Prologue - The night of promotion party
Prologue
The night of Mia’s promotion party
Jon, the guy Mia flirted with for an hour, told Mia that he has a girlfriend. Mia felt stupid and excused herself. She grabbed another drink from a table and tossed it back. The guy who the drink belonged to saw the scene.
“Hey!” he said. “You shouldn’t have drunk that!”
“It’s my party,” Mia said.
“I mixed—” he got cut off by his friend nudging him in the ribs. He decided to keep it a secret and just let Mia drink the alcohol and whatever drug was mixed in it.
Oliver, Mia’s ex-boss/current friend, drove to Mia’s house and stopped his car, where the loud music reached his ears. It wasn’t hard for him to realize which house was Mia’s. The colorful lights reflected from windows while shadows of people dancing were seen.
He got out of his car and hesitantly walked toward the loud place. Someone opened the door, and a group of young people got out with drinks in their hands. The music got louder now that the door was opened.
Mia stood in the middle of the party and swayed alone. She grabbed another glass and drank from it as she swayed with the music. A man’s presence startled her. He danced with her, and she didn’t mind it.
He wrapped his arm around Mia’s waist, slowly twirled her, then held her close to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck without remembering the drink she had in her hand. It spilled on his shirt, and he laughed instead of getting mad. Mia glanced up for a second and looked him in the eye. It was dark, but she could see him. His eyes were familiar.
“You?” Mia said in a low tone, knowing her voice wouldn’t reach his ears through the loud music. It was James Williams, Oliver’s then-boyfriend.
Mia and James had met before at Oliver’s party. Mia secretly enjoyed a tub in Oliver’s room when James saw her naked.
Now James was at Mia’s promotion party, swaying with her. She didn’t know him or that he was Oliver’s boyfriend. She didn’t even know his name but liked how he looked.
James smiled. “Me,” he confirmed, and Mia read his lips.
He moved his mouth closer to Mia’s ear. She waited for him to say something, but he merely breathed, teasing Mia with his charm and touch. He planted a kiss on her jawline. Then he pulled her closer and put a hand on her lower back and the other on her hair.
Oliver hesitantly entered the house. He didn’t want to come to Mia’s party; now he was here. The party reminded him of teenage parties. He looked around the crowd to find James Williams, his then-boyfriend. Most of the people were familiar. They were his coworkers and employees from Whoosh Co. So he tried to look down and hide his face so no one would recognize him.
Some were dancing, and some were talking while drinking.
Mia was still in James’ hold. James pulled Mia’s head back and put little pecks on her neck. Before she could moan, he caught her lips and drank her breathless words.
Oliver walked through the crowd, and his eyes explored every corner to find James Williams.
Mia felt like everything was happening too fast. She pulled back from James and excused herself.
Oliver looked to his left and saw Mia walking past him with clumsy steps. She approached a room and knocked her head on the door of her room without realizing it and stood there for a few seconds, not able to move. Oliver didn’t want to show his face, but he got worried and approached her and gently touched her on her arm.
“Hey, you okay?” he asked, but Mia didn’t even look at him.
“Leave me alone!” she said, opened the door of her room, and entered. Then she closed it behind her back.
Oliver shrugged and wanted to walk away, but James’ face stopped him.
James stopped, looking both shocked and displeased. He sighed. “Oh, my God. You can’t be serious,” he said.
“I just came to see the party,” Oliver said.
“We said we needed some time alone. Why are you doing this?”
“I’m just trying to fix things between us.”
“You’re suffocating me!”
A man approached Mia’s room, and Oliver saw him. He was too busy arguing with James that he couldn’t think straight.
Mia’s lipstick was wiped-out. She sat in front of the mirror and picked up the same red lipstick she was wearing. The music got louder again. The door got opened, and a guy entered.
Mia assumed the intruder was James Williams. “Get out! The party’s outside!” she shouted.
“Loco?” the intruder asked too loudly, barely standing on his feet in the middle of the doorframe.
Mia watched as he entered and half closed the door. “Loco,” he said again.
“What?” Mia mumbled.
“My dog,” the intruder said.
“There’s a dog in here?” Mia said and looked around.
The drunk man walked to the bathroom, and Mia followed him.
“Loco!” he said again as he searched behind the shower curtain. “Come here, girl.” The dog barked and jumped in his arms. He almost fell as he gripped his dog.
Mia stepped away from him. “It’s a girl?”
“Yeah.”
“Loco?”
“What’s wrong with it?” he asked, pecking the dog’s face.
“Everything.”
He let go of the dog and held the door frame to steady himself. “I need a minute.”
“Do you want to lie down?” Mia asked and took his arm.
She was just as drunk as him, and the drug was already starting to affect her, yet she tried to help him take a few steps. They both tripped, and he landed on her chest. Mia hit the wall behind her with her back and winced in pain.
Oliver stood in the middle of the crowd with James in front of him, feeling like ice water had been poured on him. He suffocated James? Was Oliver being clingy? It was unlike him; at least, that’s what he thought about himself.
“Why would you say that?” Oliver asked James in disbelief, trying to sound less desperate.
“Because you try to control my life, Oliver!” James said. “I asked you if you wanted to come to the party, and you said no. Now you came to see what I’m doing?”
“No! No. Just please, let’s go home and talk.”
Mia’s head spun even worse. “You okay?” she asked as if the intruder was the one who got hurt.
“Yeah. You?” the drunk man said in a low tone, and his breath touched Mia’s face.
“Mhmm,” Mia mumbled, the room spinning around her head.
James looked more pissed with every word of Oliver. “I’m not coming with you!” he shouted. “I’m leaving myself.”
Oliver didn’t want to beg but was already here to take James back even though James asked him to leave him alone.
“James,” Oliver pleaded one last time.
“No. We shouldn’t see each other tonight. Do not call me or try to find me. I’ll break your heart.”
James walked away from Oliver, and Oliver watched him as he exited the house. He didn’t understand why James acted like this. Maybe he was right; Maybe Oliver shouldn’t have come.
Oliver sighed and stood in the middle of the hall as everyone around him danced. He hated himself for doing this. After years of unsuccessful dates, Oliver had ruined another one. Even though he was a successful, confident man that everyone looked up to, he didn’t have a wonderful personal life.
The man everyone envied and thought had the perfect life was miserable and lonely at night. He knew everyone hated him at work because he was intolerable, but he didn’t care. But to have people in his personal life hate him hurt him deeply.
The intruder put his hands on Mia’s back and moved them lower. Mia was not okay, and standing made it even worse. He took advantage of Mia’s state and put his lips on hers as the dog barked.
Oliver grabbed a bottle and started drinking. The music stopped for a second, and he looked around. Suddenly a sound came from Mia’s room. The door was ajar. Oliver remembered the scene he had seen a few minutes ago when the stranger entered Mia’s room. He got worried and considered entering her room, but it felt wrong. Maybe she wanted to hook up with the stranger, but what if she didn’t? What if the intruder took advantage of her without her consent?
Mia felt even more nauseous. She pulled away from the drunk man. “Don’t,” she mumbled, trying to push him away, but he didn’t move.
Oliver wanted to knock, but the sound couldn’t be heard. He pushed his head through the opened door and didn’t dare to look up. “Mia?” he said, but his voice faded into the loud music.
“Get away from me,” Mia shouted, and Oliver finally looked up.
The intruder was forcing himself on her, and she was pushing on his chest. Oliver calmly stepped inside and approached them.
Without thinking twice, he swung the bottle in his hands and smashed it on the man’s head and then watched him as he fell. There was a rage inside him that had been bottled up for too long and even though he looked like he had it together, he wasn’t okay that night.
The dog didn’t even bark. It hurried outside to save its own life. Oliver sighed in relief. Mia wanted to walk over the intruder’s body, but she tripped and fell down on him.
“Jesus,” Oliver said and lifted her. “Come on.” He helped her lay on her bed and lifted the intruder’s body.
Oliver knew the intruder. It was one of the new recruits. He took him out and washed his face in the bathroom. The recruit regained consciousness and looked around him, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
“Do you realize what you just did?” Oliver asked him as he stood outside to get fresh air and help him get sober.
The man nodded. “Yes.”
“You just forced yourself on my employee.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so drunk.”
“It doesn’t excuse your sorry ass.”
“I don’t know what I was doing. I swear I never wanted to hurt her.” He touched the back of his head and noticed blood. Oliver didn’t want the man to sue him, so he tried being gentler with him.
“I’m going to believe you and let you get away just this time,” Oliver said. “But if I hear any complaint against you, I will have your arse locked up quickly.”
The drunk man looked at Oliver with a confused look on his face.
“Am I clear?” Oliver asked in a louder tone, and the drunk man nodded.
“Yes.”
“Good. Now get lost.”
He watched as the drunk walked out of the porch and paced down the road without considering he had a long way to walk on his feet.
Oliver returned inside and drank a few more drinks, feeling lonelier than ever. Drinking seemed like the only thing that relaxed him while he was feeling lots of negative emotions all at once.
The crowd left the party, and the music played to an empty house filled with cups and dirty plates.
Oliver opened the door of Mia’s room and saw her still sleeping on her bed. He entered the room and looked around. Everything looked messy, just like his life. The shattered pieces of the bottle were lying in the middle of her room.
Oliver felt exhausted and worn out. Mia’s relaxed position made him envy her. He lay down by her and wondered why she had to drink so much to pass out on the first hour of her party.
He felt like he was the most miserable person at that party that night and hated it. He hated how he had everything but had nothing at the same time.
Mia’s hair was messy and mostly on her face, her breath smelled horrible, and her dress was half up. Even though she looked like a mess, Oliver envied her. She seemed like she was happy and enjoyed her life. She had good friends around her, and everyone on her team liked her except Sarah. Sarah hated everyone.
Oliver wished to be her for a second. To be a woman. Maybe they had it better in this world. Deep down, he knew it wasn’t true. However, he couldn’t help but feel devastated that night, and he wanted to blame everything, even his sexuality, and sex.
Mia’s phone started ringing suddenly, and it broke the silence. Oliver stretched his arm over Mia’s body to get her phone from the nightstand and shut it. He grabbed the phone and saw an unknown number. He silenced it and put it back on the nightstand.
Mia opened her eyes as she felt something brushing her arm. She saw Oliver but didn’t realize who it was. She had lost the ability to comprehend her surroundings and time. She saw the man by his side as James Williams.
“You okay?” Mia asked him, rubbing her eyes, and Oliver noticed she woke up.
“Not even a little,” he said in a defeated voice.
“Shh... come here...” Mia said, caressing his hair and pulling him in for a hug.
Oliver stopped her by taking her wrists and pulling them away from himself. “Mia,” he warned her. “What are you doing?”
Mia ignored him and straddled him.
“I never do this,” Oliver said. “This is out of my boundaries.” He got up to his elbows and stopped her hands once again. “We’re not doing this,” he repeated.
Mia shook her head to move her hair away from her face, but her attempt failed. Oliver let go of her hands and dragged her hair away from her face for her. He couldn’t see much in the darkness. Only her sparkly lipstick was showing a bit.
He hadn’t had sex with a woman in a long time, and Mia was right on his crotch.
She cupped his face. “Stop thinking,” she whispered, and Oliver took a deep breath. “Just have me.”
“Mia,” Oliver said and looked at her, her eyes fixed on his lips. Something flipped a switch on in him. It was either how Mia made him feel or how lonely and devastated he had already felt. He didn’t want his night to end like this.
So he embraced what was happening. Oliver’s hands moved along Mia’s legs, and her hips moved on his crotch. His hold got tighter around her hips. Mia lowered her head to his and softly pecked his cheek.
“We’re drunk,” he mentioned once again to convince Mia for the last time while he put a little distance between his face and hers.
“We won’t remember anything tomorrow,” Mia whispered.
“We can’t do this.”
“Don’t you want me?”
Oliver hesitated too long, but then a voice said ‘fuck it’ in his head, and he nodded. “I do.”
“And I want you,” Mia said and put her lips on his to savor his touch.
He made the kiss more passionate, devouring her lips and taking her hair in his control. He was determined to feel good and having Mia felt close to being alive. He traced Mia’s lips to her neck and made her moan softly as he bit her soft skin. Somehow hearing her moan made him feel better.
He nibbled on her throat and got down on her breasts. Mia lolled her head back and moaned again. Oliver’s hold on Mia’s hair loosened, and he held her waist as he drank from her soul.
Since his hands were busy, Mia unzipped his pants and helped his member out. Next, she helped herself a little up and then lowered on him. They both stopped the kiss but kept their faces close, sweating from the heat between them and speechless.
