He was absolutely stone cold drunk.
His friends had left the club about two hours ago, begging for him to call it a night, but it had been far too long since he'd last been in a club, and its pull was far too enticing to leave in a hurry.
Plus, there was the fact women were clinging to him like he was the last source of water in a dry desert. It was more than appealing.
He'd forgotten this dance, the slide of bodies, the slickness of sweat, the warm feel of a stranger's touch. It was intoxicating, addictive, and he certainly wasn't complaining.
Easily the best looking male in the club, he seemed to stand above the rest of them, head and shoulders. It wasn't too hard to see why all the girls were practically falling over themselves to jump into his bed.
Everything about him exuded wealth, and power. And his raw sex appeal was evident, even amid the dim lights of the club.
Drinking too much would probably have regrets in the morning, but as he stumbled to the bar, vision blurring, downing a few more tequila shots created a welcome buzz which seeped slow into his veins.
He felt as if he should be remembering something, something...something important. But then, a pleasant tingling sensation spread through him, putting everything else on the back burner.
It was a girl. A girl in a pretty dress, her outline becoming fuzzy in his vision as she moved to the music standing by the bar.
Tall, wearing a silver skimpy number that left very little to the imagination, her soft blonde hair wound all the way down her back.
Yes...he remembered...men had been all over her tonight, but she wouldn’t pay them any kind of attention.
Even though her face wasn't clear in his vision, he could tell she was stunning.
He pulled away from the crowd of girls and made his way through the dim club. He could barely see his hand in front of his face. This was the norm for clubs, however he wasn't very aware, slightly past his prime, his clubbing days long over.
He had been persuaded by his friends to come to this club, apparently it was the best in New York. After a long night of drinking and strip clubs, they were all drunk out of their minds, and settled on the club as it was nearby. They hadn't even given a second thought as to how they would all get home. However, it seemed as if they had all found a way.
All except him.
“Scotch on the rocks.” he said, leaning against the bar stool closest to her.
Suddenly, she was there, right in front of him, close enough for him to grip, and he did when she stumbled on her heels, putting her hands out in front of her to brace her fall.
"Whoa," she giggled, "Head rush!"
"Watch your step, beautiful." He responded, putting her back on her feet again, but not letting go, his fingertips skating over the exposed skin on her back.
"So, handsome, are you going to buy a girl a drink?"
"Depends which girl." He smirked, pleased with his joke.
"I'll have whatever you're having." she grinned, stepping back on wobbly legs, "What do you think?" she signalled to her dress, "I bought it yesterday."
He groaned, "Sexy as sin."
"Sexy, hm?" she smiled, pulling his collar, "I think I might show you exactly how sexy I can be, Mr Handsome Stranger."
As she leant in, his fuzzy brain needed no further persuasion.
Their lips clashed together as they kissed passionately, their tongues in each others mouths, their hands in each others hair. Finally drawing away from each other, they laughed like the drunks they were.
“Now, how about that drink?” she giggled
“How about we skip the drinks and go back to my place?" he grinned, taking her hand.
They both walked up the stairs and out of the club, staggering down the street, kissing and touching each other as they went.
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Rick blinked as he woke, his eyes streaming as light streamed in through the curtains.
Hangover of the century.
He groaned. This was not something a man of his age should be doing. He'd said as much before last night. But his brother had insisted.
Flashes of his bachelor party came flooding through his brain...
Climbing into the back of a limo, shots, bar hopping, shots, the strip club, more shots, a few more bars and then...
Nothing. Blackness.
He briefly wondered how the hell he'd got into a bed last night.
But then his head began to pound, like a stereo had been inserted in between his ears.
No doubt a glass of Kimberley's home-made lemonade would have him feeling right as rein again.
Kimberley...
The name in his head more than excited his morning glory already against the sheets, and he stretched his arm across the bed blindly.
He rolled across the bed to look into his fiancée’s eyes, caressing her bare shoulders and---
“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?”
The blonde lying next to him, groaned, turning over as her long body stretched out in the bed and her eyes flicked open.
"What the f*ck?" She exclaimed, scrambling backwards, clutching the bedsheets to her naked chest, "Riccardo? What...what is happening?"
“How about you tell me Sofia?”
She rolled out of bed like a shot, stumbling as her eyes darted around the room for her clothes.
"What...what is happening? Why am I here? I don't even know what I'm doing here! What did you do?"
"What did I do?" He exclaimed, outraged, running a hand through his hair as he tugged on his boxers, "What the hell did you do? And why are you in my bed?"
She shook her head, backing away from him until her back was against the wall, "Nothing, nothing I-- I just went to the club last night that's all. Just for a few drinks and I--"
Sofia paused, her eyes widening, pupils dilating in alarm.
At first, Riccardo looked distastefully at his ex-wife, but seeing her expression, it dawned on him, and ice chilled his blood.
"Oh God..." she whispered, horrified, "You're they guy aren't you...I went home with a guy from the club last night... I was smashed... and it was you. What a f**king mess."
Riccardo put his head in his hands as dread curled in his stomach, "Kimberley...what the hell am I going to tell Kimberley..."
Sofia turned to face him zipping up her dress from the back, “Who’s Kimberley? Is that the girl from the papers?"
“My girlf- she’s my fiancée. I'm marrying her. We're getting married... I'm marrying her in a week.. What have I done?”
Sofia scoffed, "So now I'm a man-thief as well as an adulterous woman. Well, that’s just great.”
"You were an adulterous woman before remember?" he threw at her, bitterly
"Well that's not the point." she retorted, "You're the one cheating on your fiancee!"
"You're the one cheating on your second and I do repeat second husband. Where the hell is Nick anyway?"
Sofia looked away, awkwardly, "Nick and I have been having a few problems recently...We're...thinking about divorce."
Rick arched an eyebrow upwards, "Well, I'm not surprised. It always was lust between the two of you, and you know it."
"What like this was?" She rallied back
Rick laughed bitterly, "Of all the goddamn bars in this city. Of all the goddamn women. It had to be you, didn't it? You had to find just one last f**king way to screw me over."
BUZZ.
“Oh my God.” Riccardo panicked, “That’s her. It’s Kimberley. What the hell is she going to say when she finds my ex-wife in our apartment, with a skimpy party dress on and wild sex hair?"
Sofia hesitated, "I'll hide...under the bed."
"Hide?!" Riccardo exploded, "You need to get the hell out of here!”
“And how do you suggest I do that?”
BUZZ.
Rick freaked out, "Okay, okay, okay! Just don’t make a sound, not a sound or so help me God, Sofia...”
“Okay. Shut Up.” Sofia growled, bending to crawl underneath the king sized bed.
Riccardo picked up the receiver, his hands shaking, “Hello?”
“Hi honey, it’s Kim."
He swallowed the lump in his throat, "Hey baby, come right up.”
CLICK.
It was mere moments before he heard her footsteps outside the door, and then it swung open.
CREAK.
His heart was pounding out of his chest, his palms sweating. This was a stupid, stupid mistake, and if Kimberley found out she would be livid. He regretted it with everything inside of him. His ex-wife for goodness sake! The one woman he hated more than anything in the world and he had slept with her last night! Stupid, meaningless drunken sex and now his marriage was at risk. His marriage to the girl of his dreams. She wouldn't leave would she?
She wouldn't find out. She would never find out. She didn't have to find out.
As Kimberley entered the apartment, he groaned.
Of course, she'd look more beautiful than ever.
Her bachelorette had clearly agreed with her, her hair out and curly just as he liked it, fresh faced with a tight t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, she didn't look a day over 18.
She was gorgeous. And he was royally screwed.
"Hey baby!" She squealed, her eyes lighting up as she threw her arms around him, "So sorry I didn't get back last night, I hope you didn't wait up? I just had a tiny bit too much to drink and ended up crashing at September's. You didn't miss me too much did you?"
She looked at him with those Bambi eyes and he couldn’t help falling for her all over again....
Rick wiped a trickle of sweat away from his brow, “That’s fine Kim. I didn't miss you as much as I thought. I’m just glad you had fun with your girlfriends...”
"God, Rick," she exclaimed, teasing "Did you have too much to drink last night? You look like death warmed up."
He laughed, awkwardly, rubbing his neck, "You always know how to make a man feel good, don't you?"
She pouted, "Oh baby, I'm sorry, here, let me kiss it better."
Leaning up on her tiptoes, she kissed his neck in the pressure point that always made him moan.
"I missed you so much..." she whispered, planting a soft kiss on his lips, "How about you show me how much you missed me?"
“Oh God, Kim.... Kim, I.... have to- I've got to tell you--"
She placed her finger over his lips, “Shh... no words, you don't need them. Just take off my clothes."
She continued to kiss him all over as she sat on the bed, and then laid down. How could he possibly resist what she was offering?
He began running his fingers through her hair as she looked into his eyes biting her lip nervously in a seductive way that had his body filling with unadulterated lust.
And then he snapped, throwing her backwards onto the bed and going for her jeans.
“Ouch."
Rick’s eyes widened in both shock and fear at the sound clearly emanating from beneath them both.
Kimberley frowned, pulling away from him, "What was that?”
Rick swallowed, his Adam's Apple bobbing, "Nothing. Nothing, baby. Probably just the floor. Or the neighbours."
Kimberley shrugged, putting her hands around his neck and kissing him again, leaning backwards to rest her head on the pillows.
“Ow.”
Then it was obvious. He could see it in her eyes. She knew.
"Rick, that's not the floor," Kimberley sighed, pulling away from him and lifting herself off the bed.
She looked at Riccardo and gave him a weak smile, her eyes holding a sadness that made his heart stutter in his chest.
“Alright, whoever you are, you can come out now.”
After a brief pause, Sofia crawled out from underneath the bed and put her head down, ashamed to look at Kimberley. Ashamed for Kimberley to recognise her.
But she did.
Kimberley swallowed, her green eyes brimming with tears, as she raised one shaky hand.
She tugged off the engagement ring, looking at it wistfully, before throwing it towards the bed.
She turned briefly to stare at Riccardo and Sofia, who both looked utterly shame-faced.
"I hope you two are happy together."
She walked quickly out of the apartment without a second glance.
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Authors' Note:
So the woman in the club was Sofia! Did any of you expect it? Let me know.
B. Xxx