He was holding a bottle of wine in one hand and a glass in the other. The dude was shirtless and apparently in shock because he just stood frozen.
"What are you doing here?" came his perplexed voice.
"I don't know. You brought me here," I retorted, trying to stand up but sitting back down because I still felt dizzy.
"This wasn't the room they put you in…" he started, his voice laced with annoyance.
"Why are you stripping?" I blurted out nonchalantly.
"Because this is my room!" he yelled, now getting angry.
"Wowww! Who pissed in your cereal?" I said, raising my hands in surrender.
He sighed, dropped his bottle and glass on the table, then ran a hand down his face, obviously in no mood to entertain me.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, genuinely feeling like I'd found my kin.
I saw him cock his head to the side as if he was taken aback by the change in my tone.
"I had a shitty day too…more like a shitty life," I continued with a scoff. "I'm in a dark hole that may become so endless if I don't come up with a solution tonight."
"Was that why you were at the bar with those men?"
I looked up at him in surprise.
"Yeah," I nodded, sighing.
He heaved a sigh, then picked up the shirt he'd dropped on the couch, threw it back on, and walked over to the bed, plopping down beside me.
I looked at his side profile. The man was gorgeous. Although I still couldn't see clearly, I could make out enough to know he was breathtaking.
"I'm in a mess too," he said with a humorless chuckle, leaning back and supporting himself with his two arms on the bed.
"It's that bad, huh?"
He nodded.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
I saw him turn to look at me.
"Why do you have so much makeup on? You look like a clown."
I widened my mouth in shock, then we both burst out laughing.
"It's not my strong suit. I needed to look the part."
"For the circus, you mean?"
"No!" I said, laughing, slowly feeling my tense muscles relaxing.
He sighed again, turning to stare into the distance. "One of our resorts caught fire, harming a lot of people."
I gasped, covering my mouth immediately with my palm. "Oh my God."
"Five of my staff lost their lives. A lot were injured, including guests. I don't know what to do. I'm lost. For the past three weeks, my legal team, PR team and myself have been trying to get things under control. Visiting the families of the deceased, attending press conferences, having the police investigate everything… yet it's as if it'll never end."
"That was why you were at the bar."
He nodded. "That's also why I finished a bottle of champagne and am currently talking to a complete stranger…with ridiculous makeup," he added with a lopsided smile.
I smiled back, watching this handsome stranger bare his heart to me.
"Well, if I was in my right mind, I wouldn't be here, would I?"
He shook his head.
"Hey, nobody wrote the manual for how to survive a complete disaster. You're basically inventing it as you go. That's impressive… and slightly terrifying."
"That's funny because all my life, I've been preparing for this role. These situations have been drilled into me with years of studies and training, yet it's all so difficult."
"No one said the real thing would be easy. And you look young…"
"I am young…" he said with a laugh.
"See… a lot of people would've broken down. A whole lot would have fled and left it for others to handle. Yet here you are, standing strong… with an empty bottle of champagne and again… a stranger in your room."
He threw his head back and laughed.
"You're good, shrink."
"Oh, but I try," I smiled.
"Don't do it," he began with all seriousness.
"Huh?"
"Whatever you're going through… don't go down that path," he said, looking at me squarely.
I slowly stood up and walked toward where he'd dropped the bottle of champagne and glass. Right beside it was a second bottle of champagne that he'd already started on. I quickly grabbed the bottle and gulped as much as I could.
I felt his presence before the bottle was snatched from my hand. The force made me stumble backward right into his arms.
"Stop," he said curtly, returning to that stoic person I'd met in the bar.
I smiled sheepishly and turned around, wrapping my arms around his neck. I felt his whole body stiffen at our contact. My own body, on the other hand, came alive. It was as if something ignited deep within my stomach. The feeling grew, spreading throughout my body in sizzling succession.
"I just want to forget," I said with a weak shrug, tears brimming in my eyes.
I watched as his stoic demeanor crumbled as he stared into my eyes.
"You're drunk…"
"So are you."
"We shouldn't…"
I cut him off by crashing my lips against his, tightening my arms around his neck as the sizzling ignited into flames within me. I felt him return the kiss immediately, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing me closer to him.
A moan escaped my lips as he nibbled on my lower lip. That particular sound must have driven him into a frenzy because he momentarily left my lips, slid his hands down to my thighs, and grabbed them. He pulled me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist.
He took my lips again, kissing me hungrily as he made his way to the bed. Once his leg hit the edge of the bed, we both stumbled onto it, laughing hysterically at our clumsiness.
For a moment, he stopped, staring into my eyes.
"We may not remember this night. Are you sure you want to do this?"
I smiled and nodded in approval.
I believe that was all he needed to know, because right after that, he took my lips again, kissing me fervently like his life depended on it. Even while fully clothed, he savored my body, kissing every part of me as if it were his life's mission.
I'd never felt this way in my entire life. I never knew such pleasures existed. I'd heard a lot, I'd also seen a lot, but I'd never felt it. My whole body stood on edge, moving to the rhythm of his lips, hands, and body.
Just when I thought I'd felt it all, he slid lower…