First time in a club

Elena’s POV

After I finished dressing, I stood in front of the full-length mirror, barely recognizing myself.

The black, short, side-slit dress hugged me like a second skin, clinging to my curves as if it had been stitched just for me. The neckline dipped low, teasing the top of my breasts, and for once I didn’t feel like a plain secretary. I felt like… someone else. Someone bold. Someone who belonged on his arm.

The funny thing was, this was the most expensive piece of clothing I owned. I hadn’t even planned to bring it. I tossed it into my suitcase by mistake while chatting with Hannah. Thank God I did, because the rest of what I packed were boring corporate outfits. And Andrew had told me to dress sexy.

Well, here it was. Sexy.

My hair was parted neatly at the center, falling neatly over my shoulders. I kept my makeup soft with just a little highlight, gloss, and eyeliner. Enough to glow without trying too hard.

I sat at the edge of the bed and slipped on my stilettos, catching another look at my reflection. I couldn’t help smiling. Perfect. Tonight, I didn’t just look ready. I looked like Mrs. Blake. The new Mrs. Blake.

As if on cue, there was a light knock on the door before it pushed open.

“Are you—” he started, but the words died the second his eyes landed on me.

His gaze swept over me slowly, like he was taking in every detail. He cleared his throat, almost awkwardly. “You look… good.”

I raised a brow at his hesitation, my lips twitching. “You don’t look bad either.”

And God, I meant it. He wore a grey coat over a dark shirt and tailored trousers that fit his tall, broad frame too perfectly. He looked sinful. Irresistible. How was I supposed to survive one year beside a man who looked like that?

He checked his Rolex casually, though the tension in the air told me he wasn’t as calm as he looked. “I’ll be in the car.”

Before I could answer, he was gone.

I grabbed my handbag and phone and followed . A quick glance at my phone told me it was just six p.m. Somehow , after our shower together, I'd thought it was later.

****

The car pulled up in front of a club called De Latinos.Of all the places I expected, a club wasn’t one of them.

My stomach tightened. I wasn’t a fan of clubs. Actually, I’d never even been inside one.

Back in high school, my parents kept me on a short leash. And by the time I reached college, I had already built the habit of saying no to clubs. Matthew and Hannah begged me countless times to go with them, but I always turned them down.

And now, here I was, walking into my very first club. With my hot billionaire boss.

“Are you nervous?” he asked, amusement tugging at his lips.

It was only then I realized my hands were trembling slightly in my lap. I curled them into fists. Shit. The last thing I wanted was for him to know this was my first time.

“No,” I said quickly, sharper than I intended.

He didn’t push. “Let’s go.”

We stepped out together. The car didn’t drive off. It was a private one, hired for our trip.

As we walked, the muffled thump of bass vibrated through the ground beneath my heels. I held my chin high, pretending like I wasn’t terrified I might trip and fall flat on my face.

Two huge men with muscles like boulders stood at the entrance. They didn’t even ask for ID or invitation. They just stepped aside the moment Andrew appeared.

I smirked inwardly. That was the Andrew Blake effect. Connections, power, influence. He didn’t need an invitation anywhere. He was the invitation.

Inside, the music pounded so loudly my ears begged for mercy. The air was thick with perfume, sweat, and alcohol. Women in tiny outfits moved against men shamelessly, drinks spilled, laughter roared. It was chaos, but it was… alive.

So this was what a club was like.

As we moved, I noticed women sneaking glances at him. Some recognized him instantly, the famous Andrew Blake. Their eyes practically screamed hunger. A few even tried pressing close to him, but he brushed past them like they didn’t exist. Instead, he tightened his hold on my hand and led me upstairs.

We went up a staircase and stopped at a guarded door. The two men in black who stood there looked dangerous. I caught the glint of pistols tucked into their belts and my stomach tightened. This was no ordinary night out.

Andrew leaned forward, whispered something to them, and they nodded immediately. The door opened.

Inside, the bass dulled but the air was still heavy with smoke. Two men lounged on plush couches, each surrounded by half-naked women wearing nothing but transparent bras and tiny bikini bottoms. The table before them was crowded with bottles of whiskey, champagne, ashtrays, and cigarette packs.

“Yo, man.” One of them, tall, broad, grinning, stood and clapped Andrew into a hug. Smoke drifted from his mouth. “When did you arrive? I thought you were just joking when you said you were coming.”

“Yesterday,” Andrew replied easily. “Miss me too much?”

“Yeah, right.” The other one, lounging with a girl practically straddling him, snorted. “You left us for your precious LA.”

I noticed the woman on his lap eyeing Andrew shamelessly, her gaze dripping with hunger. Jealousy stabbed through me sharp and fast. No way was I letting anyone touch him. He was mine.

The tall one turned his gaze on me. His eyes roamed slowly, licking his lips in a way that made my skin crawl.

“And who the fuck is she?” he asked, sliding a hand around my waist like he had every right. “Damn, she’s sexy. Look at that ass.”

Before I could even react, Andrew’s voice cut through the room. Low. Possessive. Dangerous.

“Hands off.” He shoved the man’s hand away, his jaw tight. “She’s mine.”

The word sent a thrill through me. Mine. I bit down a smile but inside, I felt smug. At least I wasn’t the only one thinking about it.

The guy chuckled and lifted his hands in mock surrender. “Relax, bro. Didn’t know you’d gone territorial.” He slid back into his seat, and the girls clung to him again like bees to honey.

Andrew sat on a separate couch, pulling me down beside him.

He gestured between us. “Elena, this is Lexis and Marley. We went to college together.”

“Hi,” I said, forcing confidence into my tone even though my voice wobbled a little

One of the women rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might stick. My blood boiled instantly. If she thought she could roll her eyes at me and still keep looking at Andrew that way, I might just pluck them out myself.

Andrew poured whiskey into a glass and handed it to me.

I hesitated. Alcohol wasn’t my thing. The last time I’d had alcohol was at a college birthday party with Matthew, and I remembered exactly how it ended: me drunk out of my mind, saying things I regretted. My alcohol tolerance was laughably low.

But with his friends watching, rejecting it would make me look stupid, weak or worse, disrespectful to him. So, I forced a nod, took the glass, and swallowed it down in one go. Fire burned my throat and I coughed slightly, blinking away tears.

Andrew leaned close and whispered, “Careful. Don’t get drunk.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks as I set the glass down. Why did his voice have to sound so intimate right now?

“Who’s she to you?” Lexis asked suddenly. His eyes narrowed on me with interest as he blew out smoke in lazy rings. “One of your numerous flings?”