Chapter 3: Handsome Stranger

Daniela

I walked down the heavily carpeted VIP hallway, my heels sinking into the plush floor. I pushed open the door to Suite Four, expecting maybe a handsome billionaire. Instead, sitting on the velvet sofa was a heavy-set, middle-aged man with a receding hairline and a gold watch thick enough to anchor a boat. He looked like he had a wife, three kids, and a massive midlife crisis.

"Ah... there she is," he rasped, his eyes instantly devouring my exposed legs and bare back as I stepped inside. He poured a dark amber liquid into two crystal glasses and slid one toward me. "Sit down, sweetheart. Don't be shy."

I sat on the absolute opposite end of the sofa, keeping my posture rigid. "Thank you for the drink, sir. I can only stay for a moment."

"A moment? For five grand, I get whatever I want," he chuckled darkly, sliding closer to me. The scent of stale cigar smoke radiating off him made my stomach churn with instant irritation. "Tell you what. You're a virgin, aren't you? I can smell the innocence on you from here. Name your price. Ten grand? Twenty? I'll pay whatever you want to taste what's under that blue silk tonight."

My throat felt bone-dry from the adrenaline of the dance. Wanting to ignore his disgusting words, I picked up the glass and took a heavy, desperate gulp of the sweet amber liquor, swallowing it down before I could think twice.

He reached out, his thick, hairy hand clamping onto my bare thigh, his fingers digging bruisingly into my skin.

A wave of pure disgust washed over me. "Get your filthy hands off me!" I snapped.

In one swift, furious motion, I snatched my glass, whirled around, and poured the remaining contents of the burning alcohol straight into his face.

"Ah! You crazy bitch!" he screamed, clutching his stinging eyes.

I scrambled off the sofa, slapping his hand away as he tried to grab my dress. Smack! My palm connected with his cheek, sending his gold watch rattling against his face.

"Touch me again and I'll kill you!" I shouted, turning around to bolt for the door.

But the moment my foot hit the carpet, the entire room tilted violently. My knees turned to water. A heavy, suffocating wave of heat exploded in my chest, and my head started spinning so fast the crimson walls blurred into a dizzying streak of blood-red. My breath hitched in my throat, my vision darkening at the edges.

Oh, no... The terrifying realization hit me like a physical blow. The drink. He didn't just pour it... he drugged it.

"Going somewhere, little bird?" the old man laughed darkly. I heard the heavy click of his belt buckle undoing as his thick arms suddenly wrapped around my waist from behind, catching my collapsing body. He dragged me back toward the bed, his hot, cigar-scented breath pressing against my ear. "You think you can play games with me? Tonight, you belong to me. We are going to have the absolute best night of our lives."

Tears of pure panic finally spilled over my lashes. My body wouldn't obey my brain. My arms felt like lead, and my vision was fading fast. No... please, no... Am I really about to lose my virginity to this disgusting old monster?

Fueled by a final, desperate surge of survival adrenaline, I bit down hard on his hand. He roared in pain, releasing his grip for a split second. I stumbled forward, blindly throwing my weight against the heavy suite door.

The door burst open, and I collapsed forward into the dark hallway, my legs completely giving out beneath me. But I didn't hit the floor. Instead, I crashed directly into a towering, muscular wall of solid iron.

A pair of large, heavy, warm hands shot out from the shadows, instantly catching me by my bare waist and pulling my weak body flush against a broad, impeccably tailored chest. The scent of rich bourbon and dark amber enveloped my senses, instantly fighting off the old man's foul odor.

I weakly forced my eyes open, looking up through the hazy blur of my vision. Towering over me was a man with a breathtaking, sharp, aristocratic jawline and a pair of piercing, predatory blue eyes that burned with an immediate, terrifying fury as he looked down at my trembling form.

"Let go of her! That's my girl!" the man shouted, stumbling out of the suite.

"Please... no..." I whimpered against the stranger's chest, my fingers weakly clawing at his expensive fabric as tears blurred my vision. "Don't let him... touch me..."

The man holding me didn't flinch. His grip on my waist tightened with an immediate, heavy, suffocating possessiveness that made my soul shiver.

"Your girl?" he murmured as looked at the man, his blue eyes flashing with a dangerous, unhinged darkness. "Touch what's mine again, and I will bury you beneath this club."

The old creep didn't back down immediately. Even with his face flushed from the drink, his eyes flared with arrogant entitlement. "Do you know who I am?" he barked, pointing a trembling finger at the man holding me. "I paid for her time! Let go of her before I have this entire club shut down!"

The chest beneath my cheek didn't even expand with a breath of fear. Instead, the handsome stranger holding me let out a low, terrifying chuckle that sounded like stones grinding together. He leaned forward just an inch, his voice dropping into a deadly whisper that vibrated straight through my skull.

"You think your money buys you a single breath in my establishment?" His grip on my waist tightened. "Look at my face. If you aren't out of my sight in exactly three seconds, I won't just keep your money—I'll ensure you leave this building in an ambulance. One."

The old creep's jaw dropped. The moment he truly looked into the stranger's sharp, aristocratic face, his skin turned a sickly shade of grey. "I—I didn't realize… Please, it was a misunderstanding," he stammered, backing away so fast his loafers slipped on the carpet. "I'm leaving. I'm gone."

He practically fell backward into the room, slamming the door in a panic. Whoever this handsome stranger was, he possessed a terrifying, absolute power.

Suddenly, the warm, secure wall of muscle was ripped away from me. His heavy hands peeled my fingers off his expensive lapels, stepping back to create a cold distance between us. My bare skin shivered instantly, already missing his heat.

"Thank you," I muttered weakly, leaning against the wall for support.

He didn't even look at me. His piercing blue eyes completely ignored my flushed face as he turned his attention toward three towering men in black suits who had suddenly materialized in the hallway.

"Book her a private suite upstairs, pay for it, and make sure she's safe," the handsome stranger ordered coldly, his tone completely detached as he began to adjust his cuffs. "Call her a cab first thing in the morning."

With that, he turned on his heel, his dark charcoal suit jacket swaying as he prepared to walk away and leave me behind.

No.

A sudden, unhinged panic flared deep within my chest. I couldn't let this man slip through my fingers. He was the most breathtaking, dangerous creature I had ever laid eyes on—and more than that, the drug the old creep had slipped into my drink was reaching a terrifying peak. A suffocating, throbbing heat was pooling heavily between my thighs, making my skin crawl with an unbearable need to be touched.

Before the security guards could step forward to assist me, I lunged forward and threw my arms completely around his waist from behind, pressing my burning cheek flat against his broad, solid back.

“Please… take my virginity,” I whimpered, the shocking words tumbling out of my mouth before my brain could stop them.

Was it the haze of the night speaking, or was it the repressed, broken-hearted girl inside me finally shattering her chains? I didn't care. I needed him.

The entire hallway went dead silent. I could feel his frame stiffen like granite under my touch. Slowly, deliberately, he reached down, unlocked my fingers from his waist, and turned around to face me.

The guards looked mortified, stepping closer. “Sir, we are incredibly sorry, she’s clearly out of her mind,” the lead guard stammered, reaching for my arm.

“We’ll get her out of your way right now.”

The handsome stranger raised a single hand, stopping them instantly. “Leave us,” he commanded, his eyes locked onto my face. “Clear the hallway. I’ll call you when I need you.”

The guards bowed and retreated, leaving us completely alone under the dim crimson lights. He stepped into my personal space, his towering height forcing me to tilt my head back to meet his icy gaze.

“Who sent you?” he demanded, his voice dangerously low.