Chapter Two - Blame It On The Vodka

Brynne watched him lean towards her, his hypnotic eyes holding her under his spell. Her breath hitched in anticipation. Would he kiss her? Her body reacted at the thought and moisture pooled in her underwear. The very thought of kissing him could do this to her. Then how would she react to his touch?

This wasn’t like her at all. Brynne would never surrender to a man so reckless in her right senses. But was she in her senses?

His fingers on her neck and shoulders calmed her, and she could hardly keep her eyes open. “Thanks. I should get going now.”

“Stay.” His face was inches away from hers and she could feel his hot breath fanning her neck. Her heart pounded inside her ribcage and she gulped down her drink in one go.

“I think I should g-go.” Yet she couldn’t get up and leave. Her head reeled from all the alcohol in her system.

“What’s the hurry, Brynne? Stay with me for some time. Let me help you forget the as*hole who hurt you.” His fingers played with her hair, caressing her cheeks with the back of his hand while his eyes held her captive.

She blinked and gave him a clueless look. “How d-do you know m-my name?” He flashed her his signature skew smile and gestured towards the medallion hanging around her neck. When did he scan the damn thing and figure out her details? Somehow, she had the feeling he was hiding something from her.

“Um, can I g-get another d-drink, p-please?” He shook his head, dipping his head to graze his lips along her neck.

“You’ve had a lot. No more.” He planted a kiss on her neck and she gasped in response. It encouraged him to suck the spot on her neck, marking it like an alpha male. It turned her on, and she gave him a desperate look.

“Fuck!” he swore under his breath before picking her up and placing her on his lap, straddling him. His mouth found hers, demanding and wild, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Maybe there wasn’t! So, why not?

The air crackled, as the se*ual undercurrents passing between them intensified by the second.

The way he kissed her, plunging his tongue deep into the hidden recesses of her mouth, made her feel like the s*xiest woman on earth. It was a sensation she had never felt while with Adam, who hated everything about her.

“Kiss me, Brynne!” His hoarse order made all her inhibitions fly out of the windows and she surrendered to him. Her passion matched his. Her hands roamed over his body, encouraging him to continue with whatever he wanted to do with her.

Of course, it was the vodka in her system that was making her react so recklessly to him.

She grabbed his shoulders and moaned in ecstasy when he took liberties. Her intoxicated brain had no idea how, in a split second, she was lying pinned underneath him on the plush sofa. His mouth explored the hidden recesses of her body while she tugged at his clothes.

Definitely, it was the vodka that made her land up half-naked on his sofa and enjoy the first and best s*x of her life. The pain was excruciating, and he froze, not having expected her to be a virgin. Obviously, who had a boyfriend of two years and yet refrained from se*ual intercourse?

Only Brynne Emerson did. Who else?

How did the same Brynne Emerson do the deed with a stranger she had just met? Not only did she do the deed, she also requested him to please her in more ways than one. And he complied, in his deliciously dirty way, with several variations of the requested activity until Brynne almost passed out from exhaustion.

She gazed at him as he lay sated on top of her, sweat glistening from his drooling hot body. Would she ever see him again? Was this a dream?

He raised his head and looked at her, holding her gaze like he really knew her. Brynne was sure it was her imagination playing tricks on her mind. If she had seen him before, she would definitely have remembered him. It wasn’t every day that you met and had your wildest desires come true with the hottest male specimen on the planet.

“Who are you?” she whispered deliriously, but he gazed back at her with a brooding look on his face. Was he repenting it? She tried hard to stay awake to hear his reply, but her eyes closed and everything blacked out.

“You’ll know soon, Brynne Emerson!” It was a barely audible whisper, but Brynne was already lost in a state of bliss.

The next morning, she opened her bleary eyes to look around her. In her head-pounding, hung-over daze, she could hardly recall much from last night. Everything was hazy except the memories of a ridiculously hot man and several rounds of dirty se* with him. Was it a dream? She sat up only to find herself half naked and alone on a gigantic bed!

The pain between her legs was proof enough that this was no dream.

“Jesus! What have I done?” She eased off the bed and found her clothes on a chair nearby. The place was eerily quiet as if no one stayed here. Where was the man from last night?

Maybe she should escape before he returned. She could never face him again. How could she be so reckless? What he might have thought of her!

It was all because of the vodka. She swore in her mind never to touch vodka again.

Within minutes, Brynne put on her clothes and ran out of the bedroom. The place was so huge; it was a shame that no one stayed there. She opened the main door and stepped out. Thankfully, there was no one around, apart from a few cleaners who gawked at her. Did she look a mess? It was indeed the biggest walk of shame for her!

All the way down the elevator, she prayed she didn’t meet anyone from Sylvester. But prayers weren’t always heard, right?

The moment the elevator stopped on the eighth floor, the door opened, and in walked none other than Adam Carter, accompanied by his latest crush, Miranda! Brynne wanted to fly out of the elevator out of embarrassment. It was clear from her messy appearance what she had been up to all night.

Adam’s eyes popped out at the sight of her. “What are you doing here so early in the morning?” he demanded, pushing the female aside and facing Brynne.

“F*ck off!” She turned away to ignore their presence.

“Adam, forget her, baby! I’m famished!” whined the woman, but Adam’s gaze swept over Brynne and he fumed with jealousy. It was clear she had too much fun last night, something she had never done with him.

“Where had you been all night, Brynne?” Adam grabbed her arm to turn her around. Brynne jerked out of his hold.

“I’m not answerable to you, Adam Carter. Just f*ck off with your bi*ch.” The elevator stopped at floor 6 and she got off. She would use the staircase instead. It was tiring and time-consuming, but at last, she reached her floor and knocked on Daniella’s door. After a minute, the door opened and a sleepy Daniella gaped at her.

“Brynne? Where were you all night? I was so worried about you. I tried your number, but you left your phone here. Are you staying with Adam?” she rambled on, but Brynne walked inside in a dazed state. She could still feel the soreness between her legs. Her lips still were swollen from the stranger’s kisses. She would never forget last night and him for as long as she lived. He had branded her for life!

“Brynne, I’m talking to you. What’s wrong with you?”

She sat down on the bed in a state of daze. Daniella sat beside her. “Did you have too much to drink last night?”

Brynne covered her face and nodded. “Adam is cheating on me, Dani. He threw me out of his life. I couldn’t take it anymore and..” She stopped, unable to continue.

“And?”

Brynne couldn’t say a word further. What she had done was unimaginable!

“What have you done, dammit?”

“I poured a bottle of vodka down my throat and gave my virginity away to a stranger!” Daniella sat with her jaws dropped to the floor. She could never imagine her best friend doing this kind of thing.

“Was he hot?” It was the first thing that came to Daniella’s mind.

“Smoking!” Brynne blushed at the memory, wondering what he might be up to now. Maybe he was pleasing some other woman the way he pleased her. After all, he was good at his job. He surely had years of experience in the field.

“Did you take his number?” Brynne shook her head.

“What’s his name?” Brynne shrugged.

Daniella gave her a look of disbelief. “Are you insane? Did you use protection?”

Brynne frowned as she tried hard to recall. She couldn’t. “I don’t remember.”

Daniella smacked her forehead. “What have you done, Brynne? Who will you go to if you get knocked up with his baby?” Brynne blinked in confusion at her best friend. She had never considered this angle at all. What would she do now?

She had so much hope from this special New Year's tour. She wanted to start afresh this new year. Now she was doomed to live in dread.

“I wish I had never come on this trip, Dani.”

A knock on the door startled Brynne, and she gave Daniella a helpless look. Who could it be?