Prologue - Meeting At Phoenix

The moment Sienna Hensley entered the posh nightclub, Phoenix, her head started spinning hearing the loud thumping of the background music. She watched with wide eyes, the bodies gyrating on the dance floor, drinks flowing freely around the place, people laughing, couples desperately grinding against each other, making out wildly at every possible corner. At twenty-two, this was the first time she had come to a club. She knew it sounded weird but that was how it was. Her friends forced her to celebrate her twenty-second birthday here at Phoenix and she had to oblige. Not that she had much money to spend at such a posh nightclub like this one but there was no way she could win against Eva, her roommate, and best friend. So although it was her birthday bash, all her friends, Eva, Hayley, Skylar and Alyssa pooled in money for the celebration. All of them came from good, well-to-do families and money wasn't a concern for them at all. It wasn't for Sienna too until her father's illness and eventual death. She shook her head not wanting to think about her dismal life on her special day.

  

"Sien, stop overthinking for a change," shouted Eva in her ears. With the wild music playing so loudly it was impossible to hear a thing. 

"Live for once, girl!" Yelled Skylar as she rushed towards the counter to get the bartender's attention. "Oh my God! He's so hot. Watch me," she said to them over her shoulder, making them all groan.

"Let's go upstairs and occupy a table," said Alyssa. Her brother, Alex Van Every was a billionaire restaurateur and had a membership here, making it easy for them to get in. They all went up the stairs to the luxurious and exclusive upper lounge where Alyssa spoke to the attendant in charge. He escorted them to a table that gave them a bird's eye view of the entire club. 

"Perfect, " said Hayley, occupying a seat. "I hope your brother won't come checking upon us?" Asked Hayley, dreading it completely. Alex's best friend, Ashton, always hit upon her which made her run farther away from him. 

"Well, he's here somewhere. So I won't rule out that option, you know," said Alyssa. They all groaned. Alex was six years older and as such considered it his sole mission in life to protect his little sister from all the men in the entire universe! So, Alyssa always protested with his ways and whenever he was around the atmosphere was very tense. 

"I'll go and check what's taking Skye so long," said Alyssa, shrugging and walking away.

"I'm coming with you," yelled Eva, rushing after her. Both Sienna and Eva were nurses at Bellevue Hospital in New York. While Sienna handled Emergency Room cases, Eva was in charge of the Neonatal Section. Both were very bright in their fields and as such found work immediately after graduating from their Nursing College together. 

"I need to pee, Sien. Will you be okay on your own for a while?" Asked Hayley and Sienna nodded at her.

"Sure," she said, sitting down awkwardly. She really felt out of place here and the short red dress that Eva forced upon her was making her feel extremely conscious of herself. She pulled at the short hemline to cover her never-ending legs which were left exposed. She wasn't used to such dresses but Eva was adamant that she should wear red tonight as it suited her the best. So, to add to her bold look, Eva applied red matching lipstick to her full, plump lips making them stick out like a sore thumb! She pushed the thick curtain of chocolate brown curls away from her face and wished that she hadn't agreed to come here in the first place. It didn't exactly look like a place where anyone could celebrate her birthday! She would rather have slept after a tiring day of work at the Hospital. 

Checking her mobile, she saw a message from Skye. 

Skye- He's bowled over, girl. Hope he agrees. Coming in five minutes. Don't run away!

Sienna rolled her eyes thinking of Skylar and her desperate mission to find herself a husband in six months else her grandparents would get her married to Christian St James, an as*hole hotelier who happened to be the only son of a family friend of theirs. 

Suddenly the hair at the nape of Sienna's neck stood up and she had the weird feeling of being watched. Was it him? Panicking, she turned around and scanned the entire place. She didn't find him. Then who could it be? She was sure that she was being watched. However, after another try, she gave up. Not finding anyone, she peered down the glass railings to check the drinks counter. She could make out Alyssa's long flowing blonde hair and her burgundy-colored bodycon dress. It seemed as if she was fighting with some guys! 

"Are you free tonight?" a voice came from near her. Startled, Sienna jumped, clutching at her heart. Her face paled considerably as she looked at the drunk man in front of her. He was unable to even stand straight let alone do anything else! 

"No, I'm taken," said Sienna with a glare. "F*ck off or my boyfriend will knock you out in two minutes," she threatened him but the man was a leech. He dragged a chair to sit beside her. 

"Aww, come on. Since he left you all alone, I'm sure he wouldn't mind," said the man, giving her a dirty glance. Sienna felt like throwing up at the sight of him. 

"I said that I'm not interested. I think I'll call the security, " said Sienna angrily. The man laughed. 

"They can't harm me. My dad pays them," said the man, catching hold of Sienna's wrist. Sienna panicked and tried to extract her hand from his hold but couldn't. Suddenly a thundering punch landed on the man's jaws and he fell from the chair to the ground. 

"You heard her, Steve, didn't you?" Growled a booming voice from beside her. Sienna turned, clutching at her heart which skipped a beat when her eyes fell upon the most sinfully gorgeous man she'd ever seen. Towering above her, his ripped muscles were prominent through the white dress shirt that he wore. His tie was left loose and hung around his neck casually. It seemed as if he was straight out of some fashion magazine. As if sensing her checking him out, he turned to look at her. His gray eyes locked with Sienna's hazel, doe-shaped ones and time stood still for a split second. Sienna couldn’t look away from that hypnotic gaze. She had never seen such a gorgeous male specimen in her entire twenty-two years of life!

"Stay out of this, Lucas," slurred the man named Steve as he tried to get up but failed. The magic trance was broken and they looked away at the man called Steve. 

"She said that she's not interested. Back off or I'll call uncle Mike, " said Lucas, his eyes flashing with anger. 

"F*ck you, Lucas. I'll not let this go, mind you," threatened Steve as he got up and staggered away. Lucas turned towards her, his eyes checking her out with interest. Sienna felt as if he was peering into her very soul. It seemed he wanted to talk to her but sounds of giggles, chattering, and laughter filled the place as the girls returned with the drinks. Alyssa was carrying a cake too. 

"Time to celebrate, birthday girl!" She sang. Hayley squealed with delight as she rushed in from somewhere seeing the cake! Sienna completely forgot about the man named Lucas amidst all the chaos. The girls sang the birthday song for her and she blew the candles and stuffed pieces of cake into everyone's mouth while they fed her too. Eva forced her to finish two glasses of vodka and at the end of it all, Sienna was as drunk as they all were. Her head swam and she couldn't help the feeling of lightheaded bliss that spread all over her. 

"I think I'll go and dance with that cute bartender, hic!" Slurred Skylar. 

"I'm coming with you," said Alyssa. 

"Me too," said Eva. 

"Me three," giggled Hayley. They all turned towards her.

"Me four," Sienna giggled as well. 

"Yay, that's the spirit. Let's go," said Alyssa, leading them downstairs to the dance floor but Sienna couldn't find her mobile phone and she started looking for it.

"You'll go. I'll join you in a minute, " she said. After the girls left, she searched everywhere but still couldn't find it. Finally, she saw it lying beneath her chair. Picking it up, she dashed downstairs to the dance floor. She found her friends busy dancing with random guys. Turning to return back to the lounge, she collided with a wall. 

"Ouch," she said, rubbing her nose. 

"Happy birthday Sienna," said a husky voice in her ears. When did walls start speaking? Sienna looked up and was drowned into the gray orbs of none other than Lucas. How did he know her name? How did he know that it was her birthday? 

"T-thank y-you," she slurred with a confused look on her face. Lucas caught her by the arm and steered her to the dance floor. 

"Dance with me," he ordered in the same husky tone into her ear. Sienna blinked and before she could realize what was happening, he had pulled her into his arms, her back touching his front and he started gyrating against her to the music playing loudly.