Chapter Three

**Nina**

“Another one, please.”

The bartender refilled my glass with whiskey, and I swallowed it in one gulp. I winced as the alcohol burned down my throat and settled heavily in my stomach.

I slammed the empty glass onto the counter.

“One more!”

The bar was loud, filled with neon lights, heavy bass, and people pretending they weren’t exhausted with life.

I sat on a high stool with my third… or maybe fourth glass of whiskey in front of me. The ice had melted to nothing. My phone was facedown on the counter.

My engagement ring rested inside my jacket pocket like a stone too heavy to throw away.

Around me, people laughed. Someone was doing karaoke badly in the corner. Normal life. Normal pain. Just not mine.

I picked up the glass, the cheap tumbler cold against my fingers. My hand shook, but I steadied it by staring at the amber liquid until the room stopped spinning. 

“Hey!” My voice came out louder than I meant, cutting through the noise. A few heads turned. The bartender raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

I stood up on unsteady legs, holding the glass high. The bar got quieter, like people sensed a scene coming and decided to watch. 

“To him,” I said, and the word tasted like ash. “To my fiancé. The guy who decided my stepsister looked better on his bed than I did in our future.”

A murmur ran through the small crowd. Someone winced. 

I didn’t care. 

“So here’s to getting over you,” I said, and my voice didn’t shake this time. It was clear, sharp, drunk, and honest. “To forget your name when I wake up. To laugh without it hurting. To me…” I tapped my chest with my free hand, “...choosing me for once.”

I raised the glass higher. 

“To moving on". A humorless smile crossed my lips. "To being done. Cheers!”

The glass hit my lips before anyone could clink theirs. The whiskey burned going down, hot and fast, and I set the empty glass down on the bar with a crack that made the bartender flinch. 

“Another,” I said. 

The music started up again, and for the first time all night, the weight in my chest felt a little lighter.

The bar remained warm and noisy while alcohol buzzed heavily through my veins. I tapped the bartender’s arm.  

“Excuse me,” I slurred slightly. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“Down the hall, left side, past the fire exit,” he said, nodding toward the corridor with the dim red EXIT sign.  

I nodded and made my way down the hallway.

The farther I walked, the quieter the music became until it faded into a distant thump behind the walls. My steps were uneven against the carpeted hallway.

Halfway down, a hand closed around my upper arm—firm, urgent. My breath caught.  

“Please,” a deep voice muttered close to my ear. “Help me. Just for tonight.”  

Before I could properly react, the stranger pulled me gently but urgently toward a nearby hotel suite. He swiped a keycard against the door, and it opened into a luxurious bedroom.

For a moment, I simply stared at him.

Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark hair falling slightly over intense eyes. Even through my drunken haze, I could tell he was dangerously handsome.

I didn’t realize when my back hit the mattress.

His scent surrounded me instantly. He smelled like an expensive sin; vanilla mixed with oud, sweet and dark.

My heartbeat quickened.

His fingers slid carefully beneath my dress, moving slowly against my skin. I should have stopped him. I knew I should have.

But after everything Nolan had done… After all the pain and humiliation… I couldn’t find the strength to pull away.

His touch sent unfamiliar heat rushing through my body. A soft gasp escaped my lips when his mouth brushed against mine. He tasted like mint and wine. And suddenly, my thoughts disappeared completely.

The kiss deepened slowly, patiently, like he wanted me to feel every second of it.

Hi hand moved down to my pussy, down to my swollen clits, and a soft moan escaped my lips. So this is how it feels to be touched by a man. My body ached for more. 

He was sulking my lips, playing with my clit as he rubbed my juice everywhere. “You're damn wet, don't tell me you've been waiting for this” he spoke gently, and a breath of mint mixed with wine filled my nose.

I have been screaming stop in my head, but my body seems to ignore me. Instead, it was responding to his touch. 

“I want you,” I confessed before I could think better of it.

“Hmm,” he groaned as he unzipped his pants. I could feel the hot, swollen head in my slimy entrance rubbing up and down, playing with my clit. I could feel it vibrate.

“You want me?” He whispered in my ear with a voice filled with lust.

“Yes, please,” I said softly as I ran my finger through his black, thick hair.

He slammed in with one brutal thrust. “Ahhh!” I screamed as I felt the burning sensation in me. It was bittersweet.

“Damn, you're so tight,” he moaned, gripping my hips tight. He pulled back slowly and slammed in again. My walls squeak and squeeze around his big dick. 

“Fuck.” A soft moan escaped his lips as he kept thrusting hard. 

It was painful at first, but as he kept thrusting, the pain started reducing and was replaced with a sweet pleasure.

After what feels like forever, he finally jerked off inside me and collapsed beside me. I was too weak to move. Feeling the hotness of my pussy from the hot sex, I slept too.

At dawn, the sharp sound of my phone ringing pulled me awake.

Follow the sound of my ringing tone, I quickly bent under the bed to get my phone.  Groaning softly, I leaned over the side of the bed to search for it beneath the floor. A sudden ache shot through my lower abdomen, making me freeze. I clutched my stomach with one hand while reaching blindly for my phone with the other.

The ringing stopped the moment my fingers touched it. Slowly, I looked around the unfamiliar room. My breath caught. Then everything came rushing back.

The bar. The whiskey. The hallway. The stranger. The night.

I unlocked my phone only to find thirty-seven missed calls from Zoe along with countless messages.

“Oh God…” I whispered.

Carefully, I sat upright on the bed while dull soreness spread through my body. Memories from last night flooded my mind. Oddly enough, guilt wasn’t the first thing I felt. Instead, heat rushed to my cheeks.

A shy smile tugged at my lips. “He really was dangerous,” I murmured to myself. Then bitterness flickered briefly through me. “At least my first time wasn’t wasted on Nolan.”

I quickly called Zoe back. She answered almost immediately. “Where have you been?” she burst out anxiously. “Why wasn’t your phone on? Nina, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I replied quickly. “I think I’m in a hotel. I’ll be back in thirty minutes.” Before she could ask more questions, I ended the call.

I would explain later.

Pulling the duvet tighter around myself, I searched the room for my clothes. Surprisingly, they were neatly folded on the bed instead of scattered across the floor.

As I reached for my dress, something caught my attention. A black card rested on top of the fabric beside a handwritten note.

I’m sorry about last night. The PIN is below. Take care of yourself.

I stared at the message for a long moment. Then quickly got dressed.

As I prepared to leave, my foot brushed against something metallic on the floor. I bent down carefully and picked it up.

A necklace. Definitely not mine. It must belong to him. Without thinking too much about it, I dropped it into my purse before leaving the room.

A few minutes later, I arrived at Zoe’s apartment. She was already standing outside her door, waiting for me. Only God knew how long she had been there.

The moment she saw me, she rushed toward me and wrapped her arms tightly around me. I nearly stopped breathing from how hard she hugged me.

Then she suddenly pulled back and stared at me closely. Her eyes narrowed.

“Nina…”

Her gaze slowly dropped toward my neck. And the expression on her face changed instantly.