Carmen quickly grabbed her clothes and dashed to the bathroom, hoping to forget the dream that had jolted her awake. Her breathing was bedraggled, and her chest rose and fell at an unpredictable cadence. Her heart was hammering too loudly in her chest. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but feel a burst of heat rush down her bones and blush even more, realizing that the woman who stared back resembled someone who had been thoroughly devoured.
Bitten and bruised.
But not in a painful way. Oh no, it was definitely not painful at all. Not in a way one might think.
Yep, totally a dream. That little girl was proabbly something concoted by her own brain.
Carmen bit her lip and walked away from the door, approaching the sink, turning on the water, and washing her face. Because she didn't have any spare clothes to wear, she put on the dress she had worn the night before and stepped out of the bathroom, heels in her hand.
The plan was simple. She was going to sneak out of the house without anybody knowing. That's how one-night stands were supposed to be. That's precisely how she intended her one-night stand to go as well, even if they never got to the best part.
Carmen would be lying if she said everything else that happened between her and the man whose name she still didn't know wasn't mind-boggling. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so good and beautiful and responsive to someone. To prove the passion they shared all night, she had bite marks all over her neck and the exposed skin on her shoulders.
Tiptoeing around the messy bed and towards the room's door, she opened it gently and peeked through the crack, catching sight of an empty hallway leading to a quiet living room. Despite being awfully intoxicated, Carmen vaguely remembered that man leading her into the home before thrusting her on the bed and climbing over her, their mouths crashing against each other, hands probing the anatomy of the other.
It had been a blissful experience from as far as she could remember. Though it was sad that he was hesitant to go all the way with her. Perhaps her being virgin had freaked him out a little. Not that she could blame him. She was a little spooked out herself. After all, it wasn't easy to give herself to someone she barely knew, not when she had waited all her life for the right man to come and take her. The thought of even entertaining an idea so rash was guaranteed to screw with her brain. And it was screwing with her brain, even if the hangover from the last night was enough to blur some lines.
No problem, Carmen thought to herself, better luck next time, maybe?
Shaking her head, she returned to the reality and focused on the task at hand. Make a clean escape. Carmen, on the other hand, had just reached the end of the corridor when she bumped into a person and yelped, dropping her heels to the floor.
"Oh my God, what the frickin hell?" Someone yelled.
"I'm so sorry," Carmen winced, scratching below her ear and trying to recognize the person but could not. "Are you hurt? I hope you're not hurt. I was just leaving. Again, I'm extremely sorry." Picking her heels up, she walked backwards and waved awkwardly at the girl. She couldn't possibly be more than eighteen, not that Carmen had much time to process that. She was desperate to get the hell out of this place.
Before Carmen could turn around and flee the residence, the girl exclaimed. "Hey, hold on!"
Carmen paused, rubbing her nape and awkwardly facing the girl again. "Yes?"
"Are you the girl from the night before?" She asked curiously, but not before inspecting Carmen, as if she was ready to form an opinion about her based on how she looked right about now. Too bad, Carmen looked nothing short of a mess, especially in the outfit, which did not look like something one would want to see first thing in the morning. It was short, glitzy, and ideal for a night out.
Carmen couldn't form an answer, at least, not as quickly as the girl might have wanted.
"Well, I don't see anyone else fleeing or looking like they've just bathed in glitter, so I'll take the chance and assume it's you, the girl from the night before." The girl folded her arms over her chest and jutted her chin in the direction opposite of what Carmen had in mind. "Simon sent me to check if you were awake. And, knowing that you are, more than awake that is, he is waiting for you in the gym. Do not make him wait."
"But I have somewhere else to—"
"Just go!" the girl didn't let Carmen finish and said with a little more authority.
Carmen hated the fact that she felt obligated to listen to this girl. Not because she was intimidating, but because she seemed to be someone important to Simon (hoping he was the same man who brought her here the previous night). Carmen offered a polite nod and ducked her head, moving in the direction she was told.
After she realized she didn't know where the gym was, she turned back to ask for directions, only to find the girl gone.
"Great!" She muttered to herself, sighing deeply into her chest and having no choice but to navigate the house on her own.
Carmen appeared to be in luck when an unknown woman in a maid uniform met her midway and offered to drop her outside what was meant to be the gym. Thanking the woman for the help, she slid the glass door to the side and stepped in, feeling her shoulders constrict at the familiar scent of someone from the previous night.
There was sweat in the air, mingled with fresh morning breeze, flowing from the huge archway that seemed to be connecting the gym to the little green garden. Carmen's pulse skipped a beat when her gaze was drawn to the man doing pushups on the floor, heat rushing up her neck as she fought not to ogle at all the flexing strong muscles across his shoulders and back. It didn't help that he was only wearing sweatpants and had a lot of sweat droplets on his tanned skin. Every time he pushed down or pulled himself up, he grunted, setting something free in her stomach.
Carmen cleared her throat, uncertain what else she could do to grab his attention.
What she hadn't anticipated was the man getting to his feet, drying himself with a towel, and strolling over to her, only to have her back slammed against the wall, his magnificent face inches away from her own. Her pulse quickened, and her heart fluttered crazily beneath her ribs.
Carmen could hardly breathe, stunned by his overwhelming presence.
"Mornin', Ms Price. Did you take the pills I left on the nightstand?" he asked, arching that perfect eyebrow, his voice heavy and accented, but all Carmen could hear was the pounding of her own heart in her ears and throat.
When she remained speechless for longer than he could stand it, he asked again. "You were pretty tipsy last night." His deep blue gaze swept across her face. Her cheeks burned. "The hangover must have been excruciating. The pills were supposed to ease that. Did you take them?" It was so hot that he was so incredibly patient with her, even though she was pretty much annoying him with her silence.
Carmen was torn between wanting to shove him away and pulling him closer, yearning to be consumed by his astounding presence. Instead, she forced herself to focus on his mouth this time, keeping her ears and mind on alert. She licked her lips, suddenly feeling dehydrated. "I...I did, yes. Thanks for...being so thoughtful."
The man looked relieved and a hell lot more desirable when he allowed his lips to spread in a small grin. "Of course. It was the least I could do."
Carmen sighed, sliding her hands on his chest and loving the feel of his firm muscles beneath her fingertips. "You wanted to see me?"
Simon didn't shy from revealing that he did. He simply admitted it with the slow blink of his eyes. "I was afraid you'll try to leave without saying goodbye, so I sent my niece to fetch you. Was that awfully rude of me, Ms Price?"
"No." She made a shaky motion with her head. "Just surprising I suppose. But why did you want to see me?"
Simon pulled away, propping a hand on the wall behind her and grabbing her chin between his large fingers. "Because there were certain things that were left unaddressed last night."
Her brows furrowed. "Like, like what?"
"Like how you wish to lose your virginity to a stranger..."
Carmen's eyes widened, her face growing hotter and hotter by the minute, sweat cracking out of her forehead and nape. She swallowed. "I was way too drunk to know what I was doing. I—"
"I can tell," he said, his eyes playful. "That's why I was waiting to hear it from you now."
"I don't...I don't understand." What did he mean by that? Waiting for what?
He chuckled, his blue eyes dropping to her lips before climbing back up to meet her eyes. "Have you actually never..."
Her cheeks turned pink. "It doesn't matter."
"It does," he pointed out. "and you know that."
"Even if it matters, it doesn't change anything."
"I'm pretty sure it does. Speaking of which, are you seeing someone, Ms Price?"
"What?"
"Are you dating someone?" He asked slowly, so her head would keep up with all those words coming out of his stunning mouth.
"Uh...no. I just...I just got out of a divorce. I'm just...not ready." God, why was admitting it so mortifying?
"Divorce?" He frowned before an even more amused expression crossed his face. "You continue to amaze me, Ms price. You really are an interesting woman."
Carmen drew her hands away from his chest, wrapping one around her waist and playing with a little necklace around her neck with the other. She looked away. "Can I go now? I have places to be."
He looked at her for a long minute, before—finally—backing away. "Sure."
Carmen moved quickly out of his face, only to feel something curl around her upper arm and drag her back to face him.
Her head spun when his mouth connected to her cheek.
"Not without a parting kiss, however." He smiled a little too handsomely, his baritone voice doing something to her heart and her determination to leave before she embarrassed herself by doing something she would rather not do.
But he was so beautiful and charming and just so darn available to be taken advantage of...
Before she could convince herself how bad of an idea it was, Carmen threw caution to the wind, losing all the fight in her, and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, kissing him on the lips and allowing him to drape her legs around his waist.
Simon released a satisfied grunt from the back of his throat, a sound that washed her with another wave of want, before he smiled against her lips and moved them to the room next door.
A/N: Oops, is this rash move going to bite her in the ass or will turn out to be something good for once?