Chapter 10: Post Poker Pleasure

"Where'd you find her, Adrik? I've never seen Noah lose, especially at poker. It is definitely a pleasure to meet you, Siren," Alessandro chuckled slightly.

After that game, I excused myself from the table, not wanting to taint my divine victory.

Adrik joined me at the bar, offering me a glass of wine. If it hadn't been for Noah, I would have considered tonight with Adrik a date. A freaking good one at that since Adrik behaved like a true gentleman. But there he was, ruining that too for me.

"Socialising is not your forte, is it?" He signalled the waiter to get him another one.

"It's useless if you ask me," I sipped the wine.

"I would argue the opposite. It can tell you quite a lot about people. Their personality, their habits, their mindset."

"All you need to know about a person can be known within the first and the last ten minute of your meeting," I stated, remembering the words my mother had chanted to me over the years.

The first ten minutes shows you how well a person can act and the last ten show you how they well they could keep up their act.

He waved me away.

I bit the inside of my cheek but even that didn't help me keep my mouth shut, so I started explaining, "You don't believe me? Okay, listen up. Let's start with your bunch as a whole. You guys act like posh billionaires but you are shady as fuck. What? Why? How? I'm not even going to think about that. I don't want trouble. Your friend Alessandro is in lov...let me correct myself, he's obsessed with his girlfriend, to the point I'd call it toxic. But he tries to hide it, for her sake or maybe his own."

"That man is as bitter and cheap as the wine they drink and that woman is as powerful as the gun strapped to her thigh," I referred to the couple whose names I still didn't know.

"Alicia and Sergio," He told me with a look of slight amusement on his face.

"Your other friend, Matthew, is an old man with an arm candy for a wife whom he cheats on with his countless mistresses. That man, even though not half as shady as the other people here, holds power over you, a lot of power."

"I'm impressed." He swirled the wine around in his glass.

"Impressing people is a part of my job description," I downed my glass.

"What about me?"

"Huh?"

"What do you think about me?"

"You...," Adrik waited keenly as I dragged my words,"You are the best looking guy in the room." I smiled at him, making him chuckle as he signalled the waiter for another drink.

But as I stood by the bar with a wine in my hand, my eyes wandered to Noah and I knew I was spewing bullshit. Even though Adrik was hot, smoking hot, it was Noah who had my attention. I noticed Noah was a good player. And he had an incredible streak of luck that helped him win every single hand. But it looked like he couldn't get enough victories to make up for that one loss.

I turned back to Adrik when he said,"You are too smart for this job."

"Too smart for earning money by drinking expensive wines and riding in luxury cars while partying the night away?"

Wow, I never really thought about that. Even Adrik seemed shocked. This job is pretty good. As long as it is on my terms, I wont mind continuing. What made it hard was my emotions messing me up. After yesterday's rejection, I felt...used? I shook my head in an attempt to shoo away the memories of that night. If anything, it was me who had used him. I mean I got fabulous sex and money.

"That's not what you really want to do though, is it? I'd bet you my entire fortune you'd leave this job as fast as you can."

I gave it another thought. Would I? With my current circumstances, yes. I'd leave as soon as I could. But if my life had been a bit different, if my siblings weren't in the scenario, if I was not desperate for money, maybe? One thing that made me hate my job was my desperation, the feeling of being caught in a web. The fact that I absolutely had to this job in order to survive. I have always hated being caught between a rock and a hard place. The fact that I needed to do this, made me feel forced into it. If I had another way out, I won't hate it as much as I do.

"In that case, you'd be penniless," I told him, downing another glass. I could feel the alcohol making my mind hazy, my thoughts dazed.

He asked as he assessed me for a moment, sharp eyes piercing straight into my soul, "Hmm, maybe I would."

I turned my gaze back to Noah who looked up, as if sensing my gaze. I gave him a smug smile as I raised my glass of wine to him.

Yes, I'm freaking petty and I'll rub it in his face every time he so much as looks my way.

He raises a brow and excuses himself from the table but before he could approach me, my phone rang and I looked down to see a call from the hospital.

I quickly picked it up, excusing myself before making my way to the restroom again.

"Hello? Am I speaking to Ms. Siren Evans, guardian of Mason Evans?"

"Yes, did something happen?" I waited for her answer, my heart in my throat. I don't know what I was expecting but my brain played the worst case scenario. All of the complications, side effects, infections I'd read about.

"I'm sorry for worrying you. Mason is fine but," I guess she heard the panic in my voice as she rushed to explain, "It's just that he has been asking for you. He says he won't take his meds untill you arrive and we refuse to force feed him. So, I guess it'd be better if you can assist us.''

"I'll be there," I ended the call.

"Leaving already?" I turned around to see Adrik standing at the end of the hallway walking up to me.

"Something important came up," I explained.

"I had a good time with you, even though you're not my type," He gave me a smirk as he gave me a once over.

"I'm everyone's type," I sassed him in my half drunk state.

"Are you tryimg to flirt with me?'' He gave me a small smirk gracing his lips as he leaned towards me.

"It's not flirting unless I end up on my back," I provoked. I don't even know what I was saying at this point.

"No."

"No?"

''I prefer you talking rather than on your back." He leaned even closer so I could feel his breath on my face. His body was cold, sending chills down my back.

"Aww, aren't you a sweet talker?"

"Trust me that's the only thing sweet about me," He gave me a smile that gave me a sugar rush, making me feel giddy or maybe it was the wine. But when he leaned closer, all I could see were his sea green eyes, the blue specks were even more prominent up close.

I placed my hand against his cheek, tracing my thumb against his sweet lips, my eyes focused on his lips, "Hmm, I don't agree."

His eyes met mine and he leaned closer, placing his cold hand against my waist, pulling me in before he traced my lips with his, lightly grazing against it.

His lips felt cold and hard as he ran his fingers down my hair, tugging the end of my ponytail as we kissed.

I pulled back, slightly out of breath before he took my face in his hands. He captured my lips with his, planting sweet kisses down my neck.

Gosh, I'm drunk as fuck.

I thought as I leaned closer.

"Boss," Someone called, interrupting us and I pulled back, swaying as I tried to catch my breath.

Yup, drunk as fuck.

Adrik shot him a nasty glare and he bowed his head, looking anywhere but into Adrik's eyes.

"What?" His tone was sour and hard as he looked ready to lash out.

"There's a phone call from your brother. He said it's urgent," The man looked up, eyeing me. His gaze lingering on certain parts more than others.

"What? Never seen a hot woman before? Look away before I gouge your mother fucking eyes out and shove them up your ass. That way you don't have to move your eyes so much to stare at others ass. You can stare at your own," I spat out at him and his eyes widened before he averted his eyes.

I was annoyed as fuck. Why? Why did I fucking kiss this guy? I placed a hand against my forehead, "The fuck am I doing here?" I muttered to myself.

I turned around, before walking to the other side.

"Where are you going?" Adrik asked me.

"Home," I saluted him as I turned back," I'm drunk and I need to go home before I jump another guy's dick."

I cracked out laughing before I remembered I needed to go to the hospital. I need to sober up. I slapped my cheeks, trying to wake myself up.

"Wait a sec, I'll drop you off," He told me as he attended the phone call. The other guy brought me a bottle of water. I gulped it down before he handed me a cup of coffee. I'm not even going to ask how they got it in a casino.

Even after the coffee, I knew I was in no shape to go to a hospital, so I texted Aria. Although I hated dumping my responsibilities on her, I knew it was the smart thing to do at the moment.

I walked a few steps down the hallway, trying to clear my head before I bumped into a man. He was on his phone, talking to someone, as distracted as me when it fell out of his hand. He bent down to retrieve it and I did too.

Catching a glance at his face, I froze. Before he could see me, I turned to the side, muttering an apology before practically running away.

No. No. No.

It was him. The man who starred in my nightmares.

This can't be happening right now. My fingers were trembling, my hands shaking too much. I clutched my dress, trying to control it but it was no use. My whole body was shaking in fear, terrified of the man I'd just encountered. I could feel myself choking, finding it harder to breath as flashes of the past ran through my mind, an array of distorted visions playing in front of my eyes and I saw my world shatter in front of me once again but this time, I felt more pain in my chest.

Before I knew it, I could see the hazy dots clouding my vision until I closed my eyes, letting the darkness take over.