My Mysterious One Night Stand

For the first time in eight years, Victoria stepped into a nightclub.

She had stayed away from places like this because of what had happened the last time she had been there. She had spent years trying to bury that night, but the memories had never completely disappeared.

That terrible night had decided what she could and couldn't do for far too long. She was tired of letting it control her.

Tonight, she was going to confront her past and do something completely reckless. She was going to have a one-night stand and lose her virginity.

The thought alone made her stomach twist.

For the past two years, she had made that promise to herself. The moment she finally earned the promotion she had worked so hard for, she would face her fears and go through with it.

What had started as a joke between her and Bertie had somehow become a promise she was now determined to keep.

And now,her long-awaited promotion had finally arrived. 

She had been promoted and somehow, things had worked out even better than she had imagined.

She hadn't just received the promotion, she was also transferred to Hathut Corporation's headquarters in Norwich, giving her exactly what she needed a fresh start in a new city.

For the first time in years, she felt like she could leave that version of herself behind.

She would do it here, with a complete stranger. Someone who knew nothing about her past and whom she would never have to see again.

At least, that was the plan.

The music was painfully loud, but Victoria tried not to let it bother her. If her eardrums survived the night, she would consider it an achievement.

She glanced toward the exit for the third time in ten minutes, wondering if she had made the right decision.

“Hey, pretty! First time here?”

The voice from behind the bar pulled her out of her thoughts.

Victoria turned to find a plump, middle-aged bartender polishing a glass while giving her an amused smile.

She returned the smile awkwardly.

“Is it really that obvious?”

“A bit,” he admitted with a chuckle. “You've been looking around like you're trying to figure out whether you accidentally walked into the wrong place.”

Victoria laughed softly and shook her 

head.

“That's embarrassing."

"Don't worry. I've seen worse."

“I'm George, by the way,” he said, setting the glass aside 

“Victoria.” She offered him a small smile. “But you can call me Vicky. Everyone close to me does.”

“Vicky, then.” He smiled warmly. “Pleased to meet you. So, what brings you to Norwich?”

George pointed toward the empty seat beside a young man at the bar.

Victoria glanced at the stool, then at the man sitting beside it, as though the seat itself had personally offended her.With no better option, she moved over and sat down.

“I came here to work,” she answered. “Hathut Corporation transferred me to the headquarters here after my promotion, so today is my first day in the city.”

The young man beside her briefly looked up from his phone before he returned his attention to the screen.His fingers continued moving across it.

George raised his eyebrows.

“A promotion and a new city on the same day? That's certainly an interesting way to begin a new chapter. Congratulations.”

“Yep, thank you.” Victoria glanced toward the dance floor as the music pulsed around them. “Although I have to admit, this place isn't what I expected. I've been here for a while, and I'm still waiting for the part where I actually start having fun.”

George laughed.

“Just give it some time. You might end up enjoying yourself. What can I get you?”

She considered ordering something harmless.

Then she remembered why she was there.

“Just give me one of your strongest drinks.”

Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

George studied her for a moment before reaching beneath the counter and pulling out a bottle of tequila.

He poured a shot into a small glass and slid it toward her.

“Try this, Vicky. Since it's your first night in Norwich, you deserve something stronger than whatever you've been nursing.”

Victoria stared at the shot.

“Tequila?”

“Tequila,” George repeated with an amused grin.

She gave him a faint smile and picked up the glass.

“Thank you, George.”

Suddenly,her phone buzzed .

She picked it up and saw a message from Bertie.

Bertie:So… have you found your one-night stand yet?

Victoria rolled her eyes.

Victoria: I'm working on it.

Another message arrived almost immediately.

Bertie: Working on it? You're looking for a man, not a job.

Victoria fought a smile before locking her phone and placing it facedown on the counter.

She didn't notice the brief glance the young man beside her gave the screen before she turned away.

Easy for Bertie to say. She thought 

But ….

How on earth was she ever going to accomplish such a huge feat?She wondered as she looked around the club, searching for a potential candidate.

She had spent two years talking about this night, and now that it had finally arrived, she had no idea what she was supposed to do.

 Had George been a young guy, maybe she would have considered him, but George looked way too old and that was not the kind of person she had in mind to lose her virginity to. 

She took the shot.The tequila burned all the way down, and Victoria immediately reached for her water. Her eyes watered as she tried to suppress a cough

Victoria glared at the little glass as though it had personally betrayed her.

She picked up her glass of water and coughed into her fist.

Oh, that was disgusting.

She stared accusingly at the tiny shot glass.

"Never again."

"That's usually what people say after their first one."

The low voice beside her made her turn.

The young man sitting on the stool next to hers had finally put his phone down.

She hadn't paid much attention to him before, but now that she did, she found herself staring a second longer than she should have.He was attractive.

Dark hair. Calm eyes. An annoyingly relaxed expression.

Victoria quickly looked away.

He glanced at her empty shot glass.

“Not a fan?”

She turned.

The young man was looking at her now.

Victoria straightened, realizing he had noticed her struggle with the tequila.

“I never said that. Maybe I just need another one.” she replied while trying to recover her composure.

“Another one?” He raised an eyebrow. “For a second, I thought I needed to call an ambulance.”

She scoffed. “ I'm perfectly fine, I was just clearing my throat.”

“Sure you were.” His grin widened.

Victoria expected him to return to his phone, but instead, he remained quiet for a moment.

Then his gaze shifted toward her phone.

“Interesting message.”

Her eyes widened, and the glass nearly slipped from her fingers.

“What?”

He nodded toward the phone.

“You read my message, how rude can you be?”

“I didn't mean to. Your screen was right there.”

“That doesn't give you permission to read it.”

"I saw your screen. I didn't read your message."

"You literally looked at it."

"It was directly in front of me."

“How dare you?.

"Fair enough. My mistake."

He raised both hands slightly, as though surrendering.

“There's nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Victoria stared at him.

“Nothing at all,” he continued.“It's not a crime.”

Her cheeks burned.

He glanced away before adding, “I'll just pretend I didn't see anything.” he returned his attention to his pho

Victoria sat there, completely confused.

She didn't know whether she should leave, yell at him, or pretend the entire conversation had never happened.

She decided she would just drink a little more , leave the club, before she would end up embarrassing herself more.

For some reason, his lack of interest after apologizing made her curious.

She glanced at him before quickly looking away.

Why did she care?

Victoria quickly dismissed the thought.

She wasn't here to become curious about anyone. 

After a few seconds, the man spoke again.

“I'm Ray, by the way. I heard George call you Vicky. Mind if I call you that too?”

Victoria studied him for a moment.

“Then you already know what to call me."

“Since it's your first time here, can I buy you a drink?”

“Thanks, but that won't be necessary. I'm almost done here.”

“You can't say you've been to a club if you don't get drunk or at least get on the dance floor.”

Victoria opened her mouth, but he continued.

“And besides I don't see any man leaving with you either. Aren't you going to fulfill what you came here to do?”

Her eyes widened.

“ That's none of your business ".

Then he said casually, "You know, if you're looking for a man to spend the night with, I might be able to help."

Victoria's eyebrows rose.

"Excuse me?"

Ray leaned back against the bar.

"I can offer to be your one-night stand."