Daddy's Addiction

Chapter 3: I'm having a dream.

I stared down at my hands gripping my car steering wheel, then I looked outside the window. “It's already so dark outside, maybe by now we could…” I chuckled bitterly.

Today was supposed to be simple: catch my fiancé, get the evidence and then spend the night celebrating with my girlfriend. I sighed and sat straight. This dress is so uncomfortable for me. I'm not that used to wearing all these classy, side-cut dresses, but I made an exception for today.

"Guess there's no need anymore." I muttered.

I normally keep a set of my comfort clothes in my car for this exact situation and I'm glad I did. "Now where did I put it?” My phone rang before I could find it, my handbag was at the back seat, I threw it there when I ran out of the house early.

I stared at the caller ID for some moment, my thumb hovering over the pickup button. It's my mother calling, Lucas must have already complained to them. Not like I care. "I hope she's in a good mood right now tho.” I muttered. "if not…”

I answered the call. “Mom…”

I didn't finish what I wanted to say, before her words cut me off.

"Satella Rosa Valeria.” My full name, I'm in for an earful. “Yes mom."

"What is this nonsense I'm hearing from Luca's family?! You want to cancel the engagement? Are you that stubbornly insane? Have you forgotten why the engagement is needed in the first place?"

I bit my lips, an old, nervous habit I can't overgrow no matter what.

“Mom, I… Lucas, he—”

“Shut up, let me finish if you can't talk properly!” I flinched, holding the phone a little away from my ear.

"I want you to go to the Lucas family at this instant." She commanded. “And beg him to take you back—.

“Mom!!, I can't do that.” I didn't let her finish, I continued, my voice steady. "How can I take him back? When he's a cheat, Mom, I caught him — with someone else having s*x.

There was a pause at her end, and that's what I needed. My Mum is always strongly against husband's who cheats behind their wife's back, and I don't know exactly why, but that gave me the courage to set this plan up.

"And so what.” She scoffed.

My eyes widened and my phone nearly slipped from my grip. “Mom, what… what are you talking about, he's a cheat, he—”

“Is he the only man who cheats, they all do. Anybody can cheat. He's a man. And it's not like he's a married man yet. So don't think because I'm always against them you can escape this.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the world tittle around me. "Mom—”

“Your father cheated on me more times than I could count before we got married,” she said, like she was talking about the weather. I couldn't do anything back then, but I used my senses and now I have control over him and my house. That's what matters. So use that stubborn head of yours, Satella. Because no matter what you can't stop them from cheating.

Silence rained from both our ends, then I heard her sighed and continued but with a softened voice. "We can't take care of you forever, but Lucas can, he cares about you. He can give you a better life. So don't be stubborn, and fix this before tomorrow, before your father returns, okay."

The call ended. I sat there, holding the phone in my hand, feeling like someone just poured cold water on me. Lucas was right. I can't run away from this, and there's nothing more to fight for. I should just accept my fate.

I leaned back and closed my eyes, but that wasn't helping because all I could see was not helping me think at all. But one question is all that's holding me back from going back to Lucas. "Is this how it ends?” The engagement is just one week ahead and after that I can't leave the way I want anymore.

“What do I do?" I groaned.

Then a little boy caught my attention, he was saying something. I wing down the car window.

"Buy your facemask, it's comfortable and has pleasant scent to it, buy one get one free.” I heard the boy said.

I tapped the car steering wheel, thinking. "Facemask, Facemask…” Then my eyes widened. "Since, I can't run away from this engagement then I'm going to do what I want before the knot is tied."

"And the first thing I'm going to do is party all night and then I will be the one to choose who takes my first time.”

The truth is I was not a lesbian at first, I dated guys before but each relationship didn't last more than a month and after the break up, it didn't hurt like I thought it would so I began losing interest in guys but with Sera she made me think that I was a lesbian. It was fun being with her at the beginning, we went out, had fun and her family are good people too. So I thought it was real and she's the one. But I was dead wrong.

So this time I am going all out, in a single night. "But I don't want the person to know my face to avoid future "had I know” so I need, facemask!!”

I happily called out to the boy and bought one. Then I arranged my thick black hair and makeup before I looked down at my dress. I wore a black short dress that ended mid-thigh, with a deep neckline, one shoulder bare the other covered by a single strap.

My heels were the same color, pointed, the exact ones I had wanted to drive into Lucas's throat not an hour ago. I had worn all of this to catch a cheating man.

It seemed almost wasteful to not party with it. And finally mask on.

***********

I found this club-hotel through the internet. Five stars and its reviews on Hot handsome men were high. And it didn't lie — the men in this place were attractive, tall, well dressed and had faces that belonged on the side of a cologne bottle.

So I had expectations.

But why am I still standing here, forty minutes later, completely alone.

It wasn't like I didn't do my parts. I had done the thing — the slow scan over the room, holding eye contact for a beat long, the slight tilt of my head that in every movie screams “come talk to me.”

Two men actually did, one brought me a drink. We talked, it was going well, then he asked, like it was nothing — "so are you going to take that off?"

"The mask stays on," I said.

He stared at me like I had just told him I collected teeth. Made an excuse about finding his friend and was gone within thirty seconds.

The second one didn't even make it that far. I told him upfront this time, just not to waste time. He took a long look at me, then at the mask, then back at me, and said, completely serious —

"Are you hired?"

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Like—" he lowered his voice, looking around like someone might be listening. "Are you here for someone? Professionally."

It took me a full three seconds to understand what he meant. "You think I was hired to kill someone."

He didn't deny it. Just gave me this uncomfortable smile and backed away slowly, like sudden movements might set me off. I stood there and watched him go.

“I need a drink.” Then I walked to the drink section, pulled out a stool and sat down. The bartender slid a menu towards me, I stared at it blankly. “My life sucks."

"Sorry, we don't have that.” I looked up and a Young-ish, easy face appeared. “Take this instead." He set a drink down in front of me without me asking. I looked at the drink then back at him. At least it has a straw, I thought.

"So. What are I dealing with?” I looked at the drink for a moment, then thought — why not. What was there left to protect. So I talked. I kept it short, hit the highlights: the plan, the hotel room, Sera, the recording, my mother's phone call. By the time I finished, he was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, watching me the way people watch something they're trying to work out.

Then he said, "Huh."

"That's it? Huh?"

"I'm just—" he tilted his head slightly. "I expected you to be crying your eyes out. That's usually how this goes. Girl finds her fiancé cheating, then me handing over tissues, maybe a second glass."

I looked down at the counter. "I already shed a tear."

"Already?"

"Back in the room. Couple more in the car." I tapped the rim of the glass once. "But I'm not going to sit in them. It won't change anything, will it."

It wasn't really a question and he seemed to understand that, because he didn't answer it like one.

"So then what are you doing here?" His voice was quieter now, genuinely curious rather than bartender-making-conversation.

I looked up at him. "To hunt," I said.

He was quiet for exactly two seconds.

"Don't ask.” I stopped him because I know what's he's going to ask next. “it's been terrible and it has killed all my party energy, now I just want to drink, hunting can wait.”

"That I can help you with.” He said. I didn't stay long, before I got too drunk, I walked towards the lobby, my heels clicked against the marble floor, which I found annoying at the moment. I approached the front desk.

“Hello, is there a room available?" The receptionist smiled brightly. "Good evening, miss. Just a moment, I'll find an available room for you.”

The receptionist placed my key on the counter. I took it, thanked her in a mumbled and walked towards the elevator. The ding sound woke me up from sleeping there, I clumsily walked out and then looked at the key trying to make out my room number, but I wasn't looking so I bumped into someone.

My key card fell from my hand. “Excuse me." I heard the person say it, and it sounded like a man. "Oh, yeah,” I heard him say, he seems to be on a call. “He's settled in for the night, sir. I will be there shortly." After saying that, he bent down, picked his key card and walked away.

I couldn't help but click my tongue, my body swinging from left to right because of alcohol and grumbled. "At least you could have picked mine too." I picked up my card and walked to room 199.

I fumbled with the key, then finally pushed the door open. I frowned, the room looked premium, but I was too drunk to care. I stepped inside and closed the door. The bed took all my worries away.

I kicked off my shoes and then tugged my dress over my head and headed towards the bathroom. No matter what, I can't sleep without taking my night bath.

I took a quick shower, a night gown was already hanging in the bathroom and I couldn't help but praise the manager who thought of this. I put it on and stumbled over to the massive bedroom and flopped onto it. I closed my eyes, instantly falling asleep.

“Fearless are we."

My heavy eyelids were forced open by a deep voice, and I came face - to - face with the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen.

A man was seated not too far from my bed, hidden by darkness and the only light that shone on him was from the moon shining through the open window. His eyebrows arched up in annoyance and frustration.

I blinked at the hot stranger in my hotel room.

"f**k me.”