No matter what, she wouldn’t go back to that party, she decided. Be strong, Myra, she told herself, compelling herself to take a few steps forward.
It was the sixth of September and marked the seventh day she was on the island of Bali. She had spent six days with Jake, the man she had fawned after since her teenage years, well, basically when she learned to like someone. Their parents had been drinking partners and old friends. Then one day, Jake went overseas for his studies and she and her father had moved to another city 1,000 miles away.
They had reunited after five years of not seeing each other through a plan carefully carried out by her stepsister to be, Sierra. After hooking up with Jake unexpectedly, six days and seven nights of bliss turned into the worse nightmare for Myra.
One hour ago at the party that night at Hotel Top One, a woman was embracing Jake amorously. He was smiling as he spoke to her, unlike how cold he was to Myra. Perhaps, she decided, she was just a toy to him. She let out a few forced laughs, casting aside the pain and emptiness in her heart. This time, she would not let go of the next chance that came her way! Forget all those stupid traditional ideals, forget what her overcontrolling father wanted of her, she would live her life her own way for once!
A rumble from the sky above caused her to stop dead in her tracks. Darn, Myra thought. Was it going to rain now, when she didn’t have her umbrella with her? She had left it back at the hotel.
Minutes later, a sudden downpour caught her by surprise. She scoured the area for a sheltered area to retreat to, but there was none in the area.
Now, how far was she from Hotel Top One? She groaned, feeling her expensive makeup washed by the rain to nothingness. Her evening dress was plastered right to her skin, weighing her down.
Just her luck.
…………………………………………………………………………………….
Moments later, a tall and slim man with dark hair manoeuvred a bright red Hyundai Sonata. The streets were dim and the windscreen of his car was slightly foggy from the chilliness of the rain. Humming to the tune of the pop song playing on the FM radio, his attention was diverted by the drenched lady in the rain.
As he approached her slowly, the wipers of his car made a few strokes across the windscreen, granting him a clearer view of the lady.
Under the bright moonlight, her eyes had a distinct sparkle. He observed how she raised her hand to pat her wet hair, pouting.
So much like Milla, he said to himself.
Perhaps she would need a ride, he deduced, halting his car and rolling down the window, he called out to the girl.
“Miss, where do you want to go?”
Myra shivered in the rain. But out of the blue, a classy private-hire taxi had appeared to give her a solution out of her discomfort. This was very much unexpected. But neither had she anticipated the events of the past six days: Jake, his betrayal and now, being caught in the rain.
Being the sheltered daughter of a hotel tycoon, she detested being in this messy predicament!
After all, she had money. If money could solve her problems, they weren’t problems in the first place! She shakily stepped forward and opened the front passenger door. Now, she knew that normally passengers would take the back passenger seat when boarding private-hire taxis, but with the rain splashing around her, she couldn’t be bothered to wait in the cold a moment longer.
Courteously the man turned up the temperature in the vehicle and offered her a jacket, which she grudgingly accepted. Myra did not feel comfortable accepting a stranger’s help, but it seemed she had little choice now.
“Miss, where do you want to go?” the man repeated, with his eyes on her like a hawk.
She stared at him blankly, realising this taxi driver seemed quite a hunk. Despite the fact he appeared to be a bit older than her, he was fair and had a cheerful smile with decent facial features. Not bad looking for a taxi driver. The more she looked at him, the more she felt drawn in by his charm.
She wouldn’t believe in love so easily this time. Though she had just encountered betrayal only over an hour ago, she felt the loneliness in her heart. She and Jake were over now. It wasn’t wrong for her to find consolation in someone else. Furthermore, she and Jake were never an official couple.
“I don’t know where I want to go,” she uttered. “Just drive as you like. I have money!”
The man looked at her with a confused look in his eyes. What did money have to do with this?
“I mean, I can afford to pay whatever amount as you charge!” she declared feistily. “Now, drive!”
The driver chuckled. Aha, so she assumed he was a private-hire driver. But the last he wanted to do was infuriate this ‘customer’ of his, so he drove onwards as instructed.
She had long straight hair that ended with curls at their ends. Just as he had noticed earlier, her large round eyes sparkled fascinatingly. To add to her attractive face, she was endowed with a curvaceous figure which was deeply enhanced by the tight black dress clinging to her petite frame.
Myra stared at the access card lying flat on the car dashboard.
“Hatta Baderan,” she pronounced his name incorrectly with much hardship. He laughed again.
“You may call me Hart,” he said warmly, smiling endearingly. Myra scrutinised him more carefully this time. She knew in some countries, there were people who worked as drivers or other occupations to secure an income to support their families, but were willing to go beyond their boundaries to perform a bit more… immodest activities. But what harm was it if she wanted to sin for once?
She contemplated asking him if he had a wife or a girlfriend. But then, she realised, those in such a ‘profession’ wouldn’t be telling the truth, would they?
Still, she found it most awkward to open her mouth to even ask him to accompany her for the night.
Hart circled the city with his vehicle, finally making a turn and stopped at the side of the road. Suddenly, he inched close to Myra, impaling her with his hot-blooded stare.
“Miss, we can’t be circling the entire city the whole night,” he expressed, tapping his fingers on the dashboard. “Where do you stay? From your accent, you are not from here, am I right?”
He seemed a bit audacious for a driver, she thought. But she found him sexy this way, especially how he hummed to the song on the radio and tapped his fingers.
“Bring me to a place where I can partake in the greatest of pleasures,” she stated confidently. She had made up her mind. No matter what happened in the future, she would not be shackled by the stupid puppy love feelings she possessed for Jake. She would make it clear that without him, she could be even happier!
Make him regret, a devilish voice sounded inside her. The driver was charming and striking, and in no way was he inferior to Jake in terms of appearance! After tonight, she would move on completely from her idiotic feelings for the jerk, and he would never see her again!
“The greatest of pleasures?” Hart smiled, moving closer and increasing the intimacy between them. Gazing into Myra’s eyes, he whispered, “Are you looking for something more?”
Her heart skipped a beat. How could this stranger be so seductive, that even all the men she had seen paled in comparison?
He continued, “...Like drinks?”
She thought of the unfinished glass of red wine that she had left behind because of her dismay at the sight of Jake and the unknown woman linking hands. She had departed the hotel so abruptly, leaving her friends calling her so abruptly. In her frustration, she had dumped her cellphone and walked away. She didn’t want Sierra or their two friends to see her in such an emotional state.
“Yeah. Drinks.” She didn’t know what to say anymore. She bargained with her innocent eyes, “Drink until we get drunk?”
He ran his fingers through his spiky hair. She liked how trendy his hairstyle was, feeling tempted to pull at it. The woman he had picked up had seemed such a catch, despite her younger age. At first sight, he had perceived her to be as innocent as a lamb, but now, he was beginning to see a more foxy side of her.
“Miss, do you really want to get drunk by my hand?” he teased, fingering a loose strand of her now-dry hair, tucking it behind her ear. She breathed in deeply and flashed him one of her ‘fighting’ stares. Confident as she normally was, and the daredevil.
By now, he was convinced she was Milla in a different form. The similarity between their stares and actions was uncanny. If he was right, she owned the same personality as Milla: innocent on the outside, but sexy as a kitten on the inside.
“Try me. Among my friends, I have a high alcohol tolerance. I always win the drinking games in uni.”
“Oh? Is that a challenge?” Hart conquered Myra with a dominant stare. “And what will you do if you lose?”
“I…”
But before she could say another word, the vehicle zoomed through the empty streets, heading to an unknown destination. The impact sent her falling back into her seat, wondering what had got into him that had invoked such an urge in him.
Hart attempted to focus on the road, ignoring the swelling feeling in his pants. She was arousing him just by being herself and he couldn’t hold back. Shifting the gear in place, he raged all the way to his secret nest, a place even his father didn’t know of.The house was a secret location that only he and Milla knew. Following her death three years ago, he had fallen into deep misery. Tonight had been her death anniversary, and he had visited her grave that afternoon. One year ago on the same night, he had decided that was time that he let her go. But the house would always remain, to preserve the sweetest memories they had spent together.To his surprise, he had chanced upon a person so similar to her.Myra alighted cautiously, taking a step at a time as she followed Hart into the vacant house,
Back at the Hotel Top One, Sierra and the others were in a serious dilemma.The girl with auburn hair pointed towards Jake. “You… You’re the cause of it,” she shrieked. “How can I answer to Uncle Fred now?”Jake looked at Sierra and then at the scantily-dressed girl beside him, unable to utter a word. Sierra continued to address her blame on Jake.“We came here because Myra wanted to see you! How could you betray her for…” she turned towards the girl beside Jake. “For that witch!”Yuna hissed at Sierra. “Say that again, and you’ll regret it!”Unknown to them, Yuna Kim was a renowned Korean actress in China where Jake had been living for the
Myra was astounded by the eccentric old lady who was standing before them with a basket of fruits.“Bibik Ina,” Hart pronounced, approaching the elderly woman slowly. Myra observed the guilt written over his face.Right, the name the old lady had called was Milla, not Myra… she vaguely remembered that Hart had even called her Milla unconsciously.“You have aged,” Hart said in a foreign language. He sounded more solemn than ever, his eyes looking downcast. Myra assumed this old lady was someone he knew, watching them slowly while maintaining her distance. The old woman was still staring at her as they spoke.After a few exchanges of sentences, Ina gradually appeared more agitated. Myra noticed how Hart attempted to console her, offering her
She took a deep breath and listened to the sound of the sea to calm her feelings.“Myra, you just got to know him… you don’t know his background or who he actually is, he’s a local from an island you went to for your vacation. He could be after something else…”“You don’t want to be a replacement for someone of his past, do you?”“And you just got betrayed by Jake… are you out of your mind for accepting someone else so quickly?”“When your social visit pass expires, you have to leave anyway…”Her inner voices were screaming inside her. She bit hard on her lips and turned to face him as he released her from his warm hug.
Her heart fluttered as their eyes met and locked in on each other. It had reminded her so much of all those dramas she had watched on TV, yet it was so distinct when it happened to her in actuality.“Are you okay, Myra? Your face is very red.”She hurriedly brushed the sand from her face. “I’m fine, really. I’m just a little hot.”“Ah. The tropical weather here may be a bit hot for you.” He assisted her to sit up, taking extreme care of her. “I reckon the weather in your country is tolerable? Since there are, after all, four seasons.”She stood slowly, shaking the sand off her sundress. “And I assume you haven’t seen actual snow?”He looked at her s
Without hesitating, Hart’s hands moved to cup her cheeks, kissing her passionately. Please, don’t stop, she implored him in her heart. The night breeze was chilly, making her shiver in the cold. He scooped her up in his arms, laying her on the bed before resuming his affection on her lips. Taking his hands, she placed them on her chest. Was this… a direct invitation to touch her? He wondered, stroking her through her thin clothing. She let out a few moans, pulling him closer. She had to be aroused, but he did not want to be a monster to her. Separating their lips, he lay down next to her and stared into her eyes. “Myra, are you sober?” She nodded. “Hart, I only want you to think about me when we do… that.” Maybe it was a
[Back at Hart’s hideout]“Morning,” Myra yawned, rubbing her face against what turned out to be Hart’s chest. Daylight was streaming through the pale curtains. She was exactly where she wanted to be.If only, she didn’t have to wake up from the dream. Every moment with Hart had been so delightful and not hurtful.“Slept well last night?” Hart ran his hair through her hair, which was now probably a mess from their adventure last night. Her forehead throbbed with pain, reminding her of how much she had drunk last night.They had both called each other’s name last night. He had even taken her in
“Will everything be okay?” Myra said as Hart unlocked a decent-looking black Atoz hatchback. She breathed a sigh of relief to notice that there were no signs of the men chasing them earlier. The bustling crowds of shoppers and vendors fended them off from the rest of the bazaar, giving her a confirmation that they were safe, for now.“I’m the king of the bazaar,” Hart announced with a smile. “They wouldn’t be able to find us easily through the crowd. Particularly when they are not from the area.”He started the car, and they were on their way. Compared to his usual casual speed, he was driving fast. The car whizzed off into the distance, passing down the highway into the streets. Hart almost didn’t stop, until he finally reached a red light.Myra found her stress