Chapter Fourteen

THE MONSOON

“Where are we going exactly?” Sierra questioned curiously, but leaned back in her seat and enjoyed the beauty of Singapore in darkness.

“You’ll know when we get there.” Roman winked, sharing a smile with Ken in the mirror. 

“You know if at any point tonight my life flashes before my eyes, I would only blame myself for trusting you both.” Her vague threat only served to amuse them. 

The sun was setting outside, the beautiful hues of orange and purple scattered across the sky caused a sense of excitement to wash over her. When Roman showed up to her door clad in a tuxedo with a beautiful black dress and a pair of charcoal heels in hand, she had no idea what to expect, but her promise to herself obliged her to go along with his sudden plan. 

Sierra was so caught up in admiring the beauty of the Singapore twilight that she missed their surroundings till the car came to a halt in front of an expansive glass building, leading up to the doors of the building was a red carpet surrounded by flashing cameras. 

“Where are we?” Sierra turned to find Roman grinning at her awe-filled face, The set-up looked like that of a Hollywood red carpet event, but instead of answering her, he pushed open the door and rounded the car with a charismatic smirk on his face, Sierra watched through the darkened glass as the flashes turned in his direction, but he ignored it, expertly buttoning his coat before he pulled open her door and reached in to take her hand. 

Sierra eyed him through hooded lashes, feeling hot under his piercing gaze. His actions were so smooth and sure, it almost seemed like something he did every day and if she didn’t know better she would think he did, but the confidence was unimaginably sexy on him. 

“Shall we, Miss Brightly?” Roman’s eyes looked darker with his back against the main source of light in the area which made him appear dangerous, beautifully dangerous. 

“With pleasure, Dr. Leek.” Roman’s eyes flashed with a fleeting emotion when she called him that, but the look was gone before she could decipher it, instead, she focussed on allowing him to slide her out the car avoiding any mishaps. 

The figure-hugging dress accentuated her curves in a way she didn’t think a dress could before, she had no idea how Roman knew her exact size, but the dress fit her in a way she would have in the past thought of as provocative but seeing his appreciative set on her the moment she stepped out of her bedroom gave her a sense of confidence she didn’t know she had. 

She embraced the adventure, the danger, and wrapped her arm around Roman’s bicep, allowing the flashes of light to capture them without an ounce of uncertainty. There was something about the man’s presence that drowned out her inner voice of doubt and the key laid in his loud, expressive eyes.

“Welcome to the Monsoon.” Sierra’s lips curled up into a smirk that matched his own, she had heard of the most exclusive party of the year, it was all the rave across the city, but getting an invite was difficult if not impossible for a normal person like herself. 

“Do I want to know how you managed to get an invite to the most exclusive party in Singapore?” Her smile never fell as Roman led them down the red carpet, never stopping to speak to the media that fired questions at them, some calling Roman by name, asking who the woman on his arm was. 

“Not a huge secret, the host was one of my first patients when I moved to Singapore, he invited me to this party as a thank you for saving his life, and every year since, I’ve received an invite.” He answered once they entered the building, stopping behind a couple standing at the reception desk. 

“It seems you’ve become somewhat of a celebrity in these parts.” Sierra was impressed by how easily people recognized and gravitated towards him, she’d noticed it with Ken and Mr. Chiang, but it seemed his healing hand has touched so many more people in Singapore. 

“I wouldn’t go that far, but people are tight-knit around here, word tends to spread easily.” Sierra suspected he was being modest, but she nodded in acceptance. 

No personal information. 

When the man at the front desk found his name on the guestlist he smiled and gestured for the doorman to let them in, handing them both a glass of champagne as they entered. 

The room was ambient with an array of rich yellow lights strung along the beams of the roof being the only source of light apart from the candles on each table, soft music played in the background, creating the perfect atmosphere for socializing. 

Guests ranged from young to old, but one thing that everyone had in common was the smart attire they all sported. Everyone seemed to know each other and equally as many people seemed to know Roman as greetings were thrown from every angle as they weaved between the groups of people gathered around the hall. 

Sierra almost felt out of place, she wasn’t one for large crowds or masses of attention like they were both receiving now and if it weren’t for Roman’s thumb stroking across the back of her hand as they walked, she would surely have run for the hills already. 

“Two shots of tequila.” He raised two fingers at the bartender, setting the half-empty champagne glasses on the counter. 

“Are you okay?” Roman focussed his attention on her when they stopped at the bar, the concern in his eyes was evident and her heart lightened a bit. 

“I’m fine.” She smiled reassuringly, it wasn’t a lie, being by his side made her feel like no crowd was too big or an obstacle too difficult to overcome. She had no idea why but questioning it wasn’t a part of the deal and she was determined to make the most out of it.

The month had passed smoothly though wonderfully eventful, she had somewhat grown fond of their early morning work-outs and Roman’s late-night ice cream visits when his shift ran too late to go out. 

“Just say the word and we’ll be out of here, okay?” Sierra smiled, finding his worry adorable beyond measure. 

“I will admit that this isn’t the type of thing I would usually do and seeing all these people react to you the way they did, caught me off guard, but it’s all part of the adventure, isn’t it? Getting out of your comfort zone?” A beaming smile lit up Roman’s face at her words.

“Your tenacity amazes me every time, but you’re right, it’s all part of the adventure.” He winked and swiped the salt off the counter and held it out to her. 

Roman watched with a smirk as her tongue darted out to lick her hand, she didn’t seem to notice how erotic the action was and he had no business pointing it out, so instead, he sprinkled the salt on her hand and mirrored her action, silently hoping she found it just as sexy when he did it. 

“Here’s to a night that only comes once in a lifetime.” Roman raised his glass. 

“Here’s to a night we make memories we’ll never forget.” She smirked and tapped her glass against his before they both threw back the amber liquid and slammed the heavy base glasses on the counter, swiftly chasing it with the slices of lime on the saucer before them. 

“Are you ready for an adventure, Miss Brightly?” Roman smirked and gestured to the bartender to clear the glasses. 

“With you, Dr. Leek, always.” Her tone was flirtatious, but her words laced heavily with meaning, he had opened her up to a whole new world and she wanted to see every bit of it before their time was up. 

Roman threw her a wink and grabbed her hand, pulling her in the direction of the dancefloor. The atmosphere of the party seemed to have shifted in the last few minutes, the lights were dimmer and the music became louder, she hadn’t noticed it before, but in the middle of the hall was a large chequered dance floor already alight with people.  

Sierra giggled gleefully when he swung her into his arms just as a popular Greece Lightning song came on, “you could have just asked me to dance!” She commented, but the smile on her face told him how much she enjoyed his way better. 

“How else would I have the excuse to pull you into my arms if I didn’t drag you off?” Sierra could think of a million ways, but her smile remained in place, never giving a response to his rhetorical question. 

“You like this song?” Roman grinned at her observation. 

“It’s not very often you hear proper English music at a party on this side of the world, but truthfully, this song reminds me of simpler times.” Sierra’s smile widened, the song must have been older than Roman, but it was a famous song from her childhood, and judging by his energetic movements she was sure it played a big part in his too. 

After they danced Roman introduced her to a few people he knew at the party, ordering multiple rounds of shots for them. His plan wasn’t to get her drunk, but he knew once the party really kicked off she’d have enough energy and liquid courage to let go completely. 

The flashing disco lights almost seemed louder than the music, but the vibration from the speakers pulsed through her body, and she couldn’t stop it from moving along. The alcohol was alight in her veins to the point that the smile on her face wouldn’t fall, nor would her adoring gaze from Roman’s face, even as he argued and laughed with the others gathered around the table. 

If her brain was working properly she probably would have wondered what about the handsome doctor sparked such carefreeness in her or why she hadn’t thought of her life back in the US for weeks, but it wasn’t, so instead she laughed along with the crowd when he said something funny and teased him whenever she got the chance.

Roman was right when he said the party hadn’t even begun yet, because just as the clock struck 11 pm, the lights went out and a spotlight lit up the stage, revealing Pharrel Williams, his upbeat voice stirred excitement in the crowd and Sierra found herself singing along with him. 

At some point in the night the artists changed, SIerra was so engrossed in the music that she didn’t notice when Roman’s body slipped in behind her till John Legend belted out the lyrics to Green Light over the microphone, suddenly the heat radiating off him affected her and the light brush of his chest against her back made goosebumps rise on her arms. The alcohol was mostly danced out of her system so she wondered if he felt the electricity crackling between them, more so, she wondered if he’d act on it if he did. 

The memory of her recent breakup or their deal never struck her, all she wanted was to feel his hands snake around her body.