Wrath's Genesis

Chapter One

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Freshly showered, I lay in bed, unable to change from my wet towel. Everything had seemed like a dream from the moment I left Soren Alexander’s office at Wrath’s Playground to the minute I got home. Nothing made sense, including his wild suggestion.

Nothing about it made sense.

I did not know much about Soren Alexander but he did not seem like the kind of man who would marry just out of wedlock.

And to a random woman no less...A woman he barely knows…

I had been too stunned to ask any more questions with regards to his motivations or to refute the driver he commissioned to take me home.

A driver who somehow knew your address without you telling him…

I knew that there was a high possibility that Soren had told him my address when he realized I was in no state to speak but the thought of him knowing about my personal space unsettled me somewhat.

I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to let him take me home that night...God, Emilia, how can you be so careless? You really need to stop making stupid drunken decisions…

Memories of the night in question began to resonate within my mind, reminding me of the dumb decisions that would have probably given my NYPD detective ex boyfriend a stroke…

***

The club was loud, the bass thumping through everyone’s bodies as they moved to the beat of the music. I was certainly not expecting to be in the middle of the throng of sweaty bodies when I woke up this morning and in one of the most exclusive clubs in New York no less.

And you also weren’t expecting to end a five year relationship with your high school sweetheart…

A call to my best friends, Ashley Wilder and Noah Basset, had been all I needed to do for each of them to drop everything and arrive at my doorstep several minutes later with vodka and take out. I have never loved them more than in that moment as they held me close, dried my tears and got me tipsy on vodka cranberries as we got ready to go out.

Part of me knew they were trying their best to help me move on whereas another side of me was certain that their efforts to get me drunk were to keep me from saying no to all their crazy ideas, including the scandalous dress stuck on my skin that was getting me more attention than I was used to.

It was the little red dress of all little red dresses with its spaghetti straps that were barely holding onto my generous breasts. The mid thigh length of it exposed my thighs for all and I couldn’t blame their stares considering that they were right there in the open.

My freshly applied, white nail polish matched my red-bottomed sandals that exposed my matching pedicure. The only decision I had made for my entire outfit was my hair whose curls were up in a messy bun that somehow matched my ‘bad b***h’ aesthetic as Ash called it.

The entire look was the most exposed I had ever been in an outfit before.

Insecurities had plagued most of my teenage years and beyond as I grew into my body that was heavily leaning towards my mother’s impeccable Hispanic genes rather than my absentee father’s Asian origins.

Body shaming was not something I was new to and it had scarred me and kept me from embracing the little dresses Ash got me every single time she went shopping, all in efforts to build my self confidence.

Even now, hands intertwined as me made our way to the bar to refresh our drinks, I couldn’t help but envy her beautiful body that was lithe and curvy in just the right way. She looked stunning in her little, long sleeved, green dress and black heels. I sometimes found myself envying her easy going nature and charisma.

I mean, was it really fair that aside from being beautiful, she was also a good person with an incredible job and stable home life?

They were dark thoughts that I worked hard to eliminate as I focused on being the best friend I could be to her, just as she was for me. I, more than anyone, knew well enough that face value was not an accurate measure of true emotions and judging from the little cuts in her inner thigh that I always glimpsed when we found ourselves changing around each other, I knew there was more to the story.

“Hey! I know well enough you’re not trying to pull that dress down! You look stunning! Embrace it, b***h!”

Ash declared, slapping my hands playfully from my subconscious need to cover myself up. I raised my hands in surrender, chuckling at her adorable pout as she pulled me close.

It would be hard but I was ready to finally step out of my comfort zone.

Just this once, I want to feel beautiful in my own skin and rightfully so because I look sexy as hell…

Despite my urge to hide away in my house, crying over my ex, Jacob Parker, I felt right at home in the multitude of bodies that got wasted and indulged all their explicit fantasies.

“And if you keep pulling it like that, those little straps are gonna give in and reveal a free show to the staring perverts. You would be famous on some pretty questionable sites.”

Noah jokes, earning a loud laugh from Ash as I shoved playfully at him with my own embarrassed blush.

“Oh God, just thinking about it makes me feel sick.”

I groaned at the possibility, earning a loud laugh from Noah before he clicked his glass against my own.

“Look on the bright side. We can start an OnlyFans and get rich off of those beautifully perky boobs! Like I’ve always told you, sweetie, if the douchebags at Brand&Beyond continue to ignore your true value then the stripper pole awaits! You would certainly be the Queen of Stripper t****k!”

“Hear Hear!”

Ash agreed wholeheartedly, clinking glasses with a smirking Noah as I rolled my eyes at their antics. My childhood best friend had not changed a single bit since our days on the playground in Elementary school.

From the nights I would spend at his house when my demons were threatening to overwhelm me to the memorable day he had come out as gay to his Military dad that had been the most special day of his life, we had been there through all the milestones and hurdles.

We couldn’t imagine life without each other and had never had to as we got scholarships to NYU to pursue each of our dream careers. Ashley had been the addition to our little friend group that we didn’t know we needed but were glad for all the same.

Even through the arguments that were solely on my refusal to break up with Jace, Noah had stuck by my side and been there for me today despite his important shareholder meeting at the stock trading firm he worked for.

“I hate you two so much!”

I declared, knowing well enough that I meant the exact opposite of my words. They would never be anything other than the two most important people in my life apart from my mother.

“Oh, we love you too, baby girl! Now, if you’re done with your little break, let’s go bust some moves on the dancefloor! I wanna keep being the envy of every single man in here for dancing with my two sexy queens! If I do, however, suddenly disappear then know that I’m probably getting railed by a handsome stranger somewhere!”

Ash and I groaned at his TMI statement, his loud laugh echoing his nonchalance to our reaction.

“Look at you enjoying yourself despite the fact that you were pissed at me for agreeing to come here! I told you it was gonna be a fun, once in a lifetime experience! You need to listen to me more!”

Ash chastised, playfully slapping Noah’s shoulder.

Their argument had been legendary.

I mean, I was already used to their bickering but this had been on a whole other level. Noah was just as stubborn as Ash was. He’d been adamant about not coming to Wrath’s Playground, one of the most exclusive clubs in the States that she had somehow managed to get a free pass into.

Ash had been surprised by his refusal and rightfully so. Noah was just as adventurous as she was. The two complimented each other in that respect. His reluctance struck me as odd but my thought process was interrupted by the Taxi guy who was growing impatient by our indecision.

The choice had, therefore, landed on me as it always did when the two could not agree on something and my curiosity had gotten the better of me. I hated to disappoint Noah but I had made the ultimate choice of going all out for the night and that included indulging Ash’s wild side.

It's insane that she’s actually a therapist…

Noah’s worry-filled gaze, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, had been clear as day and a part of me couldn’t help but be confused. He had tried to hide it behind small smiles but we had been friends too long to be able to hide certain emotions from each other.

Seeing him so relaxed now, enjoying himself unlike how jumpy he had been when we first entered the club, I was just as happy and content.

I do need to ask him why he’s so unsettled though.

“Yeah...yeah...But remember, we might have to go home early tonight. I have work tomorrow, unfortunately, and I don’t intend on leaving my favorite girls all alone here so you better enjoy yourselves to the max for the next hour.”

Noah declared, firm in his decision despite Ash’s pout and shake of the head.

“You promised you’d help me find her someone! She needs d*ck urgently! Only way she can erase that piece of s**t completely!”

Ash declared, her loud voice carrying over to the people near us who all granted us small chuckles and mischievous winks.

Embarrassment flooded my body as my best friends argued about the best person to bed me for the night.

“Christ, I am right here, guys! And would you keep it down?! The entire club does not need to know about my s*x life! Besides, I’m fine. I just want to have fun with my two best friends! I don’t need a man in my life right now! Probably not for a LONG time.”

I declared, my words seeming not to register with my two friends who spared me a look before launching back into their heated conversation.

“No matter what she says, she needs to get laid! It's been five years, Noah! Five years and the only orgasm she’s ever had has been machine generated!”

Oh. My. God.

Kill Me NOW!

I covered my face in absolute embarrassment, unable to look anyone around us in the face. As if my life wasn’t already going to s**t, my friends had decided to murder me with cringe-worthy embarrassment.

“Damn, Em. Has it really been that bad? I mean, I knew that jerkface was shitty in bed but I didn’t think it was THAT bad. You really DO need to get laid. But it can’t be just anyone, though. We need to make sure it's someone who won’t disappoint.”

Mischief engulfed each of their expressions even as I glared at them for airing out my dirty laundry.

“Would you guys shut up?! I am NOT going to sleep with a random stranger tonight and that’s f*****g final! Now, can we vibe to Nicki Minaj?!”

My two friends guiltily grinned at me before pulling me to them, each of us dancing to her latest song that was certainly a club banger. Noah protectively danced close to us as he had been the entire night, keeping every single approaching man away as he glared at particularly insistent individuals who had not passed his vibe check.

His protectiveness was reminiscent of our childhood and college years. Keeping him from going after Jason today has been hard enough as it is. I loved him all the more for always watching out for us.

As a military brat, he had learnt early enough how to protect himself and had supplemented his skills as an adult. It had been the only condition his dad had given him when he came out to him.

All he wanted was to make sure that his one and only son was safe...protected when he was gone...

He would have been so proud to see the man he has become…

***