Chapter 1

Clutching her dress in her hand, Adriana stole a glance over her shoulders at the man tangled in the white sheets behind her for the last time. The sheets were tangled around his lower half body like roots, exposing his lean athletic body, and the happy trail that led to the most intimate part of him-a part she had been well acquainted with, for the last how many hours they had spent in bed.

Parts of the beautiful inked feathers which spanned from his back to his chest were also on display, and she longed to drop her dress and trail her lips across them, just like she had done some time ago.

She could not believe that just a few short hours ago, she had been underneath him, as he rocked his hips against hers, driving her towards delirium with the way he had moved against her, and touched her, as if he had known her his entire life, instead of the short minutes it had taken for them to get to know each other at the bar.

The feelings he had evoked from her when he kissed and touched her were unlike anything she had ever felt before. And despite the fact that they had been at it until the sun came up, and she was a little–well, a lot–sore between her thighs, she knew that she would give anything to be back beneath him again. But alas, duty calls.

She was fairly certain that if she were to drop her dress and climb back into bed with him, she would be back in the position she desired, that the sleeping stranger would be ecstatic to indulge her in her fantasies and they would find new spots in the hotel room to christen. That they would stay far away from reality, for as long they wanted, lost in the magical world of their own creation, fifteen floors high above the Veronian street. But she knew that it was not possible.

As much as she wanted to be naked with him again, she knew that she had to get going, if she was going to be able to make it to her job appointment. Uprooting her entire life from Ypsilanti to a foreign country had been daunting, to say the least. But she had gotten her dream job, so she had absolutely nothing to complain. And if the seven orgasms the stranger had wrangled out of her was anything to go by, moving away was most definitely not a bad thing. Never in her life had she ever come as hard as she did and if she did not have an appointment to get to, orgasm number eight would have been way underway.

Desperate not to wake him up, Adriana shimmied back into her dress silently, then tiptoed out of the hotel room, as quickly and as noiselessly as her foot would allow her to. The door had whirred when she keyed in the code making her grimace and turn her back to check if her lover had been woken by it, only to sigh gratefully when he hadn’t move a muscle. It would be harder to leave, if he woke up, because he had made her promise to stay. And if there was anything she had learned from her dark-haired lover, it was that she could never say no to him, when he looked at her with those slate grey eyes of his.

She was doing the walk of shame down the hotel hallway, dressed in her yesterday’s party clothes but she could not give a shit about it. She couldn’t care less of what they thought of her and she certainly would not let herself think of the fact that she was in a foreign country, where everyone spoke a language she didn’t understand.

Adriana was glad that the elevator had been empty on her way down, because it was obvious from her appearance that she had been up all night. And although she didn’t care what anyone would think of her-in her wrinkled dress, swollen lips, mussed up hair, and dried mascara streaks on her face, she still did her best to clean herself up, as much as she could. So, when she arrived in the crowded lobby, she at least looked a tad bit presentable. Thankfully, she had called for an Uber before she had left the hotel room, so when she left the hotel, the driver was already waiting for her.

She glanced back at the building as the car began to drive forward, watching as it disappeared from view, a silly part of her which had grown attached to the man hoping that he would come running after her naked, asking her to spend another night or more in his bed felt sad. That would be amusing, she mused with a shake of her head. Besides, you only agreed that it was just for one night.

It was time for her to stop daydreaming about the hottest and passionate night she had ever had, and start thinking about what she was going to wear for her meeting.

*****

Last night

Adriana moved through the mass of writhing bodies, trying to get her bearings, questioning herself not for the first time, why she had come to the club. It was so unlike her, questioning every decision, as if she were in the middle of an identity crisis, which if she were to be honest was true. Uprooting herself from the life she had known and applying for a job halfway across the world had been an impulsive decision. After the death of her last living relative, she had no idea who or what she was.

But she was here now, of her own free will, wanting to try something new, wanting to rebuild and make something of herself. She shouldn’t waste any more of her time feeling sad because she was literally alone in this world and in this foreign country. She should have fun, just like she had intended, it was the reason why she had come out anyway.

With this in mind, she made her way towards the bar, squeezing between people to find a seat.

“What can I get you?” the bartender questioned, as he poured a drink for the lady besides her.

“Uhm…” she trailed off, unsure of what to say. It was one thing to come to a club and decide to let loose, and it was entirely a different thing to think of what drink to order. “A whiskey?” she posed it as a question, still unsure of her decision.

When the bartender’s brows rose in question, she gave a light shrug, knowing that whiskey ought to loosen her a bit. “Neat,” she added.

“A whiskey coming right up,” he grinned, turning back towards the drinks’ bottles and getting right to making her drink.

As she waited for the drink, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her. When she turned towards the direction she felt her watcher was, her eyes locked with those of a stranger, sitting on a table across from the bar, away from the hustle of the club but still a part of it. Her heart skipped a beat, at the intense way his slate greys looked into her greens, trapping her in his gaze.

She turned away sharply, downing the glass of whiskey in one go and ordering for a refill, knowing that she needed more than one glass to survive the night. And with the turmoil of emotions stirred up by the handsome stranger, she knew that she definitely needed another.

Unwillingly, her gaze rose to meet his again as she slowly took a sip of her whiskey, this time around savoring its taste, as she checked him out. He was dressed in a crisp red button-up, and black dress pants, his suit draped on the back of the chair he was sitting on, his tie loosened a bit. It was an odd sight in a club, especially when he was the first person she had seen, dressed so formally, yet not formal at all.

His jaw flexed as he stared at her, stirring up a reaction within her core, making her squeeze her thighs, to lessen the ache that had begun to rise between them.

She averted her gaze, blushing at the wanton display of her lust, hoping to get ahold of herself but it did nothing to lessen the magnetic energy he seemed to ooze.

Even from the across the bar, she could tell he was someone of importance, with a great deal of power, as evidenced with the arrogant way he sat, as if the club was beneath him. He had an air of superiority around him, which commanded others to bend to his will or in her case, her knees for him.

Get it together, Ad, she scolded herself as she took another subtle glance at him, only to be ensnared by his eyes again. His friends were talking, but all of his attention was on her, and she had no idea what to do with it.

His stare was hard, intimidating even but his lips lifted into a wolfish grin, highlighting his handsomeness.

It was as if he was taunting her, inviting her to play with him. There was a hint of danger in his invitation, yet there was a thrill of an adventure to it. Her gaze dipped towards his lips, wetting hers in the process, wondering what those sinful lips would feel against hers, imagining what he could do to other parts of her body.

The stranger had completely disarmed her with just that single look, yet it fascinated her all the more. Should she indulge in her fantasies or not?

She downed the rest of her whiskey and asked for a refill, watching her admirer quirk an eyebrow at her, raising his drink in a silent salute, with an inviting grin, daring her to go over.

Her eyes flashed in challenge, turning towards the bartender to grab her drink.

Drink in hand, Adriana started to head toward him only to stop and head towards the dance floor, throwing him a come hither look over her shoulders, adding a sway to her hips.

She downed the rest of her drink and set the glass on an empty table, swaying to the music on the outskirt of the dance floor, ignoring the voice in her head that told her what she was doing or about to do was completely reckless and dangerous.

When she glanced back, the man was heading towards her, making her pulse quicken.

Now that he had answered her call, she had no idea what to do. Was she to stay put and wait to see what would happen? Or was she to run for the hills and never look back?

Her moment of indecision cost her, because in the blink of an eye, he was right there in front of her, his eyes locked with hers, drawing her in.

He perused her body slowly, taking in every detail, as if he was stripping her off, layer by layer, making her feel naked, despite the cotton dress she was wearing.

The smirk that appeared on his face made her heart jump in her throat, as upfront, it highlighted just how gorgeous he was.

He grabbed her hand in his, dragging her farther onto the dance floor, his touch sending delicious shocks through her body.

The music was loud, silencing the noise in her head, as the stranger gyrated his body against hers, moving in a sensual way that got her hooked.

She moved against him, allowing herself to get lost in the rhythm of the music and the sensuality of her dance partner, throwing caution to the wind.

Her eyes closed, as her hands scaled across the length of his back, burying them in the silky strands of his hair. As if the night wasn’t crazy enough, Adriana felt him hardening against her.

And for a few seconds, she got her senses back, as she unlatched herself from him, heading towards the backrooms, without another glance at him.