Chapter 3: The Dangerous Request

Emily’s POV

My body moved on its own, hips swaying harder than I ever had before, arms raised like I could push the pain out through my fingertips. The bass thumped inside my chest, matching the angry beat of my pulse.

Sweat clung to my skin. The black dress rode up my thighs with every sharp turn, but I didn’t care.

“Emily, slow down!” Kara shouted over the music, grabbing my wrist. Her curls were sticking to her forehead, eyes wide with worry. “You’re going to fall if you keep spinning like that.”

I laughed, but it sounded wild even to my own ears. “I’m fine! This feels good.”

It didn’t feel good. It felt like fire in my veins and ice in my stomach at the same time. Every time the lights flashed across my face, I saw him again, Lucas’s hands on her waist, their mouths locked together like they couldn’t breathe without each other.

The image wouldn’t leave me alone.

I pulled away from Kara and danced harder, throwing my head back, letting my hair whip around. The alcohol made everything blurry and bright.

My fourth or was it fifth? drink still burned sweetly at the back of my throat.

Kara tried again, pressing close so I could hear her. “Come on, let’s sit for a minute. You’re scaring me.”

“I don’t want to sit,” I snapped, spinning away from her. “I want to forget him.”

My eyes swept across the club, searching for something, anything to drown out the memories. That’s when I noticed the raised VIP section on the far side.

A group of guys dominated the area, tall and loud, laughing like they owned the night. Hockey jackets hung over the back of their booth. One guy in particular stood out.

He leaned against the railing, watching the crowd with a lazy confidence that screamed trouble. Tall, broad shoulders that stretched his dark shirt tight across his chest.

Sharp jawline, messy dark hair, and gray eyes that somehow caught the light even in the darkness.

Alex Hale, my brother Julian’s best friend since freshman year. The hockey captain everyone whispered about. The campus playboy who never slept with the same girl twice.

I’d seen him around before at Julian’s parties, in the background of family dinners but I’d never really looked at him.

Before I could stop myself, I started moving toward the bar area near the VIP section. My legs felt loose, like they belonged to someone else.

The room tilted slightly, but I kept going, weaving between bodies, my heart pounding louder than the music.

“Emily!” Kara’s voice cut through the noise behind me. She caught up and grabbed my arm. “Where are you going?”

I didn’t answer. My eyes stayed locked on Alex. He was talking to one of his teammates, but something made him glance down toward the dance floor. Toward me.

I didn’t even think. I just opened my mouth and let them spill out loud enough for the people nearby to hear.

“I want you to touch me… right now.” My voice carried over the music, raw and trembling with anger. “I’ll show that scumbag ex I’m good at sex too.”

For a second, everything around me seemed to freeze.

Kara’s grip on my arm tightened painfully. “Emily, no!” she hissed, horrified. She tried to yank me backward. “That’s Alex! Your brother’s best friend! Are you out of your mind?”

I barely heard her. My eyes were fixed on him.

Alex turned fully toward me. Those stormy gray eyes locked onto mine with sharp surprise, then darkened with something hotter.

He straightened up to his full height, towering over everyone around him, and the corner of his mouth twitched like he couldn’t decide whether to smirk or frown.

The club spun faster. I felt dizzy, bold, and completely terrified all at once. This wasn’t me. The quiet girl who spent hours alone with her paintbrushes. The girl who had loved Lucas with her whole heart. But that girl had been shattered in a café this afternoon, and right now I didn’t care who picked up the pieces.

Kara pulled harder, panic clear in her voice. “Em, please. This is a terrible idea. Julian will kill both of you. Let’s go home. Right now.

I shook my head, eyes still on Alex. The alcohol gave me courage I never knew I had.

Revenge, pain, and a reckless need to feel wanted burned through me like wildfire. I wanted to hurt Lucas back. I wanted to prove I wasn’t the boring, forgettable girlfriend he’d thrown away.

Alex stepped down from the VIP area, moving through the crowd like it parted for him. His gaze never left my face.

He stopped right in front of me, close enough that I could smell his cologne mixed with the faint scent of ice and sweat from practice. His gray eyes searched mine, reading every messy emotion I couldn’t hide.

Kara kept tugging my arm. “Alex, don’t! She’s drunk. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

But I did know. In that moment, I meant every word.

He took one step closer, his voice low and rough, cutting through the pounding music like it was meant only for me.

“Careful what you wish for, little painter girl.”