Just cause I felt like it. R & R.

Faie.

The End part 1

The hotel lounge was small, but comfortably so. The marble ceilings were lined with a narrow strip of fleur-de-lis that accentuated its elegance. The soft cadence of jazz oozed from the steel netting of the small speakers tucked away in the corner of the friezes and a comfortable dim glow enveloped the area, lending the area a cozy, if not romantic, ambience.

Behind the rose wood bar, a single bartender hummed softly to himself as he wiped down the last of the glasses and lined them in the tall glass cabinet behind him in neat, rows, occasionally realigning them in a sudden spur of OCD. Beside him, the ornate oak mantelpiece ticked past an early 10 but the hotel bar had nearly emptied out by then.

It was a Thursday night, and in their small city of five million and barely increasing, 9pm was about the time people adjourned to their homes. Most of the shops were already locked up, the darkness having settled into the silence of each individual alcove. At this hour, the only people who were still taking to the streets and hotels were either business expatriates who lived by different hours or those looking to paint the town red.

She was neither of them, but it wasn't like she had a home to return to anyway.

At least, not anymore.

The petite blonde woman sat at the end of the bar, sipping quietly at a strawberry daiquiri, alone with her thoughts. For the fifth time in the past half hour, the bartender flicked a subtle glance her way, and for the fifth time in the past half hour, she ignored him.

The hotel bars, unlike the rest of the town, were supposed to be open till 2am, and she was determined to hold up till at least 1. The place was warm, cozy and there was music. Not to mention there came by the occasional kindred soul who shared her silent, no-questions-asked company with their own selection of soul redeeming drinks. At that very moment though, she was sitting alone along the stretch of lacquered wood paneling, but the plush leather armchairs behind her accommodated two different couples and a small group of men still clothed in tasteful grey Armani. Slightly slurred banter drifted her way from their closed group and the blonde took another long sip from her glass, swirling the mix of crushed ice and fruit flavoured liquid across the blade of her tongue.

She was halfway through her second glass when a sudden rustling to her left caught her attention, though she never turned around. Instead, she awarded the latest stranger a cursory glance through the corner of her eye then resumed the very fascinating task of counting the number of water droplets on the side of her glass.

The male ordered a whiskey on the rocks and she inwardly upped her impression of him. His voice was deep, smooth and tinged with a hint of seduction. Still, that didn't mean she was interested. He was the fourth male to come up to her on this very long, dreary night and quite frankly, she had had enough of male company for one day.

She had been stuck between two males on her flight back to her hometown; one a decrepit octogenarian who snored like a car long overdue its servicing and the other, a hyper eight year old on a sugar rush who jammed his fingers on his plastic console all throughout the journey, occasionally interrupting the vestiges of what silence she had left with excited yells of victory.

She had finally managed to get some peace and quiet upon arriving at the hotel room that she had booked in advance, though why she did so, she didn't know. The hotels were always operating at a minimum around this time of the year. Though initially intending to spend the rest of her night buried in the softness of the bed, eyes pinned at her laptop, the silence of the room had finally gotten too deafening, even to the point where Ravel didn't serve to ease her agitation. Finally, the blonde had slipped into a convenient red waterfall sleeve dress and headed down to the bar where she had ruminating over daiquiris ever since.

The male drew her eye again when he extended his hand towards her, cutting into the line of sight that she had trained on her glass.

The blonde stifled a sigh and turned around. Frustrated as she was, she had been raised to be lady, and blatantly ignoring someone's greeting would make her father turn in his grave.

The male sitting beside her was clothed in a suit tailored to perfection.

His broad shoulders were outlined by the stark black lines of his jacket, and it was obvious to the eye that he was in fit, if not amazing shape. She trailed an appreciative gaze across the length of his arm and up to his shoulders, where the longer strands of his hair barely curled over the dark cloth. A strong, masculine jaw came into view and she slid her eyes over his face.

He was easily the handsomest male she had met all night, with his earthy auburn brown hair and clear green eyes.

The blonde sipped at her daiquiri, and raised a questioning brow when he raised a finger in the direction of the bartender and ordered another martini, which he promptly slid in her direction.

"You look like you could easily handle something stronger than a daiquiri."

"Are you questioning my tastes?"

He raised his palms in defense, chuckling amiably. "Not at all. Merely making a friendly suggestion. May I know your name, miss?"

She turned back to the front, taking another small sip from her glass. "I'm not a people person."

"That's all right. Everyone has their little secrets." He replied smoothly, not wanting to push his luck with what was easily the most attractive woman in the lounge on this quiet night.

"Are you here alone? Seems like a damned shame a woman such as yourself would be in a hotel on a night meant for family."

He noticed how her fingers instantly tightened around the stem of her glass and he knew that he'd struck a chord with her. His guess was confirmed when the corner of her lips turned downwards and she sucked in her cheeks for a fleeting second. The next moment, the woman found herself setting down her daiquiri and reaching for the martini, the stronger drink instantly sending a buzz to her already mildly intoxicated brain.

"I apologize if I have offended you in anyway."

"That's fine. What makes you think I'm not here on business like yourself?" She replied.

"Your demeanor."

"That could be the alcohol." She replied sardonically.

The next half hour passed in a blur, and she found herself rather enjoying the spicy tang of the martini on her tongue and the smooth timbre of the male's voice. She still hadn't introduced herself and neither had he, but at this hour of the night, what did names matter anyway? By the time she sipped down to the ice level of her martini, the buzzing in her head had hit a rather alarming level. At the back of her hazy mind, a thought probed at her.

She knew that if she continued to sit here in the company of this glorious looking man, her night would end up being something very different from what she had planned.

So she took another sip. And another.

Moments later, she found herself pressed up against the gilded glass mirror of the hotel elevator, her hands tangled in the stranger's brown hair and his arms around her waist as he ravaged her lips without an ounce of the gentlemanly charm he had been conversing with.

He muttered an invective when she reached her tongue into his mouth and trailed it slowly along the ridged roof of the cavern, her hands sliding down to wrap around his neck. Sliding one warm palm upwards along the length of her thigh, the man inched his fingers around the smooth curve of her flesh, and pushed his palm upwards. The blonde nearly cried out when the edge of his palm grazed her core with a soft pressure and she gripped onto his shoulders, fighting the urge to grind herself into his hand.

The elevator doors slid open to an empty hallway and the pair stumbled clumsily along the corridor where she finally dragged him to a halt in front of her room. Fumbling with her purse, she cursed into his hair when her hotel room card refused to slide obediently into the card slot and instead clacked gratingly on the steel plating of the lock. Her efforts were further impeded when he trailed his lips down the bare skin of her neck and nibbled her collarbone teasingly and she moaned.

The male laughed amusedly against her skin where his lips were kneading the exposed flesh of her mound above her neckline.

"Let me do it."

The pair nearly crashed through the door the second the lock gave way, shedding clothing as they went. The blonde was down to her lacy underwear by the time she felt herself hit the bed.

Her hair was a tousled mess around her neck, and her breathing was rough and ragged as she regarded the male in front of her. With hastened speed, he nearly tore his white dress shirt off his chest, revealing his toned chest and pecs. His black trousers followed quickly after, the piece of clothing joining its discarded predecessors on the carpet. The man was now down to his briefs and in spite of herself, she let out a sigh. This strange man was indeed attractive even under his clothing, even though it wasn't anything she had never seen before.

The anticipation in her, however, abruptly bubbled into something else entirely when he climbed onto the bed in front of her. She felt a sudden leap in her chest and her eyes widened.

Watching him crawl slowly towards her, a hungry glint in his verdant hued orbs, Her fists clenched tightly, her fingernails scratching at the sheets beneath her body. She drew in a shaky breath, one that the stranger in her bed mistook for excitement, especially since she was now only clad in the bottom half of her underwear. She could see how lust darkened his eyes even further at the sight of her bare chest heaving and her throat tightened.

Suddenly nervous, the blonde fumbled blindly behind her for a pillow and brought it against herself, the cold fabric abrading her bare skin. His brows arched in surprise and he paused where he was, less than a meter away from where she was huddled against the headboard of the four poster bed.

"W-wait…" Her lips parted and she nervously bore down on her lower lip. Even in the darkness of the room, the man could see how the sexual tension in her expression had completely given way to fear and he tangled a hand in his hair.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were a… an innocent."

The blonde paused for a moment. "I'm not. It's just… I…"

Her fingers dug deeper into the fluffy pillow she had clutched firmly against herself as she wondered how to broach the topic. How was she going to do that now, with her in half of her favourite pair of Victoria's Secrets and him in a tight piece of spandex that barely concealed anything at all?

She gave an inward groan. Geez, everything was always so easy right up until the deciding moment.

He nodded, as if privy to her thoughts. "You're one of those types then?"

"Huh?"

"I'm not particularly into that kind of stuff but…" He lowered his eyelids seductively. "But I don't mind trying it out with you."

Her brows furrowed. "I'm sorry. I don't… I don't get you."

"You can use my tie if you want."

He swung his legs off his bed and bent down to pick up a strip of silvery grey cloth. She found herself arching her neck to get a closer look at his well defined rear end but halted herself with a mental slap to both cheeks.

Damnit! Don't you dare ogle him when you have more pressing matters to attend to!

She was jolted back to the present when he handed her the strip of cloth with an expectant look in his eyes.

"Where should I sit?"

The blonde's mouth gaped as she stared at him and his outstretched arm. Glancing down at the tie in his hand, before realization finally dawned on her face. Thrusting an arm away from her, she exclaimed in surprise.

"You misunderstood! I'm not into bondage. I just want to say that… I'm…"

She bit her lip again as she hugged the pillow to herself. She tucked her legs towards herself behind the pillow, as if that would serve to steel her sense. She felt more like a cornered deer before her hunter. Bare, exposed and vulnerable.

The male cocked his head as he stared at her blankly, waiting for her to continue speaking.

Mother-fucking-damnit! You're a grown woman, so behave like one. Not some prissy bitch who can't even get a coherent sentence out.

The man nearly jumped when she slapped her palms against her cheeks.

"Uhm… Are you…"

"No."

"Sorry?"

She took in a deep breath to settle the growing anxiety in her belly. "I changed my mind. Please leave."

The patience on his face immediately wiped from his expression and she forced herself not to jump when his hand suddenly fisted around the tie. "Excuse me?"

Forcing herself to speak in a calm manner, she repeated her request. This time, her amber orbs were locked on firmly onto his eyes, determination steeling her expression. A tendril of fear curled in her gut when his brows slammed down in anger. "What are you playing at, you tease? You were the one who invited me in."

"And now I'm asking you to leave." She prayed to whatever deities who were still on her side that her lower lip didn't tremble when she spoke.

The pair regarded each other in silence for a moment, the blonde woman with her unyielding stare and the brunette male with his furious glare. Her teeth clamped shut with a soft click when he suddenly shifted, his arm coming down to rest by his side. The blonde could see how the muscles in his corded arms tensed when his fist tightened around the strip, his finely manicured nails no doubt digging tears into the fine fabric.

The glare seeped from his eyes and his gaze turned cold. "You're serious?"

She refused to relent, and nodded tersely.

The blonde nearly fainted from the tension that had been building up inside her when she finally heard the door to her room click shut. Wrapping a bed sheet around herself, she leapt off the bed and dashed towards the door, heaving a sigh of relief when the deadbolt slid into place. The tension instantly drained from her limbs and the blonde slid down against the hallway wall, the cold marble sending chills down her skin.

She huddled herself into a ball where she sat, her face clutched in her hand. Reaching to her side, she popped open the mini fridge and grabbed the nearest bottle she could reach.

Apple cider.

Weak, but better than nothing.

The blonde let out a weak chuckle and a single tear slid down her cheek as she upturned the bottle into her mouth.

Pilot chapter so it's short. Please review. I have other ongoing fics so depending on reader satisfaction, I might be putting priority on the other stuff first but I'm currently in a funk with the others, especially Wanting More. While I'm not big on demanding reviews, I would like to know if you can spare the minute.

So review review review.

Thanx!

Faie.