CHAPTER TWO: THE STRANGER IN THE BAR

EIGHT MONTHS AGO

Lena’s pov

I walked into the bar and headed towards the bartender's station. The bar was very busy tonight, lots of people drinking and chatting. I slid onto a barstool, my elbow hitting the filthy counter. I signaled the bartender

“Vodka ” I said to him before he looked at me

“ Three shots. Now” He poured out my order for me and moved on to the next customer.

I downed all three shots in one go. The burn hits my throat sharp and clean. But it’s nothing compared to how I feel inside, I slammed my empty glass on the table and waved for more.

Nothing. I scanned through the crowd with my eyes trying to look for the bartender.

“Great” I muttered to myself as I went in search of the bartender. I pushed through bodies that smelled like sweat and cheap cologne, my shoulders colliding with strangers. Then I hit something solid.

A hand shot out, catching my arm before I could face plant into the floor.

“Hey.. Watch it” a low voice said, steady and a little amused. I looked up.

Tall. Dark hair. With eyes that looked like they had seen a lot. He looked like he could be in his 30s

I immediately balanced myself.

“Thank you” I said, my voice still a little shaky from the near fall. He shrugged, easy and unbothered.

“It's not a big deal” A slow grin pulled at the corner of his mouth as his eyes flicked over me “Besides, it’s not every day I get to bump into someone this pretty”

Heat crept up my neck. I touched my head and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, cursing myself for blushing like a teenager

“The Least I could do is buy you a drink” he said already nodding towards the bar. “Unless you are in a hurry to get out of here”

I studied him for half a second, too composed, too confident for a random guy in a bar. Then I smiled.

“I can't say no to free drinks”

We drifted to a small table tucked near the back, away from the worst of the noise. He waved down the bartender before I even sat down, and two fresh shots appeared a minute later.

He leaned back, studying me over the rim of his glass. “So,” He said, that flirtatious grin back in place.

“Does the beautiful girl have a name?” I took a slow sip, letting the burn distract me from the way he was looking at me.

“She does” I replied

“And does she feel like sharing ?”

I set my glass down and smiled “You can guess”

He frowned, playing it up “Hannah?”

I shook my head. “ Charlotte?”

I shook my head again, but I couldn't stop the laugh that spilled out.

“Why would you think my name is Charlotte?”

He shrugged, eyes crinkling.

“You've got that ‘rich girl’ who runs charity galas on weekends vibe.”

I laugh at that. He is actually very charming.

“My name is Lena” I said

“Luca” he replied, like he'd been mulling it over.

It didn't fit him Luca sounded soft. He looked like someone with a name that came with weight.

He leaned forward, elbows on the table, eyes sharp on me

“So Lena… what brings a girl like you to a place like this”

I arched an eyebrow “Am I not allowed in bars now? Is there a dress code I missed?”

“ Not that,” He said “you don't just look like the type to be here. You look…. Out of place. Like you wandered in and forgot how to leave”

I'm a little stunned by his assumptions. But I say nothing.

“What brought you here?” He asked again, quieter this time.

I stared at the condensation on my glass. The words came out before I could catch them.

“I'm a virgin”

He opened his mouth, then closed it. For once, he looked caught off guard. Before he could say anything I rushed on

“That’s why I’m here. I figured if I was going to do it, I might as well do it on my terms. With a stranger.”

His brows pulled together. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-four”

“Wait…. so you're twenty-four and still a virgin?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

“Wow,” he said, his gaze dropping to my mouth for half a second before meeting my eyes again. There was something sharp and hungry in the way he looked at me now. “ I don't get it. Why?”

I stalled, swirling my drink. The truth was too much to give away, so I gave him half the truth instead.

“Overprotective parents,” I said with a shrug.

He studied me like he wasn't sure whether to believe it, but he let it drop. We fell back into easy conversation — or at least, tried to.

I could feel him watching me the whole time.

When I lifted the glass to take another sip, his voice cut through the noise, low and deliberate.

“So….. are you still interested in losing it tonight?”

I blushed at his question. " I don't know, “ I said my voice quieter than I meant it to be.

“Are you interested in taking it”

He didn't answer.

Instead, he leaned forward, closing the space between us in one smooth motion, and kissed me. It hit hard and fast. Hungry, deliberate. His hand came up to cradle my jaw, thumb brushing my cheek like he was checking I wasn't pulling away. I wasn't. The moment his tongue touched mine, my breath caught. Heat pooled low in my stomach, and for a second the bar, the noise everything else fell away.

When he pulled back his teeth grazed my bottom lip, just enough to sting. His eyes were darker now. Fixed on mine.

“Well,” he murmured, thumb still resting against my jaw. “ Does that answer your question?”

I didn't trust my voice. I just nodded and kissed him back. This one was slower, careful. Not the desperate hunger of the first, but deliberate like he was testing how far I’d let him go. When he pulled back, his eyes were darker, focused only on me.

“I'm staying at a hotel,” he said, his voice low like he was letting me in on a secret. “Not far from here. Want to come?”

My breath caught. I managed a small smile, mostly to hide how fast my heart was beating.

“Well,” I said, stepping back and grabbing my bag,

“ I can't lose my virginity in a bar”

He didn't answer he just stood, took my bag, and let me out.

The walk felt too long and not long enough.

Every brush of his fingers against mine made me hyper-aware of him, of how close he was, of how badly I wanted to stop pretending like I wasn't desperate to get there. A few times I thought I might actually drag him into an alley just to get my hands on him.

When we reached the hotel, the lobby felt too loud, too bright. I could feel my head spinning from all the alcohol. I hurriedly pulled him into the elevator. I pressed the button like it might change its mind.

When the door shut behind us, the air between us changed. No more bar, no more noise just him and me.

We barely made it to his room before I was pulling at the hem of my dress, desperate to get it off. I felt his eyes on me the whole time, heavy and dark, like he was memorizing every second.

“Whoa,” he said, catching my wrists before I could yank the zipper down all the way. His voice was lower now rough around the edges.

“Slow down, tiger. We haven’t even gotten to the fun part yet”

I froze, heat rising to my cheeks. God, I sounded impatient even to myself. I let out a shaky laugh

“Sorry. I guess I’m a little…. eager”

His smile was slow, dangerous in the best way.

“Eager’s good”

He stepped closer, his fingers brushing mine as he took over. The sound of the zipper sliding down was louder than it had any right to be. His hands didn’t rush. They were patient, deliberate, like he wanted me to feel every inch of him before anything else happened. When his palms skimmed over my breasts, I couldn’t help it, I arched my back into him without thinking, a quiet sound slipping past my lips.

“Better?” He murmured against my ear.

“Yes,” I breathed, my voice catching as I swallowed hard.

He doesn’t waste a second. His mouth found my neck, warm and unhurried, while his hands slid up to cup me through the thin fabric. The dual sensation had a low, involuntary sound tearing from my throat.

I pressed back against him without thinking, and the hard line of him against me sent a jolt straight through me. My cheeks flamed. I turned in his arms, catching his mouth in a kiss that started slow but quickly turned hungry.

In the middle of it, the strap of my dress slipped. The fabric pooled at my feet, leaving me bare under his gaze. My hands were less patient. I fumbled with his shirt, pushing it up and off, my fingers trailing lower until I found him through his pants. Even through the fabric, the heat and hardness of him made my breath hitch.

He let out a low groan against my lips.

“Careful,” he murmured, voice rough.

“You keep that up and I won’t last.”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to stop.

He caught my wrists, slowing me with a kiss that was tougher this time, like he was barely holding back. His hands moved to the waistband of his pants, and I felt the moment his control slipped.

When he stepped back the fabric fell away, and my breath caught. I hadn’t expected that.

“That’s…” I started, then stopped, my voice smaller than I meant it to be.

“I don’t know if that’s going to fit.”

He chuckled low, brushing his thumb over my jaw.

“We’ll take it slow. I’m not trying to scare you”

His words were soothing, but my body wasn’t listening. I was nervous, but the nervousness only made the heat between my thighs worse.

I sat on the edge of the bed and let my legs fall open without thinking. He noticed immediately. His eyes darkened as he walked to the drawer, grabbed the condom, and turned back to me.

I was already bared to him, exposed and waiting, and the sight of him made me draw a sharp breath.

He grinned, slow and knowing, as he rolled on the condom and stepped between my knees.

“You’re impatient, darling” he said, voice thick.

I smiled, but it faded the second I felt him at my entrance. A sharp gasp escaped me, he was a lot bigger than I expected.

“I’m going to go slow,” he murmured against my ear. “Tell me if it hurts.”

I nodded, gripping his shoulders as he eased forward. For a moment it burned, a stretch I wasn’t used to, but I forced myself to breathe through it. Little by little, the discomfort gave way to something else. Heat. Fullness.

He paused when he was fully inside me, giving me time to adjust, his forehead resting against mine.

“Okay?” He asked, voice rough.

I answered with a shaky moan.

That’s all he needed. He started slow, testing my rhythm, reading every shift in my body. At first, it was an ache, but with each movement, it bled into something deeper, heavier. I couldn’t hold back the low curse under my breath.

He let out a rough grunt, his pace picking up as my body loosened around him, chasing the feeling.

When he moved faster, everything else fell away. The tension coiled tight and I snapped. I cried out, nails digging into his shoulders as the release tore through me. He didn’t last long after that, his breath hitched, and a guttural sound tore from his throat. He came instantly burying his face against my neck.

He rolled off me a moment later and dropped onto the bed beside me, chest still rising and falling fast.

“How was it?” He asked, grinning like he already knew the answer.

“It was good” I said, still catching my breath.

“You also did well for your first time” He said quietly, as it mattered to him.

I couldn’t believe it, my first time, with a stranger I barely knew. And yet, I couldn’t make myself regret it. He was infuriatingly handsome, even with his hair a mess and that smug look on his face.

“If you keep looking at me like that, we’re doing round two,” he said, that playful grin returning. Immediately he said that my pussy clenched.

I glanced down and saw he was already hard again, The condom was still on, faintly stained with blood. He noticed my gaze, stood, and tossed it before heading towards the bathroom. I watched him go, my eyelids growing heavy.

Sleep took me before he came back.

When I woke up, the room was quiet and pale with early light. I check my phone, 6:34 am. I reach over the other side of the bed. I felt nothing. I checked the bathroom, but there was no sign of him. Luca was gone. No note. No explanation. Just cold empty sheets where he’d been.

Panic cut through the haze. I dressed fast, slipping out of the hotel before my mother realized I hadn’t come home.