Chapter 1
Josephine
My life sucks! Everybody around me is a goddamn hypocrite! They all lied to me! They all deceived me! My entire life has been nothing but a lie!
Wiping my eyes profusely, I slammed the brakes, almost running the poor woman over. She grabbed her chest and yelled profanities at me, but I made no attempt to step down from the car or apologize.
I've gone past that point in my life where I care about anything, where has that gotten me. Anyway? Blinking rapidly to clear my glassy mind, I honked at the young woman still yelling at me. If she doesn't get herself out of the way, I'll run her over for real this time.
She must have noticed my anger through my aggressive honking because she finally moved away after giving me her middle finger. Hitting the accelerator, I zoomed off without no destination.
I found myself in a bar, somewhere I've never been before. Growing up, I've always focused on one thing, being the perfect daughter who would take over her father's fashion designing company. If I had known this was just a lie from them to keep me in check, I would have hit the bar many times, I would have had more fun as a teenager.
Father cleared his throat. "Yes I did, I have something very important to discuss with you." Mother refilled both their glasses with champagne but passed me a bottle of water. I almost chuckled at her action. "I know this isn't the right time to discuss this considering that you only just got back."
Oh my God! He's about to hand the company over to me. Ha! Take that Jayden! I can't wait to share this news with him.
"Mr Lopez can't wait any longer, which is why I have to inform you about this."
"What does Mr Lopez have to do with my taking over the company?" I blurted out, and at that moment, mum's face was comical.
"Who said anything about you taking over the company?"
Oh... "What is this about then?"
Dad felt uncomfortable about the whole thing, but mum? She is a whole different story. Mum was excited, it was written all over her face. "Josephine, the fashion world isn't as easy as you think it is, which is why I want to make sure that you're protected all the time and at the same time make sure that the company is in good hands."
My brows creased. "Are you saying I won't be able to manage the company well?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying," he breathed out. "All I'm saying is that you need a powerful man by your side, which is why you need to get married to Mr Lopez's son, Dominic Lopez."
I blinked rapidly, waiting for him to laugh out the joke, but to my greatest disappointment, he didn't. "Wait a f*****g minute!"
"Language!" my mum snapped, but I ignored her.
"You want me to get married to Dominic before you hand the company over to me?" That is ridiculous! It has to be a sick joke!
"You're getting it all wrong Josephine."
"Enlighten me then."
"You'll get married to Mr Dominic, and he'll hand the company over to you if he chooses to."
Wiping the tears that kept rolling down my cheeks, I walked into the bar, ordered a full bottle of neat vodka and drowned my sorrow with each shot. Half way through the bottle, I was drunk and could feel it, but my tipsiness didn't stop me from admiring the young man seated at the far end of the bar.
As if noticing someone's gaze on him, he lifted his head and scanned the room until his eyes landed on mine. For whatever reason, I held his eyes and slowly licked my lips. His pupils diluted, his eyes fastening on my lips.
I'm not like this. I'm a twenty-five-year-old prude who is always more concerned about being the perfect daughter than any other thing. Yes, you guessed it right, I am a virgin but it ends today. You see this man sitting across the bar staring at me with diluted pupils, I'm f*****g him.
Middle finger to my parents for doing this to me.
Suddenly feeling brave, I stood up and strutted towards him, swaying my hips purposely just to keep his attention on me, but my step almost faltered when a beautiful brunette sat down on his lap.
With his eyes still on me, he pushed her away, his eyes beckoning me to come to him. I felt the bravado return and I resumed my seductive walk. His lips lifted in a smirk as if sensing that I was nervous despite trying not to show it.
Standing to his feet, he met me halfway. He wrapped his hand round mine, his thumb circling my inner wrist. Eyes holding mine, he led me out of the bar and I followed wordlessly. Call me stupid, but I don't care. Maybe, just maybe, I want to show my parents how rebellious I can be, and this is just the beginning.
He led me across the street to the gigantic hotel building. Without uttering any word to anybody, he dragged me straight to the elevator, watched the door close, then hit the penthouse button.
Silently we stood, staring at each other, the s****l tension getting thicker between us. He clenched and unclenched his fist, trying to hold onto himself, but when I tightened my thighs involuntarily, he snapped.
His large hands snatched my neck and he drew me to him, his lips slamming on mine. As if mocking us, the elevator pinged. I don't know what I was expecting, but one thing was sure, I didn't expect him to lift me up, urging me to wrap my legs round his body.
Pressing myself against him, he ground his length against me, desperate to be inside me. How we managed to make it to the bedroom I do not know, yet somehow, there we were, our clothes long gone. We stumbled on the king-sized bed, his body above mine.
Completely naked, I stretched beneath him, thighs slackening and welcoming.
"I don't have s*x, I f**k, hard and long, but with you, something tells me to be different." He seized my throat in an iron grip, lowered his head and kissed the valley of my breasts. "You are beautiful, I must give you that." he sucked the flatness of my navel and I stifled a moan. "Don't hide it love, I want to hear your cries of ecstasy."
"Spread yourself for me," he ordered, and I parted my legs, bearing myself for him "beautiful." Kneeling between my parted thighs, he ran his hands up and down my arms before draping them around his neck. "I'm going to make it difficult for you to forget me."
His words made me ache. "Are you going to f**k me or what?"
Chucking under his breath, he leaned down and kissed me. "Pass the condom." My disoriented self scanned the room, my brain still unable to find the meaning of his words. He chuckled again, leaned forward, picked up a packet of condoms, tore up the pack and rolled it on. "This is going to be a long night of ecstasy." he growled before shoving into me.
I felt the pain, the sharp stab, but I held down the painful hiss threatening to roll out my throat.
"f**k!" he growled "You're so damn tight, love." I doubt he noticed that he had just deflowered me. Once the pain subsided, the pleasure kicked in, and just as he promised, he made sure I climaxed more than I could count.
Blinking rapidly, I tried to adjust my eyes to bright light. The sound of a running shower snapped me back to reality. I got deflowered by the hottest guy in New York and I don't regret it, but that doesn't excuse the fact that I spent the night here. This was supposed to be a one-time thing. I shouldn't have been lying there, waiting for him to emerge from the shower.
His phone chimed and I ignored it, but it chimed again and again until curiosity got the best of me. I quickly glanced at the closed bathroom door, listened carefully to make sure that the shower was still on before crawling across the room to snatch his cell phone off the bedside drawer.
Where the f**k are you boss man?! We're supposed to meet your fiancé and her family today. Call me once you get this message.
Shit! I just f****d a man who is engaged to another! Well... I shouldn't hate him, I technically did the same thing! I f****d him while engaged to another too. Swallowing painfully, I tried to get rid of the painful lump in my throat.
Why does this new-found information hurt? I wasn't really expecting him to present me with a ring, was I?
Staring at the phone, I found it quite suspicious that he didn't set any password on his phone. Dropping the phone, I quickly got dressed. If this man is really engaged, then I shouldn't be here when he comes out.
I searched for my purse. That was when I noticed the time on the alarm clock. Ten o'clock in the morning?! s**t! I was supposed to meet Jayden at the port today at eleven. The fact that I was late made me rush out of the room.
I need to leave New York before my father and my supposed fiancé send out a search party for me.
I won't be forced into that life... I refuse to bend my life for them. If he's willing to sell his only child for business purposes, I refuse to concur.
I don't need him.
I don't need them to survive.
I'll do perfectly fine on my own...without my father and my husband-to-be.