“Shush… I’m trying to get some sleep.” June muttered drowsily and turned to a foetal position. “Just a minute…”
The man dressed in a black robe watched June sink into his bed and fall asleep with the dim light shining on her face. He was seconds away from calling the security and firing them for letting a stranger into his space but she was so beautiful.
A ringtone blared the air and a frost grew on the man’s face. He immediately picked up the call and placed the phone on his ear. “Speak.”
“I just sent you a video of the resort project, sir. Please take a look at it.”
His frown deepened. “I thought we already settled on this?”
“The company folded up.” The other man fretted at the other end of the line. “Since you were in South City, I looked up other options better than the assets in North City.”
“If you approve, I will schedule a meeting.”
The man stared at the young woman who was fast asleep on his bed and nodded.
“Sir?”
Only then did he realise he couldn’t be seen.
“Schedule the meeting for tomorrow. I don’t want excuses.” He dropped the call before he could get a response.
June stirred in her sleep, “Rafael…” She muttered, and his eyes narrowed.
Who was this woman calling out to at such a time? Her boyfriend? Husband? Friend?
The thought of her having a man by her side brought unresolved feelings in his mind. He paid close attention to her as she muttered in her sleep.
“Douchebag…”
“I hate you…”
“My heart hurts..”
“Why…”
“My Little Prince…”
The more she muttered, the more confused he felt.
Suddenly, June jolted from the bed and shook herself awake without success.
“Oops! I should be at the bar…” She tried to get out of bed and the man watched her with fascination. “You!” She pointed at him with squinted eyes, “Pretty!”
A drunken June staggered to the man who stood before her and held his cheeks. “Who gave you the permission to be so pretty?”
The man peeled her hands from his cheeks and pursed his lips.
“Ooh! You have strong arms too!” June said with an excited tone.
She went on to grope his muscles, only to abandon them the next minute with a complaint.
“They are nothing like his!” She frowned. “My hubby’s arms are much better.”
“!!!”
June narrowed her brows, and her eyes widened like she remembered something. “I don’t have a hubby anymore.” She sobbed, and the man was shocked at the sudden mood swing.
“I don’t have a hubby.” She said through her tears. “I want a hubby, would you be my hubby? I promise the third time’s the charm.” She held on to the unknown man who watched her like she had developed a second head.
“Lucy says I need to get over him. She says I should get under a strong man to get over him.” June wiped her tears. “Will you sleep with me, strong man?”
“I promise I am a good partner!” She suddenly said, pitching herself. “I could give you a memorable night. I have all the experience you would want.”
“Please? Hmm?” She hummed, dangerously close to the man who was bare underneath his robe.
The unknown man ground his teeth at the temptation. He could feel his body react to the young, drunk, fearless and wild woman but he held a firm grip on himself.
He stepped back and swallowed hard. “I don’t like easy women.”
June felt a whiplash of emotions at his words, but he wasn’t done.
“Neither do I like weepy women,”
“And I definitely avoid women looking for a cheap way to get over their exes.” He spoke with a deep baritone voice, “However beautiful they may be.”
The young man walked to the side of his room and poured a cup of water from the dispenser. Without a word, he led June to sit on a hard chair and handed over the cup.
“Drink.” His tone left little room for refusal.
June drank the water slowly, only to be handed another cup until the third. Soon enough, her eyes felt a bit clearer and she sobered up. The man took the cup from her.
“Did you drive?”
She shook her head. “I came with Lucy.” Her answer was systematic, and her eyes widened. “Lucy!”
June shot up from her seat at the thought of Lucy. She had forgotten about her and she wasn’t even with her phone. They must be looking for her! The strong arms of the man held her back.
“Where are you going now?” He asked, wondering if she was still out of it and acting under the influence of alcohol.
June struggled against his hold and when it became clear she couldn’t get away, she stopped fighting. “My friend would be looking for me, strong man!” She spoke in an oriented manner.
Although she felt the slight buzz of alcohol in her veins, she knew what and where she was going. “If you are not going to sleep with me, then let me go!”
The man left her hand like one burned, causing her to stagger and lose balance. June was midway to the floor when his strong arms wrapped around her, saving her from falling face-first into the floor.
For a short moment, they stared at each other and she saw the glassy exposed skin of his chest. June trailed her eyes round his face and felt captivated by his beauty. His pink lips called to her and she leaned forward.
A few inches to his lips, the man dodged her advance and leaned into her ears. “I don’t kiss confused women.”
The man stepped aside and June burned with embarrassment. What was wrong with her? Making advances at a man and getting rejected! Could the day get any worse?!
“I’ll be on my way,” June rushed to the door. She would never taste alcohol again! Now she had to live with the embarrassing memory of being rejected after throwing herself at a man.
She was ready to go home!
June stepped out of the door in time when the opposite door flung open. She met the familiar brown orbs of a woman she couldn’t figure out. While she tried to figure out the woman’s identity, a man trailed behind and she recognised him instantly.
“Colton?” She muttered, squinting her eyes.
Colton stiffened at the sound of his name and met the suspicious looks of June.
“It’s you,” June said, alternating between them with amused eyes. “Are you cheating on April?”
The young woman was shocked at the sight of June who didn’t call her out. Not to mention how she was casually walking out of the CEO’s room.
“Who are you?” Colton feigned ignorance but June didn’t let them be.
“I know you!” She said eyeing Clarence who shook in her boots. “Husband snatcher! Have you come to snatch my sister’s husband too?” She tsked and added in afterthought. “She deserved it though. But it doesn’t make it any less wrong!”
“Now that I think of it, you both deserve each other. I hope it lasts!” She said, then turned around. “Just kidding! I wish you crash and burn! For now, I need to get back to the dance floor.”
“My friend would be waiting, you see. Adios!”
June pitter-pattered her way out of the hallway, returning the same way she came. Lucy was standing with a security official making a report with Joel by her side when they sighted June.
“There you are!” Lucy rushed to her boss. “I’ve been searching for you this whole time! Where did you go?” She cried in relief, having worried about the safety of her boss.
Joel came too. “One second you were at the bar and the next you vanished. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
June chuckled. “I was pressed. Now I want to go home.”
Lucy looked over June, searching for any signs of discomfort and found none. They were ready to go after the big scare they experienced at the hands of June. The trio left the club with Joel in the driver’s seat.
Meanwhile, the unknown man instructed his security to see that the young lady who stepped out of his room was in safe hands. He only settled when he got the report of her leaving with some friends.
He went ahead to pick up his phone, heading right to work. He couldn’t sleep as a result of the strange encounter. He pulled up the video sent to him by his assistant and by the end of the video, the picture of the young brazen lady who stepped out of his club stared back at him.
“June Ambrose. JL Architectures.” He muttered, and read through the brief background written of her.
“Ambrose…” He dropped his phone. “Rafael?”
He wondered the possibility of the young woman being involved with his business rival. When he remembered her drunken slurs, his jaws tightened. There and then, he picked up his phone and made a call.
“Extend my stay. I have to find out something.”