The sky was coated with thick darkness and the drive back home was silent. Mia long-pressed the power button of her phone, feeling it vibrate without turning on. She must not have noticed that her battery was drained since she had been so focused on Rey the whole evening, literally.
She sighed listening to the loud silence that occupied the space of the mansion's driveway. She wondered if Gary had fallen asleep already as she took slow steps, trying to ease the pain in her feet from wearing heels for so long that evening.
When she reached her room, she turned on the bedside lamp and slumped down into the bed, heaving, as her hair fell messy. What a day! It began with butterflies and ended with bee stings.
***
Rey's Rolls Royce swerved down the asphalt on Juniper Street, coming to a halt, jerking beside Flux bar. As soon as he opened the door to the bar, the dull crescendo of the music that hummed in low tunes into the streets came roaring to his ears.
The stale smell of cigarettes and alcohol hung thickly in the air, welcoming him. It was dimly lit with lowlights of different colors, with feminine moans coming from darker corners.
"Rey! What's good, man?" a male voice greeted from one of the drinking tables with two other drunk men in white shirts, with their coats hanging on their chairs.
Two drunk men fighting after a gamble fell into Rey's way as he was walking in the direction of the voice, waving.
"You have to give back my money, you dick head!" one of the men said, smashing a punch into the other man's face as his hat fell off.
"You must be fucked huh!" the punched man chuckled provocatively.
"You sons a' bitches, fuck you ass holes! Take this!" the other man crouched and bumped his head into the prey's, knocking him off consciousness.
"Go to hell, Mf! And burn to FUCKIN' ashes!" he shouted, kicking away the subconscious body, as he spat, breathing erratically.
Then, he picked up his hat and coat, headed out, and slammed the door. Rey had moved to a side, walking over them before he reached the table from which the male voice had come from.
"These men are getting tougher nowadays," the voice said again to Rey, laughing, as he walked up to him. The bar's facade of calm was slowly getting restored as the men and ladies who had previously been watching the fight resumed their businesses.
"What's up, Rey? You haven't visited in a while," the man asked. He was an old drinking buddy of Rey.
"Oh, yeah. Right! Been busy..." Rey said, with an eyebrow shot up, as he was offered a drink.
"Nah, thanks, Man. Not in the mood for a shot right now. You know, I have to drive," Rey said, pushing the glass away.
"It's unlike you to reject a drink. Is something up? Where has all that energy of yours gone? Or do you need a bitch for the night? I could call your favorite, you know, the blonde," he winked.
"Really? I'm not in the mood for sex right now, Dude, I just need some time to think," Rey said, leaning into his seat.
"Oh! There she comes. She must have seen her sweetheart sitting in the corner," the man laughing irritably.
"Over here, Darling!" He waved towards the blondie, who eyed him seductively as she came, dropping into the seat beside Rey.
"Hey," she said to Rey, wiggling her fingers.
"Hey," Rey said, with a husky voice. His gaze flickered towards her and back to the drink on the table, as he stared subconsciously.
"Been a minute," she said, trying to draw his attention.
"Yeah, it has," he said, without looking her way this time, as he lifted his hands to his chin before ruffling his hair.
"Don't you wanna hang out tonight?" The blonde leaned in, her warm breath whispering against his ear as she wrapped her slender fingers around his muscular arms. Her soft curves pressed subtly against him, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Don't you? Hmm?" her voice was low and sensual, as she planted warm kisses on his jaw line, as his skin tingled, teasing him in anticipation.
"Stop, please," He said, pushing her away slowly with a frown, despite the fact that his body was naturally reacting to her touch.
"I'm in no mood for this, okay? Let's not do this." he furrowed his brows, standing up as he patted her shoulder.
"Rey baby, this is not like you," she held onto his hands, but he slipped it out of her grip, as his gaze darkened with a cloud of rage.
"I'm sorry, Man, I have to go," Rey said, as he started towards the door, hearing his old drinking buddy's voice echo from behind.
"You don't always have to be so mean, Reynold Davies! The business tycoon head of yours shouldn't always be so proud! What an asshole!" he said, dropping his whiskey glass with a loud bang on the solid wooden table.
In a few minutes, Rey rolled his car down the driveway to his house, exhausted. He looked in the direction of the staff quarters wondering if Mia was home safely. He opened his phone and went through his dial list, contemplating calling her. He wondered if his sudden call would disturb her if she was asleep.
He remembered vividly the vulnerability in his outrage, it hurt his pride that he had let her see that much about him. They meant business. He meant business. It was just a contract, but why was it so hard to keep her out of his mind?
***
Rey's eyes fluttered open, drawn by the irresistible aroma of Mia's coffee. He cocked his head to the side of his bed as he smiled at the sight of the coffee's steam dancing off its lid and his stomach growled.
He jumped off the bed, grabbed the teacup and its saucer set, and took a sip, savoring its creamy taste as the heat of the coffee burned his tongue slightly and his phone beeped almost simultaneously. It was a text message from an unknown number.
Today, 6:25
"Hey, Rey-reyyy! Been a minute.(｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡
With love, C.
His brows furrowed in confusion, as he pondered on the cryptic letter C. Who could it even be?