Allure of Temptation

2: My Friend's Son

AUDREY

I forced the smile to remain on my lips. It's been a long time since I saw him. It was probably during his college graduation a couple of years ago, even though Meredith, 5 years my senior, was a close acquaintance whom I kept in touch with and saw at social events and dinners. I wondered what he was thinking of me right now, exiting the club this late at night with no partner and dressed in a short gown that my coat exposed. I instinctively hugged myself against the chilly winter air.

“Hi Mateo. Fancy seeing you here. How's Meredith? Hung out with a friend here. Was just leaving.” I said everything in a rush before realizing how stupid I sounded. Of course, he'd be able to tell that was a lie.

He nodded, eyes not leaving my face for a second. It was unnerving, how intense his gaze was, how distractingly handsome he was with his deep blue eyes, high cheekbones, pointed nose, and hair that fell over his forehead. He was dressed in a grey shirt that clung to his upper body like a second skin, accentuating his muscles and biceps. His trousers…

I stopped short, mentally chastising myself at the direction my thoughts were going. He wasn't only younger than I was, he was my friend's son. Was I that starved of a man that I was stooping this low? What would he think of me if I knew he was checking me out?

Get a grip, Audrey.

“Are you here with your car? I'll just walk you to it?” He spoke calmly. Slowly. His eyes resting on mine without a care in the world.

“No, I'm actually just about to order for Uber.” I raised my phone, “You don't need to bother yourself. Just go back to your friends and…”

“In that case, I'll drive you home.”

“No, that won't be necessary. I'm sure you came here to have fun with your friends and…”

“I've been looking for an excuse to bail on them. Driving you home sounds like a perfect excuse.”

I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen, and a couple of minutes later, I was sitting beside him in a black Ford Mustang as he exited the club’s car park. I knew he was a freelance photographer, but I didn't know he was doing well enough to ride in cars like this, especially since Meredith once mentioned that he doesn't like to spend her money.

We drove in silence, my thoughts spiraling and my mind not registering the beautiful sights of Christmas decorations and lights we drove past. Without the club to distract me, I was reminded again of how much of a shithole I was in. I was trapped with a husband who disrespected me enough to f**k his mistresses on our matrimonial bed. I wasn't enough as a woman to keep a man and…

“Earth to Audrey,” two fingers suddenly snapped in front of me, and I jolted. I turned back to look at the driver's seat, where Matteo was looking at me.

“What were you thinking about? Could swear I called your name more than 10 times.”

“I'm sorry. It's just… I was just…” I looked around to see that the car was parked on a highway, “What is it? Did we run out of fuel?”

He observed me slowly, as if trying to decipher something, before he replied, “The radio announced that there's a roadblock a couple of miles ahead. It might take hours for them to clear it.”

“Ohh, what to do now? You can just go back to the club. I'll check into a hotel and spend the night there.”

“And your husband wouldn't mind you spending the night alone in a hotel?” his tone was straight and direct, but still laden with something undecipherable. It made my pulse spike.

It was also on the tip of my tongue to tell him that Dante probably wouldn't care if I didn't spend weeks at home as long as his credit card works just fine.

“Of course, he wouldn't. The situation calls for it.”

“Hmm,” he sounded disappointed, “I do have a better proposition for you, though. We're just right by one of our private parks. We could go there, sit on the mat, enjoy the Riverview and Christmas fireworks till the road clears.”

“And why would you want to do that with me? You should go back to your friends and…”

“My friends are fine, Audrey, but you're not.”

“What?”

“I can sense that you're down, and I don't buy that lie about hanging out with your friend. You're not dressed like it. You don't look like it. I know this is about your husband, and he's a fool for putting you in this mood. I'm not pressing for answers. I just want to make you feel better. Locking yourself up in a hotel room wouldn't cheer you up, so let's just drink some beer together, watch fireworks, and have conversations about frivolous things.”

I haven't even replied before he started driving again. He was right. I didn't want to lock myself in a hotel room right now. I needed fresh air. I needed someone to talk to, about anything that'd take my mind off Dante. He drove through a gate that led to a deserted park and didn't stop until he reached a riverside.

“Give a couple of minutes to set things up. I'll be back.”

I didn't get to reply before he was out of the car. Alone, I was forced to think about how disastrous this was. It felt like I was dancing with fire. He was my friend's son. He was probably fifteen years my junior. He had no business trying to cheer me up or make me feel better, especially at night and in such a quiet place as this.

I needed to leave.

My door opened from the outside.

“All done.” He pointed towards an open, makeshift tent in the distance, with a fire burning in front of it, overlooking the river, while the rest of the city carried on on the other side.

It was beautiful. I followed him, mentally convincing myself that this was all innocent gestures and that I was overthinking things and feeling this way because of how long I had stayed without a man.

Nothing was going to happen. Nothing I didn't want was going to happen.

The tent was all fluffly mat and pillows. I sat on it, and he handed me a can of beer. Our fingers brushed when I collected it, and I forced myself to ignore the sparks it ignited in me.

He's your friend’s son, Audrey.

He's your friend's son, Audrey.

He's your friend's son, Audrey.

He wasn't helping matters. He took his seat beside me as I watched the dark water and the bubbling city at the other end of it. I could feel him watching me.

“It's Christmas season. Couples are booking getaways and loving up. If you showed up to a club alone dressed in…” I felt him drink me in. I had taken off my coat, and even though the blanket was covering my legs, my arms, and cleavage were still bare.

“...dressed like that, how badly did your husband mess up?”

“I told you I was meeting up with a friend!” I felt my anger spiking, not at him but at myself. What was I doing here? In this stupid dress and with a young boy, I could have mothered? I was just making a fool of myself.

“And I told you I didn't believe you.”

I scoffed, my anger spiking over as I turned to face him fully, “Yeah, I had an argument with my husband, and no, I didn't come to the club to hang out with a friend. I came there with the hopes of hooking up with a man, any man. As long as he makes me feel what my husband hasn't made me feel in years.”

I said everything in a rush, and it didn't even take 30 seconds for me to realize the blunder I just committed. I face-palmed. He probably thinks of me as cheap now. I couldn't even meet his eyes.

“Listen, Matteo. I'm just going through a tough time right now, and I'm not like this…”

“I'd never blame a woman for putting her needs first,” he interrupted me in a tone that made me look up at him. He had moved closer, and he wasn't looking at me like one should look at their mother's friends, but like a man would look at the woman he wants.

He was looking at me like I was a piece of snacks he was waiting to devour.

“Especially if that needs aligns with mine,” his tone had grown deeper, huskier. His eyes lingered on my lips before lifting again.

“I didn't volunteer to drive you home for innocent reasons, Audrey, and I definitely didn't take a detour here and set all these things up to make you watch some dumb river. I did all that with the intention of f*****g you.”