“I’m not Nichole,” Honey frowned. “My name is Honey.”
“Come on, Nichole, stop being dramatic,” Jay said as he took the stool beside her.
Honey kept drinking and swaying to the beat of the music blasting through the speakers.
Jay dragged a hand through his hair and sighed. “I know you’re angry. I know my words hurt you. But I’m sorry. Let’s go home.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Honey laughed. “I want to drink more and more until I drop.”
Then, before he could stop her, she stood and settled right into his lap like it was the most natural thing. She put the glass of whiskey on his lips.
Jay took the drink. At that point, he would have done almost anything to keep her calm. He still believed she was Nichole.
His father’s political future was hanging by a thread, and she was the only thing that could stop the whole thing from blowing up.
“You want more, handsome?” Honey asked with a wink, stroking the side of his face.
“Yes,” Jay said, surprising himself with how much he liked her touch.
So they drank.
One glass.
Then another.
Honey laughed, talked nonstop, and kept leaning into him like she had known him for years. Jay found himself watching her in quiet disbelief.
She was refreshing.
Wild.
Warm.
Nothing like the uptight woman he knew.
If only he had known she really was not Nichole at all, just a perfect mirror image of her.
Honey stared into his striking green eyes and slowly leaned in.
This time, Jay caught her chin gently in his hand and kissed her first. The kiss hit harder than either of them expected.
Honey’s arms slipped around his neck as she melted into his warmth. Jay kissed her deeply, his mouth slow and hungry, like he had been holding something back without even realizing it.
“You taste so good,” he murmured against her lips.
By the time he pulled away, they were both breathless.
Jay rose from the stool, lifting Honey easily against him. His eyes searched her face in confusion.
What changed?
He had never liked Nichole. Yes, she was beautiful, but he had never felt any real pull toward her. That was the whole reason he had refused the marriage their parents had arranged.
But this?
This felt different.
Something about her feels wrong… and right at the same time.
Honey wrapped her legs around his waist, holding onto him like he was the only steady thing in the whole spinning club.
“Why did you dye your hair?” Jay asked in a low voice.
Honey smiled lazily, her long black hair spilling over her shoulders and down her back. “I didn’t do anything to my hair, handsome.”
She leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Just f**k me, please.”
Jay’s eyes darkened.
Since when did Nichole talk like that?
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” he said with a faint smirk.
“I know what I want,” Honey whispered, her voice full of drunken seduction.
Without another word, Jay carried her out of the club while his bodyguards fell in around them.
Jade had no idea what was happening. She was too wrapped up in her own fun to notice Honey being carried out.
Outside, Jay lowered Honey carefully into the passenger seat, then got in beside her. She was already too drunk to keep her eyes open.
“Drive,” he told the driver, who was already gripping the wheel.
The car sped into the night and didn’t stop until it reached one of the Kingsleys’ private penthouses.
Jay lifted Honey out of the car again.
She curled into him instinctively, her arms around his neck, their lips meeting once more in a heated, dizzy kiss.
Jay barely noticed the guards watching. He kept walking until he reached the familiar comfort of his bedroom.
Honey felt something soft beneath her as Jay lowered her onto the bed.
Then everything went dark.
*****
The sunlight spilling through the windows hit Honey’s face first. Her lashes fluttered lazily as she slowly opened her eyes and stared up at an unfamiliar white ceiling.
Unfamiliar.
She sat up at once, rubbing one eye.
Where am I?
Suddenly, she felt an arm draped around her waist beneath the blanket. Her heart nearly stopped.
What the hell happened?
Please don’t let it be what I am thinking.
With her breath caught in her throat, she lifted the edge of the blanket and looked down. Her jaw dropped.She was wearing nothing but her birthday suit.
“Jesus Christ,” she whispered.
Panic hit her all at once.
She scrambled out of the huge bed so fast she nearly tripped over her own feet. Then she hurried around the room, snatching up her dress and underwear from the floor.
Her eyes landed on the phone lying on the nightstand. Without thinking too hard, she grabbed it too and shoved it into her purse.
Then she rushed toward the door, paused for half a second, and threw one last look at the sleeping man.
He still had not moved.
Honey’s stomach flipped. Then she dashed out.
The guards stared at her as she hurried out of the sprawling estate.
“Good afternoon, madam,” they greeted in unison, bowing their heads respectfully.
Honey blinked at them, stunned.
Why are they greeting me like that?
But she did not stop to ask questions. She needed to get home. She needed to check on her younger brother before going to see her father at the hospital.
Once she got outside the giant gate, she looked around and froze.Everything was unfamiliar.
Where the hell am I?
Just then, a cab passed by on the highway. Honey flagged it down immediately.
“Please take me to Lincoln Street,” she said as she jumped in.
The driver gave her a puzzled look through the rearview mirror.
“What?” Honey snapped, stamping one foot lightly and scratching the back of her neck.
“I’m sorry, miss,” the driver said carefully. “Lincoln Street isn’t in this city.
”Honey frowned. “What do you mean? Everyone in Winterspoon knows Lincoln Street.”
The driver smiled politely. “I’m afraid you’re not in Winterspoon.”
“What?” Honey stared at him.
“This is Spring Hills,” he said.
Honey’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
What the hell? How was that even possible?
“Don’t worry, miss,” the driver said more gently, noticing her panic. “I can take you to the train station. You can catch a straight commute to Winterspoon from there.”
Honey let out a breath. “Thank you so much.”
By the time she finally got back to Winterspoon, it was already evening.
“Hey, girl, where have you been?” Jade shrieked the second Honey stepped into their small two-bedroom apartment, pulling her into a tight hug.
“Long story,” Honey sighed as she pulled away.
“Come on, Honey,” Jade pouted. “I said go have fun, not disappear off the face of the earth.”
“I know,” Honey yawned. “Things got out of hand. I drank way too much.”She threw herself onto the bed and started kicking off her shoes.
“How was it?” Jade asked in a teasing voice, sitting beside her.
“Gossip girl,” Honey muttered playfully, rolling her eyes, her cheeks turning pink. “It was fun,” she admitted. “But I’m never trying that again.”
“Oh, please. You totally will,” Jade said with a wink. “Tell me. Was he handsome?”
“He...” Honey started, but then a strange ringtone suddenly cut through the room.
She frowned and looked at Jade. “Whose phone is that? Did you change your ringtone?”
“Not me,” Jade said, shrugging. “It’s coming from your purse.”
Honey sat up straight. “My what?”
She reached for her purse at once and pulled out a sleek black phone.
Her eyes widened.“This isn’t mine,” she said. “s**t. This is his phone. I must have mistaken it for mine. My head was too foggy when I was leaving.”
“Let me see,” Jade said, snatching the phone from her. The second she looked at it, her jaw dropped.
Honey groaned. “What now, drama queen?”
Jade looked up slowly. “He’s the governor’s son. Jayson kingsley."
"You are talking nonsense," Honey chuckled. "That guy from the club is nothing close to a governor's son."
Jade didn't say a word. She reached for her laptop and handed it over to Honey. "Here, check him out."
Honey took the laptop, skeptical of Jade's words. But just to be sure, she typed the name.
Her jaw dropped when the search result brought out the same picture in the phone she was holding . Details.: Jayson Kingsley, son of Max Kingsley, governor of Springhills city.
Honey's voice dropped in terror. He is f*****g. Truly. The governor's son."