Chapter four

The next morning when Rebecca slowly opened her eyes, she squinted when the sunlight streaming in through the half-open curtains fell on her face. For a moment, she couldn’t remember where she was, but when her senses returned, she became acutely aware of the plush sheets against her skin and the lingering scent of expensive cologne and sex in the air.

She stirred, her body still heavy with sleep and the remnants of last night’s cocktails. She reached for the man she remembers falling into bed with, but her hands find only empty sheets and her eyes snap open as she sat up in bed.

The room was quiet, and empty. Her mind told her that the guy probably left. But she couldn’t help but take in the elegant décor, and the faint sounds of the city beyond the window coming alive. Her mind raced back to the events of the night before. She recalled the handsome stranger she’d met after leaving the club to clear her mind, she recalled their exchange, there was a lot of flirting, the way they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, and lastly the intense love making they had. Rebecca felt herself smile, remembering how she kept moaning out loud without a care, begging him to…

“ugh…” she groaned as she buried her face in her palms.

But now, as she sat in the empty bed, the glamour of the evening felt like a distance memory. She cursed herself for losing control and getting swept up in the moment. She didn’t even know the man’s name, much less his contact information, but at the same time, it was probably for the best.

*buzz*buzz*

The vibration of her phone pulled her out of her thoughts as she reached down to grab her purse which laid idly by her dress on the floor. She sighed when she unlocked it to find a dozen calls and messages from her two friends, wondering where she had disappeared too, since she never called.

Rebecca, with a heavy sigh slipped out of the bed, leaving the covers behind. Her legs felt sore. Actually, her whole body ached.

“fuck…that guy was a beast…” she said as she walked towards the bathroom to freshen up before the management came to send her out of the room, after all she wasn’t a guest. His scent still lingered in the air, making Rebecca wish she actually collected his details. But what good was crying over what could have been?

With a deep breath, she steels herself and leaves the hotel room, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

As she steps out into the hallway, the sound of her heels echoing on the marble floor, she pulls out her phone. It buzzes angrily, a symphony of notifications waiting to be acknowledged.

With a swipe, she silences the calls and ignores the texts. Right now, she needs to get home and take off these damned clothes and slip into something more breathable, and possibly cuddle with her best friend, Luna, an adorable ginger fur Himalayan cat with beautiful green eyes like Anne’s. She couldn’t wait to tell her friends about the wild night she’d had.

As she walks into the streets, she quickly called for a taxi. Rebecca slipped into the back seat, giving the driver her address in a hushed voice. The streets are still quiet, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. The bustling city hadn’t yet come alive, but Rebecca felt as though the entire world was staring at her in her bright red dress.

When she finally reached her apartment, the city had woken up. Rebecca climbed the stairs to her apartment, her heels clicking on the worn wooden steps. She unlocked the door, pausing for a moment before entering.

As she stepped inside, she was greeted by the silence of her humble abode, a stark contrast to the luxury of the hotel suite she had just come from. But unlike the hotel room, she was welcomed warmly by a little ball of fur emerging from the bedroom, meowing loudly at her. She giggled.

“hi, Luna,” Rebecca greeted the cat, bending down to pet her. Luna purrs, tubbing against Rebecca’s legs.

“what did you do last night, huh?” Rebecca asked Luna, scratching behind her ears. “I bet you had a quitter night than I did,” Luna blinks her green eyes, not entirely understanding but enjoying the attention.

Rebecca stood to her feet, making her way to the kitchen, putting on a pot of coffee. The smell of freshly brewed java fills the small apartment, grounding her in a sense of normalcy while she quickly slipped into a more comfortable outfit, discarding the red latex dress. She frowned when she saw it was slightly damaged from the bottom.

“Tsk, how uncouth.”

Returning back into the kitchen just in time to catch the coffee brew, Rebecca found herself wandering back to that stranger, and for some reason she couldn’t quite get him off her mind, but not only that, now that the alcohol had cleared from her eyes, she could barely remember his face. It all felt like a blur in her memory. But one thing certainly did register, he was defiantly handsome.

As she sat curled up on the sofa, wearing a pair of old sweatpants and a worn t-shirt, a steaming mug of coffee resting on the table in front of her, she remained lost in her thoughts. The memories of the man’s soft lips, his strong arms wrapped around her, playing over and over in her mind. But just as she relives their passionate embrace, aloud knock shatters the silence of the apartment.

“Rebecca, baby?” a voice calls from the other side of the door.

The moment Rebecca hears the voices of Anne and Jacklin outside her door, she jumps to her feet, her heart relaxed.

There’s another knock on the door, followed by Jacklin’s voice.

“Rebecca? Baby, its Jackie and Anne! We were so worried about you!”

“one second!” Rebecca called out as she walks towards the door.” Coming!”

As she opens the doors, the concerned expressions on Anne and Jacklin’s faces greet her. Anne pushes past the threshold and hugs Rebecca tightly, while Jacklin, dressed in an all-black leather pants and vest outfit pulled her shades up, steps into the space, shutting the door behind her.

“damn it bitch, you had us worried sick when you didn’t come back.” Anne says, her voice muddled against Rebecca’s shoulder. “we tried calling and texting you all night, but you never answered.” Anne pulled back from the embrace with a pout. Rebecca laughed awkwardly, feeling guilty for worrying them.

“sorry. I guess I got carried away…” she smiled sheepishly.

Anne and Jacklin looked at their friend suspiciously before it dawned upon them the true meaning of her words, and that suspicion was only further confirmed when Jacklin spotted the dark marks on her neck. A wolfish grin spread across her lips as she stepped closer and pulled the collar of her shirt down.

“you naughty, naughty girl…” Jacklin purred in delight, Anne felt her excitement rise, completely forgetting how Rebecca had had them worried. She grabs Rebecca by the arm, her grip surprisingly strong, and leads her to the couch.

“oh, my gah, Becca! What happened last night? Who did this to you?” Anne demanded, her voice a mixture of shock and excitement.

Jacklin joins them on the couch, leaning forward with her hands clasped together in anticipation. “and, don’t leave out any details, we need to know what happened after you left the club,” her expression was almost cat like as she peered at her friend with a mischievous glint.

Rebecca sighs, knowing she couldn’t escape their questioning now. “fine, fine,” she relents, blushing slightly. “after I left you guys to go find the bathroom, I found something better than a bathroom.”

Anne let out a squeal of delight, nearly bouncing of the couch. “oh, my gah, who was he? Was he hot? Was he rich?”

Rebecca laughs at Anne’s enthusiasm. “he was very handsome, and yeah, I think he was pretty rich. He was wearing really nice a suit, and he had a certain confidence about him that was magnetic.”

“so, what happened next?” Jacklin prods, leaning in closer to Rebecca.

Rebecca takes a deep breath, letting the memory wash over her. “well, he invited me back to his room…”