascara running down the length of her face. I should be on my way by now. Make a run for it. There was nothing to see but a heartless prick who believe he was God’s gift to women but his phone rang. I decided to stay back for a second. It wouldn’t hurt to listen in more. I haven’t blown my cover yet and it wasn’t like I will ever see him again. Perhaps, I will see a side of him that is human and not the condescending twat that had just exhibited his lack of sympathy mere minutes ago. “You know I have always hated men having too much power for so long.” He started. “Especially old men.” Okay, there goes my theorem of him being more human than I thought and then rolling my eyes, I took a step forward about to walk away. “And now I have two options. Kill the motherfucker or get myself a trophy wife that will leave when I get what I want.” DAMON’S POV I wa
JULIA’S POVI stopped in my tracks when I heard him mention murdering someone. Am I about to witness a plot of murder I thought. Chills ran down my spine and my head felt light, my knees wobbled, and my mouth suddenly became dry as I became aware of how stupid I had been to wander around when I was this drunk. I should call someone I thought fumbling for my bag.“Have you ever heard that it is disrespectful to eavesdrop on someone’s conversation,” there was a pause. “And not once but twice, pretty little thing?”My bag dropped. That was the hot stranger’s voice and it was closer than it was seconds ago, so close… because he had covered the distance between us and now, he was talking to me. He had a remote with him and just like that, my cover was gone because he had switched on the light at the threshold of the door where I stood and was now taking me in and being very obvious about it.Fuck me!I looked up slowly taking in his Armani pair of impossibly black shiny shoes, black slacks
JULIA’S POVA four-poster bed covered with Sofia the first bedsheets and matching cover cases, a mortifying amount of Zayn and Harry styles posters that hint at an obsessive phase covering a part of the wall, and the now chipping away paint of purple and pink on the walls were what greeted me when I finally opened my eyes. It had felt like old times, I had felt safe. Skye’s room was the only piece of my childhood that hasn’t been embellished or altered with the years.Not only was her room a reminder of when I was the happiest, but it was easier pretending we were still thirteen in here and ten years of putting ourselves out there, giving up weekends with girls, and canceling meetups at the last minute had not happened between us because we were too busy striving for the things that had once made our faces glow but now causes a crease in-between our brows. The dreams that have always seemed achievable yet so out of reach the more we approach them.I have spent more time in Skye's hous
DAMON’S POV“You have a compiled list of willing girls you think will be ideal wives for me for a short period of time?” I asked Mathew over the phone both stunned and I couldn’t deny grateful.Macauley was right, the sleazy old bastard knew that I love a challenge and I will try to get married just to rub how unaffected I remain in his face. But for that to happen I need a bride, willing to know that this is temporary and treat our marriage as such.And that was the problem, even though millions of women will give up their right arm to be married to me because of the fame, power, and money that comes with the title, I can’t count one woman who would be willing to let go without a fuss. But Mathew with his sadistic sense of humor seems to find my distress very entertaining and had decided to speed up my anguish by helping me find a bride. You will think that as the CEO of one of the biggest construction and real estate businesses, he will have less time for such ventures but the man
JULIA’S POVHis eyes turned dark“What if I want to kiss you? Taste you. Nibble on your lower lip, run my hand under your clothes, take them off perhaps,” he placed his hand on my waist and I sighed. “I might drop hot kisses all over your bare body while I tell you how beautiful you are because it is the truth. You are fucking beautiful, Snow white you should be a crime.”I close my eyes almost like I had no control of my body as his hot breath met my ears. “Perhaps I would slip my hands beneath your panties and find you soaking wet. Turned on and needy for me. I’d finger you until you are begging me to let you come and when you eventually explode all over my hands, I will ask you to sit on my face. I will lick your pussy, till you are crying out, till the pleasure is too much, till you are begging me to never stop yet not knowing what to do with all the wicked sinful things I am making you feel.”My eyes flew open and I found him watching me with a sly smirk.“You’ll like that won’t y
I entered the room at the address Damon had sent me at exactly eight o’clock and a doorman greeted me with a polite smile.The receptionist, a pretty brunette took my invitation card and directed me to a wing of the massive building although I didn’t miss the way she took me in again, with respect in her gaze when she saw my invitation card.An imposing set of marble stairs rises before me, draped in blood red carpet and I carefully walk up them, my ankles wobbly thanks to the black five-inches whisper thin stilettos I don’t know what I was thinking when I had brought them down from my rack of shoes ditching the sensible more balanced heels Damon had sent me.Perhaps I am a masochist and the thought that it will take nothing for me to topple over; just one misstep, one miscalculation and I will be on the floor, my face planted on the ground made me happy in a way.When I reach the top of the stairs, my thought was completely halted by the man waiting for me, his gaze on his watch.Look
DAMON’S POVI still remember a few of my dates who had tried to get my attention by leaving me in the arms of other men in frustration yet, I had not even batted an eyebrow.But there was something about Snow White that filled me with white-hot wrath at the way all the men in the party couldn’t keep their eyes off her the minute we had stepped into the hall, her long white hair which she had straightened flat gleaming under the light.I have always reveled in the attention I receive the minute I enter a room. Entering a room and knowing at the moment every man hated you or wanted to be you because of the woman you had in your arm or the way all the women in the room gravitated towards you, never got old. It has always been amusing watching them gawk at the woman in my arm knowing that she became a sex symbol the minute she walked in with me next to her. They always found her more desirable and were hungry for even the flash of her bare legs but right now, I didn’t care about who was o
JULIA’S POV Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so cocky when Carlene had tried to warn me that strutting in here with a playboy like Damon was a bad idea. With his reputation, some women in here who were glaring so openly at me hated me because he must have gone out with them in the past. Or hated my guts because he didn’t. And being a witness to how he dismisses women and make them shed tears, I don’t even think I will like myself so much if I was in their shoes. “So, you are Damon’s flavor of the month?” one of the women who had a big rock on her finger and is supposed to be happily married to the creepy man who was blatantly checking me out asked while stroking my hair almost fondly. She was lithe and looked so perfect in her strapless black gown, she was almost unreal. “Flavor of the month?” I asked trying to play dumb. “Yeah,” she said conversationally, holding my arm and blocking off any woman who wanted to come close effectively. I looked at the spot where Damon was standing a