A Stolen Kiss

After Ariella and Denise had left the office, they both stopped by Ella's house, where they dropped off their things, relaxed, and discussed for a long time. They talked, laughed, and cried as they reminisced their good, bad, and ugly times in the F&K fashion home.

Denise later suggested that they should hang out in a club bar to celebrate their freedom from horrible bosses which Ella surprisingly agreed to. At first, Ella wasn't sure of what dress to wear. She rummage through her clothes, scattering and tossing different clothes aside in futile frustrations.

Denise seeing her distress, suggested that she put on the dress she gifted her during her 24th birthday party, which she did happily.

Ella later drove over to Denise's apartment, where Denise quickly changed and they both left for the club.

Ella and Denise stepped into the Skinny club bar with so much enthusiasm at 7:25 PM.

The music in the club was hyped, and the decorative lighting defined the dance floor and other distinct areas. The atmosphere in the club bar was lively, exciting, and adventurous.

Several eyes gawked at Ella, as she walked beside Denise to the bar stand to order their drinks.

Ella wore a sleeveless black short-fitted latex dress with black high-heeled T-strapped sandals. Her hair was styled and neatly packed up into a ponytail. The loosed curly end cascaded down her shoulder, which gave her a seductive aura.

At first, Ella was timid and wasn't sure of how to respond to the stares she got. But all thanks to Denise; who had already prepped her before they came out, she regained her composure and acted indifferently.

Several admirers came close to chat with Ella but were driven off by the protective mama bear Denise.

Ella wasn't used to hanging out in clubs, hence, she felt mismatched with Denise, who was the queen of partying and clubbing. Denise, being a regular at the club quickly ordered some tropical cocktail drinks for Ella, and two glasses of double martini for herself. Then she led Ella to a corner booth, to make her feel relaxed. And also, to keep her away from the wild drunks, vultures, and players. Denise had earlier invited some of her drinking buddies, who later joined them in the fun.

Ella was on her second cocktail drink and having so much fun with Denise when she got a call from Leon. She stared at her phone in surprise and showed Denise the caller. Feeling light-hearted and giggling a little, she received the call.

Leon had been busy all day at work. He had to travel out of the city for a business deal but returned late the same day. He was on his way from the airport when he got the information that Ella and her friend Denise had been fired from the F&K fashion company. He was more provoked and furious when he found out the reason behind their job termination. He didn't bother making any effort to get Ella's job back as he knew the company didn't deserve her. It was their loss letting go of a rare talent.

"So Chloe had the guts to do this?" He quizzed himself out loud. He was suddenly possessed with a righteous fury that nothing could quench. His hatred for Chloe quadrupled.

He decided there and then, that the only way to deal with Chloe was to give her a good competition that ran on the same social status as her.

And who else if not Ella; whose presence continually affects Chloe, can fit that competitor status?

He would give Ella his ultimate blessing and support. All he needed to do was convince Ella to be his wife for a specified period, then they can both benefit and get satisfactory revenge on Chloe as a plus.

Leon decided to call Ella and find out where she was, so he could reach out and comfort her. Also, he wanted to offer her a better deal.

He was troubled when he heard the loud background music when Ella received his call. And when she spoke, he was more furious than worried. He could tell she was a little tipsy from the way she slurred each word. Luckily for him, she willingly gave him the address of where she was and Leon immediately instructed his driver to take him there.

When Leon entered the club, he was greeted by very loud jams and a tense alcoholic environment. So many ladies tried flirting with him but he easily pushed them off as he was used to the clubbing lifestyle. He scanned his environment and found what he was looking for. When he came over to where Ella and Denise were seated, he was flustered to see Ella looking so different and seductive in her black little dress. He was also riled when he saw her chatting with a man.

His eyebrow furrowed, and his ocean blue eyes darkened. A surge of hormones swept through his entire body. He felt like strangling this man. He suddenly had a very strong desire to possess her and sneak her out of the club to his house.

On recognizing Leon, Denise stood up smiling and introduced herself and her drinking buddies. She tried greeting him formally but he stopped her midway. He then exchanged short pleasantries with Denise and her friends; who had no idea of his status.

"Ella, can we talk outside," Leon said in a stern voice, like a parent disappointed with his child's misbehavior.

Ella was in shock when she saw him. She had no idea he would be coming to the club. He had only asked where she was and hung up.

"Uh...h...we need to talk? Right now?" Ella pouted seductively without realizing it. She tried standing up but felt dizzy and quickly lost her balance as the alcohol in the cocktail had penetrated her entire system. Luckily, Leon was alert as he caught her on time and held her firmly in his arms. This made Leon desire for her triple. But he was also worried because she was weak and vulnerable.

Ella was mortified at this. She had never been this close to any man aside from her dad and her high school sweetheart, — who parted ways with her long ago because she wasn't ready for a sexual commitment or to take the relationship to the next level.

In Leon's arms, although somewhat flushed, she unconsciously felt safe. She felt his strength and warmth. She listened to his heartbeat and mused as it rhymed with hers'. She could perceive his alluring mint and woody cologne. She was tempted to look up into his eyes but for some reasons unknown, she rested her head on his chest listening to its rise and fall. She giggled at this and placed her hand on his chest, stroking it like a cozy pillow.

Leon bit down his lips at this. Ella was subconsciously torturing him.

"Denise, I would like to take your friend home if you don't mind, I think she has had enough drink tonight," Leon's eyes were icy cold and he spoke in an authoritative, and possessive manner.

"I don't mind at all Sir," Denise slightly shuddered due to his stares and gave him Ella's address.

"I can drive myself home," Ella protested funnily. She tried to pull herself free from Leon's arms, but his hold was firm.

"Ella, please, I know you can." Leon wanted to badly scold her but instead softened his gaze on her and spoke to her in a calm tone. "I just want us to talk very briefly and I will take you to your house." Leon held onto her with one arm and lifted her chin with the other as he tried to convince her.

When he looked into her eyes, he felt hypnotized for a moment by her angelic gaze. All he wanted to do now was passionately kiss the beauty in his arm but he controlled his emotions.

Ella felt weakened by his gaze and agreed to his demands.

Denise smiled broadly when she saw the chemistry between them, and said, "Ella, take care of yourself. I know you are in good hands. I'll drop off your car at your place tomorrow morning. Goodnight and sweet dreams."

Ella responded to Denise and left with Leon still holding her in his arms and guiding her footsteps.

When Leon and Ella had gotten into his black luxurious limousine, he instructed his driver to take them to the address he had given him.

Leon gave her a bottle of water to drink and inquired if she had eaten anything. When her response was, 'No', they briefly stopped by a late-night food truck where he ordered some takeaway for her.

Ella expressed her gratitude and ate her food as she was very hungry. Although Leon was focused on his laptop device, she felt uneasy eating in his presence.

She was almost done eating her meal when the driver announced that they had arrived at her place. So, she lazily packed up her remaining food.

"How do you feel now?" Leon sounded calm and concerned.

"I feel better, thanks a lot," Ella avoided his gaze as she played with her ponytail curls. She felt bashful to look into his eyes again.

"Ella, I want you to rest this night and feel better. I'll send my driver to pick you up tomorrow morning," He gently spoke to her. "Promise me you won't go out partying again, I would hate to see anything bad happen to you." He looked and sounded very serious as he spoke.

Ella felt bad drinking on an empty stomach, then she looked up, met his gaze, and said with a firm tone, "I promise."

Leon completely lost control of his suppressed emotions when she looked into his eyes with such determination and said those last words.

He put aside his laptop device, leaned towards her, and before Ella had time to react, he planted a passionate kiss on her cherry-pink lips.

Ella's eyes widened, her body stiffened, her heart was racing, and she could barely catch her breath. She pushed him away before he could go deeper. This was the last thing she expected of him. Different emotions flooded her body. She wanted to scream at him, punch him in the face, she even felt like kissing him back...

"Ella! I...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, I..."

Ella's face was red with desire and anger. "Goodnight and thanks for dinner," she tried to alight from the limo but lost her footing again. As expected, Leon caught her a second time. She grudgingly said a thank you and ran up to her porch. She struggled with her keys to open her door.

"Shit!" She cursed out loud as opening the door became a challenging hurdle to cross.

Leon came to her rescue again. Their bodies slightly glided causing Ella to jerk.

"Shit!" She cursed again and ran into her house. She slammed the door at Leon without even thanking him.

Leon was amused by her behavior. This beauty has stirred an undying emotion in him. He stood at her door for a while before leaving.

Inside the safety of her house and leaning on her door, her heart was still pounding. Her legs shook and her thoughts were running wild with emotion. She thought out loud, "did Leon just kiss me, or is my drunken mind imagining things?"

[DISCLAIMER: This novel is written exclusively on the Webnovel platform. The author, Tres_Aguila has no bearing with any other platform. Beware of pirates. Thanks.]