Chapter 1 - Mazie
Mazie
It has been six weeks since I found out about him with someone else. I should have known his money and high status in the business world would make him wander. My girlfriend, Tracey, is around to break me out of my slump.
“Get in that bathroom and shave your monkey hair.” She giggles.
“Yeah, okay, so I let myself go.” I mutter back.
“You are gorgeous Mazie, and I’ve told you a thousand times that no man with money is good for you. They all think with their dicks in the end.” She has just finished doing my hair and getting it back to my natural light brown color. Elijah loved it blonde, and now I look back at things, I realize how much he changed me to become someone else. A year with that sucker, and a year of my life thrown away.
I head into the bathroom and take my time in the shower, making sure every part of me is hair free, apart from a little neatly trimmed patch. I hated it bare, made me feel like a little girl. The control was there as well; I think that is what he liked. Made me feel small and worthless, so when he did nice things, it made me feel on top of the world. But it was only to bring me crashing back down to the ground again with a simple comment.
A fitted red dress highlights my curves, and my long brown hair sways down most of my back. A touch of mascara and a little blush to highlight my cheeks. I feel like a new woman inside and out.
“Double damn.” Tracey whistles. “Where have you been hiding for the last year?”
“Let’s go before I change my mind.” I grab my phone and clutch.
From one bar to another, we down our drinks. Trendy cocktails, to slippery nipple shots. “So, have you forgotten him yet?” Tracey yells in my ear. The music wasn’t that loud, but she was well on her way to being trashed already.
“Who?” I smile then crease over, laughing. “I’m just going to the toilet.” The seat twirls under me as I turn to hop off. “Oops, sorry.” I fell into a man next to me. He grunts but doesn’t pay attention. “Whatever.” I saunter off to the bathroom.
“Hey beautiful, are you looking for a good time tonight?” Some business man stops me. He reminds me of my ex.
“Nope.” I push past him and go to the bathroom. Once I’ve done a pee, I wash my hands and stare at the blurry eyed person in front of me. “I’m not bad. I could pick up any guy here.” Every part of me is natural. My C cup boobs are perfect for my five foot five height. I’m so glad he never talked me into the boob job. Ugh, why am I thinking of him?
As I’m about to leave, the gorgeous blonde appears. I tense and hold my breath. She doesn’t seem to notice me and wanders off to use one of the stalls. “I’m starting to see things,” I tell myself.
I gulp. That means he will be here. I need to get out before I come face to face with her. Nope, I’ve got to thank her. My drunk self tries to reason with my non functioning brain. “You can do this.” I whisper to myself.
Six weeks since I last saw him. I can do this. Although tears bubble up to the surface when I step out and smack straight into the same guy. One quick glance, I took off back to the bar and held back the tears. I hold on to the bar edge and breath. Only when I notice the two leave, I breathe again. God damn it. They both looked so much like the two of them. My body is trembling after the ordeal. “I need another drink.”
The bar is scarce of people where I was sitting, and I can’t see Tracey anywhere. Only the shadow of a man sits there. Whispers I’m sure are floating about, and a gasp from someone as I prop myself up at the bar.
“Excuse me, do you know where my friend went?” I ask the barman who looks like he is about to pee his pants.
“She wasn’t feeling well and left.” Was all he said.
Puzzled, I fish out my phone and message her. The man next to me is nursing a drink, and he looks sad. “What are you drinking? I might join you. Seems like everyone leaves me.”
He turns his head slightly and gives me a pissed off glare. And he keeps glaring. “Batman, can I get two of those?” I point to whatever the man next to me is drinking. My drunkenness called the barman Batman. I nearly laugh. But the man doesn’t seem to have noticed my stupidity. “Look, I don’t know you and I’m.”
He cuts me off. “You don’t know who I am?” His tone is hoarse.
“Yeah. I don’t know you.” I half sing and poke his arm. “Oh.” He has muscle under there. My heart flip-flops and I squeeze his arm.
He is not in any way my usual kinda guy. Older, and incredibly handsome under the rough look. The barman slides two drinks over and takes a step back.
“So…” I drawl and stick my finger in the drink, swirl it, then suck on it to taste it. “Ooh, this is nice. I’m not a whisky kinda girl, but this is yummy.” I take a sip and lick the dribble on my lips. “So, do you talk?” I glance up at him. “I don’t bite.” Then a girly giggle escapes and I blush.
He lets out a heavy sigh. Pauses as if he is going to say something and then downs his drink in one. Okay, so maybe I’m being stupid. I mean, why would a handsome guy like him think I’m attractive? He could have anyone he wanted and here I am, being an idiot. Tears prick, and I blink them away. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, then down the whisky in one go. “Another two please.”
Without a word, the barman serves me the drinks and I push one over to my handsome, rugged stranger. “Cheers to being single.” I clink his glass, then swallow it down in one. I’m going to regret this in the morning, but who cares? “Oops, my glass is empty again. You gotta catch up, handsome.” My brave drunk self is out to play. I give him a smile and a nudge. “Do you like to play?” Oh, my god. What did I just say? My cheeks heat, but I’m sure I saw a twitch on his lips.
He holds up two fingers at the barman and downs his drink. He replaces our glasses and I thank him. I also realize I haven’t paid him for the last drinks. So, I fiddle about in my purse and pull out several bills, hoping it covers it and I don’t embarrass myself. I have no clue how much the drinks are.
A hand covers mine. “Please, let me.” He leans closer to my ear, pauses and his hot breath fans my neck. I think I moaned? Well, I did in my head because he smelled glorious. “What are you really doing here?”
I turn my face to him. Holy shit balls. I gulp as I stare into his gray, bloodshot eyes. His face is inches from mine. “I’m getting drunk because I’m a loser. My boyfriend of a year cheated on me and I’m not blonde.” My bottom lip trembles. “Why are you here?” I whisper.
“Drowning my sorrows, because I wasn’t efficient enough.” He clenches his jaw.
Gosh, he really is gorgeous. I touch my palm to his stubbly cheek and stroke it. “You don’t strike me as a man who isn’t com-pet-ent enough.” I couldn’t get the words out right. My drunk brain wasn’t working. “You cared. It is in your eyes.”
His hand snakes around my back. “And your ex is stupid to let a beautiful woman like you go.”
“You — You think I’m beautiful?” It is the first guy to sound like he means it.
“I’d show you how beautiful you are. But then that would be me taking advantage of you when you are drunk.”
“An honorable man, too. But It’s not taking advantage, if I want you.” Oh, I so want him to take me somewhere and just fuck me. “No names, just one night?” I lick my lips and exhale slowly.
He seems to study my face, then his eyes roam, and his nostrils flair. “One night. No names.” He repeats.
In the luxurious hotel bar, the sound of his fingers clicking fills the air before a keycard magically appears in his hand. Now I’m curious about his identity. Who the hell is he? What does it matter if the sex is good? That’s all that counts. One night of passionate, fulfilling sex with a stranger. It is precisely what I want and need, and the way he is staring at me. Hell, I’m in for the night of my life.
