Chapter 2

Sophia’s POV

“I really hope this turns out to be even better than anything you’ve experienced before,” he murmured as his hand glided smoothly along my thigh, sending a wave of goosebumps rippling across my skin.

Then, his fingers gently slipped inside my vagina. It stung a bit at first, but there was an undeniable pleasure mixed in with the discomfort.

I arched my back slightly and drew in a series of quick, shallow breaths. “I hope so too.”

He withdrew his hand abruptly. “You’re still a virgin. I don’t think we should go through with this, especially since you’re not fully clear-headed right now. You ought to get some sleep instead.” He rose to his feet.

“Please, don’t pull away now. Just keep going. What difference does it make if I’m a virgin or not?”

I stretched out and grabbed his arm, drawing him back toward me. I planted tender kisses along his hand, trailing them up to his face while I softly stroked his chin.

“Just go ahead and do it,” I said, pouting my lips at him playfully.

“If things start moving too quickly for you, just say the word, and I’ll stop right away,” he replied, kneeling back down as his fingers eased into my vagina once more, causing those familiar goosebumps to return all over my body.

His touch felt both tender and intensely warm simultaneously. I’d describe it as downright electrifying.

He soon swapped out his fingers for his mouth, pressing soft kisses along my thighs and working his way up to my most intimate area.

I tugged at his black trousers, sliding them down along with his boxers, revealing his fully erect penis.

He positioned himself above me, gently fondling one of my breasts while he took the other into his mouth and sucked on it.

From there, he moved his kisses back up to my neck and eventually to my lips, while I looped my arms around his neck, returning the kiss with equal fervor and intensity.

I let my hand wander down to his penis, stroking and massaging it rhythmically. He then thrust into me, and I released a stifled moan. The pain was there, sharp and real, but it was overshadowed by an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

Damn!

My eyes rolled back in ecstasy.

“Fuck! Go faster. Faster,” I cried out breathlessly.

“For someone who’s never done this before, you’re handling it incredibly well,” he chuckled lightly.

“I’ve watched p**n a few times, back when I was getting ready to give myself to my idiot of a boyfriend,” I gasped out as he picked up the pace with his thrusts. We went through several more rounds of passion before we finally cuddled up together and drifted off to sleep.

The final memory I had was the comforting warmth of his arms enveloping me, along with his gentle kisses scattered across my body, coaxing me into a peaceful slumber.

When I finally stirred awake, the room carried a sweet scent of caramel. On the nightstand, there was a fresh bottle of water waiting for me, accompanied by a handwritten note.

“I hated the idea of leaving you here by yourself, but I have a feeling our paths will cross again soon. You deserved some proper rest after everything that unfolded last night. - Your Mystery Man.”

A flush crept across my cheeks, and deep down, some inexplicable part of me truly longed to encounter him once more.

It was a feeling I couldn’t quite put into words.

I let out a frustrated groan when it hit me that I had work scheduled for today. I forced myself to sit up in bed, gathered my clothes, and got dressed. I carefully folded the note and slipped it into my bag, drew in a steadying breath, and made my way out of the hotel, feeling a bit reluctant.

The world outside remained exactly as it had been, unchanged in its hustle and bustle, but I was different now. I was no longer a virgin; I’d just surrendered my virginity to this enigmatic, handsome stranger, and the bedsheets bore the evidence with their stains. Yet, astonishingly, I harbored no regrets about it at all.

I rushed back to my place to change into work-appropriate attire. I was already behind schedule, and my manager had zero tolerance for tardiness.

As soon as I stepped through the doors of Harper Jewelries, where I served as the receptionist, I noticed heads swiveling in my direction.

“Yeah, that’s her,” someone muttered, pointing a finger right at me.

I rolled my eyes dismissively and headed straight to my desk, determined to kick off my day without letting it bother me.

That’s when I spotted it, tacked up prominently on the staff bulletin board: a screenshot of a tweet.

“Sophia seduced her way into snagging the top staff award. Manager Harlan was just another one of her victims she drugged. She’s utterly shameless.”

The handle featured a simple “E” abbreviation. My former best friend, boldly spreading these blatant lies as if she were performing some noble service to humanity. I had genuinely believed she cared for me the way I had cared for her.

I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder and turned around to find Emily standing there. She was dressed in a short black skirt paired with a beige top and nude heels. If anyone deserved accusations of seducing their way into this company, it was her—just look at that outfit.

“Hi, Sophia. The manager wants to see you in his office immediately. I have no clue who started those awful false rumors about you, but he’s absolutely furious. I really hope he decides to overlook it,” she said, batting her eyelashes innocently.

If she thought she could convince me that she wasn’t the one behind posting that tweet all over social media, she was sorely mistaken—and she hadn’t even put in much effort to hide it.

“Aren’t you even a little ashamed of what you’ve done? You slept with my boyfriend, and now you’re circulating these fabricated stories about me? What is it that you actually want from me?” My voice wavered slightly.

I locked eyes with her directly. I’d vowed to myself that I wouldn’t display any signs of vulnerability, no matter how shattered I felt on the inside.

She leaned in closer, bending down to meet me at eye level. “All I want is for you to disappear, and to take possession of everything that belongs to you. Is that really too much to ask?” she whispered, her lips curling into a smug smile.

“Well, you can have it all,” I replied, turning and walking away from her without another word.

I paused to take a deep breath before entering the manager’s office.

“Good morning, sir. You asked to see me.”

Manager Harlan was a plump, always-cheerful guy famous for his broad grin, even though he was missing a couple of front teeth. He was incredibly outgoing and easy to approach, and his upbeat personality often lightened the atmosphere around the office.

“I’ll cut right to the chase, Miss Langley. As the receptionist, you’re essentially the public face of this company, and we simply can’t sweep a scandal like this under the rug,” he said, clasping his hands on the desk and leaning in toward me.

“Yes, sir, please don’t let me go. I swear I didn’t do any of it, and I desperately need this job,” my voice broke a little.

“I’m afraid I have no choice, but you’re being let go from your position.” He extended a check toward me for the month. It didn’t even amount to half of what my full salary should have been.

“The higher-ups have decided to allocate the remainder of your salary toward handling the media fallout and quashing these false rumors, which is the bare minimum you can contribute to the company at this point,” he elaborated.

I stumbled out of his office in a daze, hurriedly collected my belongings from my desk, and exited the building. My throat felt tight and raw, but I refused to allow the tears to fall.

I was about halfway home when my phone vibrated with an incoming message.

From the House Owner:

Miss Sophia, you’ve fallen behind on rent for two full months now, and I’ve been more than patient with you. I’m giving you three days to move out of the premises. I need to rent it to someone who can actually pay on time.

I stared at the screen, blinking in utter disbelief. I’d been counting on my salary from this month to cover it, and now the amount I’d received wasn’t even cl

ose to half of what I owed for rent. Just three days.