The ding of the elevator snapped us out of the moment, and he practically jumped to the other side of the small box to get away from me. The doors opened but the hallway was empty because the door, opposite the elevator, was for the sole penthouse suite on the floor. He stepped out first and I followed, feeling awkward again, and wondered why he dropped me like a hot potato when the doors opened. Sighing with confusion, I followed him, sharpening my resolve to not let his behavior bother me by repeating the mantra, “It’s just one night,” over and over in my head.
By the time we’d walked into the hotel room, I was firmly back on solid ground. The room was set up like an apartment. We entered into a small foyer, with a round table that contained a vase of fresh flowers. Beyond the foyer was a small sitting room and to its left, a full kitchen.
“What is this hotel?” I asked before I could stop myself.
“Just a hotel,” he answered with a scowl.
That wasn’t an answer but I didn’t him press further. We weren’t there to talk.
“The bedroom is this way, unless you’d like a drink first?” he said.
“I’ll have a drink,” I said quietly. I was feeling awkward again and needed more liquid courage.
He nodded and walked over to the small island in the kitchen where a bucket sat with a wine bottle in it. He uncorked it and poured some white wine into two waiting glasses before bringing them over to where I stood in the middle of the room. He handed me one and I gulped the wine down until I saw the look of shock on his face and slowed down.
“Thirsty?” he asked with a smirk and my face flushed.
I shook my head. “I’m a bit nervous,” I said honestly.
He frowned and nodded. I finished my wine, slowly, and set the glass down on the island. He set his glass down too, which I noticed he didn’t drink from at all, before grabbing my hand again. Butterflies assaulted my belly as he led me past the kitchen and down a small hallway to a room too large for a hotel, with a king-sized bed. He closed the door and locked it before turning to me again. Heat smoldered in his brown eyes and my stomach flip-flopped.
This was it, my first one-night stand. I didn’t have time to mull it over though because he glided across the room to where I stood, gripping me around the waist and hauling me against him so quickly I gasped. The sound was smothered with his mouth as his lips slammed into mine, and all other thoughts faded away with it as his tongue delved into my mouth and desire wrapped around us like a blanket. Everything was happening quickly and we were traveling towards the large bed before I could even wrap my arms around him. He tossed me back gently onto the bed before covering my body with his, pinning my arms above my head again with one of his hands.
He kissed me with fervor, urgently, as if I would slip away any moment, and my head was spinning with lust by the time he pulled away again. I watched him tear his shirt open, the buttons flying around the room as he ripped it open like the Hulk. It would have been comical if I wasn’t so turned on. I used the opportunity to pull my own flimsy top off and toss it away, feeling slightly self-conscious because I was now naked from the waist up. But he didn’t notice my embarrassment as his pants followed his destroyed shirt to the floor. For a moment, I admired his hard, caramel-colored skin as he stood before me, panting. My desire ratcheted up a notch as I stared at him naked before me.
Never had I felt so in need of a man, and I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or lust that was making me feel dizzy, but I had to lie back again from the intensity. He stripped off his boxer briefs before charging back to the bed, practically landing on top of me.
The glimpse I caught of his erection unnerved me due to the sheer size but I hid my anxiety. I wasn’t that experienced with men, having had only two sexual experiences prior to this, and those were in college. But I didn’t let inexperience damper my longing and I savored the feel of his bare chest against mine as he pressed me back into the mattress before covering my mouth with his again. My thoughts scrambled again from his kisses and he turned me to the side, his experienced fingers undoing my jeans as he pulled them off, while never breaking contact with my lips. He covered me again, only my flimsy lace underwear separating us, and I spread my legs as he settled between them, dampness seeping through the thin material.
“I want you, now,” he growled and reached between us to grip my panties before tearing them away.
The move turned me on even more in a primal way and I clawed at his ass to pull him back down against me. This time, when he settled between my legs, his erection found my entrance, which was slick and waiting for him, and he guided himself inside. I cried out with the contact, both from the size of him and the pleasure of him finally being inside of me after what seemed like such a long wait.
He began to move slowly, in and out, the friction against my clit making me writhe with need. He pulled back, almost all the way out of me, and I groaned with the loss. I didn’t miss it long because without warning, he slammed back inside of me. I threw my head back, calling out incoherently, as he did it again and again. My back bowed off the mattress and my nails clawed his back and ass as he thrust against me harder and faster.
The orgasm took me by surprise because it hit so quickly. One minute, it was a tiny sensation and the next, it tore through me, taking my breath away as his body slammed against mine. I cried out again, gripping him to me but he didn’t slow down. Instead, he continued to chase his own release, his dick lengthening inside of me, prolonging my orgasm, before he growled with completion and collapsed on top of me. We were both sweating and out of breath, and neither of us moved for what seemed like a very long time.
Suddenly, just as I was feeling groggy and wondering if it would be bad form to doze off, he pulled out and stood up. He turned away from me and bent down. I thought he was gathering his clothing but instead, he gathered mine and brought them to the bed. A pang of rejection gripped my chest but I tossed it aside with a shake of my head. I knew what this was and clearly, he did too—no strings and nothing more.
Taking the clothes from his outstretched hand, minus my destroyed underwear, I headed to the attached bathroom to clean myself up and get dressed. I took a moment to collect myself before attending to my needs and splashing water on my face. Mascara ran under my eyes and I wiped it away with a towel before drying the rest of my face. I tossed the used towel to the floor and pulled my clothes back on.
One last glance in the mirror left me with a grimace of disdain for my reflection. No makeup remained on my face and I looked pale and exhausted, dark rings starting to form under my eyes, which may or may not have been from the mascara and alcohol. I tried to ignore the shame that was creeping in. Women had one-night stands all the time, so why did I feel bad about it? I shook my head again at my foolishness and the reason for my embarrassment became clearer. The best sex of my life and it had been with a stranger. Shrugging, I exited the bathroom. There wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it at this point.
He wasn’t in the room when I came out of the bathroom and for a moment, I thought he left altogether. That would have been the icing on the cake. But he was waiting for me in the living room.
“I’ll have my driver bring you back to your car,” he mumbled, barely looking at me.
I nodded, unable to speak. For some reason, tears clogged my throat. I felt silly and stupid for the way I was reacting but it was clear then that I wasn’t cut out for one-night stands. Now I knew.
He followed me to the door but didn’t attempt to follow me out into the hall.
“He’s waiting downstairs for you,” he added, and I nodded again.
Something in his face had changed but I didn’t try to decipher it. It didn’t matter because I would never see him again, and the least I could do was be gracious about the time we spent together.
“I had a great time,” I said honestly, because it was the best sex I ever had and I wanted him to know it, even if we would never see each other again.
He hesitated for a minute,
then opened his mouth and closed it again, before finally speaking. “Me too.”
I didn’t say anything else, not wanting to taint the moment with more meaningless words. Instead, I turned away and headed to the elevator, stabbing the down arrow, and stepped in when the doors slid open. The last thing I saw before the doors closed was the look in his eyes. Their brown depths seemed to smolder the longer I looked at him. I averted my gaze to the floor as the doors closed, willing myself to forget about the beautiful mystery man I just had sex with at a hotel penthouse.
Three Weeks Later
“Well, the least you could have done was call, Nicolette.” I rolled my eyes at her as she took a sip of her iced coffee.
She waved a hand at me. “Whatever, Liza. You know how it is.”
I didn’t know how it was but I didn’t say so.
After three weeks, I still wouldn’t let that night go. I brought it up again while we were having coffee before we went shopping. We sat at a table by the window, New York City rushing by, as I contemplated for the fiftieth time if I should tell her about my one-night stand.
“It doesn’t matter,” I added, because it didn’t.
I never told her about the stranger I had sex with at an anonymous hotel. It wasn’t worth the trouble.
“At least you left the house,” she said, taking another sip of her Starbucks.
I shrugged. “I guess.”
“You guess? Liza, when was the last time you went out?” She rolled her eyes at me this time.
“Probably last summer when you forced me to go out for my birthday,” I admitted reluctantly.
She rolled her eyes again. “Exactly.”
She said it in a triumphant way, as if her abandoning me for some random guy at a club was doing me a favor.
I let it go, as I always did with Nicolette, and instead brought up her favorite topic—shopping.
“Where should we go today?” I asked. There wasn’t much I was looking for and I didn’t have the money to spare this month, so whatever she wanted was what we would do.
“Barney’s,” she said and raised her eyebrows at me.
I groaned. I couldn’t afford anything at Barney’s and going there with Nicolette and her black card was like torture.
“Come on, Liza, I’ll buy you some shoes.” She was trying to bribe me.
“No, thanks,” I snapped, “I can buy my own damn shoes.” I didn’t need her charity or her dad’s. I turned away so she wouldn’t see my hurt pride.
“Whatever, just come with me, please.” She sounded genuine this time, and of course, I was going to cave. The things I did for my best friend.
“Fine,” I mumbled as I shoved a piece of muffin in my mouth, and Nicolette beamed.
We sipped our drinks in silence and I looked out the window at the bustling city before me. It never ceased to amaze me how New York City, despite the cold that was seeping into the air as October rolled over to November, was still so busy. People in the city didn’t let a little cold stop them from walking the streets and getting to where they needed to be, and the reasons I loved the city swelled in my chest.
“Oh! I forgot to tell you,” Nicolette began, breaking my calm reflection and I inwardly groaned.
Whenever she “forgot” to tell me something, I wasn’t going to like what she said.
“My dad set me up with this guy.” She rolled her eyes again. “He’s some CEO of a clothing company or something. Seems boring but I told him I’d go since it looks good for his business. Plus, he’s dying for me to finally get married and settle down, so I humor him.”
She waved a hand dismissively; Nicolette wasn’t the settling type. “Anyway, he wants me to go on this blind date and I told him I’d only go if the guy brought someone for you, so we could double.”
My eyes widened. It was so like Nicolette to involve me in some setup her father made.
“No, Nic, I don’t want to go.”
I tried to be firm this time. Shopping when I had no expendable income was one thing, but a date was a whole different animal.
“Please, Liza, I cannot go on this awful date without you. What if he’s boring or ugly or rude? I need you there as a buffer,” she groveled.
I sighed because I knew I’d do it.
“Fine,” I grumbled again. “But you owe me. Big.”
I told myself this was the last concession I’d make for Nicolette.
Nicolette squealed and jumped up from the table, rounding it and grabbing me in a tight hug.
“It will be great, I promise. We never hang out like this anymore. And you never know, maybe the guy he brings for you will be awesome.”
“That’s because you abandon me at clubs for men you just met.”
Nicolette rolled her eyes at me again. “Right. You could meet your soul mate on this date, you know.”
She was trying to butter me up when, only moments before, she said the date would be “awful.” I let her go and the whole afternoon, she did nothing but gush about what we would wear and where we would go. Because I was so irritated about the whole thing, I let her buy me a dress and by the time I got home that evening, I had convinced myself it wouldn’t be that bad. But deep down, somewhere, I had a feeling nothing would be the same after this double date, and I wasn’t sure where the feeling was coming from.
* * *
The following Friday, I rushed home from work, waving to my colleagues as we departed the private elementary school where we spent most of our days in upper-middle-class Brooklyn, before heading to the subway. The Date, as I had started referring to it, wasn’t until seven but my anxiety about the whole affair was making me anxious to get ready early. Nicolette wasn’t home when I walked into the apartment we shared, and her father paid for, on the Upper West side, but I counted that as a good sign. I needed at least a good hour or two without her to get myself ready in peace. Once she got going on something like this, she was relentless and before the night was even started, she would have me borrowing seven-hundred-dollar Louboutins I could never replace should I ruin it.
I set my overflowing work bag down in my room before shedding the black slacks and cotton dress shirt I wore to work and headed to the shower. My head was beginning to ache and I knew it was likely caused by stress from the work week mixed with nerves about the evening. I flipped the water on as hot as I could stand, hoping a nice long shower would relieve at least one of the issues, and closed my eyes, submerging myself in the spray. My shoulders began to relax and the ache behind my eyes began to recede the longer I stood there.
The door slammed then from somewhere in the apartment and I groaned. Nicolette was home. I felt the tension begin to seep back in but I resisted it. I wasn’t going to let her ruin the little time I had to relax before this charade she was making me be involved in.
“Liza!” Nicolette called from inside my bedroom, and I knew I could only hide inside the shower for so long.
Sighing, my peaceful shower ruined, I switched the water off and stepped out. I wrapped a large towel around myself just as Nicolette burst into the bathroom.
“There you are,” she said, as if she had been looking for me for hours.
“Where else would I be?” I asked her.
She shrugged and moved towards me. “What are you going to do with your hair?” she asked as she picked up a limp, wet piece of my hair.
I lightly slapped her hand away and she stepped back, looking wounded.
“Can I at least put some clothes on before we talk about my hair?” I said grumpily.
“Fine. You don’t have to be so grouchy; I’m just trying to help,” she pouted.
It was amazing to me how Nicolette could turn any situation into one where she was the victim, including a bogus double date she conned me into going on with her.
“I just need a few minutes,” I said and motioned to the door.
She sighed and headed back out into my room but didn’t close the door. I was already irritated with Nicolette and The Date wasn’t even
started. It was going to be a long night.
* * *
“They’re supposed to meet us here.” Nicolette looked around as we entered the restaurant.
For the first time, I noticed she was nervous.
She hadn’t stopped talking the whole way to the restaurant while we were in the cab and now that I was finally thinking about it, I understood she was just as anxious about The Date as I was.
For a moment, I felt bad about being irritated with her. She likely only wanted me to come so she wasn’t alone on a nerve-wracking date with a guy she didn’t know. I could relate to that. Nicolette hid behind her outgoing and party girl façade, and it almost made me forget she was just as inexperienced with men as I was.
I linked my arm through hers as we followed the maître d’ to the table. “I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier,” I said.
“Which time?” she asked with a smirk.
I smacked her arm playfully. “I’m still not happy you roped me into this double date, but I’m happy to be here with you to support you.”
Nicolette smiled at me. “You’re forgiven.”
I let go of her arm as we approached the table, where two men were already seated. One had his back to us, and unruly, longish chestnut curls and a well-tailored suit was all we could see of him. The man facing us was, in contrast, dark-haired, with an aristocratic nose and angular jaw. He looked slightly familiar but I couldn’t place him. Nicolette’s eyes lit up as she saw him and I hoped he was the one she was being set up with because she seemed interested and he wasn’t my type.
The man facing us stood to greet us as the maître d’ waved us to the table. Upon seeing him stand, the man with his back to us stood as well, and I gasped as he turned around. This couldn’t be happening. The man standing before us was my one-night stand.
My eyes widened as I focused on the women who stood before us. The petite blonde, while she would normally be my type and was cute enough, did nothing for me. I turned to the other one, whose face I often saw in my dreams and whose body I couldn’t get out of my head while I was awake. How she ended up here was beyond me and I would have to do some digging to find out more about her. I gave away nothing to show I recognized her though, even though we all heard her slight intake of breath as she recognized me. The recognition was swift and I was glad I had made the same impression on her as she had on me.
One Night Page 2