The Enemy's Embrace

Ivelle "I'm on my way to your house" Violet announced over the phone and hung up before I could reply It wasn't even a minute, my doorbell rang, and I opened the door to see a smiling Violet standing on my porch. "Why bother calling when you already showed up at my door" I asked opening the door wide for her to come in Violet is my colleague at work but we have become close friends. I don't have many friends, but Violet has proven herself worthy of being called a friend time and again. We have so many opposite personalities that sometimes I wonder how we are friends, she was the fun of the party and I was a buzz kill. She loves to dress for attention but I like to keep it simple, she loves doing anything that has the sign red danger blaring but I like to avoid anything that jeopardizes my peace. "Have you heard of the word courtesy?" she asked, pulling her jacket that was covering a short beige dress with a deep V-neck and dropping it on the couch, walking to my room. "I'm just trying to emulate that" she laughed. "But I totally forgot to call you before leaving home. Better late than never, they say" "Not in this context" I replied, walking behind her. "And why are you here anyway?" My hand crossed my chest. She exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Don't tell me you forgot?" "What?" I asked, then it hit me. We were supposed to go to a party she had forcefully invited me to. Because left to me, I would rather finish up this report I was working on. Her current boyfriend invited her to this party and she could bring a plus one, it was a clubhouse for the rich. "Ohh" I muttered. Her gaze followed mine to my laptop on the desk and the halfway coffee beside it. "Yeah, Ohh" She mocked. "And don't tell me you are working. I will not take no for an answer." "Now what do you have here?" She asked, walking to my closet. I shut down any protest I was about to give because it was definitely going to be futile. I was going and nothing can change that. I sat on my bed watching her ransack my closet looking for the clothes she thinks are best for the occasion. She grunted, shaking her head, her curly blonde hair bouncing with the movement "Why are all your outfits modest" I shrugged. "I'm modest, violet." "There must be something" she mumbled to herself. "I got it" she screamed, pulling out a black dress she got for me on my birthday, the dress was so inappropriate that I stacked it at the end of my closet. I had totally forgotten I had it. "I knew there was something" She squealed, like a child who has just been given her favourite candy. I scrunched my nose at the dress. "I'm not wearing that" "f**k you are." It's a mid-thigh black dress with a halter neck. It's so out of my style. "Come on, put it on" I shook my head. "Why are you not with Josh anyway. You should go with him." Josh was her boyfriend. "I told him to go ahead and that I would meet him there" she pulled me up placing the dress on my hands. "Besides, I don't trust you to show up on your own. Now change into the dress" I pulled the dress up, staring at it like I wanted it to disappear. "Do I have to wear this?" "Yes, you do" she answered without a beat. I changed into the dress but she won't let me check it in the mirror until she is done with my makeup and hair. I slid my feet into the red stiletto and she beamed with a smile. "All set" she said and took some steps back to get a full view of me. Her mouth curled into a wide smile. "You look breathtakingly b***h ass hot" Leave it to Violet to say words out of the dictionary. "I doubt that" I told her and walked to the mirror. My jaw dropped as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Violet had styled my hair, letting it fall on my open back. The make-up highlighted my eyes and made my lips plump and fuller. And the silk dress hugging my body did justice to my curves. Truth to violet, I look breathtakingly b***h ass hot. I looked like a fallen angel ready to steal hearts away. "This is beautiful" I whispered "I told you" Violet smiled There's no denying that I look hot, but the dress still feels uncomfortable. This was definitely going to give me the attention I badly don't want. "But I don't think I can we—" "Don't complete that statement" Violet said and grabbed my red purse pulling me to the sitting room, out the door. In a few minutes, we pulled up at the party, with Josh leading us inside after pecking Violet on her cheek. And nodding towards me in acknowledgement. I was expecting the usual buzzing and loud music but I was met with slow jazz playing underground. It was not as crowded as an actual club but it had a bartender, a dance floor, and couches to sit on. "Are we late?" Violet asked Josh who shook his head "You came at the perfect time" he replied, eyeing the entrance, like he was expecting someone else to arrive, his tone was stressed, he looked tense, and he looked overdressed for a club. "I thought it was a party, why are you dressed like that?" I asked. "It's a meeting disguised as a party" he answered. "Who set up a meeting in a club?" He shrugged. "Who else, if not Ren Aslan" Violet gasped. "You're meeting Ren Aslan?. Why didn't you say anything" Who the f**k is Ren Aslan? "You never asked" He answered. "You should have still told me" "I didn't think it was necessary" "I'm your girlfriend. I shouldn't be hearing this now" I drowned out the rest of their argument as I looked around the club. Some men were sitting at the far end of the club, with a lady sitting either on their side or on their lap. If I thought my dress was exposing, theirs was worse. The dress stopped right below their butt, their breasts half-naked. The sight was purely s****l. My eyes slid to those on the dance floor with ladies rocking the men. This was my second time in a club but the first time, I didn't have time to look around. Violet had gotten drunk and called me, I had just dashed into the club to get her out, nothing more. It was so uncomfortable I didn't wait to look around. I mean my body was literally touching every damn person in the club. My phone pinged with a notification and I took it out to check the message before I felt the phone snatched from my hands "Work can wait" Violet met my glare with a smug look, throwing my phone in her bag. "It could be important" I protested. "A few hours without working won't kill you ivelle" she refused. "I will be back okay. And please try to live a little" She told me and walked away with Josh, her ass swaying. Great. I'm left alone to fend for myself. Violet is such a sly. Without my phone to serve as a distraction, I wonder what I need to do at a club. But I knew dance was out of the option My only option is to walk out that door or hide behind a drink I would love the former but I wasn't ready to die from Violet's grumble or worse she will set up more parties for us to attend to compensate for this which I wasn't ready to do. So, the best option was to get a drink. I walked to the bartender and sat on the stool there. "Hi, what can I get you?" The bartender asked. How do I tell the bartender that I was a novice at this and I don't know what drink to order? "Anything not too strong" I said instead. He nodded and turned to do his thing. Mixing drinks I do not know. "Is this your first time in a club?" He asked and I nodded with a strained smile. There was no point in lying. He passed a faint green drink to me. "This is a mojito. It's beginner-friendly" He explained with a smile. "Thank you" I muttered and he nodded before facing the next person. The drink wasn't too harsh but it still has that alcohol taste that makes my face go red each time I take a sip, but still, I can't stop drinking, is this how people get addicted?. The shift in atmosphere and the way the body straightened, made my eyes trail down to the entrance, the cause of it. My eyes landed on two men, one of whom looked like he was in his late forties, he was in a suit, totally overdressed for a club party. The other man was younger, clad in simple black trousers and a black shirt with two buttons open, revealing his strong abs. Josh walked up to him and they shook hands, he said something to him that I couldn't hear from where I was sitting. Josh nodded walking away. He must be Ren Aslan. I guessed. He walked up to the men sitting at the corner from earlier. The girl who looked more put together among the other girls who had been sitting alone all along, stood up and walked up to him seductively. Other girls eyed her with jealousy, and they tried to make passes at him. It was like every girl wanted to get his attention. It was sickening. He smiled at her and gripped her ass so tightly and she smiled in return leaning more closely. The men stood to welcome him also as they made way for him to sit. He sat down, the older man sitting opposite him, with the girl by his side as they discussed only heaven knows what. I don't know how long I have been staring but it's just hard to look away. His confidence, and the way he commands respect without asking for it were attractive and that didn't add up to his beauty. Like he knew my eyes were on him, his eyes lifted to meet mine. My heart skipped. Why? I don't know. His blue eyes held mine, but I didn't look away, not only because I couldn't look away but also because I didn't want to lose. It was like a game. Like he was daring me to look away. Seconds passed by. Then, his lip curved into a smirk, and he looked away and faced the men. It was then that I turned away, breathless. "Give me something stronger" I told the bartender, who nodded and passed me another liquid I don't know the name of. I sip it slowly, the alcohol burns my throat and I cough so hard I regret asking for it but I drank it anyway. The smell of citrus and expensive cologne filled my nostrils before his voice. "Macallan, neat" he said to the bartender. My eyes slid to the person behind the voice and I was met with blue eyes and strong abs. "It doesn't look like you're enjoying the party" he stated. As a matter of fact. I was only enjoying the music, and the drink? maybe. "It does look like you are enjoying the party" I said to him and he smiled "What's there not to enjoy" He asked. There's music, drinks, and a beautiful woman in front of me" "You mean women?" I asked, his eyes following my gaze to the women he left. "Because it looks like if given a chance, I will be six feet underground" If their look could kill, I would be dead by now, the amount of glare and death stare sent my way out of what? jealousy, anger? I don't know All I know is that it was making me uncomfortable. He chuckled. "Someone has been accessing me" "You were just pretty obvious" "Don't mind the stares" he assured me "Easy for you to say, you're not the one they're trying to unalive" I answered, drowning my drink, which made me red with regret, its burning taste showing no mercy. "Why are they glaring at me anyway?" He didn't reply immediately. He took a sip from his Macallan. His eyes were boring into mine. This time he was the one doing the accessing but not in an uncomfortable manner. Instead, it made me feel good about myself. His next word took me off guard. "Want to dance?" "What? No will do" "Are you going to allow this gorgeous outfit to go to waste?" He took another sip. But the drink didn't reduce a bit. He should just finish it. "I'm not complaining" "As the host of the party, I'm obliged to make my guests feel comfortable" I guessed right. He is Ren Aslan, the man who set up a meeting in a club. But I didn't say it, it would mean rattling Josh up. "Would it be considered rude if I told you that you're invading my privacy" He laughed and I frowned. "Let's make a bet" My eyes widen. "Wha—" "I will give you fun in five minutes. If I win, you tell me your name, and if you win, y—" "You let me be" I cut him off. "And finish that damn Macallan." I couldn't bear the need he had to necessarily drag taking his drink That earned me a smirk