The café she gave me directions was currently blasting Artic Monkeys in a minimum volume and the smell of cupcakes filled the whole area.
I'd been here once, alone, and I remembered they served the best chocolate muffins and chai tea. I was thankful this wasn't crowded enough to have some people chattering loudly.
Doing as I was told, I asked the brown-haired waiter where the book room was.
"Hey, what can I get you?" He grinned at me, holding a notepad and a pen.
"Actually, I'm here to read books."
He nodded, scratching his neck. "Oh, just go over to that table and behind that wall, you'll find the room."
"Thanks."
I opened the mahogany door and it was quite surprising to see no one had arrived yet and I was the only person there. Two of renaissance artworks were hung on the creamy walls complementing the tall, wooden bookshelves even further. Any sign of light were blotted out by the drawn light-blue curtains.
I paid no mind to how many minutes have passed, since I pulled a chair out and flipped open the dog-eared page of the novel I was determined to finish soon, before the girl came.
The sound of the door cracking open snapped me out of my daydream bubble, causing me to snap close the book. There stood a tall, intimidating man with a deep frown etched on his features. He stared at me hard, confused, as if he didn't know I'd be here.
"Who are you?"
His voice was that of melted butter, smooth and had a rough edge to it, his French accent slightly detectable.
"I'm Sara—"
He didn't let me finish my sentence. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves and marched his way to me, unamused.
"Don't tell me a waiter told you about this room. That excuse is old enough."
My mouth hung open. He didn't even let me speak and spoke as if he owned the place. What a complete prick.
"Actually, a girl invited me."
He let out a chuckle, nearing the table, and he leaned on his palms as he stood across me.
"That's a good one."
I was rendered speechless, because, firstly, he stared at me in disbelief, as if I was kidding, secondly, my throat ran dry under his compelling blue eyes. I scanned him to see the width of his shirt hugged his lean, yet, strong body impeccably.
Let’s not forget about his stubble, not too much and perfectly trimmed. My eyes stopped where he'd undone the first buttons and it showed his toned, hairless chest. I could tell the rest of his body was surely a work of art, but I tried to not envision what was underneath his shirt. For god's sake, I had a boyfriend.
"Well, if you don't believe me, then, it's on you. I don't have to explain myself." I raised my brow, clearly irritated by his attitude.
His intense eyes gave me a once-over without hesitation, checking me out shamelessly. I should had felt uncomfortable. But I liked it so much that I felt a sudden flip in my lower stomach.
A small smile appeared on his plump lips as he looked down at the book before me. Oh, gosh, wait.
"That's a nice book you've got there."
Startled, I put the book in my handbag, pretending someone just didn't find out about my guilty pleasure.
I held my breath, afraid I might combust from embarrassment. When I stilled, he pulled the chair that's across me out and slumped down.
"So, tell me. Who invited you here?" he asked casually.
Suddenly, I felt stupid. I didn't even know her name, yet, I agreed to come here, because I thought she'd be waiting for me and we'd have coffee and gossip. I didn't expect a whole secret library room waiting for me. How embarrassing could this day get?
I was about to tell him it wasn't his business to bombard me with questions when the door swung open, revealing the smiling Asian girl, who persuaded me to agree to this strange offer, with a tray full of coffee cups and snacks.
Behind her, a woman who seemed to be in her late twenties trailed, her black dress conservative, but totally stylish and chic.
"Bonjour, my dudes," she looked around as she walked in confident strides. "Oh, Stacy and Dante haven't arrived. They probably decided to ditch us."
Then, she placed the tray on the table before handing us a fresh, hot coffee cup each.
"I'm glad you actually decided to come," She said, handing me a sandwich.
She, then, sat next to the other girl who was already seated beside the asshole.
"We still don't know each other's names." the book store girl pointed out, chewing the tasty cheese sandwich.
"Oh, I'm Sara Adley. What about you?"
"Monica Líu." she pushed her glasses up.
She proceeded to nudge the other girl who seemed to be deeply engrossed in talking to the prick. I could see why though. Despite his rude attitude, his sharp jawline and soul-sucking ocean eyes suggested he could've descended from heaven.
"I'm Renee Romano. Nice to meet you." the brown-haired girl muttered, her shiny curls bouncing off her shoulders as she tilted her head, wearing a pretty smile on her small lips.
"This hot man right here is Dominic." Monica chimed, lifting her cup to her lips.
He studied me long and hard, not breaking eye contact. I pursed my lips together. If he thought he could intimidate me, he succeeded. But I felt uneasy under his intense gaze. I hated how he looked at me like he knew everything about me and my dirty desires. I hated that I could feel a dampened area starting to form between my thighs. Whether it was sweat or something else, I liked to convince myself it was sweat.
"Do you read stuff?" Monica asked.
"Stuff?"
"Erotic fiction, I mean."
Renee shot Monica a quick glare and sent me an apologetic smile. I didn't expect Monica to be this direct, but she was someone daring enough to invite a stranger over.
"No, I don't read those," I shrugged, sipping my tea, hoping she'd buy my lie.
It was my fault to take a glimpse at the hot asshole, because he was already looking at me, mastering a knowing smile.
Of course, he knew I was lying.
"Girl, really? Erotica is my favorite. I can pretend I'm two years younger and have a hot sugar daddy." Monica sighed, batting her lashes dramatically.
Renee rolled her eyes. "Don't mind her. She's a bit blunt. Tell me, what genre do you favor?"
I laughed. They seemed friendly so far. "A bit of Romance and Psychological Thriller."
Dominic glimpsed at me, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, and I focused my attention back on the book in my lap.
"Oh, then, have you read The Girl On The Train yet? It's pretty popular." Renee uncurled the purple scarf around her neck, tucking it in her handbag.
"The pacing is too slow for me." Monica rolled her eyes, but she stopped midway, as Renee shushed her.
"Well, I loved the narrator. Not fully knowing what's truly inside Rachel's head is fascinating. It's definitely a must-read."
"One of my favorite quotes in the book is Life isn't a paragraph—" I said.
"—And death isn't a parenthesis." Mr. Jackass finished, looking complacent.
I couldn't help but smile a little at his remark, since not every bookworm loved this book, let alone knew a quote from it.
"We should talk about The Great Gatsby next time," Monica pointed out.
Renee let out a groan, shaking her head. "Seriously, Moni? You always talk about that book."
"What? A classic never gets old." Monica shot back, shoving a muffin inside her mouth.
Later, we exchanged basic informations about our jobs, age, and some pet peeves.
I wouldn't have guessed Renee was to turn thirty in a few months if it wasn't her jovial smile. Those puffy, red cheeks and an ethereal glow in her green eyes deceived me. Monica was the same age as Renee and they both run a small vintage business. I added to my mental list to visit them since Tina had been bugging me to take her to a place where she can take nice instagram pictures.
I also found out Mr. Asshole a.k.a Dominic Salvador was twenty-eight years old and was an erotic writer, and based on the excited glints in both girls' eyes, I was sure he was a good one at that. I shouldn't have cared, but I was a bit disappointed when he didn't reveal his pen name. Was I going to read his book and figure out his literary skills or what?
They were easy to talk to and it was refreshing to hang out with people other than my only friend, Tina. It was no denying that making new friends was a beneficial thing, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to let more people in my life, or if I'd ever be.
Being close to Dominic would do me no good either, because I already found myself staring at his veiny, thick, long fingers and thinking what they could do to me. I'd stopped my shameful thoughts before they morphed into something utterly immoral, and I kept chanting in my head that I was in a goddamn long term relationship, and that I was happy with my life, since my brain kept messing with unholy thoughts.
Despite my convincing to myself I wasn't slightly aroused by this hot man, my wet panties weren't in my favour.
Renee and Monica left when the clock struck three, excusing themselves, and I was left alone with my raging hormones and Mr. Rude-Hot-Ass. I wanted to leave and say I had somewhere to be, but I couldn't. I was captivated under his stare.
We didn't say a word. Without saying a goodbye, I decided to grab my purse and get the fuck out, because if I stayed a minute longer, I'd end up doing a bad decision I'd still enjoy quite a lot.
I felt his lingering eyes on my back on the way I left. With nothing but an immediate need for my new vibrator, I went on the road to go back home.
When I checked my phone before Daniel returned, I expected to find a new text from an all-too-familiar person, who used to make my life a living hell.
L: You haven't transferred the monthly cash. 3000$ or he'll be in trouble.
There was only one problem. She was asking for more and more these days. Even though I was sure I didn't have five hundred dollars in my card, I won't let him face trouble again.
So, I made up my mind to use one of Daniel's credit cards the day after, when he left for work, though the odds of him finding out and the both of us getting into another argument were at a high risk, because I'd promised to do anything for him no matter what.