One night with my father's best friend

Chapter 1

Lola

I felt a gentle squeeze on my shoulder as my tears dropped to the ground.

It was my father's burial. I was yet to wrap my mind around the fact that the man I considered my hero was gone forever.

"We need to leave, Lola," Reid whispered to me softly.

He was my best friend and my support system apart from my mom. He was the reason I wasn't shattered completely.

"Can't I stay back and mourn him? I can't believe he's gone, Reid," my voice trembled noticeably, and Reid, unable to see me in pain, gathered me into his arms.

He ran his fingers slowly through my hair. It was one soothing gesture of his that I loved so much. It always helped me to relax.

"You can always come back to visit him, but for now, you need to be with your mom," He reminded me.

I nodded against his chest, sniffing and blinking hard to keep the tears from gushing out.

He led me to my mother. I stared at her, wondering how she was unable to shed a single tear throughout the burial ceremony. It wasn't news that she didn't care so much about my late father, but couldn't she have cried a little?

"Mom," I melted in her arms while she held me.

I couldn't remember being this vulnerable with her in a long time.

"Oh, my baby," I could hear the tremor in her voice.

"He's gone, mom. He's never coming back," I croaked.

She kissed my forehead, her grip on my body a bit more tight. "He's in a better place now,"

I didn't say anything. I couldn't.

He'd fought lung cancer for the past three years and finally caved in last month. I watched him smile through the pain, concealing it with lots of laughter until there was nothing to hide anymore, and when he took his last breath, I feared that my life had ended with his.

"Maybe he is," I disengaged from her embrace, taking a step away from her. "I need to clear my head, mom. This is just too much for me to handle,"

She seemed reluctant, but she didn't hold me back, which I was grateful for.

It was crazy that I was staying away from her when we were supposed to be together, but it was much easier for me to process my grief alone.

I headed out, stopping a taxi that took me to the club.

The signpost of the club 'Sweaty nights' was tempting enough to draw me in. I wanted the noise. I didn't want company, but I also didn't want to be alone. I wanted to be out of my head and this club provided all of that.

Loud music blaring from the speakers mounted in every corner of the building temporarily swallowed the dull ache in my heart.

I was wearing a black, long-sleeved dress. It wasn't a club fit, but it was good enough. Once the security man was done checking my ID, I headed straight to the bar.

At the counter, the barman stared at me as if I'd been prohibited from coming to these kinds of places, but I ignored him. Even though I was young, I wasn't underage.

"Give me the strongest alcohol you have," I demanded with a bossy tone which instantly changed his perception of me.

His brows furrowed slightly and then he turned to the cellar and did as I asked. I didn't watch. I just wanted the shots to be brought to me.

The first gulp hit my chest like a dagger, slithering through the ventricles of my heart with sharp claws. My head took the remaining hit as I felt a heavy intoxication.

I grimaced, taking another shot. The screams from drunk people on the dance floor compounded the effect of the alcohol and in no time, I was swooning. My legs moved on their own accord to the dance floor, my body swaying effortlessly to the beat of the music.

"This is so much fun," I shouted to no one in particular, chugging down another shot.

My vision was becoming blurry, the ground felt unstable under my feet. It was at that point that I should have called Reid, but then I remembered that the only thing waiting for me at home was sadness. I couldn't even remember where I kept the damn phone.

I pushed the thought aside, bending over and twerking. It was all fun, until I felt someone behind me.

A crawling sensation on my skin made me flinch. I wobbled slightly, but found a stool to steady my footing. A frown appeared on my face, and when I glanced at the disgusting scrawny male that tried to harass me, it turned into a full blown scowl.

"What do you think you're doing?"

He flashed his brown set of teeth at me. "You're smoking hot, girl. Dancing with me will make your evening,"

"No... It won't. Stay away from me or I'll scream," I threatened, but I doubted it would make an impact because of how slurry my voice sounded.

A malicious chortle spilled from his lips, his arm forming a circle around my waist. He looked like the devil himself with the hideous sneer on his face.

"Go ahead and scream, bitch. No one's going to save you from me," he teased.

Infuriated, I sent a fist across his chin and tried to pull away from him, but he was quick to grab my wrist, caging it with the other. My scream only echoed in my ears. From the blurred peripheral of my vision, no one seemed to mind that I was in danger.

I wasn't even sure they heard my voice.

"Let go of me," I fought the stupid tears that threatened to rain down my cheeks.

Like a psychopath, he grinned and grabbed a fistful of my hair. "I'll only let go of you when I'm done with you. For now, you stay with me,"

He made to lift me onto his arms when an uproar broke out. In a fleeting second, I was being pulled away gently from the pervert. Screams, coupled with the sound of broken glasses sent people flying in different directions.

What the hell was going on?

It was hard to make sense of the happenings around me when my head ached like war drums were being played on it.

However, I couldn't sit still so I stood up from the chair I'd been placed on, staggering to the bar. The crowd had dissipated and then I saw him, the handsome man that saved me.

"Are you alright?" His gruff baritone voice sent chills down my spine.

The magnificent sight of him made me dumb for a second. He touched my arm, his brown eyes staring intently at me. I kept the contact, mesmerized by the masculine aura he exhibited while trying to save me.

Instantly, I became thirsty for him.

"No, I'm not good," I admitted, batting my lashes. "I was almost raped, but you came right on time. I kept screaming at the top of my lungs but no one came to rescue me. I'm indebted to you now," I summarized the whole episode hurriedly as if he didn't see it for himself.

"You're not indebted to me. I'm only happy I was able to stop that bastard when I did," he glanced at his wristwatch. "It's getting late, and you're completely drunk. Let me take you home if you don't mind," he offered.

Home? No home. I didn't want to be anywhere near there.

I decided to be forward with how I felt even though I'd regret it later. "Why go home when we can have fun together right here or maybe somewhere else?" I nudged him, biting my lower lip.

He smirked, his eyes darkening quickly with a hint of lust. "I don't want to take advantage of you, princess. You're drunk,"

I chuckled, cupping his cheeks. He didn't try to get out of my grip. "I can see through the daze how much you want me. Don't fight it, sir,"

His sharp intake of breath told me all I wanted to know, and being the stubborn person I was, I pushed forward.

"Take me to your place or a hotel, let's see if you can fight what you feel,"

His hand traveled down my back, stopping at my waist. My body heated up instantly. I nearly went off balance. How could I have so much connection with a man I barely knew?

"A hotel it is then,"

Chapter 2

Lola

Was it odd to say that I felt so good when I was supposed to be mourning my father's demise?

Last night was wonderful. Mr stranger-yes, I named him stranger because I didn't get his name-was the most wonderful companion ever. I'd gone to the club, not seeking company but for an easy escape from my grief, but the heavens surprised me with one.

Even now, I can still remember how he smelled like chocolate melted in a bucket of sandalwood. His deep set brown eyes probed into my soul each time he set his gaze on me with that Greek god body that was specially built to tempt all womankind.

Just one accidental meeting, but the feelings he aroused in me had become permanent. I was twenty-two and I could boldly say that I'd never felt that way for any man before, not even my current boyfriend.

The only sad part was his age. He was apparently old enough to be my father so why couldn't I stop pining for him?

It didn't mean that my heart didn't constrict whenever I remembered my dad, but the images of Mr stranger helped ease the pain a bit.

A persistent knock dragged me away from my reverie. Quickly, I flattened my back on the bed, shutting my eyes tightly so that my mother wouldn't have to interrogate me when she came in.

Unfortunately, the door creaked open, her flip-flops slapping noisily against the tiled floor. "Sit up, Lola. I know that you're awake," her harsh voice riled me up.

Rolling my eyes, I faked a yawn and gradually folded into a sitting position. "Good morning, mom,"

"It's afternoon. Where did you sleep last night?"

"Somewhere around. Why do you care anyways?" I retorted in a sharp, nonchalant tone.

I'd never taken that tone with her because of my father. He hated that my mother and I didn't have a good relationship, but now that he was gone there was no use pretending that we liked each other.

"Lola..." her voice cracked, lowering into a deep octave.

"Yes, mom, you will stop acting like you care about me. How about that?"

"But I do care and you live with me, Lola. Your father was buried last night and you didn't have the decency to come home. What on earth is wrong with you?"

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, the feeling of tranquility I'd enjoyed since last night evaporating into thin air.

"It's you, mom. We've never been in a good place, and seeing you act so concerned after everything you did to frustrate daddy before he died disgusts me. You shouldn't be here, mom. Go out. Have fun, be with those men that make you happy and stop with the pretense," I ranted.

My rant was cut short by the painful slap that landed on my cheek. My eyes watered as I scoffed.

"You should be grateful that I haven't thrown you out. Do you think your late father was a saint? Do you think I woke up one morning and decided to hate on him?"

My body shivered with rage. If she weren't my mother, I'd have engaged her in a physical combat.

"Don't speak evil about the dead, mom. He can't even defend himself," I corrected her.

She sucked her teeth, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Enough of this argument. I came in her for something else,"

I poked my tongue against my inner cheek. "What is it?" I asked coldly.

"I'll be traveling for work for the next six months,"

I rolled my eyes, settling on the bed while scrolling through my phone. Traveling round the clock wasn't new to me. It was even annoying that she had to tell me about it.

Going MIA meant that I had the house alone to myself, only that this time, it would be longer.

"Okay. Have fun on your trip. Take your time," I replied sarcastically.

"You won't be staying here for the time I'm gone," she declared.

My eyes bunched in surprise as I dropped the phone. "If I won't be here, then where will I stay?" I stared at her keenly, trying to read her mind. "What have you done?"

She sighed in resignation, flailing her arms in the air. "I leased the house for six months. We need the money for your tuition and other expenses. You know my job can't suffice for all our needs,"

I gulped then burst out laughing to ease off the tension hanging on my shoulders because everything was going too fast. Just yesterday, we were mourning my father. Today, our house was being leased.

My mother had to be the most illogical and heartless woman ever. My dad had set up a trust fund that was more than enough to take care of my educational needs, so that lease fee was definitely not going into my education.

"You're something, mom," I said amidst laughter.

She waved it off. "I've made arrangements with your new guardian. He's waiting for you in the living room,"

All traces of laughter cleared instantly from my face when I realised that she wasn't bluffing. She'd actually rented our house to someone else and now she was shipping me off to a total stranger.

"You must be joking,"

"Well, I'm not. You'd better come with me. We don't want to keep our guest waiting," she replied flatly.

A guest was waiting in the living room? I couldn't make sense of what she was saying. I was about to ask her for an explanation when she trudged out of the room.

I trailed behind her furiously, but her strides were faster, more urgent as though she couldn't wait to get rid of me.

I could remember asking her two years ago if she was my mother after smashing my phone all because I forgot to go on an errand for her.

She never answered, and what she just did cemented my suspicion.

"I need answers, mom. You can't just do this. I'm sure dad will be stirring in the grave because of your irrationality," I rushed behind her until we got to the living room. "I'm not leaving this house until..." the words died on my lips when I glanced at the visitor.

A gasp eluded me. "Mr stranger?"

He looked at me, standing up, a bit flabbergasted however he masked it with a small smile. "Hi," he greeted curtly and turned to my mom. "Is she your daughter?" he asked her, completely ignoring me.

Chapter 3

Lola

"What are you doing here?" I took my eyes off him, fixing my attention on my mother. "Mom, is he the man I'm going to be living with?" I was both jittery and excited at the same time.

It felt like a dream.

After he dropped me off this morning, he told me that it would be the last time we might see each other. He didn't even ask for my contact so all that was left of him were memories. Now, he's here in my house, and I'd have to live with him?

Someone should pinch me back to reality.

"Yes, so, sit down so that we can talk," Mom replied flatly. "Please, have your seat," She said to him.

He sat, but wasn't relaxed. Tension radiated from his taut shoulders and I wondered why it was that way.

Did I make him uncomfortable? Why couldn't he look at me properly?

"He's your late father's best friend. His name is Rowan Myers," She dropped the bomb.

A chuckle slithered out of my mouth, slowly transcending into laughter. Best friend indeed.

"If he is indeed my father's best friend, how come I never met him? Why wasn't he present at the funeral yesterday?"

Why did we have to meet in a club if they were truly best friends? I wanted to add.

He cleared his throat and shifted on his chair. "Your father and I fell out some years ago due to some business issue, but then I realized that he wasn't at fault. I tried to reach him but my attempts were unsuccessful until last night when your mom reached out to me. I'm still pissed that she didn't call me when he was ill. I'd have done everything within my power to help him stay alive,"

"Well, he didn't want that," mom cut in.

"But you should have sent me a message, a clue or something. Anything," Rowan's voice rang hard with regret.

I could imagine his pain. Death was a permanent event. There was no coming back from it, and knowing that he would never be able to apologize to his friend for the past was soul-crushing, yet my mother who could have done something about it trivialized the issue.

"It's all in the past now. Let bygones be bygone. You can seek retribution by taking care of his daughter because I can't possibly be responsible for her alone right now. The funeral ceremony took a lot from me,"

It would have been fun to air her dirty linen in public, but I thought against it. One would think that she single-handedly funded the funeral ceremony, however, my dad had already made arrangements for that before his death

"I'm twenty-two, mom. I have a part-time job, you don't have to make it sound like I'm a burden," my irritation at her stance was palpable.

He finally gazed at me even though it was fleeting. "I'll do everything to make sure she's comfortable with me. You don't have to worry,"

"Alright then. She can leave with you right now. There's no need for her to keep staying here since I'll be traveling tomorrow," She said hurriedly.

I darted a stupified gaze at her. "Do you really want to get rid of me that fast?"

She stood up, ignoring my question. "Go pack your things. I'm sure Rowan is a busy man,"

"Oh no, she doesn't have to hurry. I can wait," He countered.

She flashed her fake smile at him, nudging me upstairs. "Don't worry. She'll be leaving with you shortly,"

~~~

Fifteen minutes later, I was trailing down the stairs with a box on my hand and a duffle bag on my back.

"I'm ready," I announced when I got to the living room.

I'd changed from the shorts and plain camisole I was wearing earlier to a short blue dress that was cinched at my waist with a low neckline.

His eyes ran a cursory glance through my outfit, stopping briefly on my cleavage. He gulped and looked away, tucking his hands into his pockets.

My mom joined us in no time, looking more excited than before. I could tell why she was.

With my absence, she'd be able to bring in other men to spend nights with her. I knew that leasing the house wasn't true but a facade to get me out of the picture so I wouldn't have to judge or nag her.

'A woman's got to live' those were her words every time I caught her messing up. I was very sure her promiscuous activities were a strong catalyst to my father's death.

He loved her with every fiber of his being, and that was his only mistake. Being with a woman like her.

"Please take good care of her. I'll be calling from time to time to check on her," she said.

"Sure, I will," he assured her, gently collecting the box from me. "Let's go,"

When we got into his car, I dumped the first question on him. "Did you already know that my father was your friend before coming here?"

"What are you talking about?" he ignited the car.

"I mean, last night, when we were at the hotel. Did you know that my father was your friend?"

"No, I didn't,"

I smiled and brought down the mirror to check my face. "It would be fun living in your house, you know. We had a connection last night,"

He sighed, taking a bend. "And I'm guessing you forgot the part where I said that nothing can happen between us. I might have considered you, but I'm far older than you and not just that, you're like a daughter to me. I shouldn't entertain any immoral thoughts towards you,"

My chest tightened painfully at his blatant rejection. He didn't even mince words.

"I was drunk last night, but I can still remember how you looked at me. Even today, before we left the house, you clearly wanted to eat me up," I retorted sharply.

"Were you trying to seduce me with your outfit?" his words stung.

I gasped and closed my eyes briefly to hold back the tears.

"Why would I do that?" I cried.

"Good, so have it at the back of your mind that I'm like an uncle to you, not a sex buddy. We won't have this conversation ever again. Do you get it?"

I didn't respond, I was too pained to, so I looked out the window. My eyes ran over the straight line of trees with the houses perched between them, but my mind wasn't in it.

I'd never felt so stupid all my life. I had a boyfriend who was faithful to me, but here I was thinking that I could snag this hot, arrogant buddy to myself.

Sex wasn't an option because I was still a virgin, but I couldn't deny how aroused I became anytime I saw him.

Even now, my body craved his touch, and it angered me to death because I wasn't supposed to feel this way for a man who only saw me as a child.

My dirty thoughts preoccupied me so much that I didn't realize he'd stopped driving.

"We're here," he announced.

"Oh," I said, stepping out of the car.

Like the gentleman he was, he helped me with my luggage while I trailed behind him. I took note of the beautiful flowers that decorated his patio, and the clean, minimal aesthetic of his penthouse.

The first thing that hit me was the same chocolate scent he had on. I sucked in air, clutching to my dress.

How would I be able to fight off these feelings if his scent dominated the whole house?

"Welcome to my house,"

I took in the art frames on the wall and the decorative plants standing beside the plush upholsters. "It's really beautiful,"

"I'll show you your room and then..." he was cut halfway by the steps that crunched down the stairs.

A tan skinned woman ascended rather seductively, clad in a red transparent robe that revealed her lingerie.

Her golden blonde hair fell in waves behind her, her lips smeared with a bright red lipstick.

The smile on her face withered when she saw me, but she returned her gaze to him. "Hi, Rowan," she ran her fingers through his chest. "You took so long," her voice sounded like a drawl.

Rowan seemed a bit embarrassed, but he covered it with a chuckle. "You weren't supposed to come today,"

"Because of her?" She glared at me.

"No, Lyra. That wasn't the agreement. You know what, just go upstairs and I'll come to you,"

She sighed but didn't argue. "Okay, sugar, but don't take long," she turned around, swaying her hips with each step.

"Umm, I didn't know we'd have company. A hot one that," I noted with sarcasm.

"Don't take that tone with me," he scolded.

I raised my hands in mock surrender, but deep down, my heart was melting. "Does your girlfriend know that you're lusting after me?" I teased him.

His lips parted slightly. He was tongue-tied for a minute, but then he said, "I'll show you your room, then have the best time of my life with her. You have a boyfriend. You should go be with him."