Chapter Six

I came on a night out to have fun and hopefully land a hot guy to bed tonight. Not sit here, reminiscing with my old friend with benefits.

"Can we talk somewhere more quiet?" Roberto asks a few minutes later. "There's something I want to tell you."

"Not now," Bella says, dropping from her stool and grabbing my arm. "We're going to dance right now."

"Can I joi-"

"No," Bella snaps, her patience growing thin. "Why don't you wait for your little friend, Roberto? In fact, why don't you go check and see how she's doing? You might have to take her home early."

She doesn't wait for his response as she leads me to the dance floor. We penetrate the throng of dancing bodies until we're out of sight of the bar area.

I heave a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

"I got you, girl," Bella says. She snickers. "Looks can truly be deceptive. Look at him, with that height and face. Looks like someone who knows how to show a woman a good time."

Bella, of course, knows all the details concerning my ill-fated relationship with Roberto.

"Speaking of which," she says, "when was the last time you had sex?"

"I..." I grimace. "Not since him."

I've been busy trying to make ends meet, and like I mentioned earlier, it's a long while since I went out. Plus, after what happened with Roberto, I forgot sex can be great and wasn't in a hurry to jump into bed with someone else.

"That's unacceptable," Bella states. "There's no way he can be your latest. You need to wipe that experience away. ASAP. Tonight."

I nod like an eager kid. I had no idea I was this deprived.

"Great sex will give you the confidence you need to make a move on Mr. Park."

My eyes widen. "What?"

That was totally random.

"That's the ultimate goal, Emma. Don't get side tracked."

"I-"

"Holy shit, there's a guy behind you eyeing you. He's hot. Bye."

"Bella!"

But she's gone, disappearing deeper into the crowd and leaving me on my lonesome. Well, whoever he is, he must be super dashing if Bella is willing to throw me to the wolves for him.

I turn, ready to put my confident airs on and assess my admirer. I notice him immediately, maybe because he isn't hiding the fact that he's looking. He's in dark pants and a white dress shirt. A couple of the top buttons are undone, exposing his chest.

He is sexy.

He takes a step forward, and I get excited.

Am I really striking gold this fast?

My excitement plummets seconds later when Roberto appears out of nowhere and grabs my arm.

"She's gone, so we can talk, right?"

The fuck he's doing?

"I have nothing to talk about with you, Roberto!"

"You ghosted me, Emma! You didn't tell me when you moved, and you changed your number!"

"Stop acting like you were my boyfriend or something."

He sucks in a deep breath. "Just five minutes," he says. "Let's step out for five minutes and I'll tell you what I want."

My eyes go past him to the sexy guy I was eyeing earlier. He is no longer approaching. He raises a brow at me, probably wondering whether to interrupt or not.

Forget it, this idiot has ruined everything already.

"Five minutes!" I snap.

Still holding onto my hand, Roberto leads me towards the back of the club.

We emerge in a back alley. It's a narrow street, situated between the backs of two building blocks. There's no one out here.

I snatch my arm out of Roberto's hold and cross my arms over my chest. "What do you want?"

He paces, shoving his hand into his hair. "Didn't you miss me, Emma?"

No.

"Why would I? We weren't in a relationship, Roberto. Did you forget that?"

"Fine," he concurs. "Well, I did miss you."

What the fuck is he doing, exactly? It's been an entire year, yet the moment we meet, he acts like a jilted lover.

"What exactly do you want?" I repeat my question.

I don't care if he missed me or not. That's none of my business.

"Why did you stop talking to me?"

"Because I didn't want to fuck you anymore, Roberto. Simple."

"Why? Did you find some other guy? Is that why you moved? Do you live with him?"

He's seriously beginning to freak me out. What if I did? Why does he keep acting like we were in a relationship? I knew he was bad in bed, but I had no idea he was this clingy.

"That's really none of your business."

"So it was another guy."

I really wish he would stop it. But he has gone this far, so I don't hold back.

"How many months did we play around, Roberto?" I ask, tapping my left boot on the ground.

"Umh...four...five months."

"Five months. Five months of having sex with you, and the only time I had an orgasm was when I touched myself."

His jaw drops.

Bella would be so proud of me.

"Still want to know why I stopped talking to you?"

"You're lying."

"Whatever helps you sleep."

He shakes his head and steps closer. "No, you're lying. I clearly remember you liking it."

"More like faking it."

"Why did you stay with me so long if that was the case?"

I shrug. "I'm just another woman who hadn't yet learned to sashay her way out of an unsatisfactory sexual relationship. Sometimes it takes experience to know you don't have to stroke some man's ego when he's busy getting off every night when he can barely get you wet enough."

Out here, there's a bright security light, so I can see how red his face is becoming. He takes another step closer and I move back.

"Why are you doing this, Emma?"

"No, why are you doing this, Roberto? Whatever we had is long gone. Don't you have a girlfriend waiting on you inside?"

"Fiona is just a friend."

"Whatever. Just...stop bothering me, Roberto. I don't want anything to do with you."

"First tell me why you're lying. I've been with many women, and none has ever complained."

"I didn't complain either, did I?"

"Come on, Emma. Did I do something wrong? Is that why you want to hurt my feelings? Tell me, and I'll fix it."

I shake my head. He really is acting like a dumped ex-boyfriend. I don't like clingy people. 

I shift towards the club entrance. "I'm going back in."

"No, wait."

I ignore him and head towards the door. Before I can step back in, he grabs my arm and pulls me back. I shriek as his arm goes around me, pressing me against his body.

My eyes widen when his face comes closer to mine. He's going to kiss me.

Asshole.

I jerk my right leg upwards and knee him right where the sun don't shine.

He lets go of me instantly and groans, doubling up. I'm about to rush back into the club when someone walks past me and grabs Roberto by his shirt collar.

He's in a dark suit, so I think it's one of the security guys. He jerks Roberto up and punches him in the jaw. Then he pushes him, letting him fall to the ground.

"What the fuck?" Roberto hisses, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He must be bleeding.

That other guy faces me and I freeze.

It isn't a security guy.

Instead, Mr. Park is standing in front of me, straightening his jacket. 

"Alright there, Emma?"

I swallow.

Am I dreaming? 

"Emma?" he calls again, stepping closer to me.

I nod.

"I...uh...yeah. Thank you. He didn't get to do anything."

Does Mr. Park hang out here? Wow, The Daze really is a hot spot, isn't it?

"I saw you earlier," he admits, "then I saw him dragging you back here. You didn't look willing, so I came to check, just in case."

Oh, wow. It's a surprise that he actually remembers my first name outside work. I wouldn't have expected him to go out of his way to check up on an employee he barely knows, at a nightclub.

"Thank you," I say again.

There are butterflies in my stomach. Saved by the CEO, huh. I think that's one of the scenarios Bella narrated when telling me all the ways I could gain Mr. Park's attention. 

"Let's get back in," he says, placing his hand on the small of my back to guide me.

The sound of a camera shutter goes off, and we're momentarily blinded by a bright flash. Then a series of them.

Mr. Park jumps into action immediately, pressing my face against his chest and all but carrying be back into the night club.

"The fucking paparazzi," he curses when we're safe inside and he lets go of me.

I think that means trouble.