Infatuation

That night, after signing the marriage license, Harper hailed a night cab and took Brenda to his apartment.

This was one of his few getaway spots and he figured she would be too drunk to remember her home address, so he took her there instead.

It was a luxurious penthouse suite located in the heart of the city and cost seven million dollars

When they arrived at the apartment, Brenda's knees gave out but Harper caught her before she fell, and carried her to the master bedroom.

Before Brenda could properly take in the penthouse layout, Harper turned to leave, but she quickly held his hand and mumbled weakly

"Stay",

Having only been with one man all her life, now that she had broken up with Nathan, nothing was stopping her. She wanted to taste new waters and experience what it would be like to be with someone different, someone new

Harper slowly turned towards her, his heart beating rapidly as he saw her bare thighs through the slit of her dress

Her eyes were like a bottomless black hole that could swallow a person whole, and against his better judgment was lost in them

She sat up with her back against the headboard and her blue eyes gave Harper an inviting look.

"I don't think I want to be alone tonight, please stay," Brenda said softly

Harper knew spending the night with her was tempting, but no matter how much he fought it, he could not resist her allure

"Okay", he said

He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the open window as the soft evening breeze tousled his raven-dark hair

At that moment, he looked so elegantly dreamy that Brenda’s thoughts raced

"I’ll take the couch," he said in a low, deep voice that made her heart flutter and long to taste his cherry-red lips.

Brenda was too engrossed to respond, how could she tell him that the only thing she needed at that moment was his tongue exploring the intimate parts of her body?

If she was not completely afraid, she would hastily pull him towards her and plant her lips on every inch of his body.

How could one man be so dangerously enticing, yet shrouded with so much mystery and so far from reach?

As she stared at him intensely, she noticed something different in his gaze. His eyes bore a hint of desperation in them, it was almost as if he shared the same feelings she had at that moment - an undeniable lust

In the heat of the moment, there was only one thought on Harper's mind, and with that, he swiftly grabbed the back of her neck and stole a deep passionate kiss

Brenda's eyes widened in shock as her heart raced. This was what she wanted, a night with a stranger, cradling in his hard-toned body and heavy biceps as he took her there and then, making her forget everything even for just a night.

However, just then, Harper pulled away from the kiss. He leaned back, his heartbeat racing

"I shouldn't have" he uttered apologetically.

Harper felt he was taking advantage of her; she was drunk and her mind was a mess. She could not be thinking straight at this moment. Quite possibly, she would wake up the next morning and regret everything about tonight.

As much as he desired her, he didn't just want to be a drunken mistake.

"What's wrong?" Brenda asked with concern. For a moment when they kissed, she could swear neither of them wanted to pull away, so why did he?

"You're drunk," Harper said in a husky indifferent voice

Brenda pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment. After a while, she shifted closer to him, extended her arms towards his chin, and held it gently, while kneeling on the bed.

Harper looked like the kind of man who would make her beg for more and that was exactly what she wanted tonight - to just forget.

She leaned towards him and whispered "Drunk enough to know I want this",

At this point, Harper's mind was racing, her words were like an aphrodisiac. He tilted his head towards her, and in one swift move, threw his arms around her waist, and pushed her to the bed, towering over her with deep hungry eyes, like her body was a prey he couldn't wait to devour

Brenda lay on the bed as her heartbeat quickened, watching Harper take off his shirt, revealing his toned body. Her cheeks flushed, and her body yearned with desire

She tried to speak but lost her voice and before either of them could think long enough to convince themselves this was a bad idea; Harper took off her clothes and they succumbed to their deepest carnal desires.

****

At 8 a.m. the next day, Brenda woke up with a strong headache, searching for her phone.

The blazing sun made it difficult for her to keep her eyes open as she struggled out of bed.

Still feeling so ordinary and nursing the headache, she couldn't even tell she was naked. She squinted her eyes trying to acquaint herself with her surroundings

Suddenly, it hit her and she gasped in shock, seeing her reflection in the mirror.

She quickly threw the duvet around her body as the memories from last night started to flood in. She remembered meeting Harper at the bar and ending up here, at his place.

Filled with curiosity, her eyes scanned the room, taking in the layout of the penthouse to see if anyone was around. The place was empty, luckily, Harper was long gone before she woke up.

"Who exactly are you?" She wondered, estimating the cost of the penthouse to be at least a million.

However, there was no time for her to stand around and admire a stranger's apartment.

She knew she needed to leave as soon as possible to arrive at work on time.

With that thought flowing in her mind, she rushed to the bathroom and after a quick shower, came out searching through Harper's drawer for a coat she could borrow as hers was soaked in bar smoke and brew.

The constant beeping and pop-up messages on her phone suddenly grabbed her attention, and her heart started racing. Was she already late for work? Usually, her boss David would flood her phone with messages and calls if she was a few minutes late. Part of the perks of being the best sales agent in the company.

As she recalled, they had a meeting with Grayson Fashion Company today; the biggest fashion enterprise in the country with several branches in every major city, donning celeb looks like Michelle Fraysier, Alec Benjamin, and more.

The CEO of the company was rumored to be a hidden billionaire. Honestly, nobody knew his exact net worth or anything real about him, but rumors described him as cold, ruthless, and tyrannical with ties to the underground world.

David, Brenda’s boss had mentioned that the infamous CEO of Grayson Enterprise was sending a representative to attend the meeting on his behalf. However, as she opened her phone and scrolled through the texts and notifications, she froze in shock

She knew she was in trouble for running late, but a retrenchment letter?

What was even more surprising was that at that moment, she received a text from her ex-boyfriend Nathan, headlining the meeting

"What the hell?!" Brenda yelled, perplexed. What was Nathan doing at her job? However, her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by her phone ringing. She immediately answered on seeing the caller ID

"Brenda, I know you must have a lot of questions right now. Unfortunately, I can't give you any answers, but I can assure you this wasn't my doing, my hands were tied and the board made the decision", David said hurriedly

Brenda tried to speak, but could not find her voice. What was there to say?

"Listen, I know this is last minute, but I have a lead. Grayson Enterprise wants you. I already sent over your resume.

You got an interview in thirty minutes; I suggest you hurry down there" David said and quickly ended the call

Overwhelmed and confused, Brenda composed herself, quickly dressed up, and headed over to Grayson Enterprise

She arrived at the building twenty-five minutes later, hurriedly making her way to the front desk, breathing anxiously

"Hello, welcome to Grayson Media Agency, how may I help you?" The young receptionist asked, giving her a warm smile

"I'm here for my interview, I'm Brenda..."

"Oh, Ms. ... you're just in time, Mr. Grant has been waiting for you. His office is the first one down the lobby"

Brenda breathed a sigh of relief, composed herself, and marched towards the Director's office. She stood outside for a moment, took in a deep breath, and knocked on the door

"Come in" a husky authoritative voice resonated

Brenda pushed the door open, immediately apologizing as she entered the room "Mr. Grant, I'm sorry I'm late, my..." and then suddenly froze in shock when she saw him. He must have recognized her voice, because he lifted his head when she spoke, running his fingers through his hair like he was angry at something.

Staring back at her were the same obsidian black eyes that captivated her last night

The very man who explored every inch of her body like a treasured map - Harper Grant