Chapter 3: Going Back To The Hotel

Kiara's POV

Oh shit.

I stood a few meters away from the club, phone pressed to my ear. Lisa's number went straight to voicemail. I tried Amy next. Same thing.

Earlier, I'd searched everywhere inside the club. The dance floor, the bathrooms, even near the bar. Finally, I'd asked the bartender about them. He'd told me they left ten minutes ago.

Ten minutes.

So it was official, they ditched me. After their stupid dare that got me into this mess in the first place.

I opened my ride share app, squinting at the screen through blurry vision. My fingers kept missing the buttons. How much did I actually drink? The icons swam before my eyes, refusing to cooperate.

A cold wind swept down the street, cutting through my thin dress.

I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself.

Then the clouds thundered heavily overhead.

I looked up. Dark clouds rolled across the sky, blocking out the moon. It was going to rain.

Just perfect.

I cursed my life, my terrible friends, this entire disastrous night.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

A rough, predatory voice sent dread sliding down my spine. It came from somewhere behind me.

I turned.

Two men stood a few feet away, approaching. Their clothes were ragged and stained. Their eyes were red-rimmed, bloodshot.

"I'm fine," I called out quickly, trying to sound confident. "Just waiting for my ride."

"Doesn't look like it to me," the taller one said, stepping closer. His eyes scanned me from head to toe, lingering on my exposed thighs, the low neckline of my dress, my bare shoulders. I felt suddenly, acutely aware of how much skin I was showing.

His smile made my skin crawl. "Why don't you hand that phone over to us."

"No." I took one step back. My heart pounded hard against my ribs. Then another step. "Leave me alone."

"Come on now," the other one moved to block my path. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

The tall one grabbed my arm. I tried to pull away, twisting, but his grip was too strong.

"Please," I begged, my voice shaking now. "Stop this. Let me go."

He dragged me closer. The other guy had his hand in his pocket, reaching.

My blood ran cold. Was he going to pull out a gun?

"Let go!" I tried to twist free.

His hand came out of his pocket.

A knife.

The blade glinted under the harsh streetlight.

I stepped back, my breath coming in short gasps. "Please, don't..."

Then I heard tires screech against wet pavement. Headlights flooded the street, almost blinding.

A sleek grey car stopped right in front of us.

The window slid down.

"Get your hands off her!"

That voice, rasping with rage underneath. The same voice from the club.

The door flew open. A man stepped out as though in sync, the cloud thundered loudly.

My breath hitched.

It was the sexy stranger from the club. The one I'd kissed.

Just then the clouds opened up completely. Rain started falling in light drops at first, then heavier.

He charged forward, putting himself between me and them. I immediately hid behind him, gripping the back of his shirt.

The fabric was already getting wet, clinging to the hard muscles of his back.

"Walk away," he warned in a low growl.

The tall one laughed, though it sounded forced. "Or what?"

"Or I'll make you pay dearly for touching her."

The guy with the knife stepped forward. "Big talk for someone who's outnumbered."

"Try me."

They exchanged looks. Then the tall one lunged forward, fist raised.

The sexy stranger moved fast. His fist connected with the guy's face with a sickening punch, sending him stumbling backward into a parked car.

The one with the knife came at him next, blade raised high.

I gasped, stepping back further.

He grabbed the guy's wrist mid-swing, twisted it hard. I heard a bone crack.

The knife clattered to the wet pavement. Then he landed another hard punch to the guy's face, again and again. Blood sprayed, mixing with the rain.

The man begged. "Stop! Please! Stop!"

But the sexy stranger didn't stop. His fist came down again.

"You're going to kill him!" the other one screamed.

Finally, he paused. He looked down at the man beneath him, bloodied and broken. "I warned you. I told you to walk away."

He grabbed the man by his collar, yanking him up. The guy's feet barely touched the ground.

"Listen carefully," he said, his voice deadly quiet. "You stay the hell away from her. You don't look at her. You don't think about her. If I ever see you near her again, or near any other woman for that matter, it won't just be my fist you'll have to worry about. I'll have you locked up for years. I have the power, the connections, and the money to make your life a living hell. Do you understand me?"

The man nodded frantically, blood dripping from his mouth.

"Say it."

"I-I understand! I won't! I swear!"

He let the man go. The guy scrambled backward, limping, one eye already swollen shut. Blood poured from his nose and mouth.

The other one had already run.

The bloodied man stumbled to his feet and limped away as fast as he could, leaving a trail of blood on the wet pavement.

I stood frozen, shocked. Did he really have that kind of power? The way he said it, so confident, so absolute. Who was this man?

The sexy stranger stood there for a moment, chest rising and falling heavily. Rain poured over him, soaking through his expensive shirt. Water dripped from his dark hair, down his face, down the strong column of his neck. His shirt clung to every defined muscle, every hard plane of his chest and abs.

God. He looked like a dark avenging angel descended from the heavens. Dangerous and beautiful and terrifying all at once.

I just stared, transfixed.

Then the alcohol hit me again, hard. My legs gave out.

I stumbled forward.

He turned just in time and caught me before I hit the ground. His strong arms wrapped around me, holding me upright.

"Did they hurt you?"

I shook my head, unable to speak.

"Come on."

Without another word, he lifted me into his arms effortlessly. Carried me to his car like I weighed nothing.

He opened the passenger door, helped me inside gently, then shut it firmly. He walked around to the driver's side, got in, and started the engine.

Rain hammered against the windshield as he pulled onto the road.

I was shivering violently now. My wet dress clung to my skin, cold and uncomfortable. Water dripped from my hair down my neck.

He reached over and turned up the heat without a word.

Warm air flooded the car. My body slowly began to thaw, the shaking subsiding slightly as my head fell against the seat.

Then I found my voice.

"You saved me," I said softly, my words slurring just a little. "Thank you."

He shook his head. "Did you come to the club alone? Where are your friends?"

"I..." I paused. "I couldn't find them."

The alcohol made me chuckle, though there was no humor in it. "They ditched me. After putting me in this mess in the first place."

His hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

"You acted recklessly tonight. Completely irresponsible. You got drunk at a club with friends who clearly don't give a damn about you, then ended up alone, vulnerable, easy prey for anyone with bad intentions. Getting drunk like that, wearing that dress, making yourself a target. Do you have any idea what those men would have done to you? What they would have done if I hadn't shown up?"

"Stop," I raised my hand, my voice rising. "Stop scolding me. You're not my dad or my boyfriend. You don't know me. You can't talk to me like you have some right to lecture me about my life."

His face hardened.

"I'm the man who just saved your ass from being robbed, hurt, or worse. I'm also the man you kissed at the club less than an hour ago. So considering all that, I can talk to you however I please."

My breath hitched as heat flooded my face. "I'm not yours... so quit playing... Zaddy..."

He scoffed. "If you were mine," he continued, his voice dropping to a drawl, "I would have punished that little ass of yours for pulling a stunt like this. You wouldn't be sitting comfortably right now. You'd be over my knee, crying, learning exactly why you don't put yourself in danger like that. I'd make sure you understood the consequences of acting like a reckless child. Make sure you felt it every time you sat down for the next week. You'd beg me to stop, but I wouldn't. Not until that pretty ass was red and you promised never to be so foolish again."

Oh God.

My core throbbed as I pressed my thighs against each other tightly to suppress the ache building.

"And after you'd learned your lesson, I'd show you exactly what happens to bad girls who need to be taught how to behave."

I squeezed my thighs together. My face burned.

"But you're not mine. So all I can do is hope you're smart enough not to do something this stupid again."

I was speechless. My mind conjured instantly into an image. Me draped over his thigh. Dress raised up. His hands coming down. Hard. Over and over. I shivered.

Just the sound of rain and wipers and my racing heart filled the car.

"Where do you live? What's your address?"

I blinked, trying to think through the fog in my mind. But I couldn't remember. And even if I did, I couldn't go home like this. Drunk and soaking wet. Dad would lose his mind and ground me at the ripe age of 21 years old.

"Take me home with you," I murmured.

I brushed his hand with mine.

He took my hand and placed it firmly on my lap. "No."

I did a baby face. Pouting. "Please. I have nowhere else to go. You can't just leave me on the street after everything."

He gripped the steering wheel even tighter, and then he sighed, long and heavy.

"Fine. I'll take you back to my hotel. But by morning, you're gone. Understood?"

I nodded eagerly.

"Understood?"

"Yes. I understand."

He turned the car quickly. The rain continued to pour, the city lights blurring past the windows.

I stole glances at him. His mouth pressed into a thin line. Water dripped from his hair, down his neck, disappearing beneath his collar.

My mind was unable to stop imagining the punishments and lessons.