Oh Sh*t

Chapter 3

Allison POV

“Are you sure about this, Ally?” Julie asked, brow furrowed with a flicker of genuine concern as she leaned across the table toward me. “I know you’re desperate to escape, but you and your mother aren’t exactly on the best of terms. Last I recalled, you two barely talk.”

“I’m not certain, Julie,” I admitted, tracing circles on the table, trying to distract myself from my aching heart. “All I know is that I need a distraction.” My voice softened. “Maybe a change of scenery will be good for me.”

Julie sighed, leaning back against the booth. “Isn’t she still on her honeymoon with her new CEO husband?”

“She was,” I nodded. My mom, Sarah, recently remarried a wealthy man she met on Raya. They had just returned from a European honeymoon. I knew little about him, except that he was wealthy and he had a son. I planned to visit her during a week off to clear my head. Julie’s eyes twinkled as she demanded all the details about the new husband and son, and eventually decided to join me. I laughed, despite my rough day.

We were at Jinx, a ’90s-themed bar, where Julie ordered tequila shots. As we drank, Julie was buzzing with energy, excitedly discussing all the things we could do during our time off. Before she could finish speaking, a group of men in suits entered, shifting the energy in the room. One man trailed behind, exceptionally tall. He had a sharp, dark mullet and a butterfly tattoo on his neck. Our eyes met, and he gave a slow, knowing smirk. I looked away, flushed, telling myself to pull it together.

When I looked back, his group was at the counter, engulfed by girls. While his friends enjoyed the attention, he remained apart, casually swirling his drink and observing the room.

“Who are you looking at?” Julie’s voice pulled me back to reality.

“No one! I mean, nothing,” I stammered, trying not to sound flustered.

Julie scanned the bar and eyed the group. “They’re sexy, especially the middle guy,” she noted, “but the one at the end is exactly your type.” I choked on my drink, coughing into a napkin. The sound caught his attention, drawing his gaze straight back to me.

“Mullet daddy over there,” Julie teased.

“Stop it!” I hissed, my face burning.

“What’s wrong? I thought you liked them rough and older,” she shrugged, then suggested, “Let’s invite them over.”

“Are you crazy?” I grabbed her arm. “I just broke up with Jake!”

Julie insisted I needed a “win” and marched toward the men. I followed and met Elijah, Chris, and Richard, who were celebrating a deal closed by their friend Simeon.

Simeon, notable for his mullet, watched me with intense amber eyes. When I tripped on an uneven floorboard, he caught me, pulling me to his chest and murmuring, “Careful, Red.” Blushing, I stood up as his hands lingered.

“It’s burgundy,” I corrected. “And my name is Ally.”

He smiled, his gaze trailing down my hair. “I know. But you’re still Red to me.” I rolled my eyes, opening my mouth to retort, but a passing waiter bumped me, sending me back into his arms. As my face pressed against his chest, I caught the scent of oak and lotus flower.

“You like resting on my chest, don’t you?” he smirked. His eyes darkened with amusement.

Fueled by tequila, I leaned in toward his sharp jawline. “Maybe I just like the view.”

Surprised and impressed, Simeon’s smirk deepened. He pulled me closer by the wrist, forcing me to look up into his face. A low chuckle vibrated against me as his breath tickled my ear, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper: “You’re playing with fire, Red.”

I noticed the table had gone silent. Julie was busy making out with Chris against the bar. Simeon’s hot breath brushed my ear. “Your friend is preoccupied.” Noses nearly touching, the sting of Jake’s insults—calling me cold—pushed me to want to feel alive.

“Do you want to get out of here?” I whispered.

Simeon’s grin turned wicked. “I thought you’d never ask.”

After a hurried goodbye to Julie, Simeon led me into the night air. “Your place or mine?” he asked as he guided me to his car.

“Yours,” I replied. Anxiety hit as he unlocked the doors. *I can’t believe I’m doing this,* I thought. Simeon offered me a cigarette, but I refused, lecturing him on the health risks.

“It keeps my hands and mouth busy,” he said, sliding it between his lips.

I snatched the cigarette and tossed it. “I can find a better distraction,” I challenged. Before he could react, I pulled him by his tie as my lips crashed against his. He froze briefly before his instincts took over. His hand gripped my neck, pulling me close as he returned the kiss with a hungry intensity that drew a soft moan from me. When I broke the kiss, gasping, Simeon’s amber eyes burned. “Fuck, Red,” he growled. “I didn’t know you had that in you.”

I offered him a wicked smile, my heart hammering wildly. “There is a lot you don’t know about me.”

He shoved me into the car, and we sped off. Minutes later, he pulled into the hotel garage, hoisted me over his shoulder, and carried me through the lobby.

*Smack.* A sharp spank landed on my ass in the elevator. When I bit his shoulder, he growled, “Stay still, Red.”

“Yes, sir,” I whispered, heat flooding me.

Simeon carried me into the penthouse, locking the world away. He tossed me onto the king-sized bed, where I rolled onto my back, watching him. At the foot of the bed, he discarded his tie. I breathed, “You look like a god.”

Unbuttoning his shirt to reveal his tattoos, Simeon’s eyes darkened. In a lethal rumble, he promised he would have me begging him to stop before the night was through.

He moved over me, shedding my heels and kissing my arches. As his mouth climbed my thighs, I tangled my hands in his hair. He pushed up my dress, his hot breath against my skin. “I want to taste you,” he whispered, his fingers circling my center. My hips bucked as a shockwave of pleasure hit me. I had never felt anything like it… “Fuck—”

The shrill sound of my alarm ripped me from sleep. I groaned and reached for my phone, silencing it before it could ring again.

Staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, the previous night rushed back in a heated blur: the bar, the tequila, and the stranger with the butterfly tattoo still sleeping beside me.

He was still here.

I turned my head slowly, careful not to wake him. He looked almost peaceful in sleep, one muscular arm thrown above his head, the sheet riding low on his hips. 

My chest tightened. He was so beautiful. I wanted to stay, wake up beside him, maybe even get to know him. But after what happened with Jake, romance was something I could no longer afford.

Quietly, I slipped out of the bed, wincing as the mattress shifted. I gathered my things as fast as I could, heart pounding the entire time. 

Every second felt like it took forever. I glanced back at him one last time before tiptoeing toward the door.

By the time I reached my apartment, I was certain I’d never see the stranger again. After all, I didn’t even know his real name.

**Two months later.**

Julie’s tires crunched up the driveway of a sprawling limestone mansion. “You need to start putting yourself out there again, Ally,” she urged.

“I’m not ready,” I murmured, while Julie marveled at the wealth my mother had married into.

My mother, Sarah, greeted us at the massive doors with a warm hug. “I’ve missed you. Come meet my husband—and his son, who’s been staying here too.”

A deep, familiar voice echoed from the staircase: “Ally?”

My blood ran cold. A tall man in a tailored suit stepped into the light. Dark hair, butterfly neck tattoo, and unmistakable amber eyes.

The man who had devoured me in his penthouse two months ago.

Our eyes locked, and a wicked smirk curved his lips as his gaze dragged down my body. My mother remained oblivious. “Allison, I want you to meet—”

I couldn’t breathe.