Chapter 4 Unveiled Desperation

In the bathtub, water gradually rose, swirling around Tina Moreno's chest.

Michael Hawkins spat out a mouthful of cold water, feeling a sudden chill in his hands.

He shook his head, releasing his grip on the edge of the bathtub, where he leaned for support.

Breathing heavily, Michael's eyes were bloodshot, sweat dripping down his forehead, soaking his long, greasy hair.

Tina reached out to brush aside the strands clinging to his forehead, seeing an incredibly handsome man before her.

Who was he?

He was strikingly good-looking...

Her gaze turned misty as she shifted from Michael Hawkins' intense, captivating eyes to his enticing lips and the subtle movement of his Adam's apple.

Tina Moreno's finger extended tentatively, aiming to graze his Adam's apple. She leaned in, her lips poised for another kiss, when he abruptly seized her hand, deflecting her advance.

It wasn't that Michael didn't desire it.

Quite the contrary, even as icy water soaked his frame, his senses were ablaze.

His body throbbed with a mixture of desire and discomfort. If he didn't seek solace within her, he feared he wouldn't survive the night.

But...

Michael couldn't help but notice Tina's apparent lack of experience.

She was undeniably beautiful, yet her hesitance betrayed her innocence.

She must have prized her virtue.

Taking advantage of her wasn't his style.

Michael Hawkins wrestled with the last vestiges of his sanity before delivering a blow to the back of Tina Moreno's neck.

Silence. She crumpled unconscious.

He inhaled deeply, his lungs burning, before scooping her up from the churning water. Laying her gently on the bed, he bundled her in a blanket. Then, with a frantic energy, he sprinted to the bathroom and sank into the cool embrace of the bathtub.

The night had been a brutal, relentless beast.

When Tina stirred awake, the harsh morning light stabbed at her eyes. Six a.m. glowed on her phone's screen. Disoriented, she sat up, shaking her head as a tidal wave of memories crashed over her.

Oh my God. What had she done? Had she... lost her virginity?

Panic clawed at her throat. She fumbled with the covers, a cold dread snaking its way down her spine. Her clothes... gone.

This couldn't be happening. Her life, carefully constructed within the safe walls of her predictable routine, had shattered in the space of a single, tumultuous night.

Tina Moreno woke with a jolt, the coarse sheets clinging uncomfortably to her bare skin. Panic seized her. Memories were hazy, fractured fragments of the previous night swirling in a confused mess. A wave of mortification washed over her. God, what had she done?

Cringing, Tina forced herself not to dwell on the details. Glancing around the opulent hotel room, her gaze landed on Michael Hawkins sprawled sullenly on the plush sofa. His dark hair, usually meticulously styled, fell messily across his forehead, partially obscuring his face. A white bathrobe, hastily thrown on, barely covered his broad frame.

He looked like a fallen angel, a stark contrast to the carefree playboy persona she remembered from last night. A flicker of something... regret? flickered across his face for a fleeting moment before his features settled back into a scowl.

Hesitantly, Tina contemplated waking him. However, the tension thick in the air and the lingering embarrassment held her back. Opting for the path of least resistance, she scrambled out of bed, grabbing the discarded clothes she'd worn the night before. With hurried steps, she dressed, the silence in the room pressing down on her like a physical weight.

Just as she reached the door, a thought struck her. What if they needed to check out? A quick glance at her watch confirmed her worst fear. Ten minutes late. She couldn't wake him up, not yet. Throwing a last uncertain glance at the sleeping figure on the sofa, Tina slipped out of the room, the heavy oak door clicking shut behind her with a finality that echoed her unease.

Little did she know, the moment the door clicked shut, Michael's eyes snapped open. A flicker of surprise crossed his features, quickly replaced by a steely glint.

*****

Tina Moreno stumbled through the doorway, her head spinning. The silence of the empty house pressed against her like a physical weight. Her father's face, pale and drawn in the stark hospital room, flickered in her mind. With a weary sigh, she sank onto the plush sofa, the soft cushions offering little comfort.

Just then, a notification buzzed on her phone, a lifeline in the sea of worry. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the name on the screen: Hugo Chavez. Anticipation coiled in her gut. He'd promised... everything. With trembling fingers, she unlocked the phone and tapped on the message.

Her breath hitched. Ten dollars. A measly ten-dollar transfer stared back at her. The world tilted on its axis. This couldn't be it. Not after everything she'd done.

Fury surged through her, chasing away the exhaustion. She slammed her finger on the call button, dialing Hugo's number. It rang once, twice, then went to voicemail.

"Hugo Chavez!" she spat into the receiver, her voice laced with barely contained rage. "What is the meaning of this? Did you forget our deal? Are you playing me for a fool?"

The shrill ring of the phone shattered the fragile peace in Tina Moreno's tiny apartment. With a sigh that mirrored the growing desperation in her heart, she snatched the receiver.

"Tina, for God's sake, do you really think a million bucks grows on trees just because you played the damsel in distress?" A sneer dripped from the other end. It was Lionel, her father's "business associate," his voice laced with a sickeningly familiar oily charm. "Let's be real, honey. Ten bucks a night is your market rate, considering your... extracurricular activities."

A sickening thud echoed in Tina's ears as the phone clattered to the floor. The sting of his words wasn't new, but this time, it was laced with the bitter truth. Not only had she been played for a fool, but she'd lost something precious – something irreplaceable. And her father's mounting medical bills remained a looming shadow.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she buried her face in her hands. Could it really be true? Was her only option to swallow her pride and accept her uncle's proposal – marrying a man twice her age, a stranger with a life a world away?

The harsh reality gnawed at her. Her parents' divorce had uprooted her life, leaving her to follow her father to England. While they weren't wealthy, his small business had afforded them a comfortable life. Now, a devastating accident had left him clinging to life, and Tina, a university student burdened with crippling debt, had nothing left to offer. Her father, desperate to keep a roof over their heads, hadn't been able to sell their London home despite mortgaging it to the hilt. Even their car was barely worth the scrap metal.

Tina was drowning, caught in a rip current of despair. The familiar comfort of her life was gone, replaced by a future as uncertain and stormy as the London sky outside her window. But even amidst the chaos, a flicker of defiance sparked in her eyes. She wouldn't go down without a fight.

Tina Moreno stared at her phone, the screen blurring through a veil of tears. Her world had crumbled faster than a sandcastle in a hurricane. The only person she could lean on, her uncle Lionel, a man with a booming business empire, had confessed his own financial woes. One million dollar - a seemingly paltry sum - was apparently enough to make even a titan sweat.

Tina understood. It wasn't pocket change, after all. But Lionel's suggestion had sent a jolt through her. Marry a fifty-year-old stranger for a million bucks? The sheer indignity of it!

Yet, as the stark reality of her father's mounting medical bills settled in, a bitter truth dawned. The friends and sisters she'd confided in, the ones she'd shared secrets and laughter with, had vanished like smoke signals. They were fair-weather companions, deserting her in the storm.

Desperation gnawed at her. Last night's desperate act, fuelled by helplessness and a flicker of hope, suddenly felt incredibly foolish. Swiping away fresh tears, Tina scrolled through her contacts. Her gaze snagged on a name, sending a spark of defiance through her. Michael Hawkins.