Three

VIVIAN.

I was so stupid.

That was the only thought that kept looping through my head as I sat on the barstool and stared at the half-empty glass in front of me. Stupid for loving him. Stupid for believing every soft promise he ever made. Stupid for sitting through that entire wedding like a pathetic ghost while Tyler smiled at another woman like she was the only one who had ever mattered.

I lifted the glass and drank. The burn did nothing to fix the hollow feeling in my chest.

“Another” I told the bartender.

He poured and I wrapped both hands around the new glass and tried not to picture Tyler’s face when he saw me standing there.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

I didn’t notice the man who sat two stools down until he spoke.

“Rough night?”

I turned my head. He had extremely beautiful gray eyes, dark hair and a sharp jaw.

“The worst.” I said.

He nodded once and raised two fingers at the bartender. Another drink appeared in front of me. I didn’t thank him. I just drank it.

We sat in silence for a while. The bar noise faded into the background.

“I’m Asher.” he said eventually.

“Vivian.”

He finished his drink and set the glass down. “Sooo, are you planning on staying here until they kick you out?”

I laughed once. “Maybe.”

“Or you could leave with me.”

I should have said no. I should have gone home and cried into my pillow like a normal person. Instead I looked at those gray eyes and felt intense anger rise up inside me at the situation.

“Okay. ” I said.

We left together.

The hotel was close. The second the door closed behind us, everything else stopped mattering.

Asher kissed me like he had been waiting for it all night. My back hit the wall and my hands found his shirt, pulling until buttons gave way. He lifted me easily, carried me to the bed, and laid me down.

Clothes disappeared quickly and his mouth moved down my throat, across my collarbone, lower. I arched under him and dug my fingers into his shoulders.

“Look at me,” he said.

I did. Those gray eyes stayed locked on mine as he pushed inside me in one deep thrust. A broken sound left my throat. He didn’t give me time to adjust. He just moved.

“Fuck,” I whispered.

He leaned down, mouth against my ear. “That’s the idea.”

He fucked me very hard. Every time I got close he changed the angle or slowed just enough to keep me on the edge. I was gasping, nails in his back, legs wrapped tight around him, and still he kept going.

“Asher—”

“I know.” His voice was strained now. “I’ve got you.”

He flipped us without warning, pulling me on top of him. I sank down onto him and both of us groaned. His hands gripped my hips hard enough to bruise as he thrust up to meet every movement. I braced my palms on his chest and rode him until my thighs shook.

When I came it hit hard enough that my vision blurred. He followed right after, burying his face against my neck with a low, rough sound that sent another shiver through me.

We stayed like that for a long moment, breathing hard. Eventually he shifted us so I was tucked against his chest. His arm settled heavy around my waist. I listened to his heartbeat and let my eyes close.

For the first time all night, the ache in my chest quieted and I fell asleep in his arms.

******

The morning light woke me.

I blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling, then at the dark-haired man sleeping beside me. Reality slammed into me so hard I almost couldn’t breathe.

What the hell had I done?

I slipped out from under his arm as carefully as I could. My dress was on the floor. My shoes were under the chair. My phone was somehow still in my purse, vibrating nonstop.

I dressed in the bathroom with shaking hands, heart racing so fast I felt sick. When I cracked the door open, Asher was still asleep, one arm stretched across the empty space I had left. I didn’t leave a note. I just grabbed my things and walked out.

The elevator ride felt endless.

Please, be fucking fast.

Outside, I flagged a taxi and sank into the back seat, still smelling like him.

My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.

Zoey: Vivian where are you

Zoey: The acting CEO is coming in TODAY

Zoey: Manager is freaking out

Zoey: Everyone has to be perfect

Zoey: Answer me right now

I stared at the messages and felt my stomach drop.

Acting CEO. Today. Of all days.

I typed back with trembling fingers.

On my way. Be there in twenty.

The taxi dropped me two blocks from the restaurant. I fixed my hair as best I could in a store window, wiped the smudged makeup from under my eyes, and forced myself to walk inside like I hadn’t just spent the night under a stranger.

The dining room was already tense. Servers were lining up near the host stand. The manager was pacing and checking his watch every five seconds. Zoey spotted me and hissed, “You look like you slept in a ditch. Fix your face.”

“I tried,” I muttered, tying my apron with clumsy fingers.

“Everyone on the floor.” the manager called. “He’s pulling up.”

We formed a neat line just inside the entrance. I stood near the end, heart still hammering, trying to smooth the wrinkles from my black dress. The front doors opened.

A man in a perfectly tailored black suit walked in like he owned the building.

The manager stepped forward with a nervous smile. “Mr. Hastings, welcome. We’re honored to have you.”

The man nodded once.

“Asher Hastings. I’ll be overseeing operations for the next few months. I expect excellence.”

Asher? It better be a coincidence.

Everyone’s heads were lowered. He looked down the line and said, “Raise your heads.”

My pulse roared in my ears as I lifted my gaze with the rest of them.

Gray eyes met mine.

The exact same gray eyes I had watched darken above me only hours ago.

His eyes widened before it returned back into perfect calm.

My entire body went still.

Asher Hastings.

The man I had just run from was the new acting CEO of the restaurant I worked at.

First, I discover my boyfriend is a total fraud and now my one night stand is my boss.

The universe definitely hates me.