Obsession

chapter 3

★ MIA ★

I slowly lowered the bottle of water onto the table when I noticed the figure standing by the staircase.

He looked huge, but the man who had carried me last night had a broader chest. This one stood shirtless, a white towel wrapped loosely around his waist. Tiny beads of sweat trickled down his hairy chest, disappearing beneath the towel.

I swallowed hard before speaking.

“Sorry, but who are you, and where am I?”

“I’m Victor. And you are?”

“Mia.” I paused, tightening my grip on the bottle. “Where am I? I asked again.

“My big brother’s house. Dylan’s,” he muttered, then added, “He brought you here.”

So I wasn’t imagining things. The man standing before me wasn’t the one who had carried me last night.

I lifted the bottle to my lips and took another gulp of water. A moment later, I heard footsteps approaching. Victor walked over to the fridge, grabbed another bottle of water, and joined me at the table.

He uncapped it and gulped down the entire contents in one go, breathing heavily afterward as though he’d just finished a marathon.

“Are you okay?” I asked, eyeing him curiously. “You look stressed.”

He glanced toward the staircase, as if the answer to my question was hanging up there.

I turned to look, but there was nothing.

I was about to ask him what was wrong when a voice floated down from the stairs.

“You might wanna close your eyes, young lady.”

I spun around just as heavy footsteps began descending the staircase.

And there she was.

A woman, completely naked, with her breasts on full display pointing straight at me.

I nearly choked on my water.

“Are you ever going to get tired of this?” Victor groaned, sounding utterly exhausted.

“Hmm?” she hummed, smiling mischievously as she approached him.

Before I could process what was happening, she climbed onto his lap.

“She’s just some w***e. I don’t even know why I called her,” Victor muttered.

He barely said the words out before she silenced him with a kiss.

He tried to pull away, but she held his face firmly between her hands and kissed him harder.

When her hand slipped beneath his towel, I knew it was time to make myself disappear. I have seen enough.

“We might do this one day, Mia,” he mumbled between kisses, shooting me a mischievous look.

“Big dreams,” I whispered.

Then I turned toward the staircase, determined to escape the madness unfolding behind me.

I was halfway up when a familiar scent struck my nose.

That cologne.

The same one I’d caught a whiff of last night. I slowed down, my brows flaring up.

Had he been here all along, listening to the woman’s loud moans and Victor’s stupid responses?

Goodness. These people are really interesting.

I continued up the stairs until I reached the hallway. It was lined with doors, one after another, making it almost impossible to tell which room was which. I couldn't recognize the one I came out of so I picked one and pushed it open.

There he was.

Sitting on the bed with his back to the door.

I froze.

“Oops. I think I’ve got the wrong room,” I muttered, quickly pulling the door shut.

For a moment, I stood outside, staring at the door as though it had personally offended me.

Then it crossed my mind

Wait.

Why hadn’t he said anything?

The hallway suddenly felt quieter than before. And then the scent grew stronger.

Oh, God.

Was he standing behind me?

A cold shiver crept down my spine.

“You can have the room.”

His voice came from behind me, low and cold, yet comforting. My mouth went dry and my throat parched.

I swallowed hard again before I turned to face him. That cologne was going to be the death of me. Seriously, how could a man smell that good?

He stood there, his expression flat and unreadable.

“I’m Mia,” I said, extending my hand for a handshake.

“Dylan.”

He took my hand slowly, his fingers trailing against mine before his grip settled into a firm handshake.

For some reason, the simple gesture sent a strange flutter through my stomach. I pulled my hand away almost immediately.

My heart was beating faster than it should have been, and I could feel my cheeks burning.

Dylan opened the door and stepped aside, allowing me to enter.

Everything about him felt strangely familiar, even though I barely knew him. There was something effortless about his presence, something that made me feel both nervous and comfortable at the same time.

I wanted to say something, anything, but then Karl’s face crept into my mind.

No.

Not again.

I shook the thought away and stepped farther into the room and sat on the bed.

Dylan closed the door behind us before walking over to the bed and sitting beside me.

His gaze settled on my face.

“What happened to you back there?”

His voice sliced through the silence.

“I guess I was drunk,” I replied with an awkward chuckle, looking away.

“On a sink?”

He raised an eyebrow.

I wished the bed would split in half and swallow me whole.

My fingers tightened around the edge of my clothing as embarrassment drowned me.

“Okay, fine. I passed out from coke,” I admitted, stumbling over the words.

I forced an anxious smile onto my face, hoping he wouldn’t ask any more questions.

“Are you one of those hoes?”

The question made me sit up straight. My jaw tightened too.

“What the hell? No! Why would you even ask me that?” I snapped, turning to face him. “Is that what you people do here? Sleep around with every random person you meet? I’m not one of them!”

I paused, realizing how defensive I sounded.

“Sorry,” I added reluctantly. “But I’m not.”

“I never said you were,” Dylan replied, his voice softened.

"I knew you weren't anyway" he added.

"Just needed confirmation" he smiled

He leaned back slightly. His palms gripping the sheets.

“I just thought you knew my sick little brother. He’s known for hanging around women like that. That’s why I asked.”

“Oh.”

That was all I could manage.

I looked at him again, studying his face.

He had that rich-boy look—strict, tough, and arrogant. The kind of man who probably expected everyone to do what he wanted without asking questions.

But something about him didn’t fit the picture.

The way his expression changed when he took my hands. Beneath that cold exterior, there seemed to be a softer side he’d rather keep hidden.

Maybe he’d learned to act tough because the world expected it of him. Or maybe I was just imagining things just because he's charming

Rich boys were complicated.

I sighed.

“So weird,” I muttered.

“What is?”

I turned to him.

“A rich kid being soft. I thought you all came with the same personality.”

For a second, he simply stared at me.

Then he burst into laughter.

Not a small chuckle, but a full, unrestrained weird laughter

I found myself laughing, too.

And somehow, between the laughter and the teasing, a feeling of attraction burned inside me. His expression said same.

I wasn't sure

Until our eyes met.

His laughter slowly died away, but neither of us looked away.

The silence that followed felt different from the one before.

His fingers moved lazily across the bedsheet, reaching closer until they brushed against my knee.

My breath caught.

Was this really happening?

I should have moved away. I should have reminded myself that I barely knew this man.

Instead, I stayed exactly where I was.

His hand settled on my thigh, his fingertips tracing small circles against my skin.

My thoughts scattered.

Maybe it was the way he looked at me. Maybe it was the way he touched me so gently, as though he was waiting for me to decide what happened next.

Or maybe I was simply tired of thinking.

Whatever it was, I wanted him.

Just for tonight, I told myself.

Having s*x with a handsome stranger wouldn’t be the worst decision I’d ever made.

And if it was only for one night, I could live with that.