Chapter 1: Just one night.

ELENA

I woke up with a strange headache and a silence atmosphere that wasn’t even making sense.

For a moment, I don’t move.

My eyes were still closed and my body felt weak and still, I was afraid that if I opened my eyes, something might go wrong.

But something was wrong already. The unfamiliar scents in the air, the sheets beneath me were smoother than I could imagine and my instincts began to buckle up. This room isn’t mine.

My brows pull together, as I slowly open my eyes.

“Where...am...I?”

The ceilings were pure white and the room had a very wide space.

My heart begins to race. I sit up quickly, and a sharp feeling of dizziness hits me, making me hold unto the sheets with my head spinning like I was about to collapse.

“Where am I? How did I get here?” I ask myself with a dry and an uncertain voice.

I looked around the whole room and that’s when I find something unfamiliar.

This is a hotel room. A five star hotel room.

My chest tightens. “No! This doesn’t make sense.” I push the bed sheets covers away as I moved in a slow and cautious way, with my head still pounding.

I couldn’t think straight. It felt like my thoughts were trapped.

Think Elena. “What happened last night?”

My fingers pressed against my temples, squeezing my eyes shut, hoping if I could remember anything, but all I got was blur memories of lights, music, and a drink in my hand.

My eyes snaps and opens quickly. “I was drunk…I was…” my heart began to race and my stomach twisted.

“Why can’t I remember?”

All of this wasn’t normal, how could I forget what happened to me last night, there had to be something, anything at all.

My legs swung off the bed, standing carefully on the glass floors, it felt so cold but it wasn’t cold enough to keep me steady. My gaze moved around the hotel room slowly.

There has to be something in this room.

Something-

Then everything shifts. My eyes landed on a card by the bed side table, and somehow that card made me feel like it was waiting for me.

My heart begins to race heavily and for some reason, I begin to hesitate before picking the card up. I close my fingers around the card and lift it up.

There was only one word attached to it, which made me fell terrified. Mr. Brandon.

I stare at the name. “Brandon...”I whisper the name softly.

Something about it feels very familiar and it made my chest tighten. “who are you? What happened between us?”

*Eight Hours Earlier*

“I think this is a bad idea violet”

I tightened my grip around the glass cup in my hands, my eyes looking for a way to escape from the club.

There were too many people and most especially the music’s were too loud…loud enough to explode the entire building. Everybody here didn’t seem like they cared about anything in the world, the lights flash were too fast to even look at.

This isn’t my kind of world and I definitely don’t belong here.

Beside me, was violet. My childhood best friend.

She rolled her eyes at my complaints, “you’ve said that like ten times already…Elena you’ve to chill.” she leans in closer to me. “Just relax.”

“I...I am relaxed.” I lie.

She raises her left eye brows and gives me a look. “You know I can tell when you are lying right?”

I can’t deny it, she knows me so well.

“Fine, you’ve caught me…I just don’t feel like I belong here...I don’t even know why I agreed to this”

Violet snatches the empty glass from my hand and gives me another glass of wine, before I could think of changing my mind. “you agreed to this. Because you needed it”

“I know but…” I mutter

She swings her hands around us, forming a gesture. “This is fun Elena. You can’t be dealing with hospital shifts every time and going back home to see that shitty step sister of yours.”

“Rita has nothing to do with this” I wince at the mention of my step sister.

Violet sighs “then live your life, you need this. You need to live!”

My hands trails around the edges of my glass cup. “I know violet. I don’t drink or even go clubbing. I only wanted to…”

“Have a one night stand” she cuts in.

“Yes but it’s not though simple. I always thought my first time would be with someone I love…I wouldn’t want to remember my one night stand with a stranger”

Violets smirks. “Then don’t. Just drink and you are going to forget about it.”

Everything in me says it’s a bad idea.

But she’s right. I wanted this. Just one night and it will be over.

My fingers tightened around the glass. “You’re right!” I say before lifting the drink to my lips.

Violet grins. “That’s my baby girl.”

I felt a slight burn to my chest but it wasn’t enough to stop me from changing my mind.

Each sip I took felt easier until I couldn’t feel my legs anymore.

…..

I lost counts of how many drinks I had.

My head was spinning, I couldn’t find violet, everywhere was crowded and filled with lots of people.

Before I could turn to look for violet, my gaze fell on two men and it took a second for me to focus.

They were coming close to me with disgusting smirks. Something in my chest suddenly shifts, when one of them reaches for my left arm.

I flinch.

“Let me go please.”

The other man reaches for my right arm, they felt too comfortable and too close to me.

I wanted a one night stand but not like this.

“Don’t be a stubborn bitch…isn’t this what you came for?” the one holding my right hand said, with his lips leaning onto my ears.

I felt disgusted, I wanted to scream but no one would even care.

Was this the one night I wanted? Hell no…but I was too weak to even save my self, just when I was on the edge of giving up.

“Let her go!” a male voice comes in and the men suddenly lose their grip around me and run away. The voice was low and captivating, there was something about him that made me feel different.

I blink slowly trying see past the blurry vision.

Someone steps closer, I can’t see his face clearly but I could see his neck tattoos or it was just my imagination, I could feel his presence and control.

His hands wraps around my waist. His touch wasn’t rough, it was firm and gentle. “Come with me.” Those were the words he said to me.

I should have hesitated or pushed him away but I don’t, instead I nod and follow him to where ever he was taking me.

Everything after that felt blank. I could only hear the sound of an engine and a car door opening. Then suddenly I found myself in a room.

His presence was strong and closer than ever. I wasn’t thinking straight anymore, I tried to look up at him so I could focus.

But I couldn’t see his face properly, just his sharp jawline and how his hands caressed my hair.

Something in the air shifts.

And now I want him. his touch. his body.

I stare into his eyes even if I couldn’t see properly I knew he had a pair of grey eyes that somehow captivated me. “Please…” I hear myself say in a low voice, like I was yearning for him. “Touch me.”

Suddenly there is a pause, like he was deciding to do something. Then his hands brushed against my earlobe. “Beg for it.” He said.

I couldn’t resist his touch anymore. “Please…please touch me”. His hands swirl around my neck, those hands of his sent a shiver down my spine, and his touch was careful and controlled.

And then, he stops, like there was something stopping him from touching me. I was too drunk to understand why.

Then everything goes blank.

…..

*Present day*

The memory of him disappears quickly.

My heartbeat racing as I look down at the card still in my hand.

“It was you, the man from last night, the one who brought me here.”

Everything wasn’t making sense at the moment. Did something happen between us? I look around the room but everything looks normal and untouched.

“What did you do to me?” I whisper.

I wasn’t thinking clearly anymore, but I was sure of one thing. I won’t let this go until I find an answer.

I glance at the door, my expression suddenly tightens. “Mr. Brandon…” then I stare at the card again. “I’m going to find you.”