Page 323 of Now and Forever

Chapter 119

Stella

“What the hell?” I softly muttered under my breath.

It had been over an hour and the guy wearing all black hadn’t stopped staring at me. It was creepy. Freaky even, but it was exciting me at the same time.

My date night with Derek turned out to be a dud. Maybe it was me who was trying too hard to forget Callum or maybe the man’s charisma had just not been working for me anymore. Either way, I had left that date feeling more depressed than when I’d walked in.

So here I was, a couple of nights later, somewhat working on promoting a new flavored vodka in one of Mayfair’s swankiest clubs. It was hectic, lively and I thrived for these moments, but the man kept interrupting my flow.

“Why do you keep glancing at your watch?” Mark asked whilst handing me a drink.

“What’s in it?” I ignored his question and referred to the drink he was handing me instead. I dipped my finger in it then tasted the concoction.

“Lychee.”

“Tastes fantastic!” I grinned, grabbing the drink from his hand. When working, I usually only drank a champagne or two, but tonight, I had decided to push it further, since everyone was pushing me to chill and “loosen up” a bit.

My friends, lovely as they were, kept pushing me to meet a new man and have a one-night stand just so I would know what it was. “You kept saying that your hymen was the reason you couldn’t enjoy singledom to the fullest. Well, here’s your chance. Free the bad girl and shag whoever you fancy!” Luciana had even taken it as her “responsibility” as my best friend to make me look the part.

When Mark had seen me earlier, the first thing he had said was that I looked decadent. Mind you, I thought that was the first compliment the man had ever given me, so obviously, I had to wear what Luciana had for me: an itty-bitty, black silk skirt; designer, five-inch, strappy gladiator heels that went all the way to my knees; and a lace corset top. The whole smoky look went with the part.

“See, you look gorgeous! With your come-fuck-me eyes, no man will be able to keep his hands off you,” Luciana declared, proud of her product.

“Certainly. No man could keep a soft knob when you’re in the vicinity,” Mark added thoughtfully with a goofy grin.

Yes, I certainly looked the part of a vexing dominatrix who ought to get laid. “You two are both mad!”

Luciana winked at me. “Speak for yourself. We are friends, aren’t we?”

So that’s how this whole shebang started. It was my working night-off, if that made sense at all. My thoughts halted when Mark had to excuse himself when Luciana waved to him for help. I was halfway through my drink when the eye-baller/creeper finally approached me. It took him long enough.

He came up next to me, questioning. “Boyfriend of yours?”

American, I noted his accent.

“Friend,” I said as I saucily eyed him from head to foot. Tall, dark, hot and cocky. Not bad, I mused. Brilliant.

“Single?”

“Are you?” I quipped back.

“One hundred percent. And you?”

I was married—technically—but that didn’t count, right? “Umm…” I trailed off, making that wishy-washy, awkward face. “Ninety-nine percent?” Sexy and smooth, Stella, I chided myself for being an absolute idiot.

“And the one percent?”

Oh well, this was my night to have fun. Callum and his dark, beautiful eyes be gone, I thought with a pang of sadness. If only…

He was with the love of his life, so I shouldn’t keep thinking of him that way, even if he had sent me a text message stating he missed me. Besides, Luciana had a point. I had always wondered what it was like to be free, have fun and date as much as I liked without anyone or anything to stop me. So here was my chance.

This stranger before me was my first conquest to be. Thinking of Callum and how much I loved him wouldn’t help me move forward. All he wanted from me was sex. So acting all sentimental was downright bad for me.

I gave the stranger a knowing smile before I downed my drink. I was single, wasn’t I? “That’s up for you to decide.” The stranger hid back a smile, which made me even bolder. “Do you have a name, stranger?” I cocked up a brow, loving this new me; fun, flirty, fabulous and fuckable? Ha!

“Let’s make a deal. Sit with me, talk to me, drink with me and I will tell you everything you want.” He didn’t bat an eyelash. “Everything you want.”

---