Chapter 1: Meeting Mr. Defiant

"Anastasia, how do you do it?" Kelly asks curiously while holding up the skimpy little crimson colored dress I am about to wear for our little night out.

Smirking, I laugh and then reply sarcastically with a twinkle in my eyes as I look in the mirror, “I simply don’t put on anything else and then I slide it up my long legs.”

Reaching over and smacking me on the shoulder, she laughs and then sticks her tongue out before handing it to me.  “Yeah, yeah.  Smart mouth.  I bet you won’t have such a smart mouth later when you have some guy’s dick crammed in it.” She states in a matter-of-fact tone of voice as she walks to the door.

Glancing back at me, she adds softly with a big smile on her face, “By the way, you might want to hurry.  We leave in five because I want to get there before we can’t find a table.”

As she flutters her eyes flirtingly at me, she blows me a kiss and then walks out.  Turning around to face the mirror again, I stare at my reflection quickly and I could swear that I see someone else staring back at me.  Just merely a quick flash of a woman in a long red velvet dress.  Surely, it must have been a trick of the lighting, or I am more tired than I initially had thought.  Either way it threw me for a loop before bending down to step into the conforming dress. 

Standing up straight, I glance back in the mirror before I murmur under my breath, “God, I look so tasty.  I wouldn’t be surprised if I have several men vying for my attention before the nights out.”

Running my fingers over my perky breasts, I cup each one firmly in my hands and then admire them before I straighten my dress out and scan the room for my hairbrush.  Not only do I still need to brush my hair, but I must find my stilettos before Kelly comes back in and demands we leave already.  Hearing her at my door, I spot the brush and rush over to it before she ever gets a word in. 

“Ana, are you coming or not?” She asks impatiently while tapping her foot on the wood floor. 

Echoing throughout the room, the sound quickly makes me upset as I hurry to brush the knots out of my hair. Stopping to look at my reflection one last time, I smile when I realize that my long straight blonde hair has turned out exactly as I wanted it to.  Now to find my shoes.

The moment I spot them under the edge of the bed, I make a mad dash over there and almost trip on the light blue chenille throw rug that my grandmother crocheted for me.  Silently, I fight to stay upright as I hold my breath and reach for the edge of the bed.  When I feel the downy softness of my comforter, I breathe again as I realize that I am not about to fall on my ass and ruin everything I have just done. 

Admittedly, I didn’t think I could pull it off, but I manage to grab my shoes and put them on before Kelly utters another word.  Turning to face her, I ask cautiously, “Did you find out if Jonathan is coming tonight?”

Hesitating, she sighs and rolls her eyes before saying, “Yes, of course.  Why wouldn’t he?  After all, he has been trying to get back in my pants for 6 months straight, I don’t see why he wouldn’t now.” 

Raising my hand to my neck, I scratch an itch as I stare at her and state in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, “If you go home with another guy, I will hope that he gets the point.  Won’t he?”

She shrugs her shoulders and then sighs again before replying sadly, “Nope.  I did that before, remember?  The next day he called me to ask if we could go out.  That boy is either stupid or determined.  I haven’t figured out which one yet.”

After frowning, she adds quickly, “Come on, we need to get going.  The taxi is here, and he has been waiting for over two minutes now.  At this rate we will get charged 50 bucks just to get there.  You know how they love to soak us for everything we have.”

Knowing exactly how she feels, I nod, and then grab my matching little red purse on the way out.  As I place the thin strap over my shoulder, I glance over at Kelly who is already heading out the door.  Right before I leave, I look back and realize that I forgot to call my boss and tell him that I won’t be coming in tomorrow because I have a doctor’s appointment.

“Shit!” I mutter under my breath.

When Kelly hears me, she glances back to ask with a furrowed brow, “What happened?”

“Nothing, I just forgot to call my boss earlier because I can’t go into work tomorrow.  Remember, I have an appointment with Doctor Leonard tomorrow.” I state flatly as we walk out the front door and I notice the taxi driver standing there looking rather upset in front of the car.

The moment Kelly sees it too, she looks at me and makes a sour face before whispering, “Uh oh.  He looks mad.”

Smirking, we both walk up to him and right away he starts on us.  “Excuse me, I have a schedule to keep.  I have had a dozen calls since the two of you and I am running late because you can’t get your makeup just right.  Can we please hurry up?” He says gruffly in a deep bass voice as he rolls his eyes and opens the door for us.

Hurrying to climb in and sit down, I follow Kelly as we both watch him shut the door behind me quickly.  Then he opens the front door while making grumbling noises to himself before I hear the engine roar to life, and he puts the taxi into gear.  Feeling him pull away from the curb, I finally let my guard down and turn to look at Kelly who is staring out the window.

“Do you ever get the feeling that something is about to happen, but you have no idea what?” I ask quietly so the driver doesn’t overhear our conversation.

She shakes her head and then prods me by saying softly “And.”

“Well, all day today, I have had this overwhelming feeling that something big is about to be dumped in my lap.  As if the most important decision of my life is about to be thrust upon me and I have no idea what it is or when it will exactly happen.  All I do know is that it feels like it is coming sooner than later.”

Staring at me with a curious look on her face, she states excitedly, “You have my full attention.  What do you think it could be?  A big job opportunity or you will meet the man of your dreams?”

Hesitating, I close my eyes before blurting out, “I hope it means that destiny has decided to stop shitting on me for once.”

Laughing, Kelly leans in close and then hugs me before we both realize that we are at our destination as the taxicab slows to a halt.  Turning around, the driver leans his arm over the seat as he stares at me with want in his eyes and states flatly, “That will be $25.  I gave you a discount, because the two of you are the hottest customers, I have had in quite a while, and it was a real treat watching the two of you.”

Realizing that the guy is a total creep, I hurriedly thrust a twenty-dollar bill and five ones at him after I dig them out of my purse in a hurry.  Sighing, I glance at Kelly before I watch her open the door and get out before the driver can say anything else.  I on the other hand, look him straight in the eye and say snidely, “I hope you are satisfied with your eyeful because I am worth far more than that.” before I get out and slam the door behind me.

“What was that about?” She asks just above a murmur with a confused look on her face before adding, “Sure he is a jerk, but did he say something after I got out?”

Shaking my head, I glance at her and say sarcastically, loud enough for her to hear over the large crowd waiting to get into the club, “No, he didn’t have to.  I am sick of jerks like that in this town.  Those men are a dime a dozen here.”

Agreeing with me, she replies loudly as she practically yells, “Yep, sounds about right.” as we walk up to the bald brawny bouncer and tell him that Jonathan knows us.

Looking us up and down, he nods, and then opens the door to allow us inside.  Right away, I hear the booming beat of the music as I feel the rhythm vibrate through my feet.  However, for some reason this is not what stuns me, what I see next does.

The moment our eyes meet, I feel this strange sense of déjà vu before Kelly takes my attention away when she pokes me in the side and asks, “Who is that?”

Looking over to where she is pointing, I see another man with shoulder length straight blonde hair who looks like an actor.  Because I have no clue and could care less, I shrug my shoulders and state absentmindedly, “I don’t know, I have never seen him here before.”

“Oh, well either way he looks hot as hell.  I wouldn’t mind disappearing with him tonight.” She states excitedly as she cups her breasts in her palms and pushes them up higher.

Shaking my head, I laugh momentarily until someone bumps into me, and I turn around to glance up into those very same eyes that I had caught a glimpse of earlier.  Catching myself staring, I lower my eyes as I hear a deep voice say, “Excuse me.  I’m sorry for that.”

Looking back up, I gaze into the most beautiful golden eyes and when the light catches them just right, they look as if they glow. Quite frankly, I didn’t know that gold was an eye color, so perhaps he is wearing contacts.

“I said I was sorry for that.” He repeats louder now as he smiles so handsomely at me.

Not being able to find words, I just smile sweetly and lower my eyes again to Kelly who by now is gawking at the hunky man next to me with dark brown hair and the body of a god.

Offering me his hand, he smiles and yells into my ear, “I am Alexander Defiant, and you are?”

Waiting for me to speak, I feel both sets of eyes on me now.  Kelly, who is still gawking and now Alexander who seems to think this is all too funny, because the moment I open my mouth, he stifles a laugh as he watches my every move arrogantly. 

Glancing between Kelly and Alexander, I say loudly as I challenge him, “As if it is any of your business, I am Anastasia Smith and I don’t like assholes.”

Laughing again, this time he glares down at me and states begrudgingly through his teeth, “Well, then.  I guess that we won’t have too much of a problem as long as you aren’t a bitch about it.”

Hearing Kelly say slowly, “Woah.” I feel her hand on my arm, pulling me back away from him.

Staring up into his eyes, I catch a hint of something and then it is gone before I turn towards Kelly, and we walk over to a table in the corner.

“Can you believe the set of balls on him?  I mean really.  He was intentionally being a complete asshole, solely for my benefit.” I mutter under my breath as I glare at Kelly and sit down at the table.