Chapter 2: Never let you go

Life really had many ways of messing her up, and one of such ways was cleverly recreating what had happened a week after her eighteenth birthday.

It was a mistake that was never supposed to happen. She had snuck out to a party. She was naive and had foolishly allowed herself to be drugged, which led to her almost getting raped.

It was the man who was standing in front of her that had saved her. As she was too afraid to face her family or her friends, she begged him to cover for her, which caused her to hide in his room.

One thing led to another, and the next thing she knew was that she had slept with Jayden. The fact that she was the one who pushed for it made it worse.

When it was time to have a talk with him, he immediately told her his hatred for her hadn't changed, and it had only increased as he considered her cheap now that he had slept with her.

The memory was one that would haunt her forever, as she hated herself for it, and the fact that he had just caught her trying to have a one-night stand just made it worse and solidified his words.

“Stop being immature, Zendaya,” Jayden hissed as he stared at the woman in his hands. Even though she was drunk, she could still see the look of disgust that was on his face, and it annoyed her.

“Let go of me!” Zendaya snapped as she pushed him away. Thankfully, he let her go and she started to walk away from him. 

“Where are you going, Zendaya?” she heard him ask her, but she didn’t respond nor did she stop.

Why did she have to drink so much? She berated herself as she could barely walk in a straight line, her stomach twisting with regret.

Tonight was supposed to be about forgetting, about letting go. Instead, she’d ended up running straight into the one man she couldn’t escape. She really had terrible luck.

Jayden watched Zendaya walk away, and he shook his head as he started to go after her. He knew just how low her alcohol tolerance was.

Why did the fool have to drink so much, especially for someone who wasn’t worth it? Here she was sulking, and the fool was busy having fun with the woman he was sleeping with.

“Zendaya!” He yelled and increased his pace when he saw her step onto the road when a car was approaching. He managed to drag her out before she could get hit.

“Are you crazy?!” He asked, his heart pounding as the car's horn blared past them. He wasted no time in throwing her over his shoulders like a bag of potatoes. 

Being cordial was never the way when dealing with Zendaya. She was stubborn but he was persistent.

“Put me down,” she struggled as he made his way back to the car. He, however, paid no attention to her until they got to his car.

Opening the door, he placed her slowly on the seat, after which he fastened her seatbelt. He then quickly turned and got into the car. When he was in, he saw Zendaya trying to open the door.

“Let me out of here, Jayden. I’m not going anywhere with you,” Zendaya protested and in response, he started the car and drove off.

The last time she’d seen him was when he was living, and he had promised her a life of regret. Now here he was more handsome than she remembered, as she hated herself for still thinking of him that way.

“How did you even find me when you just got back?” Zendaya crossed her hands. “Did you come to see me for revenge? Are you here to gloat over my current predicament?”

 It seemed his presence was helping her think more clearly. Jayden considered her the reason he was sent away two years ago, and before he left, he had promised that when he returned, he would make her pay.

“Now is not the time to talk about what happened between us, Zendaya, especially not when you’re drunk,” Jayden stated, his jaws clenched. 

The fool had still not stopped misunderstanding him and his words. Once she was sober, he would have a talk about what happened two years ago. Right now, his goal was getting her home safely.

“How did you even find me?” 

“I always have my eyes on you, Zendaya,” he responded. The fact that he wasn’t in the country didn’t stop him from asking his men to keep tabs on her. No matter where he was, he would always find her.

He had thought he would show himself before her this soon, but when one of his men had informed him that she was drinking at a bar, he couldn’t stop himself, especially knowing how she tended to make impulsive decisions.

“Don’t take me home, I still need to get laid,” Zendaya told him, and Jayden turned to glare at her in disbelief.

“When you wake up sober tomorrow, I can’t wait to see the look of regret on your face,” he stated as he stepped on the gas pedal.

“I’m not going to regret anything.” With that, she closed her eyes and rested on the door as she felt sleepy. ‘I loved him, and he cheated on me,’ she started mumbling and when Jayden turned to look at her, he saw her eyes were still closed.

A slight smile appeared on his lips over hearing what she had said. He wasn't joking when he said he had been keeping tabs on her, one of which led him to find out about her fiancé's infidelity.

He clenched the steering wheel over the fact she had even considered getting married to Matthew in the first place.

“Everyone's going to laugh at me. My parents even warned me, and I didn't listen to them,” she continued to mumble and Jayden interrupted her till they got to their destination.

As soon as the car stopped, Zendaya opened her eyes and she frowned. “This is not my house,” she stated.

“No, we’re at my mansion,” he told her as he got out of the car. Zendaya did the same, and she rested on the car so she wouldn't fall.

When he reached where she was, she grabbed his hand, and they started to make their way into the mansion.

Upon entering, he lifted her and carried her to the room beside him so he could keep a close tab on her.

“Why did you bring me here?” she inquired.

“So the guards at your house won’t tell your parents,” Jayden responded.

He knew her family kept close tabs on her and if she were to show up at her house drunk and with him, they would immediately make their way over there. He knew she wasn’t ready to face them yet.

“You’re smart,” Zendaya complimented as Jayden lowered her onto the bed.

“I know, now get some sleep, Zendaya, as tomorrow is going to be a long day,” he told her as he tucked her in. Just as he turned to leave, he felt her grab his head.

“Sleep with me,” he heard her say, and he swiftly turned to look at her. “I still want to get laid!” his insides stiffened, and he felt the heat rush to his legs.

Shit! He cursed inwardly as he moved to remove her hand.

“You’re drunk, Zendaya. Go to bed,” he ordered her.

“No. Why won’t you sleep with me?” Zendaya cried. “Do you still think I’m cheap?”

Jayden clenched his fists as he remembered his words. ‘If only she knew,’ he muttered to himself, but now was not the time to think about the past.

“Go to be…” he was unable to complete his words as she pulled him onto the bed, and he landed on top of her. He had not been expecting her to do so hence, he couldn’t stop it from happening.

“Zendaya…” the rest of the word got swallowed when Zendaya put her lips on his. Break it! His rationale screamed, but he found himself unable to do so.

After a few more seconds, he regained his senses, and just as he tried to move away, she slipped her arms around his neck and held him while deepening the kiss.

She stopped for a few seconds and said, “Either you sleep with me or someone else will, but I’m getting laid tonight.”

Zendaya tightened her arms on Jayden’s neck when she still felt him struggling to get up. Due to the fact that he didn’t want to hurt her, he didn’t use his full strength, which left him at a disadvantage.

She didn’t waste any more time in capturing his lips, this time a little more passionately as she pressed her lips hard on Jayden’s lips taking his lower lip in between hers and sucking on it, and a grin formed when she could feel his tense body relaxing.

Jayden felt his self-control slipping, and the fact that he could taste the alcohol on her lips only made her more intoxicating.

‘Fuck it!’ He thought. His self-control crumbled as he wrapped an arm around her waist, taking control of the kiss. She was reckless, infuriating, but utterly irresistible.

“Zendaya, if I sleep with you tonight, I won’t let you go ever again,” he warned her to know just what she was getting herself into.

“Hmm,” Zendaya responded, not caring about what she had said. “Just continue!” She urged him, and he didn’t waste any time in fulfilling her request.

****

Zendaya’s eyes slowly fluttered open and as soon as she opened them, she closed them as she was hit with a bright light that made her hiss. When she opened it again, she let her eyes adjust to it.

It was already morning. She thought to herself. Why didn’t she remember getting home? She wondered.

Zendaya didn’t have time to ponder upon that thought, as she was hit with the urge to puke and a throbbing headache.

Without wasting time, she rushed into the toilet to empty her stomach. God! She shouldn’t have drunk so much, she thought to herself.

After she was done, she got up to wash her face, not paying attention to the surroundings as all she wanted to do was to go back and sleep the headache away.

Once finished, she exited the bathroom, and just as she got out, she heard a sound coming from the bed and this made her open her eyes fully. 

Who the hell was on her bed? She wondered. She didn’t have to think too hard, as the man sat up in the next instant.

Her shock knew no bounds when it turned out to be no one other than Jayden Gerano.

“Ahh!” she screamed in horror, and he turned to look at her. Why was he shirtless? She asked herself as her eyes darted to her own body to find that she was naked, and he was looking at her.

“Ahh!” Another scream escaped.