Chapter 3: Sleeping With A Stranger

Cynthia POV.

Sinacore’s gaze was fixed directly on my face. Was it a probing gaze? Or a confused one? I could not tell. But apprehensions clouded my mind, causing my thoughts to run wild.

Was he going to suspect me of drugging him? Of bringing him to this seedy hotel, this dungeon of filth? Did he remember anything about his two drinking ‘buddies’? Was he aware that he had been drugged?

I felt nervous, anxious, and jittery.

“Um…I know who you are,” I tried to break the ice with small talk when he doesn’t say anything. “I have seen you on TV. You are Sinacore Williams, the tennis prodigy.”

He didn’t respond. Didn’t even bat his eyelids. Just kept staring at my face with glassy eyes.

“You know those two guys you were hanging out with? At Billy’s Tavern? They spiked your drink. I saw it myself. They added something to your drink while you were in the men’s room. And then they brought you here, to this hotel. You wouldn’t believe what they are up to…”

The words died on my tongue. Sinacore was sitting like a statue, immobile, not blinking, not twitching, not responding. I had doubts if he was even listening.

He seemed to be in a daze. A daze that turned the whites of his eyes red, enhancing the green of his irises, and his cheeks a deep pink hue. He was sweating profusely and was not trying to wipe off the steady streams of sweat running down his forehead and neck.

“You are still under the influence.” I sighed loudly. “You didn’t hear anything I said, did you?”

There was no response from him. It felt like I was talking to a stone wall.

“Can you hear me? Hello?” I walked closer to him and waved my hand in front of his face. There was no movement as if some mysterious force had frozen him in time and place.

“Shall I take you to the hospital? Do you need to see a doctor?” I asked him nervously. His silence and immobility were unnerving. “Say something, Sinacore.”

He said nothing.

I threw my arms up in despair. What was I supposed to do now? Waiting till morning didn’t feel like the right decision. This man probably needed immediate medical attention.

But that had to wait.

A rumbling noise of engines out on the street immediately caught my attention. I rushed to the only window in the room and parted the curtains slightly. A steady stream of vehicles of different shapes and sizes were parking themselves right in front of the hotel entrance. They all had logos of different media groups and TV news outlets.

The cavalry had arrived.

My mind raced. My heart stopped. They were all here for the sensational scoop they had been promised. ‘Rising tennis star caught red-handed with sex workers in a hotel room’. And if I were to attempt to take Sinacore to the hospital now, those sensational headlines would turn into a reality TV show.

A hundred TV cameras will spot, record, and broadcast images and videos of him leaving the hotel with me. Millions across Crystal Town will watch in rapt attention and gossip in pervert glee. The news will spread like wildfire across the entire country.

We will be doomed for the rest of our lives.

What a nightmare!

“Think, Cynthia! Think!” I moved away from the window and began to pace the room. Anxiety gripped me from head to foot.

Sinacore, on his part, was still sat like a stone statue, unfazed and unaware of the gravity of the situation. Until he suddenly stood up without intimation or warning and tried to walk toward the table at the other end of the room. His hand was extended in front of him. There was nothing on it except a bottle of water. It seemed that’s what he was trying to get a hold of.

He was probably thirsty.

Before I could react, he stumbled and fell. His legs were wobbly and gave way beneath him. His hands were trembling, and his face was covered in sweat. His eyes were still as blank and glassy as before. The effect of the drugs had not worn off yet.

“Wait!” I ran over to help him. Before I could get a hold of him, he pushed himself to his feet and grabbed my arms in a vice-like grip. In one swift movement, he had my legs backed against the edge of the mattress and pushed me down.

A gasp slipped past my lips the moment my back collided with the firm mattress.

Sinacore grabbed my wrists and held them above my head, pressing them into the bed as hard as he pressed his firm body against mine. He lowered his face to mine, his warm breath fanning across my cheek. Despite the alcohol on his breath, his bergamot and cedar scent invaded my senses, sending a chill racing down my spine.

I opened my mouth to ask what he was doing, but he silenced me by pressing his lips against mine. His action stunned me, not because I hadn’t expected it, but for the sheer fact a bolt of electricity raced across my body, ending at my fingertips. My head grew fuzzy with warmth and my core tingled.

I had never been kissed before. Michael and I had never shared a kiss even though we had been living under the same roof for months. He was never interested in doing it, and always tried to avoid and evade any situation that might lead to us kissing. It always bothered me as to why he was so reluctant. Was I not good enough to be kissed?

But I never questioned him. I didn’t grow up with a lot of love or affection. In fact, my parents hardly kissed or hugged me, if ever. One was an alcoholic, the other was a compulsive gambler. They both loved their addictions more than they ever loved me. If I could spend eighteen years of my life with them without being hugged or kissed, it would make sense why I never questioned Michael not wanting to kiss me.

But to be kissed by a stranger in a random hotel room under those precarious circumstances was beyond my wildest imagination.

What was happening right now?

“Sinacore,” I whispered. My breathing grew rapid as his large hand released its grip on my hand to slide down the length of my body. Goosebumps form in the wake of his path, and a hum of electricity simmers beneath my skin. “What are you doing?”

He hummed lowly as his fingers found the hem of my blouse, teasing the material. My eyes flew open in surprise, and I used my free hand to stop his hand from moving any further. Warmth filled my cheeks at the sudden realization of what was happening right now.

Despite my apprehension about the situation, and knowing I should stop Sinacore from going any further, something deep within my soul is begging me not to. I’m unsure as to why, but I couldn’t ignore it.

Sinacore shook my hand off his and leaned back on his haunches to continue unbuttoning my shirt, his glassy eyes focused on his shaky hands. My breathing caught in my throat as my heart pounded harshly in my chest. When he flicked the last button, allowing the material to fall open and reveal my chest, a shaky breath slipped from my parted lips.

His warm hands grazed over my stomach, admiring the sight before him. I felt self-conscious under his intense gaze. I tried to use my free hand to cover myself up, but he automatically caught my hand and pressed it above my head with my other hand.

“Sin, I’m a virgin,” I breathed. “I don’t—”

“I won’t hurt you.” It was the first words he had spoken tonight, his voice so low I almost didn’t hear him. “You’re safe with me.”

Although I knew this shouldn’t be happening, especially not with a stranger, I was helpless to stop it. It was as if an invisible string had wrapped itself around my waist, keeping me in place, and unable to pull away from this man.

From the moment Sinacore touched me, I was lost to him. I had never felt so warm, so alive, even when I was dating Michael. He made me feel loved, but Sinacore made me feel desired. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and although I had envisioned my first time being with someone I loved, I knew I wouldn’t regret making this decision. Call it a gut feeling.

“Okay,” I murmured and lowered my arms to my side as I gazed up at him through my lashes. “I trust you.”

Sinacore leaned forward, hovering over me. His warm breath fans across my lips, eliciting a fire deep within my core. He rolls his hips forward, his hard crotch firm against my thigh. The movement had my vision blurring with anticipation.

“It’ll hurt, but if you need me to stop, just say so, okay?”

I nodded and lifted my arms to wrap them around his neck. “Okay.”

That was all the verbal confirmation Sinacore needed. He closed the space between us, capturing my lips with his as his hands roamed over my body. In a blur, his hands had pushed down my dress pants. Tender fingers caressed my inflamed skin as his lips melted against mine.

My head grew fuzzy with desire and lust as I followed Sinacore’s lead. I helped him out of his clothes, tossing them on the floor beside us. My mouth dried at the sight of the hard panes of muscles in his chest and the veins bulging from his firm biceps. Every part of this man was a work of art.

As Sinacore lowered me on my back, his hard length bobbing between our bodies, the string wrapped around my waist continued to tighten, drawing me closer and closer to the man hovering above me, pressing delicate kisses against the valley between my breasts, up the base of my neck, and over my jawline until he reaches my swollen lips.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked breathlessly, my gaze meeting his.

His emerald eyes were still glassy, an effect of the drugs he had been given, but they were no longer blank and devoid of emotion. Instead, they were filled with so much desire that added fuel to the fire growing in my core.

“I’m sure.” He presses his lips against mine, his tongue caressing mine. “I want you so fucking bad.”

My breath caught in my throat as I gripped his shoulders. I was helpless to speak, so I simply stared into his eyes until he tore them away to kiss me again. His fingers slid down my stomach and gripped the base of his hard length. A gasp flew from my lips when the crown slid between my wet folds.

To say I was nervous would be an understatement, but I wasn’t in the right mind to care. And clearly, neither was Sinacore.

He rolled his hips forward, allowing himself to slide into me, inch by inch. Our moans mixed together as Sinacore slowly worked his way in, stopping to allow me to catch my breath. He was right, it was painful, but once that pain subsided, a wave of pleasure crashed over me.

“That’s it,” Sinacore praised, his fingers gliding over the curve of my hip as he rocked forward. “So fucking tight.”

My head was too fuzzy to respond. Instead, I focused on keeping my hold on his shoulders and allowing myself to get lost in the warmth spreading between us. The string around my waist has tightened to the point I think it would be impossible to cut us free.

“Sin,” I moaned, throwing my head back into the mound of pillows.

Sinacore quickened his pace, his hips slamming forward to meet mine. The longer the rhythm continued, the tighter my core gets.

It was all a blur really when I tipped over the edge with the stranger above me. Having an orgasm is a foreign feeling to me, but a welcomed sensation nonetheless. Sinacore’s grip of my hips tightened as he finished in me, his breath ragged and a sheen of sweat coating his forehead. His messy auburn hair hid his emerald eyes as he pulled out, leaving me feeling empty and incomplete.

He dropped to the mattress and gestured for me to curl into his side. I gladly accepted his offer and slid into his open arms. Although his body is slicked with sweat, his bergamot and cedar scent still lingered.

Sinacore mindlessly ran his fingers through my hair as my eyelids grew heavy.

I never thought that was I got fired this morning and caught my boyfriend cheating on me, that I would be having sex with a tennis prodigy.

And yet, here I was.

How in the world had I gotten here?

***

As dawn rolled in, I stirred in Sinacore’s arms, just as the sun was waking up too. A feeling of satisfaction and contentment washed over my being. I felt happy and desired. Finally.

I turned to face him, only to find him staring at me with wide-open eyes. He had woken up, and his expression was nothing like mine. He looked startled and confused. The next words he uttered were ones I had expected to hear but was hoping I wouldn’t.

“Who are you?”