Chapter 5 Not Again!

The days passed in a daze as Nash contemplated her next move in case she lost her job here. The boss hadn't shown up all week, and it was Friday already. Ray stopped by at 3 to say he was heading out, and Nash waved him off as she rounded up her monthly analysis.

At 4pm, she closed her office, and passing by Ray's office, she saw the door slightly ajar. Worried it might be an intruder, she silently opened the door to find the woman from earlier in an intimate moment with a man whose face she didn't see as she hurriedly closed the door and walked out for the weekend.

Tori called Nash, and they met up Saturday to catch up. Since Nash moved, she had always been indoors, with little or no help with Collins. With the stress at work, this was her chance to catch a breather, so she paid the nanny for overnight service and hung out with Tori.

As Natasha stepped into the Soho club, the rotating neon lights enveloped her, stirring a wave of nostalgia. The last time she'd set foot in the club, she'd awakened in Lucas's bed, a night that had irrevocably altered the course of her life. Tonight marked her first outing since then, and the memories came flooding back, each one a glaring reminder of that fateful evening.

Tori and Nash commanded attention as they walked side by side, a vision of contrasting styles. Nash wore knee-high boots that perfectly complemented her pink crop top, her ginger curls cascading down her back in a beautiful mass. Her bum shorts showcased her curves, a testament to the changes motherhood had brought. Though insecurity lingered, her flawless makeup and cute, classy nail polish boosted her confidence, transporting her back for a brief moment to her carefree university days.

Tori was a vision to behold in her Louboutin boots and a strapless sequin gown that exuded elegance, her Tiffany clutch and polished ponytail completing her look. As they turned heads at the busy club filled with influential men, the friends just wanted to let loose and enjoy each other's company, savoring a night of fun.

Alcohol was never Natasha's strong suit, and she avoided it like the plague since that night, but tonight, she went all in. Though they had the aim of making small talk, they barely went past the job updates section before the alcohol seeped in, Natasha steering clear of why she abruptly had left 4 years ago. The DJ pulled them into a frenzy, hitting jam after jam with flawless perfection. Before they knew it, they were dancing to the beats after consuming an uncountable amount of shots that kept coming courtesy of a throng of admirers.

Tori, with a history of exes, revealed she had just come out of a nasty relationship with a painful breakup and was out to have fun. Nash, on the other hand, pretty tight-lipped, knew she couldn't afford a relationship and indulged in her friends' worries while keeping her past mistakes at the back of her mind.

But as the alcohol pulsed through her veins, pleasure overtook reason. She moved to the rhythm, grinding to the music in the arms of a handsome stranger whose voice felt like a balm to her senses. For a moment, she let go.

Tori, too, had surrendered to passion, to the night, to another stranger.

Lucas walked into the Soho club night, desperate for an escape. He had seen videos of Helen in the arms of another man, and that enraged him. Even though she was a spoiled brat, they had been together for years, bound more by family expectations than love. He had his fair share of ladies too, but he was the one in control; he hated men touching his women.

When his friend, Taddy, rang him up for a night out of fun, the temptation had been too strong to resist. Lucas rarely drank, but tonight he made an exception.

Between sips, he confided in Taddy: acquiring a new company had been a rebellious move to challenge his father's shadow. But with his father's interference and now Helen's father in the mix, it felt more like a trap than freedom. He didn't want to give up his free lifestyle or the women.

Since he moved away four years ago, bound by the rules of his aristocratic family, Lucas had all but left his life behind.

Tonight he wanted nothing but pure, unfiltered, and unadulterated fun. As the alcohol seeped into his veins, he and Taddy blended into the massive throng of dancers, looking for whatever pleasures the night had to offer.

As the lady ground and whined into him, his member ached for release, reminding him of his fragile state and the need to be better and stronger. Convincing her was an easy feat, as she seemed eager to be comforted and have some fun, but will she feel this way if she is sober?

"Can we take this someplace else?" He asked above the music as she clung onto him.

Natasha was wasted! She hadn't tasted alcohol in four years, but tonight, she had drunk a year's worth. As the handsome man spoke into her ear, it sent tingles down her spine, awakening her feminine parts. It had been four years since she had been intimate, and she was starved for affection and pleasure.

"What do you have in mind?" she replied, licking his ear, which elicited a groan from him.

"Let me show you," he said as he pulled her through the throng of wasted dancers.

As they crashed into his private suite at Marvin's Hotel, clothes hitting the floor in a fevered rush, neither of them wanted the night to end. The alcohol dulled the edges of doubt, and for a fleeting moment, they were just two strangers lost in each other, bound by fate, divided by time and everything else that mattered.

The room was dimly lit, a soft amber glow spilling from her corner lamp. Clothes trailed from the doorway to the bed like breadcrumbs. Natasha leaned against the wall, chest rising and falling in rhythm with her breath, heart beating louder than the music still ringing in her ears.

As Lucas pulled upon the string of her clothes, his husky voice whispered into her ears, "You sure about this?"

Natasha tilted her head. "Does it matter?"

He pulled her closer, staring with blurred eyes at her. "It does to me."

She looked away briefly, weighing her answer through the haze of her alcohol induced mood "I just want to feel something, anything...anything," she said as she turned and tugged on his trousers.

That was all the encouragement Lucas needed to give into the throes of passion. He worshipped her body as he took her through several rounds of orgasmic release, her moans bouncing off the walls, pushing him into deeper release. By the time they fell asleep, Lucas was wasted; he'd been with uncountable women, but he'd never had it this good.

The sheets tangled around her legs as she stirred awake. The buzzing in her head and the dryness of her mouth reminded her of the crazy night she had had. Her eyes fluttered open as the unfamiliar softness of the linen and the faint scent of sex clung in the air. Her core felt sore from the endless rounds of sex, and her body still held the memory of their coupling. How did it feel so good yet hurt so much? Lucas had been her first, and this was her second time, yet the pain between her legs was striking. Her nipples still ached from the constant nibbling and sucking. She'd had an amazing time.

The sound of someone snoring caught her attention as she turned to the source, and her breath caught in her throat as she saw him.

Lucas. The father of her child who disappeared.

No, wait, what?

He lay next to her, unclad, with the sheets spread around his groin, his chest rising steadily in his sleep. His jawline, brightened by the morning light that seeped in through the curtains, was perfect as he lay unaware of the chaos brewing around him.

What had she done?

How did she end up here? Where was Tori?

No. God, NO. No.