Chapter 5
1021 Words
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Molly asked, her voice breaking, as they pushed through the sweaty and sloppy crowd of Club Euphoria, one of the city’s most premium venues.
Carmen had no clue if it was, a good idea that is. The only reason she could think of for dragging her best friend to a place like this—one that had never been a part of her life—was that she wanted to try something new but didn’t want to do it alone.
However, the truth about gathering such audacity wasn’t far from making her feel a tad guilty. After the encounter with Jenna and Ronin two days ago, Carmen felt the need to prove something. She was yet to understand what exactly the need was (and what it really meant to her), but what she could put together with the anxiousness and desperation twisting knots in her stomach surely had something to do with her ability to move on.
If Ronin was under the impression that she wasn’t done with him just as much as he was with her, she was eager to prove him so darn wrong.
Suppressing all the unsure voices in her head, she lifted her head and grinned brightly over her shoulder at Molly. “Of course, it’s a bad idea, but that might be why it feels so good.”
“Does it?” Molly asked, not so sure as Carmen.
“Come on, you used to bring me to such clubs and parties all the time when we were in undergrad. What has changed now? Don’t tell me you’re no longer a party animal. Because I call it bullshit. It was only last week that I saw all your dirty dancing pics on Insta.”
Molly felt trapped, her cheeks burning bright. “It’s not like that,” she said sheepishly, realizing that Carmen was ignorant of the incident that had prompted her to try to stay sober and out of trouble after one of her acquaintances had posted those unflattering photos online. The next day was an absolute nightmare. She still shuddered just thinking about it.
Carmen wasn’t sure what to make of Molly’s reply. It wasn’t every day that her best friend seemed so anxious and self-conscious. Molly had always been a more daring version of Carmen, which was probably why they appeared so unlike on the surface yet were so similar on deeper levels. They fit together like two puzzle pieces, one always incomplete without the other.
Molly dropped her gaze and twirled her hair around her finger. A clean tell-tale that she was hiding something and not being comfortable about it.
Carmen considered asking what the matter was, but she remembered how noisy and dark the club was for such important chats. Not to mention that the DJ had lately changed the track, which the partygoers welcomed with a loud cheer. A wave of men and women swarmed past them, squeezing the two friends together in the most unpleasant way possible.
And yet, in the midst of all the discomfort and commotion, they ended up laughing their heads off.
Two hours into the club, and the worst had already happened.
Carmen was thrown into the back seat of a stranger’s car. She had no clue how they got into this mess or when Molly abandoned her for another guy she met and danced her way out of the club, blowing flying kisses over her shoulder. The only thing that seemed to matter was this man’s expert mouth on hers, and she’d be lying if she said it wasn’t the best feeling she’d had in a long time.
His large hands roamed about her body, touching every inch of her as she used her hands to feel every inch of him. Not only was he all hard muscles beneath those clothes that felt expensive to the touch, but he even smelled so damn good. Carmen could barely stop the moans and grunts from spilling as he dragged his warm mouth from her lips to the slope of her delicate neck, kissing his way down to her cleavage and leaving a hot and wet path of his tongue in its wake.
It was only when he tried to yank the neckline of her top out-of-the-way so he could expose her breasts and suck on them that Carmen held his face and brought him up to face her.
Confusion oozed from him as they both struggled to even out their loud and wild breathing.
“I...” she began, a slight bashful grin on her face. “It might sound ridiculous, but...” she gulped, her mouth suddenly dry and her face on fire. “I haven’t...” she stammered. She simply couldn’t. Why was it so difficult to acknowledge it out loud? It’s not like she thought being a virgin at her age was a terrible thing. She knew it was a big deal to some, but Carmen had always wanted to save herself for the right man.
This man, on whose lap she was currently straddling, was far from being the right man she wanted to lose her virginity to. But she had been married once, betrayed, and divorced—it was obvious her search for the right man had gone down the drain.
Carmen wished she could take those words back the instant they left her mouth.
She cursed herself for being so forthright as she felt his strong presence pull back and his mouth no longer raining wonderful kisses on her neck and shoulders. There was no need to provide such insignificant information. He would have found out anyhow if they had decided to keep going and see how far they could go. But no. She had to open her mouth and talk trash. She just had to ruin the fun, leaving both of them to regret what had transpired thus far.
She heard the man sigh as he lifted his hand from her waist and ran it down his face.
“I’m so sorry,” she couldn’t help but feel bad.
- Writer
