The silk sheets were tangled around my legs, a sticky reminder of the dream I'd just escaped. A flush crept up my neck. I scrubbed at my face, trying to erase the phantom sensation of his lips on mine. That's when I saw him.
Standing in the doorway, framed by the dim light filtering from the hallway, was a stranger. Tall, lean, radiating a coiled energy. He looked like sin made flesh.
"W-who are you?" I stammered, my voice barely a whisper. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the sudden, suffocating silence of the room.
He pushed a wave of black silk hair back from his face, the movement casual, almost bored, but his eyes… his eyes were anything but. He took a slow drag from the cigarette clamped between his lips, the cherry glowing like a malevolent ember in the gloom. He exhaled a plume of smoke, the acrid scent filling the air, a stark contrast to the flowery perfume I wore.
"Christian," he said, the single word clipped, almost a snarl. He leaned against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest, a predator assessing its prey.
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. "Hailey…" I offered, my voice small and unsteady.
"Yeah, yeah, great," he drawled, his gaze sweeping over me, lingering a moment too long on the exposed curve of my shoulder. "I only came in here to tell you to stop moaning my brother's name. For fuck's sake, it's fucking four in the morning. I just got off work and want to go to bed."
My blood turned to ice. He heard me. Christian heard me… moaning Haiden's name. Mortification washed over me in a scalding wave. This was beyond embarrassing. Haiden knowing I was enjoying myself was one thing, but his… his intimidating, impossibly handsome brother? No. Just no.
"So, if you could just be quiet and control your arousal, I'd greatly appreciate it," he finished, his voice dripping with sardonic amusement. His eyes, a startling mix of blue and hazel, held a flicker of something I couldn't quite decipher – amusement? Disgust? Curiosity?
"Sorry…" I mumbled, avoiding his gaze, focusing instead on a nonexistent speck of dust on the duvet. My skin burned with shame.
He nodded once, a curt acknowledgement, his eyes raking over me again, this time with a more deliberate, almost predatory, intensity. I shivered, despite the heat. Then, just as abruptly as he'd appeared, he was gone, leaving only the faint scent of smoke and a lingering sense of unease in his wake.
Holy fuck. Could this night get any worse? I'd lost my virginity, killed two people, developed a questionable fascination with my friend's brother, had a ridiculously graphic sex dream, and gotten caught in the act by said brother. What fresh hell was waiting for me around the corner?
I scrambled for my phone, my fingers fumbling with the slick surface. I needed Nicoli. Now. He was the only one who could even remotely understand the chaos that had become my life.
I jabbed at his contact, praying he was awake. After a few rings, he answered, his voice a gravelly, sleep-roughened growl.
"Bitch, you better have a good reason for calling me at damn four a.m.!"
"I'm sorry to wake you, but I need help. I'm in deep shit…" I said, the words tumbling out in a rush. Guilt gnawed at me, compounding the already overwhelming anxiety.
He sighed, a long-suffering sound that I knew masked a genuine concern. "Alright, alright. Lay it on me. What fresh disaster has befallen the mighty Hailey Soul?"
I launched into the story, starting with Ace, the sex, the…incident, and all the subsequent fallout. The words poured out of me, a jumbled mess of confession and desperation.
"…So, yeah. That's pretty much it." I finished, feeling drained and utterly exposed.
"What the hell, Hailey!" Nicoli shouted, his voice cracking through the phone.
"I know, I know. It's bad… That wasn't my intention… I'm sorry," I repeated, the words feeling hollow, inadequate.
I could practically hear him pinching the bridge of his nose. Nicoli was a strange mix of supportive and judgmental, proud of my newfound experiences but also deeply protective.
Nicoli and I met at the strip club where I worked. He also moonlights as a dancer sometimes if he isn't busy with his… other work. He does pole dancing as a hobby and loves every second of it. He made me get comfortable about dancing in an industry like this.
"Okay, first off, good job killing someone. Welcome to the club, bitch," he said, his tone surprisingly nonchalant. "Second, great job losing your V! It was about damn time. Lastly, who are you trying to get with?" He asked, a mischievous undertone creeping into his voice. I could practically see him smirking on the other end of the line.
"Ughhhh, I don't know… I haven't heard from Ace since we, you know, and I'm stuck at his, or his brothers' house. I'm not even sure anymore…" I said, irritation lacing my voice. "I don't think Ace likes me like that, but his stepbrothers…are well…" I trailed off, struggling to find the right words.
"Hot? Sexy? Attractive?" Nicoli supplied, clearly enjoying my discomfort.
"No… well, maybe…" I hedged, feeling my cheeks flush again.
Nicoli burst out laughing, the sound echoing in my ear. "Well, try exploring and find out, bestie," he said, when he finally managed to catch his breath.
"So, just explore it?" I asked, questioning his advice.
"Mhm, listen to your heart and see where it leads, okay?" He said, his voice softening. "Sometimes, the most unexpected paths are the most rewarding."
"Okay, thanks, Nic," I said, feeling a sliver of hope pierce through the fog of my anxiety.
"Anytime, Hail. Now get some sleep, okay?"
"Mhm, I will. Night," I mumbled, yawning.
"Night," Nicoli said, and hung up.
I stared at the ceiling, Nicoli's words echoing in my mind. Explore? Listen to my heart? It all sounded so…complicated. Especially when my heart seemed determined to lead me down a path paved with danger, secrets, and impossibly attractive men.
The exhaustion finally caught up with me, a heavy blanket dragging me under. I closed my eyes, and drifted into a long, dreamless sleep. But even in the darkness, the image of Christian's piercing gaze lingered, a reminder that my troubles were far from over.