"Sit down and explain this whole thing about Dominick being naked," Nerea said with a giggle. "Did you really see his dick? What did it look like?"
"Nerea!" Jade scolded her.
"Sorry, sorry," she burst out laughing. "It's just impossible not to ask. Dominick may be insufferable, annoying, and even a bit snobby… but let's be honest, he's hot as hell. Damn, Jade, he's the full package!"
"Well… he's kind of handsome."
"Kind of?" Nerea narrowed her eyes. "Jade, don't lie. He's a jerk, but he's hot enough to be illegal."
They both burst into loud laughter.
"I'll sum it up for you," Jade said. "I put on some of his pajamas so I could sleep on the floor. I lay down. When I woke up, he was naked, pressed up against my back. In the middle of some 'dream,' I think" she made air quotes "he picked me up and laid me on top of him. He was naked… and his thing was hard against my stomach!"
"Oh my God, that's such a hot moment!" Jade shot her a glare. Nerea got up. "What did you do when he woke up?"
"Well… he started asking questions, told me to wait for him while he went to the bathroom. But I grabbed my stuff and ran."
"It's only a matter of time before he comes looking for you," the brunette warned.
"Don't remind me. Let's just get ready for work."
Dominick
When he woke up in the middle of the night, he thought he was dreaming. He was burning up, so he stripped off every piece of clothing he was wearing. He felt dizzy and exhausted. He saw a body lying on the floor and figured he must've brought some woman home.
He smiled and lay down next to her, wrapped an arm around her slim waist, and inhaled the scent of her hair. Magnificent, he thought. He got comfortable and closed his eyes.
[...]
He paced around the room. Barely ten seconds had passed since he entered the bathroom, and she was already gone.
He cursed out loud.
He went back into the bathroom and took a long shower, staying under the artificial rain for what felt like forever, trying to ease the pounding in his head.
It was throbbing.
He felt like it was going to explode.
«But I didn't even drink that much», he thought. After finishing, he got dressed and lay down for a bit. He needed rest—and an aspirin—but first, rest.
It was almost noon when he woke up. His head still hurt, but not as much as before. Though for a moment he'd forgotten about the pain altogether when he saw Jade on top of him in one of his pajamas. The image had been incredibly arousing, but he'd managed to mask his reaction well.
He got up and went straight to the closet, telling himself he'd grab breakfast and then find her to get some answers.
He put on dress pants and a blue shirt, polished black shoes, and finally, his blazer.
He stepped into the bathroom, grabbed a small comb, and neatly fixed every strand of hair into place.
Then he left the room and headed to the restaurant. That's where he'd eat.
He ordered right away.
He took the pill he'd requested and downed it with some water, then rubbed his hands over his face and let out a frustrated sigh. His phone buzzed on the table and he looked at the screen to see who it was. The caller ID lit up with the name of his old friend, Nikolas.
"Nikolas?" he answered.
"The one and only," came the reply.
"This is a…"
"Surprise?" Nikolas cut in.
"Yeah. I have to admit, it is."
Even though they had once been very close, they'd lost contact after what happened with Jazmín. Dominick had distanced himself from anything that reminded him of that time.
"I know, Dominick. But I heard you were back in the city, and I need to see you. They've reopened the Chevrolet case, and you were one of the people who testified against him. Can we meet?"
"Of course," Dominick said, frowning. "Have you heard anything about… Gideon?"
Nikolas went silent.
Dominick pulled the phone away to check if the call was still connected.
"Gideon's joining us too. But I have to warn you, he's not the same as before. He's been through a lot. You left, and we basically didn't hear a word from you."
"I won't lie… I wanted to forget everything and everyone when I left. No matter where I went… It doesn't matter. When do you want to meet?" he asked.
"Five in the afternoon. Same place as always. That work?"
"Sounds good. See you then, Nikolas."
He ended the call just as the waiter arrived and placed his food on the table. Dominick began to eat.
Jade
"This is delicious. Did you make it?" Jade asked, taking another spoonful of shrimp cooked in mezcal and chili. One of the chefs was crazy about the brunette, but she didn't seem interested.
"Yeah, I did. I'd love to be a chef," Nerea said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"You can be one. You're young and talented," Jade said, setting her plate aside.
"The course is too expensive for me. And there are a lot of other things that need to be done... It's never going to happen. I just have to accept it," Nerea muttered.
"Accept it? Never! That's not the Nerea I know," Jade said, crossing her arms.
"Finish eating, our break's almost over," the brunette smiled and kept eating.
"You'll see... we'll find a way for you to take that course," Jade promised.
[...]
Jade had grabbed Dominick's clothes, washed them, and folded them perfectly. She wrinkled her nose when she realized how much precious time she had wasted doing that. She continued on her way to the room, pulled out her key, and slipped inside, making sure no one was watching.
She closed the door behind her and headed straight for the closet. She put the pajamas back where they belonged and gave everything a quick look. Hundreds of shirts in different colors, dress pants, suits, shoes, ties, bow ties... it looked like a store in there.
"Money really can buy anything..." Jade muttered, turning around "Holy Christ!" she gasped, placing a hand over her racing heart.
Dominick was standing there, eyebrows raised, shirtless, his toned chest fully exposed. His pants were unbuttoned, and he was wearing only socks on his feet, no shoes.
"I think I'm just going to..." she stammered, walking toward the exit, but Dominick was blocking the door. He grabbed her by the arm.
"You're not leaving until we clear a few things up," he said firmly.
"I just came to return..."
"The pajamas you slept in last night. I don't care. Sit down," he ordered. But she didn't obey. "Do whatever you want. You're still not leaving until we talk. What happened last night?" he crossed his arms over his chest.
Seeing the determination on his face, Jade had no choice but to comply. She sat down on a small armchair inside the closet. Dominick kept blocking the door, leaning casually against the frame.
"If I tell you what happened, can I go?" she asked irritably.
"Yes."
"Perfect. I went to the bathroom, and you barged in, slamming the door..." Jade said. Dominick frowned, trying to recall. It was strange how he couldn't remember much especially since he hadn't drunk enough to black out. Something wasn't adding up.
"You asked me if I was going to have sex with Robinson..." Jade clenched her jaw, clearly still indignant over it. "Obviously, I got mad. But before I could put you in your place, we heard someone coming."
»You forced me into the last stall with you, I scratched your hand," she coughed awkwardly, trying to gloss over the last part, but he heard it perfectly and glanced down at the back of his hand, confirming three bright red lines there.
"Can't you spend a day without leaving me a mark " Dominick narrowed his eyes at her.
She rolled hers dramatically.
"Because of you, I had to lie to a complete stranger. You sat me on your lap, and even when I told you to let me go, you didn't," Jade said, shooting him a glare. "You fell asleep, and then Nerea arrived. She..."
"I know who she is," he interrupted. "Go on."
"We were going to leave you there," she said. Dominick raised an eyebrow. "But Nerea wouldn't let me. So between the two of us, we dragged you back here."
"And why did you sleep here?" he asked, curious.
"Nerea had... a commitment in her room and I couldn't stay there. She convinced me to stay here instead, telling me you wouldn't wake up until noon," she said, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "But no... you decided to wake up in the middle of the night, strip naked, and hold me hostage. It was one of the most awkward, embarrassing situations I've ever been in."
"Embarrassing?" he laughed. "You're dying to have sex with me. It'd be way better than with that boring-ass Robinson."
"I seriously doubt that," she said, standing up.
"You could find out if you wanted. You're not that bad, after all."
She stood right in front of him.
"Never. Not even if you were the last man on Earth. You're despicable and absolutely not desirable to me," she snapped. "Now move."
"And what if I don't want to?" Dominick straightened up, towering like a statue beside her.
"Want me to give you a matching scar on the other side of your face?" she challenged. "You still have the marks."
She raised her hand to point at one, but Dominick caught her wrist.
"I could prove right now that I'm not indifferent to you," he said, pulling her against his chest and gripping both her hands, he knew damn well how dangerous those nails could be. He pinned her against the wall with swift precision.
"If I wanted to, I could kiss you right now."
"Do it," she dared him. "Do it and I swear you'll be missing a lip."
He smiled, then kissed her neck while she squirmed.
"I'll make you see you're no different from the rest. In the end, you'll end up in my bed, naked, soaking wet..." he whispered into her ear, "and screaming my name without restraint."
Then he let her go.
"That's never going to happen, so spare me the ridiculous speech."
She stormed out, furious, while he stayed behind smiling. He might hate her, but he couldn't deny that his body craved her. He finished undressing and headed to the bathroom, he needed a shower to make it to his meeting on time.
Jade
"He said that to you?" Nerea was in shock.
"He's shameless," Jade huffed.
"Do you think there's a chance...?" Nerea asked.
Jade looked at her in horror.
"Impossible! I hate him. He's insufferable. He got me arrested, Nerea. Besides, I like Robinson. He's a good man," she insisted, trying to convince herself.
"I remember everything he did to you, but still... a steamy night with that man wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Guys like that don't come around often. He's the kind that pulls anyone into his web. Except me, of course. I've got my David," she said with a grin.
"You're insane, Ner. The only one I want to have sex with is Robinson," Jade said, then blushed as she realized what she had just confessed.
"Ooooh, someone's got a dirty mind!" Nerea teased, launching into a tickle attack.
Dominick
There were only five minutes left before his meeting with his old friends, and Dominick was already stepping out of the car. He was a slave to punctuality.
He adjusted his jacket and looked at Gregory.
"Head back to the hotel, take the rest of the day off, Gregory."
"But sir..." he protested. "How will you get back?"
"I've got my ways, Gregory. I've got my ways..." Dominick murmured, walking toward the entrance.
He stepped into the restaurant, and for a moment, the memories overwhelmed him. He got lost in them in how happy they used to be back then.
"I still can't believe it," came a voice from behind. Dominick knew exactly who it was. Though the cheerfulness was gone, he'd never forget him.
"Gideon," he turned to find his old friend looking very different. The usual mischievous glint in his eyes had faded, his shoulders were slightly slouched, and he didn't look his best.
"What's left of him," Gideon replied, starting toward their table. Dominick followed, and from a distance, they spotted Nikolas already seated, surrounded by documents, completely focused.
"Nikolas," Dominick greeted, sitting beside him.
"Brother," Gideon said with little energy, flopping into the chair and eyeing the place with obvious boredom.
Nikolas let out a long sigh. Dominick took a good look at him, he looked exhausted, older than he actually was.
"Law's killing you, Nik," he remarked. Nikolas didn't respond to the observation.
"And you? What about you?" Nikolas fired back, clearly annoyed.
Nikolas Lewis had always been the embodiment of seriousness, honorable to the core, and driven by a passion to help others. But one particular case had left a permanent mark on him, turning him into someone unrecognizable.
At that moment, Dominick realized he was sitting across from two complete strangers. Time had shattered a friendship that once seemed unbreakable.
And in the end… it had been his fault.