Chapter 2

For what it’s worth, Ramon was a psychopath. That’s the only explanation I had for the sentence he said last. After we lost dad two years ago, my relationship with mom grew tighter and I knew she’d never and has never hidden anything from me.

Well, except from her marriage that I was still very pissed about. She had boyfriends which only happened because we needed their help. Financially. But marriage? And a breakup?

I sighed, a surge of pain spreading through my jaw as I unclenched it. “I keep wondering if he really did love me.” I muttered but I came out louder than I expected. Tears slipped down my cheeks and I added, “Why’d he even say I deserved better? Why couldn’t he get better for me.”

“I hate to back him up, but you do deserve better,” my best friend, Joanna—though I called her Jojo—said. She walked into her sitting room, her footsteps scuffling through the carpet and the sofa squishing as she bounced down on it. “That dude was never your match anyway.”

“Jojo please.” I focused my gaze on the television, though my tear filled eyes made it hard to see anything.

“Are you really going to sit here all night crying yourself out?” I sniffed, wiping my cheeks with my sleeves. “I’m not crying.”

“Good. Because seeing you cry over that dumb ass is pissing me off,” she answered. The breeze from the fan brushed against our skin. Joanna dragged her legs up into the blanket on the sofa then pulled it around her shoulder. “Like how the fucking way would you even cry into a bowl of cereal? Over a guy who never even gave a fuck about you.”

I glanced down at the cereal before me. Who gives a heartbroken person cereal?

“It was soggy.” I shifted on the floor, relaxing my back against the sofa as the leather stuck to my skin. “Stop acting like you’ve never been heartbroken.”

Her head fell back against the armrest. “Don’t be ridiculous, Poppy. All my relationships ended with valid reasons. They didn’t just walk into my work place under the fucking rain and ended things.”

“I really shouldn’t have told you.”

“You need to get laid. I hate seeing you spiral.”

“What?” I asked, my breath hitching as I glanced at her with a reddened cheek. She better be kidding. “You mean I need a rebound?”

The fan creaked, rotating again. Joanna ignored the noise and my question too. “Preferably by someone hot and emotionally unavailable.”

“Thanks but no.” I turned back to the TV.

She rolled her eyes and stood from the sofa, wrapping the blanket around her body. “Sometimes I wonder how we’ve been friends for five years.” She squatted next to me, throwing her hand over my shoulder. “I’m not asking you to marry this guy. It’s just to remind your brain that Ramon isn’t all that. I can only imagine how boring your sex life was.”

Very boring. “it wasn’t,” I mumbled and sighed. “So how do I meet this hot and emotionally unavailable person?”

“You remember the guy I told we’ve been speaking on tinder?” She asked. I place my head on her shoulder, blinking severally. She had met tons of guys on tinder. So no, I didn’t know which one she was talking about. “He’s in town. We’re to meet at Ross Hotel, you could tag along.

There’s a clubhouse.”

Rumor had it that the hotel was owned by a mafia family. How could I fit in there?

“I’m not coming to be a third wheel, Jojo.”

Her skin flushed. She scoffed and pulled her hand away from my shoulder with an eye roll. “Who mentioned being a third wheel? Okay where else could you find a horny man if not in a night club? It’s just so easy. Sit and sip your drink. Someone is definitely going to approach you.”

A weight seemed to press on my chest, making my heart squeeze. “What if—”

“There’s no what if’s. Just have fun. Get over Ramon and practice saying daddy while at it since your mom just got you one.”

“Let’s do it.” I answered, after a long pause pretending not to hear her last word.

It took us two hours to get dressed. I wore Jojo’s bodycon dress which hugged tightly around my body, pushing out my cleavage while she wore a corset top and palazzo pants. We boarded a cab from her apartment and by exactly eight o’clock, we were at the entrance of Ross clubhouse.

After the bouncer checked our ID, we hauled in alongside the crowd outside.

My heart raced. I hated crowd. Inside, music thrummed through the speakers vibrating across the room. The air was filled with the scent of smoke, sweat and colognes.

Jojo pulled out a lip gloss from her bag. “I’m going now. Have fun,” she screamed into my ear, her warm breath brushing against my neck. “If you need anything,” she paused and applied the lipgloss. “Ask your one night stand.”

With that she maneuvered her way into what looked like another exist from the club. I sighed and unzipped the fur coat I had on, mentally wishing I didn’t come here. Fucking to get over someone has never been my thing.

I squeezed myself through the crowd until I got to the counter, took a stool and ordered soda.

Oh god!

Tilting my head, I shut my eyes and poured the drink down my throat welcoming the hotness. I opened my eyes, and dropped the glass on the counter, gasping with my nose scrunched. “More,” I said to the bartender then turned to watch the strippers. Boring.

I flipped my head up then locked eyes with someone. My pulse spiked.

He sat at the VIP section on a leather couch, holding a glass of wine. His other hand was spread over the armrest while a brunette lady traced her manicured nails over his tuxedo jacket which covered a button down black shirt. His wavy dark hair framed his chiseled face and a tattoo shimmered by the side of his neck.

Observation: He was mafia and really hot.

I bit my lips, tapped my hand on the counter for my drink not moving my gaze away from him.

His eyes were still on me, dark and penetrating. The lady whispered something to him and stood, swinging her butt as she walked out. Slowly, a smirk crept onto his face and he lifted his glass of wine at me.

Heat warmed the base of my back. I forced down a gulp and lifted my glass too, my smile faltering. Oh lord, was I really doing this?