Chapter 3 With A Stranger

_Lynette’s Point Of View_

“Shit. I’m sorry, it’s my ex,” I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut and hoping that I would disappear, or magically turn into an insect.

Not only was Victor showing up here to embarrass me, but he also decided to show up right when I thought I hit the jackpot with this gorgeous man.

“The one you just got out of a relationship with?” The strange man asked, cutting through my thoughts.

I hadn’t even gotten his name.

“Yeah. Him,” I answered dryly. Turning back, I saw Victor marching toward me, so I said goodbye with a sigh. “It was nice meeting you.”

With that, I took a step in Victor’s direction.

He spoke before I could.

“This is what you decide to do with yourself barely an hour after we split?” He scoffed.

The effrontery of this man.

Was Victor really trying to ridicule me for the same thing he did?

How dare he?

“Split? Is that what you call it? Because from what I remember, you made sure I saw with my eyes the disgusting things you did with someone else while we were still together before you went ahead to admit it without shame. Do I need to remind you of your words?”

“That didn’t mean that you had to stoop to this. It’s different when it’s a man, Lynn, and you know it,” he said through gritted teeth.

I balked. “Wow! How did you even find me? And why are you here, Victor?”

I was furious, but I still tried to school my features. We were in public after all.

Victor, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind that eyes were on us.

Veins bulged from every surface of his skin, turning him as red as a tomato.

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re a slut and you’ve been cheating on me all these while with this…”

Huh?

My head snapped around, and I shrieked in surprise when I found out that the broody guy from earlier was right behind me. His expression was unreadable, and his arms were crossed over his chest as he stared Victor down.

I thought he would have chosen to save himself from “ex-drama”. Any sensible person would have.

Why was he still here?

“You were saying?” He asked pointedly to Victor, growling quietly, and Victor seemed to lose his voice.

Only for a second though because he spoke again soon enough.

“Who the hell are you, man?”

Without raising his voice, the tall man behind me responded. “It’s Bladen.”

Bladen.

Fuck. Even his name was hot.

How would it feel to scream the name when…

Before I could process any more thoughts, someone jumped in front of me, scowling like an angry mama bear.

Jessy.

“Back. Off. Jack. Ass!”

Her petite frame did nothing to block my view of Victor, but she still looked scary as hell as she said the words, laying emphasis on each syllable.

“You both should better stay out of this. I’m having a conversation with my girlfriend, so your opinions aren’t needed,” Victor said, trying to sidestep Jessy to get to me.

A fisted hand came from over my head, stopping Victor in his tracks. It was him again. Bladen.

“You heard the ladies. Back off. And you shouldn’t use that word again. You lost that right and a chance at reclaiming it when you disrespected her not once or twice. Now, leave.”

The way he said the words left no room for an argument. He didn’t have to raise his voice because his tone carried such authority that told everyone listening that he wasn’t one to be dared.

Victor must have realized that too, because he took a few steps back.

“This is far from over, Lynn,” he said to me and stormed out the same way he came in.

Jessy turned around and wrapped me in a hug.

“My goodness, I’m so sorry, Lynn. I should have listened to you when you said you didn’t want to come here. Did that motherfvcker put his hands on you?” Jessy looked genuinely concerned and pissed at the same time. I shook my head.

I would have laughed if the situation was different, but I had just embarrassed both myself and this insanely hot man, Bladen. I just wanted to go home.

“I’ll just head home, Jess.”

She nodded vigorously. “I’ll grab my things.”

“No. You stay. I saw how much fun you were having, and the last thing I want to do is ruin that for you. I’ll be fine. Just call me.”

Her eyes held so much uncertainty. “Are you sure?”

I gave her a reassuring nod. “I am. I’ll take an Uber home.”

“I’ll drive you.” It wasn’t Jessy who spoke.

My head snapped up to see that Bladen was still standing behind me. This time, his hands were lazily in his pockets.

I had no strength to fight, and just in case Victor decided to lurk around the corners in wait for me, I decided to go with Bladen’s proposal.

Kissing Jessy goodnight, I followed Bladen’s lead outside the club. I felt obligated to apologize immediately we stepped out into the streets.

“I’m sorry for embarrassing you and dragging you into that mess. Victor is…” I shook my head, fixing my eyes on any place but his face. “I understand if you want to ditch me now.”

After a moment of calculated silence, he spoke calmly.

“Bladen.”

My head snapped up. “Pardon?”

He took a predatory step in my direction. His voice was low, gritty, and loaded with primal heat.

“The only name you’re allowed to call for the rest of the night is Bladen. It’s my name that you will scream when you come so hard that you pass out, so hard that your limbs will lose function, and so hard that you will become ruined for any future man. My. Name.” He gritted out gruffly. “Understood?”

I froze, and my mouth went desert dry.

He was still interested?

And holy freaking begotten smokes! Were those dirty words?

What I was even more aware of was the electric current that shot from the back of my neck down south, pebbling my nipples taut as it went, till it pooled somewhere in my stomach.

This was new, and I’ll be damned if I said I didn’t want to see him make do on that promise.

With a breathy exhale, I whispered. “Yes, Bladen.”

All it took for Bladen was one more step to close the gap between us, and he claimed my lips with his, slowly at first, till he consumed me entirely in a wild passionate kiss.

“Take me back to yours,” I moaned, and he chuckled, turning me on even more.

He did exactly as I asked, and did exactly what he promised, then some more, shattering my body for every future man and in a way that I wasn’t going to forget anytime soon.

By the time my eyes shot open, the first thing I heard was the loud and relentless ringing of my phone which was on the nightstand in Bladen’s room, before I felt the burning discomfort between my thighs.

Shit.

I slept with a stranger last night.

Groaning, and keeping my eyes half-closed, I blindly searched for the phone and pressed it to my ear without checking who the caller was.

“You finally picked! Where the hell are you?”

“Who is this?” I grumbled, still half asleep.

Ignoring me, the person barked. “Get your ass over to the office. It’s urgent!”

Glancing at the time, I saw that I was already an hour late for work.

Shit. Today wasn't the day to be late at all.