CH.86

Killian suddenly remembered something. He reached into his jacket and pulled out Serena's phone with an apologetic look.

"Almost slipped my mind - you might want to check this before we really get this party train rolling'," he said with an exaggerated wink, sliding the device across the table towards her with a casual flick of his wrist.

"We don't need any buzzkill calls from the real world to ruin our night."

Serena's brow furrowed slightly as she scooped up the phone. Her fingertips swiped across the screen to check for any missed notifications. Sure enough, there were a handful of missed calls - a few from Jenkins and a couple more from her manager Kate.

She briefly debated whether she should call them back with her thumb hovering over the return call icons as she chewed absently on her full bottom lip.

But the lure of a carefree night out on the town, unburdened by any stresses, was simply too tempting to resist.

She gave out a soft sigh and turned off her phone fully before putting it inside her sparkling expensive clutch.

"Nah, they can hold their horses till tomorrow," she muttered dismissively, leaning back in her chair to take another sip of her crisp, dry white wine. "Tonight's just for us and whatever shenanigans you've cooked up. I'm not letting anything spoil this vibe."

A rich peal of laughter rumbled up from Killian's broad chest as he raised his own glass of deep burgundy liquid in a mock toast. "That's my girl! No need to ruin our vibe with boring crap. We'll deal with all that real-world nonsense later."

The rest of their extravagant multi-course meal passed by in a delicious blur of succulent flavors, fragrant bouquets, and easy conversation flowing as smoothly as the perfectly paired vintages.

Killian's sense of humor were the perfect salve for her previous melancholy, his quick wit and shameless blabber coaxing genuine, carefree laughter from her in a way she hadn’t experienced in days.

Serna was able to completely lose herself in the present and savor life's finer things for a few wonderful hours, free from any worries or concerns.

Before she knew it, they were being ushered out the front doors of the opulent establishment by a small fleet of impeccably dressed staff.

Their vehicle was idling at the curb, with the driver holding the back door open with a respectful bow as they approached.

Killian's arm looped casually around Serena's waist, his hand a warm, reassuring weight against the curve of her hip as he leaned in conspiratorially.

"You ready for me to show you how the other half really lives? Because this is just the warm-up act for the real party I've got planned..." Killian murmured.

The driver began navigating them through the bright lights and pulsing sounds of the downtown district, the tinted windows offering a glimpse of the city's vibrant nightlife passing them by in a blur.

Serena felt a tiny thrill of excitement stirring low in her belly as she watched the scenery whizzing past.

The first club they rolled up to looked modest enough from the outside - just a nondescript upscale building wedged between a trendy boutique and a martini bar.

But the second they stepped through the discreet entrance, Serena's senses were utterly assaulted in the most deliciously overwhelming way.

A heady mix of thumping basslines and intoxicating rhythms was blasting through the speakers.

Dazzling strobes and colored lasers flashed and danced across every surface, bathing the entire space in an almost surreal glow. And the energy of the crowd was utterly electric. Hundreds of anonymous bodies undulating and gyrating on the packed dance floor in a sweaty, frenetic mass.

"Whoa... This place is freaking' insane! How did you even find this joint?” she breathed out in a hushed awe, having to press herself flush against Killian's side just to be heard over the deafening pulse of the music.

"I told you…. I've got connections in all the right places. The kind that can get us behind any velvet rope or into any VIP area we want." Killian replied while guiding her deeper into the pulsating crowed.

Killian easily bypassed the queue of scantily-clad hopefuls still waiting to gain entry. They were immediately ushered through to the main dance floor like VIPs.

A petite cocktail server in a skimpy outfit showed up at their sides carrying a tray of premium liquors almost immediately.

What had begun as a few casual drinks while taking in the deliriously frenetic scenery soon spiraled into an all-out binge as the night stretched on into the early morning hours.

Serena couldn't remember the last time she had allowed herself to completely cut loose and drink with such reckless abandon, surrendering to every whim and fleeting impulse.

Oh yeah, it was the night she had slept with the strangr who happened to share the same aura and his touch precisely the same as Knox’s.

Although she was high that night, her body would never forget the man who had so brutally took her V-card, from which she still suffers the aftermath.

She planned to get answers to this matter as soon as Knox got back.

Serena reminded herself that she wasn't going to let a single thing put a damper on her night of cutting loose and having an unabashedly good time. That's exactly what she needed - to just surrender to the moment and indulge in some carefree, reckless fun for once without a care in the world.

She tossed down the last few swallows of her liquor and didn't even wince at the fiery trail it blazed down her throat.

With a slight shake of her head to clear it, she turned on her heel and began swaying her way towards the pulsing, writhing heart of the dance floor.

Killian made an instinctive move to follow after her but forced himself to hesitate and reconsider.

The girl clearly wanted a little solo time to just let her hair down and get wild without him cramping her style. He'd give her that for now. However, his sharp eyes made sure to track her every movement like a hawk as she disappeared into the undulating sea of gyrating bodies.

Knox would straight-up murder his ass in the most painful way imaginable if anything happened to his wife under his watch.

Serena allowed the intoxicating rhythms and heavy, pulsating basslines to wash over her.

She closed her eyes and tilted her face towards the ceiling, losing herself completely in that singular moment.

The electric energy thrumming through the crowd enveloped her, the deep, bone-rattling vibrations seeming to reverberate through every single cell of her being.

She honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd just surrendered herself to such pure, unadulterated fun and hedonistic indulgence like this.

Her entire life over the past few years had been an endless, suffocating cycle of work obligations, grueling photoshoots, and her ex Alex's controlling, borderline obsessive behavior making her feel more like a caged bird than a person half the time.

The guy had been so jealous and possessive, monitoring her every move with an unsettling fervor, that she'd found appealing. She had assumed he was legitimately in love with her.

But he knew better now. The prick had never truly given a shit about her or her feelings. He'd just been using her as a status symbol, a beautiful ornament of revenge to have in his possession.

Well, screw him and her whole toxic, messed-up family! She was finally free of all those mind-games and oppressive atmosphere. Free to live a little and embrace life without having to face any of that again.

Serena was in the middle of throwing her head back, eyes squeezed blissfully shut as she really vibed with the thunderous music. Her body moved with a sensual grace, hips swaying and arms raised over her head in unconscious invitation.

She was so utterly lost in the moment that she never sensed the threat until it was nearly too late.

A sudden, brutal shove to the center of her back very nearly sent her tumbling forward in an undignified heap.