Chapter 1

“Miss Emilia Voss?” The receptionist called out from behind the counter, lifting his gaze from the list in front of him to the woman with long, black, wavy hair that cascaded down her back.

She had been standing patiently outside the counter, waiting for him to find her name on the list.

Emilia let out a sigh of relief and nodded, confirming that indeed, that was her name.

“Alright, Miss Voss, please take a seat right over there and wait for me. I’ll be with you shortly,” the receptionist instructed without even looking at her.

Before she could voice out a protest, he quickly turned his attention to another guest who was waiting on the opposite side of the counter.

Emilia rolled her eyes in disbelief, watching as the man beamed with smiles at the new client, who was dressed extravagantly. In contrast, he had a frown on his face while dealing with her.

“Um, excuse me! Excuse me? Miss?” She called out, trying to get the attention of yet another receptionist.

However, they didn’t seem to hear her… or just didn’t consider her important enough to pay attention to at that moment, especially with other guests with higher status waiting in line.

This hotel/event centre is one of the renowned and most reputable in the city. That was one of the reasons why there were so many important guests tonight.

The difference between her and these guests was that they had come to attend a gala that was being held in one of the luxurious, elegant event centres in the building.

Celebrities, billionaires, powerful people, those were the kind of people who were present at this gala.

But for Emilia, her purpose there was entirely different. In a much cheaper and low budget event centre also in this same building, an art gallery was being premiered.

But to her disappointment, it wasn't that ‘good’ and didn't go well for Emilia. She was convinced that she was a much better painter than whoever made these arts.

Moreover, her main purpose for coming was to meet people who were just as interested in art as she was. She hoped to meet fellow painters and even bigger and famous artists.

She thought it was going to be a big and luxurious event since it was being held here and probably, people of much more importance and status would be attending. Oh well, too bad it turned out otherwise.

It was getting really late, and she realized there was no way she could head back home at this hour. So, she decided to book a room for the night.

This choice led her to the frustrating experience of standing around while watching ‘much more important’ guests get attended to before her, even though she had been waiting for almost an hour.

At this point, she knew that if she didn’t take some action, she could end up waiting for another hour or more.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, and without thinking twice, she let out a loud shriek that caught the attention of most people around her.

She shrieked again, and finally, one of the receptionists came over to see what was going on.

“What are you doing, Miss?” he asked in a low tone. The expression on his face showed that the people nearby found the noise she was making quite disturbing, and he seemed a bit embarrassed by her outburst.

But she wasn’t about to stop her act. Instead, she exaggerated her reaction and winced as if she was experiencing an intense pain in her stomach.

“I think I might have eaten something bad. It has to be the food. I really need to use the restroom to make sure this isn’t food poisoning. Hand me my room key quickly, or everyone will find out that I’ve been poisoned!”

The receptionist opened his mouth to respond while his expression was that of disbelief and ‘stop the act’, but before he could say anything, Emilia let out a loud groan, pretending to be in severe pain.

Without hesitation, the man grabbed a list, glanced at it quickly, and handed her a key right away.

As soon as she received the key, she stood up straight as if she had suddenly recovered from her discomfort, flashed a bright smile at the receptionist, and walked away, feeling pleased with the surprised look on his face and the curious stares from those around her.

She made her way to the elevator, pressed the button for her floor, and rode up. When the doors opened, she stepped out onto the nth floor and walked down the long, elegantly decorated hallway, carefully looking at the room numbers on each door.

Eventually, she stopped in front of the last door, which looked different from the others. “Is this the right room? It seems way too fancy compared to what I booked.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out the key to double-check the numbers once more. A sigh escaped her lips when she realized that she was indeed the one who had misread the numbers.

“Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I came all the way here to the wrong room,” she mumbled, shaking her head in frustration at her own mistake.

As she turned to leave, she suddenly heard a loud groan coming from inside the room. She paused, waiting to see if she had imagined it.

But no, more groans followed, and it was clear that whoever was inside was in serious pain. She could feel the intensity of their suffering just from the sounds that reached her ears.

“No, no, Emilia, you can’t do this. Just walk away like you didn’t hear anything,” she told herself firmly, taking a deep breath and trying to turn away.

However, after taking just two steps, she stopped in her tracks. The groans had suddenly ceased. What did that mean? What if the person inside was… dead?

Without giving it much thought about the consequence of what she was about to do, she turned back and opened the grand door wide.

She made sure to close it quietly behind her as she stepped inside, not taking a moment to observe her surroundings first.

It was clearly a suite, and finding the bedroom was quite easy. There, on the bed, lay a male figure. Her eyes were drawn to the glass table nearby, which was littered with many empty bottles of champagne. Did this man really drink all of that by himself?

It was at this moment that her senses finally kicked in. This person seemed to be perfectly fine, and here she was, standing in a stranger's bedroom while he slept soundly.

Just as she was about to turn around and leave, the man let out another groan.

What could possibly be wrong with him? she wondered to herself, feeling a mix of curiosity and concern about whatever dilemma he was experiencing in his sleep. She took a few steps forward, and as she did, the man's face slowly came into clearer view.

He had long chestnut hair that fell messily around the sides of his face, with a few strands even covering his eyes.

He was shirtless and wore suit pants, which made her think he must have come back from a meeting or something similar before drowning his troubles in alcohol and ending up in this state.

She found herself unintentionally observing his bare chest, her mind racing with thoughts. It was the striking definition of his six-pack abs and the impressive width of his torso that made her realize exactly where her gaze had landed.

My goodness! How can someone’s body look this incredible?! She was completely taken aback. She knew that what she was doing was out of line, yet she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from him.

It was as if she were being controlled, almost as if a demon had possessed her, urging her to act against her better judgment.

Slowly and cautiously, she reached out toward his muscular chest, craving the sensation of feeling it beneath her palm.

And she did touch it. But the moment her hand made contact, she was jolted back to reality by the heat radiating from his body.

This man was literally burning up! She placed her palm on his forehead and could feel the sweat on it. It was even hotter than she expected.

So that's what was causing his groans, she thought to herself. He must be suffering from a terrible fever. In a hurry, she placed her bag on the table and quickly scanned the room for something she could use to help him. Her eyes landed on a cloth, and she also spotted a tumbler filled with water nearby.

She soaked the cloth in the water and pressed it against his head. She took another cloth and cooled his chest and the rest exposed parts of his body.

She put off the lights directed at the bed or close to it. She pulled off his shoes and socks, exposing his feets to cool air.

When she was done, she observed his temperature again. “Much better”, she whispered to herself. His temperature had gone down a bit.

She bent down to pick up the tumbler, intending to move it away from the bedside. “I really hope this guy is smart enough to get himself some medication when he wakes up…”

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into the bed. The tumbler slipped from her fingers, crashing to the floor and spilling water everywhere.

Stunned, she found herself staring into his piercing blue eyes that seemed to hold her captive. “You’re awake?” she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and surprise.

But he didn’t reply; he just kept looking at her, his grip on her tight and unyielding. She tried to pull away, but it was no use; he was too strong.

“You were… burning up, and I just wanted to… help you. Please let me go,” she stuttered, squeezing her eyes shut, terrified of what might happen next.

“Lisa?”

Slowly, she opened her eyes again, her heart racing. “What are you doing here, Lisa?” he asked, his voice low and confused…but sexy as fuck!

She blinked in surprise at the name he had just called her. Oh, right! He’s still drunk! she thought to herself. This realization gave her a glimmer of hope; maybe she could find a way to escape his grasp and his intense gaze without causing a scene.

“Ah, yes, I am indeed Lisa. I, um… I came to check on you, and I’ll be on my way now. I hope you can forgive me for intruding on your privacy,” she managed to say, trying her best to sound convincing, hoping he would buy her story.

“I’ve missed you, Lisa. I want to fuck you so hard.”

What? That wasn’t part of the plan, Emilia thought to herself in shock. Before she could process his words, the man’s lips crashed down onto hers, taking her by surprise.

She could have fought back or at least tried to push him away, but his grip was so firm and strong that she felt if she moved even slightly, she might hurt herself in the process.

In an instant, he positioned himself on top of her, his lips still pressed against hers. She could taste the champagne on him, and it made her feel a bit dizzy, as if the effects were seeping into her own head as well.

A warm sensation spread through her insides, and her heart began to race. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been kissed and touched like this. The feel of his warm hands sliding beneath her dress sent delightful shivers down her spine.

Before she knew it, she found herself giving in more and more to the moment. Her hands moved through his hair, traced along his back, and felt the solidness of his chest.

A yearning began to build inside her, a desire to be closer to him, to feel him fill the empty spaces within her. The warmth and wetness she felt ached for more, pulling her deeper into this unexpected encounter.

He began to trail soft kisses down her neck, moving slowly as he suckled on her pink nipples. His tongue swirled around them, flicking playfully and sending waves of pleasure through her body.

As he left marks around her breasts, he returned to her neck, biting, kissing, and sucking gently. He was marking her skin everywhere, leaving traces of his desire.

In a rush of passion, they both hurriedly stripped off each other’s clothes, their urgency palpable. Without wasting another moment, he slipped inside her.

It felt incredibly smooth, and she welcomed him with a wetness he had never experienced before. She was practically dripping.

Her body felt tight around him, her wet walls gripping him as if they were determined to keep him inside.

He began to thrust slowly in and out, and their low moans filled the room, echoing against the walls and intensifying the sensations that swirled between them.