1. A one-night stand.

Lily's POV:

As the morning light began to filter through the curtains, I slowly opened my eyes, only to find myself in a bewildering predicament.

"Ah," I winced from the delicious body pains I felt all over.

Where am I?

Confusion washed over me as I realized that I was lying in a stranger's bed, completely naked in a room I hardly recognized.

Oh crap!

Panic surged through my veins, and I quickly sat up, the delicious soreness in my body making itself known at that moment that had sex for the first time in my life… But with whom???

I gingerly touched a few purplish bruises on my arms, evidence of a rough night that now seemed lost in a foggy abyss of my memory.

What have I done?

I fumbled to find my panties in the covers when suddenly I heard it—the sound of running water in what I presumed to be the bathroom behind a closed door.

Fuck, the stranger I slept with is still here??? My heart skipped a beat. A flush of embarrassment washed over me as I imagined the awkwardness that awaited me if he were to walk out.

With a quick decision, I decided to gather my scattered belongings and make a swift, discreet exit before he emerged.

Shit, shit, shit. Never had something like this ever happened to me in my entire 22 years of perfect existence. I got dressed in my black jeans with a white round-neck tee I had worn last night. Clasped my shoes in my hands and stood barefoot on the floor.

I was embarrassed by my situation and I partly blamed my bestie Sue because of her adventurous wild personality which landed me in a stranger's bed.

A stranger's bed!!!

I took short breaths in and out as I scanned the room one last time for my belongings. After all, I didn't want a man I barely knew to come to look for me because I left a bracelet like in those cliche romance movies you watched…

Oh god, I hope he did not give me herpes. My body shivered with disgust as I didn't know what to expect from a first-time encounter with a man.

I sighed softly while struggling to regain some semblance of composure, I glanced around the unfamiliar room. My eyes landed on a massive portrait stuck on the wall, capturing the attention of anyone who looked around the room.

The handsome man in the painting stared back at me with enigmatic eyes, leaving me to wonder: was he the one I lost my virginity to?

Oh God…my body shivered while I tried to swallow but I felt a lump in my throat.

Hastily, I reached for my jacket, clumsily dressing myself as my thoughts raced through possibilities, trying to piece together fragments of memory that stubbornly evaded me. The urgency to leave this foreign place only intensified, and with a brief, apprehensive look toward the bathroom, I turned to make my escape.

But as I made my way towards the door, fate had a twist in store for me. I collided with an elegant, poised older woman who appeared out of nowhere, shattering my plans for a quiet departure. She exuded an air of authority and her piercing gaze bore into my soul, leaving me feeling vulnerable and intimidated.

"Excuse me, ma'am," I stuttered nervously as I looked away with slumped shoulders because embarrassment was slowly swallowing me whole.

"Get out you cheap slut," she scoffed with a sour expression on her beautiful face.

My voice caught in my throat, and all I could manage was a meek glance before retreating, swallowed up by a wave of humiliation. Without uttering a single word, I hurriedly left the room, the mansion, and the enigmatic man behind, desperate to distance myself from the mysterious events of the night before.

As I walked away, questions swirled in my mind, entangling with a twinge of regret. Who was that gentleman in the shower? Apart from sex, what had transpired between us for me to wake up in bruises? And most importantly, who was the captivating woman I had crossed paths with at the brink of my departure?

I got out of the beautiful house, stopped a taxi and got in.

"Take me to the train station please," I ordered while I leaned my head against the window and watched the buildings of the small town in the middle of nowhere disappear in the background.

Oh thank God I got out of there in time not to face that man. I buried my face in my hands because I noticed the taxi driver looking at me in the rearview mirror with judging eyes…

Oh god, what happened last night? I dug through my hazy memories to find answers.

***

Hours before…

As I stood there, overlooking the vast mining site, I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. At the young age of 22, I managed to establish myself as a successful career woman, thriving in the corporate world of one of the top mining companies in the state. Life seemed perfectly aligned for me – a beautiful, nerdy, and hardworking executive supervisor, with my future shining brightly ahead. Nothing was going to mess up my life…or so I thought.

"Hey Lily," In the midst of my work, my trusted assistant slush best friend, Sue, approached me with an unusual proposal.

"Hey Sue, ready to go back home tonight?" I let out a toothy grin as I was excited to go back home to the city and leave this awful site I was assigned to work in for a week.

"What, no, I'm not going back home without having some fun," she insisted and I narrowed my eyes at her.

What fun was she talking about in this woodland?

"And what do you suggest we do?"I raised my eyebrows with tightened lips.

"Well, there is a town nearby," She suggested we venture off and have drinks at a nearby town we had passed on our way to the remote site.

"Nope," I pursed my lips because I wasn't going to venture into an unknown town I knew no one.

"Come on Lily, just a few drinks and we will be back in camp before anyone notices," Sue insisted but my mind was made up.

"No," I shrugged her off.

I wasn't going anywhere near that creepy-looking town we had passed by a week ago.

"Please Lily, if you do this with me, consider not buying me a gift on my birthday next week," However, Sue, being the persistent character she is, insisted that it could be an early birthday present – a chance for me to let loose and escape the clutches of work, if only for a night.

"Are you sure you won't ask me for any expensive gift?"

"I cross my heart and hope to die," she crossed her heart and for a minute, I liked the sound of me not spending any money on the exaggerative gifts she loved me to buy her birthday.

"Okay, but just for a few hours and we get back here," I said.

"Not a problem," she smiled.

"Okay, let me go change out of my work clothes," I said while I walked towards my temporary cabin and Sue stopped me by clasping my hand.

"You look just fine, besides it's a small town so I doubt if there will be any cute guys needing to impress with our looks," she suggested and I sighed softly in agreement.

"Okay, fine," we walked to the tarred road a few meters away from the site and got into a taxi passing by.

"Oh I can't wait to dance the night away," Sue chimed in high high-pitched voice, I knew she was impatient as always.

I forced a smile while I crossed my arms while I watched the sunset...

A few minutes later, we arrived at the strange town, the atmosphere instantly shifted the moment we got out of the taxi. The once inviting aura of the place transformed into an unwelcoming presence, evident in the penetrating gazes directed toward us.

"Sue, I don't like this place," I whispered to her while I glanced sideways.

"Oh Lily, don't be a party popper with your weird feelings," she dragged me towards a busy-looking bar, and suddenly two huge men class in all-black outfits stood in our path.

"Excuse us, we would like to go in and have fun," Sue spoke to the men as she threw her hands in the air.

"Sorry, ladies but you are not welcome in our bar and town, so I suggest you leave," one of the huge guys flexed his biceps in our faces, and Sue sneered as she looked down at the huge intimidating men, I grabbed her arm and pulled her back because I didn't want to be roughly kicked out of there town.

"Sue, I think we need to leave," I whispered to her ear but she shrugged me away.

"No Lily, this is a free country and if we want to drink tonight it will happen unless they tell me that they are the president of this town and we will leave," she insisted and the huge men exchanged looks.

"Actually, we are the…" Suddenly, a good-looking man with a smouldering sexy face interrupted us. Sue gasped and froze with wide eyes as she checked the guy out.

"You two, excuse, us," he shot the buff guys a look and they bowed slightly before leaving.

I frowned… What was that all about?

"Hey ladies," our rescuer turned to us with one raised eyebrow and slightly tucked chin, my heart skipped a beat because he was cute.

"Hey handsome, we are here to have some drinks and those buffoons were stopping us,'' Sue began batting her eyelashes with the mysterious handsome man who had come to our rescue. I pinched her to remind her we were in their tuff and I didn't want to be taken advantage of.

Sue shrugged me away again, I crossed my arms across my chest while I narrowed my eyes at her.

What was she thinking flirting with a stranger she hardly knew? I scoffed inwardly as I watched the two flirt.

"I apologize on their behalf, you can go ahead and have your drinks," he winked at her, and she chuckled seductively while playing with her hair.

I rolled my eyes at her and pushed back my glasses.

"Oh thank you so much, you are such a sweetheart," Sue tagged me into the busy bar while looking back at her prince charming.

"Sue, that guy could be a kidnapper or worse a serial killer," I said and she sneered unapologetically.

"Oh Lily, must every guy be a serial killer," she began dancing to the fast beat song, I screwed up my face in surprise.

How could my best friend think I was overthinking things??? I dragged my legs behind her while I paid attention to the people in the club who gave us dirty looks.

I swallowed nervously.

The tension in the air was noticeable, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease creeping back to my spine. Sue, on the other hand, seemed unaware of the peculiar ambiance and insisted we head straight to the counter and get drunk and put my worries to rest.

"Hey barman, give us the strongest shots you have in this place," Sue ordered while I dreaded all the flickering eyes on us.

These people were definitely weirder than I thought… I kept to myself because Sue said I worried too much…

A few minutes later,

Shot after shot of whiskey washed away my initial nervousness, replacing it with a feverish personality.

I began dancing all over the place…The liquor infused a newfound sense of freedom within me, gradually eroding the tall walls of responsibility and professionalism that I had so meticulously built.

"Go, little bad girl, little bad girl x3," the upbeat in the club made me lose my shit literally as I dance with strangers… Sensually grinding my ass on each and everybody I danced with… I was stupid drunk and everything felt so good not to give a fuck about what people thought about me…

Suddenly, a tall good-looking man walked up to me and clasped my waist, my body hitched while I gawked at the handsome features on his face.

"I think you have had enough of the drinks," he said in a husky voice with lots of eye contact. I scowled.

"You are not my boss…" I stuttered in slurred speech and he leaned forward.

"Yes I am," he proclaimed in a huskier voice, my core knotted and for a few seconds, I got tongue-tied at how sexy his gaze was.

Who was he to care so much about me?

"Barman, please give me more alcohol," I yelled while I tried to walk away from the sexy party popper, he tightened his grip on my waist. I winced painfully.

"Awe, you are hurting me," I said and he smirked.

"Because you are being such a bad girl," he said and I frowned at what his deal was.

"Again, you are not my boss,"

Suddenly one of my favorite club songs came on. I began jumping up and down in excitement to the song.

Lost in the whirlwind of emotions and alcohol-induced joy, I found myself entangled in a dance with the very stranger who wanted me to lay off the drinks… His eyes flickered into a different color. I glowered but continued dancing the night away.

"I love your eyes," I said in a slurred speech, he scoffed and licked his lips.

"And you are beautiful," he answered back, my hands found themselves in his soft damp hair that hung on one side while my eyes were glued on his pink manly lips.

I licked my lips... Kiss me, handsome.

The music swirled around us, echoing the thumping beats of my heart, as we moved in perfect synchrony. And then, as if guided by some invisible force, our lips met in a moment of pure, enchanting bliss.

We kissed and everything else after was a blur I couldn't recollect…