CHAPTER 3 TAMIKA's POV

“No…” I let out suddenly, as I woke from a long nightmare where I had gotten in bed with a total stranger. In the naughty dream, we had a long steamy session together after he took me from the bar to the room, where we finally had at it.

“No…!” I covered my mouth immediately I screamed, as I realized that my nightmare was actually happening to me.

The same man I had seen in my dreams was lying beside me, sleeping peacefully. My terror was just beginning as I looked below the covers to see my body bare and naked.

I didn't need a fortune-teller to tell me what had happened when my eyes caught sight of my gown and my panties littered on the floor alongside a white shirt and a pair of black trousers.

It almost felt like I was staring at a crime scene, except that I was part of the scene. Everything suddenly began playing back in my hazy mind.

“Damn it…” I had made the second blunder in the same day. Giving myself so cheaply to the man lying beside me, after ending my career in the most senseless way.

I tiptoed my way out of the bed, feeling guilty and shame as I put my hands over my naked body.  There wasn't any time for me to freshen up, as I had to get out of there as soon as possible.

My eyes met the clock, which bore witness to my shame as it displayed the number of hours I had spent in a stranger's bed.

“Six fifteen…” I muttered the time under my breath, as I reached for my phone in my purse, which was on the bedside table. “Crap…” Julia had tried reaching me up to twenty times. I felt even more awful at that point.

The blinds of the hotel room were still closed, and that kept sunlight from coming into the room. That was perfect for a swift, effortless escape.

I had my eyes on the man, who was still fast asleep, as I hurriedly put my clothes on. Who the hell was he?

He had seemed to have been someone reputable, from the way he had spoken to the bar man. At the same time, he seemed to be too young to have that sort of power.

But then, that was none of my business, as I believed that would be the last time I would be seeing him. The sight of his face made me feel even more ashamed, at how cheaply I had given in to him.

I hurriedly put on a scarf and the shades which I had used to conceal my face. After taking one last look at myself in the mirror, I made for the door.

Just when I was about to put my hand on the knob, my phone suddenly rang in my purse, audible enough to rouse the man from his sleep. But then, I turned the knob, trying to open it. The door wouldn't budge regardless of how hard I pushed.

“Going somewhere?” the man's voice was grim, as he woke, and sat up in bed. “You seem to be quite in a hurry… Tamika.”

The sound of my name coming out from his lips had me more startled than his sudden awakening. I was frightened at the fact that he knew who I was, and he had just had me.

“Who the heck are you?” I tried my best to hide how scared I was, but my voice quivered just like my insides were.

“Let's say,” he said as he was about getting out of bed, “I'm one of your biggest haters—”

“Goodness…!” I let out suddenly, as I tried covering my face from the sight of his nudity.

“Why do you scream like you weren't the one begging for more of this all through the night?” he asked, laughing mischievously.

“Just let me go…” I said, pulling at the door, which was shut.

“I will, eventually.” He walked towards me. “But on my terms.”

“Let me out, or I will call security…”

“Haha! How can you call security on me while you're in my own hotel? Besides, you will be letting everyone know that Tamika Fisher had been screwed by a total stranger on the night her boyfriend dumped her.”

All those words were just too much for me to process. But then, the one that had me off guard, was the fact that he owned the hotel. It all made sense why the bar man had been so scared.

“No one will believe you anyway,” I retorted, trying not to let him have the last say. “You're not the first one to claim to have had me in bed…”

“Well, I'm nothing like those daydreamers,” he had his pants on, as he walked towards me. “I actually have proof that I had lived the dream.” He laughed wickedly, as he took up a remote control.

The television screen on the wall suddenly came on, with a crisp and clear video playing of me getting screwed by the man standing in front of me.

“I have you in the palm of my hands, Tamika Fisher,” he said, putting off the video. “The door's open now. But if you walk away from this building, this video will be everywhere before you can say ‘please’.”

“What do you want?” I was scared beyond doubt, and I just couldn't hide it anymore. It dawned on me just how much trouble my careless drinking had gotten me into.

“I like the sound of that,” he replied. “Sounds like an open cheque to do whatever I want to do with Tamika Fisher.”

“Just… what do you want?” I was almost at the point of tears, as he kept echoing my imminent defeat.

“What I want?” he soon closed the distance between us. “I want revenge. You're the reason my relationship was destroyed, and my life was nearly in shambles.”

“What?” I was utterly lost at that point. “How did I do that? Who are you?”

“You've forgotten about the Dolph Martin incident… how thoughtful of you,” he sounded angry.

“Dolph Martin?” my heart nearly stopped at the sound of that name. “No way…” my past had come for me at the worst possible time.