Chapter 3 3]

"SHIIT!" I groan, resting the back of my hand on my head in the hopes that the hammering will soon subside as I continue to wake up.

I squirm myself up against the headboard, prying one eyelid open, the sun's harsh rays glittering into the room and I spot the baby dust particles dancing through the air.

I pry the other eyelid open, looking down at the man stretched across the bed, his forearm covering his eyes and the sheet concealing his manhood. I bite my lower lip as I let my eyes unashamedly consume him and I reach out, cautiously raising the sheet as I take a peek inside.

My inner goddess cries her gratitude.

I cross one leg over the other, suppressing the yearning that makes me want to ride him like a demented zombie hooker, even though his cock is limp, he is long and thick, I just know he would've been one wild ride to cling onto last night.

If only this fog clouding my memory will lift and reveal everything in one hot flashback.

I run my fingers along his cock, watching as it jerks and slowly begins to rise as if to give me a standing ovation. His hand clasps my wrist tightly, like fire bands, and when I attempt to withdraw from his touch, he sits upright and glances at me with a smouldering look in his eyes.

"One taste is all you get." In a deep voice, he declares leaving no room for an argument. "Last night was... satisfying, but now it's time for you to leave and not look back." He lets go of me with a disgusted expression on his face, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I scoff, offended by his abrupt dismissal and choice of words. Humiliation slams into me and I refuse to let him think he can treat me like some.. Bimbo hooker wanting a relationship with him.

"Yeah, I had so much fun I can't even remember what happened between us." I get out of bed, grabbing his shirt, and drape it over my shoulders. "I'm keeping this by the way." I regard him with repulsive eyes.

"Everyone always wants something from me as a souvenir." He slides out of the bed, standing in front of me butt naked and I do my best not to let my eyes drink him in.

"Ha!" I scoff, "Please turn the cockiness down a fraction." I look him up and down, realising why a man his age hasn't settled down yet. "I only wanted to use your body and it seems I was fed false information by the bartender because I don't want to screw you again."

I search the room for the remainder of my clothing, spotting my torn underwear hanging off the corner of the bed. I cut my losses, finding my jeans and heels by his dresser, pulling the jeans over my hips, slipping on my heels, and I turn to face him.

"I'm pretty disappointed that you couldn't keep your promise and ruin me for other men like you stated." I run my fingers through my hair with trembling hands, starting to think all men are jerks!

"And I like my women with a little more experience in the bedroom," he says, slipping his boxers over his hips, resting his hands on his hips as he regards me. "I'm surprised your ex-boyfriend stayed with you for so long when you're a prude beneath the sheets." He cocked his brow at me.

"Some of us have class, and perhaps you're not as memorable as you like to think you are!" I huff, blowing the stray hairs out of my face.

"Don't be concerned, Askim." He laughs unaffected by my remark. "Once you leave the hotel, you'll only be a whiff of memory up in here." He has a cocky grin on his face and taps his finger against his temple.

I reach out, wiping everything off the top of his dressing table and hurling it to the ground. His pricey cologne bottles shatter, the resulting liquid coating his leather wallet and Rolex watch with a new crack on its face

"Ooops." With a smirk on my face, I look at him. "You'll remember me for much more than a bad lay, now." I flip him the bird, eliciting a growl from him and storm out of the room, regretting my decision to fuck the jerk in the first place.

I step inside the elevator car, pushing the 'ground floor' button repetitively, wishing it will hurry up so I can leave this hotel behind like another bad recollection being added to my memory vault.

I look at myself in the mirrored walls, gasping as I frantically try to make myself look presentable, wiping the smeared mascara from my eyes, fixing my hair and tucking his shirt into my jeans. I bring the collar to my nose, inhaling his scent, breathing him in like my starving lungs rely on it and letting his scent linger in the air as I step out of the car, brushing past a mob of people glaring at me.

Reminding me I don't belong in a place like this.

I exit the hotels' double swinging doors, inhaling the early summer mornings air, grateful to be alive for another day. I walk down the street, crossing the road with no intentions of where I am heading now that I am free from Ace. The world is my oyster and with $10 in my pocket, I'm able to purchase a bus ticket that will get me two towns away from here.

I stand outside the bus terminal, looking at the board with the available bus agendas and unexpectedly I find myself being dragged towards the alleyway. I regard the men as mere addicts seeking their next fix, and when they release me, they throw me to the ground. I sit and watch as one of them draws a knife. It's long and sinister, glistening in the sun that slants down from the slummy sheet of sky.

The man holding the knife smirks as he runs his tongue along his top teeth and I realise... this is far more than a simple mugging.