Jade
Jade managed to free one hand and scratched him, drawing a grunt from Dominick as he instinctively tightened his grip.
"Is everything okay?" a female voice asked, making them both freeze. "Is someone in there?"
"Look what you did," Dominick whispered, and Jade heard him only because he was inches from her ear. "Answer her, unless you want us to get caught, right? I doubt you'd want them to know you're in here… with me."
"Yes!" she replied immediately. "I think I've had too many drinks, and now I'm paying for it," she lied.
"Uh… alright, I guess," the woman replied. "Well, get better!"
They heard the door close, and the bathroom was once again silent, broken only by the muffled music seeping through the walls.
Dominick let himself fall back onto the toilet lid, still holding Jade, who ended up sitting on his lap. She felt uncomfortable, exposed, unsure of what to do.
"You're worse than her," Dominick murmured. Jade could tell instantly that he was drunk, he reeked of alcohol. Fear crept in. She was afraid he might do something to her in his state.
"Let me go, please…" she begged, squirming.
"Don't move..." he whispered, pressing her waist down onto him.
"Dominick," she said, thinking this situation couldn't get any worse.
"Jade?" came Nerea's voice calling her name.
"Oh God," she whispered, tilting her head back to find that Dominick had fallen asleep.
"Jade, I know you're in there. Talk to me," Nerea ordered. She could almost picture her with an annoyed expression and arms crossed.
"Nerea," Jade finally said, prompting her friend to approach the last stall.
"What's taking you so long? Are you okay?"
"It's… a little more complicated than that," she said with a nervous laugh.
She slipped out of Dominick's arms and stood up, opening the door just enough to show her face.
"Girl, you're scaring me. Come out and tell me what's going on. I'm sure we can..." Nerea fell silent when Jade opened the door wider and she spotted Dominick passed out. "....figure it out…" she finished, eyes wide. "By the nails of Jesus Christ, girl! What did you do? Did you kill him?!"
"What? No!" Jade exclaimed in horror. "Why would you say that? Do you even know me?" she scoffed.
"Well, when you get angry, you can be pretty intense," Nerea explained. "And you did attack him once… Plus, you can't stand him."
"Okay, okay, point taken. But I'm not a murderer," Jade said, pursing her lips.
"Then what happened?"
Jade shut the door and gave Nerea a quick rundown of what had happened, while her friend laughed at some of the blonde's expressions.
"Can we leave now?" Jade whined, trying to walk past Nerea, who grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Oh no, we are not leaving him here."
"Yes, we are. And that's exactly what we're going to do." Jade pulled away.
"Jade, if you leave him and something happens, it'll be your fault. We have to get him out of here," Nerea insisted, arms crossed. "Besides, he'll just come after you harder."
"He left me in jail for hours, Nerea. Jail!" she threw her arms up. "I can't just help him like that."
"You know you're not a bad person. Come on, Jade, we have to help him."
Jade let out a frustrated groan.
"Fine. But what about Robinson?" she asked. "He's still out there waiting for us."
"Don't worry about him, I'll handle it."
A group of women entered the bathroom.
"The last stall's out of order, girls, just so you know," Nerea lied.
"Thanks," one of them replied.
Jade began biting her nails nervously. She stared at the closed stall door as her heart started racing. If any of those women found out, she'd be in serious trouble.
The women left, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Nerea opened the door with a smile.
"What about Robinson?" Jade asked.
"It's fine, he left. Now we've got work to do. Let's get Sleeping Beauty to his suite."
Nerea held up a cup.
"And what's that for?" Jade asked, frowning.
Nerea didn't answer. She placed the cup under the sink and filled it with water. Then she walked over to the stall and splashed it all over Dominick.
"What the hell…?" Dominick jolted awake.
"There. Done," Nerea said cheerfully.
Jade raised her eyebrows at her.
"Come on, walk," Nerea demanded, holding out her hand.
Dominick frowned.
"I don't want to," he muttered, closing his eyes and dropping his head again.
"Ugh!" Nerea groaned.
She grabbed his arm and yanked.
"Help me out, Jade. He weighs a ton," Nerea grunted as Dominick mumbled complaints.
Together, they tried to lift him.
"Dominick, I swear, if you don't cooperate, I'll make you drink from the toilet, and the beating I gave you this morning will be nothing compared to what I'll do next," Jade threatened through gritted teeth.
Dominick rolled his eyes and somehow managed to stand, leaning on the girls reluctantly as they made their way out of the bathroom. A woman frowned as she saw them exit the ladies' room but said nothing.
"I can't believe this. What a way to end the night," Jade muttered.
"Sorry I ruined your boring night of sex with that Robinson guy," Dominick said sarcastically.
"You're despicable," Nerea growled, giving him a light jab to the ribs.
"You're a..."
"...beauty? Sweetheart? Absolute angel? I know," Nerea cut in.
Jade was lost in her thoughts. What was happening to her? Was she really going to leave him passed out in the bathroom, exposed to any danger? That wasn't her. If it had been someone else, she wouldn't have hesitated to help, but everything involving him overwhelmed her. She didn't know anyone who could get under her skin like Dominick, not even her mother, her half-sister, or Elias, her stepfather.
"Jade, get the key from his pocket and open the door." She didn't hear. "Jade!"
"Why are you yelling?" she asked.
"You were totally spaced out. Search the sleeping beauty's pants for the key and open the door," Nerea instructed.
Jade rolled her eyes.
She slipped her hand into the left front pocket, but the key wasn't there. She tried the right one and pulled it out. She opened the door, and with effort, they got Dominick inside. Although he was semi-conscious, he was heavy, very heavy. They dropped him onto the bed, and he instinctively lay flat on his back. He closed his eyes and instantly fell asleep.
"Can we go now…?"
Nerea's phone ringing cut her off.
"Hello?" Nerea smiled upon hearing the person on the other end. "What a surprise! You weren't supposed to come until next weekend. My roommate is in the room right now." She pouted.
Jade wrinkled her nose, silently asking her friend who she was talking to.
"…I can't promise anything, but I'll try to figure something out."
"Is something wrong?" Jade asked.
"It's David. He's here," Nerea said with a nervous giggle. "He was supposed to come when you weren't around so he could stay with me… in the room."
Jade raised a playful eyebrow.
"Why doesn't he just book a room?" she asked.
"You know after the whole drama with 'Prince Charming' last year, David is banned from the hotel, and I can't be seen leaving at this hour. Can you stay here so I…?"
"No. No, no, no." Jade raised her hands and shook her head. "Nerea, I'm sorry, but I can't stay in this room, especially not with him." She pointed.
"Oh, come on. Look at him." They both looked toward Dominick. "He's drunk and dead asleep. He won't wake up until noon tomorrow, and you have to be in your room by six anyway. Jade, I never ask you for anything…" She raised an eyebrow. "Okay, fine, sometimes I do… but please!"
Jade rubbed her forehead in frustration.
"Damn it, Nerea. You owe me, big time," she grumbled.
"You're the best!" Nerea kissed her forehead and cheek, bouncing with excitement.
"Go before I change my mind," Jade warned with a smile.
"Wish me the best sex in town!" Nerea squealed, slamming the door too hard on her way out.
Jade looked at Dominick, wondering if the noise had woken him, but no, he was still sleeping peacefully. His chest rose and fell slowly.
She sat beside him on the bed, watching him. She realized she'd never really taken the time to study him closely. Her anger had always been strong enough to block out his good looks, his masculine aura that always seemed to surround him.
She blamed the few tequila shots she'd had when her hand moved to stroke his cheek. The short stubble scratched the back of her hand.
Her hand traveled up his face until it reached his dark hair, not too dark, but it suited his skin tone well. He looked slightly tanned, just a bit. His hair was longer on top than on the sides. Jade traced the line of his thick brows with her fingers. She knew his eyes were dark, that's what those eyelids were hiding, darkness… She couldn't pinpoint their exact color—maybe brown, maybe hazel—but she was certain of the depth they held…
Her palm landed on his chest, which felt solid beneath her hand. She quickly pulled away when her thoughts wandered to what it might feel like to touch him with nothing between them. She got up and removed his shoes, placing them under the bed. Then she grabbed a blanket, laid it out on the floor with a couple of pillows.
Before lying down, she gently covered Dominick.
She tied her hair back and went into the closet. She didn't want to sleep in the dress, so she put on a pair of his pants—which were way too big on her—and one of his shirts.
She lay down thinking about Dominick. For her, it was a nightmare… but for her body, it was a blessing.
[...]
Tuesday, January 24
She thought she was dreaming—it had to be a dream—because there was no other way to explain why she was feeling something hard pressing into her lower back, right where her spine ended. An arm was wrapped around her waist, a cold chin rested on her shoulder, and a heavy breath tickled her neck, making her go completely stiff.
And as if that weren't enough, a leg was draped over hers.
She'd been holding her breath for at least a minute. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to believe she was still dreaming, that this was just a dream. But that thing pressed against her back felt way too real to be just a dream.
She knew her face was turning red, because her lungs were begging her to open her mouth and take in the oxygen she so desperately needed.
She couldn't hold out any longer. She opened her mouth and inhaled as much air as she could. Her chest swelled with the rush of oxygen, and her lungs thanked her.
Slowly, she began to slide away, trying to escape.
But it was useless. Strong, determined arms wrapped around her, lifting her into the air and pulling her onto a body.
Jade let out a scream she couldn't control as she felt Dominick's erection against her stomach.
"What the hell…?" Dominick had her by the shoulders, staring at her wide-eyed and totally confused. There was barely any light coming in through the window, which meant the sun was just about to rise. "What the fuck are you doing on top of me? Why the hell am I naked?"
Jade squirmed, trying to get free, but Dominick still had her in his grip.
"Could you… let me go?" she whispered. Dominick frowned at her unusually calm tone, then finally released her.
She got up immediately and couldn't help but glance down at Dominick's crotch. It was only for a few seconds… but she saw it. And oh my God…
She looked away fast.
"Um… can you cover yourself?"
"Wait right here. You owe me an explanation, and I'm not letting you go until you tell me what the hell happened."
He didn't wait for a reply and went straight into the bathroom.
Jade took the chance to grab her heels and dress, and ran out of the room like a lunatic.
She knew perfectly well she had only postponed that awkward talk with him, because he clearly wasn't the type to let things go.
She stopped when she reached her room and knocked on the door to check if she could come in.
She heard Nerea's voice and sighed with relief. She glanced at her outfit and told herself she'd return it later.
"You're back," Nerea said with a yawn. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked like she hadn't slept at all.
Jade would've laughed, but she was not in the mood.
"I saw Dominick's dick. He was naked… pressed up against me," Jade murmured, her eyes wide open.