1. Daniella

CHAPTER 1

Daniella

S hit. Waking up with a bright light shining directly in my eyes, I look to my right and realize I left the damn curtains open last night. Oh god.

Last night…no wonder my head is killing me. Leighton convinced me to go to that bar and drink way past my limits. Some best friend she is. It wasn't even worth my time. Just being groped by weirdos as I drink myself into oblivion.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head!" I hear Leighton's voice before I see her in my doorway. Her pretty honey-brown eyes are much brighter with the direct sunlight in them, framed by long fluttering lashes. A beautiful wild mane of natural blonde curls cascade down her back. She eyes me warily before she speaks again. "How are you feeling? You had a lot to drink last night." I glare at her and roll my eyes.

"I feel like absolute shit and I could really use a cold glass of water." Leighton turns on her heels and is back in seconds with a cold water bottle.

"Do what you need to do to get yourself out of bed. We have some shopping to do today." She watches me carefully with her hand on her hip. She looks like we didn't just spend the entire night out getting completely obliterated. She gives me a gentle smile and I know that's her cue for me to get up. With a groan I sip my water and roll out of bed, walking to the bathroom to wash my face.

An hour later, we are in the car on our way to the shops for some retail therapy. We walk into a cute new shop and right away I spot the perfect dress for the night. Yup. We're going back out tonight. A little hangover isn't gonna stop me. I grab the dress and hold it up against myself to show Leighton my find. "Bitch, that will look so good on you!" She says with flames in her eyes.

The dress is not my typical style. It's a skin-tight, black mini-dress with a zebra print overlay, and cutouts on the sides and in the center of my chest, showing off my cleavage. I usually try to stay more tame, but lately, my darkness is starting to bloom and I'm ready for the world to feel my rage.

After shopping, we go back to the apartment and start looking around for places we want to go tonight. I've been in my head a ton lately and just want to spend some time letting loose.

We finally decide on a club after way too much consideration. Black Lux is one of the hottest clubs in town and supposedly has a mysteriously sexy owner who only shows his face to the patrons every once in a while. The list to get into the club is almost impossible to get on, making it one of the most exclusive places in the city. Somehow, Leighton manages to find someone who is a regular there and can get us on the list for the night.

The adrenaline is pumping as the hours pass, and it's finally time to get ready for our night. I put my dress on with black, strappy heels and decide on a black smokey eye with a nude lip. The black eyeshadow accentuates my blue eyes. Leighton helps me straighten my hair before I spray my perfume. The intoxicating scent of vanilla and black cherry takes over my senses as I walk to the other side of the room, grabbing my bag before we're ready to go.

We order an Uber and while we wait, we go over our basic ground rules for the night. No leaving with anybody without telling one another, always keep your location shared, and no drinking drinks from anyone if they didn't grab it directly from the bartender right in front of you. Also, bathroom trips are never solo. Leighton has been like my lifeline these past few years and I can't imagine how awful life would be if anything were to happen to her, so we take these rules very seriously.

The car arrives and we hop in then we head to the club. After the brisk fifteen minute ride, we claim our spots in line to get in. Once we get to the door, and give the bouncer our names, we're let in right away. The deafening bass of the music overwhelms my senses as soon as I step into the club. The vibrations radiate throughout my body.

We make our way through the crowd and over to the bar to order our drinks. "One blue lagoon and a whiskey sour for her, please!" Leighton eagerly says to the bartender and winks at me. On the opposite side of the bar, I see a breathtakingly handsome man staring directly at me. His stare makes me nervous and goosebumps riddle my body. I try to look the other way, but his gaze draws me in, even more so when I see the corner of his mouth lift into a smirk. Social situations are not my area of expertise, so his smile makes me uneasy at first and I look back at the bartender as he hands us our drinks.

I hesitate for a few minutes before I look back over to where he was, just to realize he's gone. A ping of disappointment hits me, but Leighton quickly distracts me when she downs her drink in a matter of seconds and is ready to dance. Grabbing my hand, she drags me out to the middle of the dance floor, where it feels ten times hotter than it did at the bar.

We dance for what feels like hours but must have only been a few minutes. We laugh and dance with each other, singing every word to every song.

Despite having fun with my best friend...I still search the crowd for him . The nameless stranger that caused my knees to quake and my heart skip a beat. I don't know what it is about him but I can't get his eyes and that dangerous smirk out of my head. I haven't found anyone that intriguing since…well…ever. "Earth to Dani!! Hello? Where did your mind take you?" I shake my head trying to clear my thoughts and focus on Leighton.

"I'm fine, the alcohol is just starting to hit me." I realize I downed three in such a short amount of time that my brain is foggy.

Ignoring my earlier thoughts, I continue to dance with Leighton for a while until I see a familiar face standing towards the back of the throngs of people. Zeke Palmer. The only person that's ever been able to get under my skin enough to break me. Memories of his torment flow through my head.

" You're worthless Daniella. Nobody wants a used-up whore like you."

" If I ever had a kid like you, I would've drowned them in the bathtub."

"We all know that you will never amount to anything."

Zeke Palmer made every moment of high school a living hell for me. Solely because I didn't fawn over him like the other girls in school. It's been six years since I last saw him at graduation and the memory of my childhood trauma mixed with the torture caused by Zeke makes my heart beat faster.

Once again, Leighton pulls me from my thoughts. "Let's go grab you some water, you don't look too good." We walk back over to the bar, take a seat, and ask for two waters. The bartender is sweet with a kind smile. He gives me a second look and then slides a ripped piece of paper over to me. When I look down, I see that it's an unsigned note.

Meet me upstairs at 10pm.

Second door on your left.

I'm not sure how to feel about it other than intrigued. When I look over to Leighton, I see she's talking to a few other girls that I somewhat recognize from her birthday party and the self-defense class that she takes on Tuesdays.

I look at my phone and see it's 9:58pm. My curiosity gets the best of me. I decide to be spontaneous even if it may result in something bad. I quickly stand and scurry through the crowd towards the stairs. I send a text to Leighton letting her know that I'll be right back. When I get to the stairs, the man standing guard gives me one look and moves aside. Weird…but okay. I climb the stairs slowly, anxiety building deep inside me as butterflies erupt in my stomach with every step I take. What if this is a mistake and I'm walking into my death? I shake my thoughts and keep moving.

I get to the top and see a dimly lit hallway. "Oh fuck, I'm definitely walking into something bad," I mumble to myself. Moving at a snail's pace, I walk down the hall to find the second door on the left. I can see a dim light underneath the bottom of the door. Reaching for the doorknob, I take a deep breath and turn it, pushing the door open. I can't help but gasp at what I see. It's a large office with a huge black and white marbled desk to my left and a large fireplace ablaze to my right. It's beautiful. It had to have been professionally designed.

I walk further in and notice a door leading out to the balcony slightly open. Taking cautious steps, I move towards the door and spot a silhouette standing outside. Taking a deep breath, I walk out onto the balcony and slowly approach the person. It's a man with dark hair and tattoos lining each arm. Suddenly, he turns around to face me and my breath catches.

I'm staring directly into the eyes of the man from the bar, leaving me speechless.

He looks at me for another minute then speaks. "I thought you would be smarter than this." Did I hear him right? He invites me up here like a creep then has the audacity to say that? He looks me up and down with that same glorious smirk on his face before he speaks again. "I'm not disappointed by your choice though." Now it was my turn to look him up and down. I choose my words carefully in case he does turn out to be a creep who was just looking to murder me.

"I had my suspicions that it was you after the way you eye fucked me at the bar." Did I really just say that? Where did this courage come from? I'm usually the type to keep my mouth shut. "Why don't you just tell me why you invited me up here and stop wasting my time before someone finds us where we're not supposed to be."

As the last word leaves my lips, the door to the office creeps open. A tall, burly man stands in the doorway with wide eyes. "I'm so sorry Boss, but there is a disruption downstairs," he says with a worried look on his face.

"Thank you, I will be down in a minute." The words shock me. This is the mystery owner that people are always talking about. What the fuck?! The office door creaks shut. I stammer over my words, suddenly unsure of how to form a sentence.

"Y-you…you're the owner of Black Lux?" Once again he's smirking.

"Braxton Hayes. And you are…?" I take a deep breath in an attempt to calm my nerves. "Daniella Rossi, but everyone calls me Dani." He smiles, showing his perfect white teeth. God that smile could make any girl fall head over heels.

"Dani…fitting." He smirks. "Sorry to leave so abruptly Dani, but I should handle this issue." He gives me a wink and leaves me standing there in the office. Dumbfounded and a little wet between my thighs.

I released my breath, not even realizing that I was holding it. What the hell do I do? Just leave and act like this never happened? Seems like the most logical thing to do but I'm not feeling very reasonable. I make my way over the desk to find a pen and a sticky note. I'm hoping that I don't regret this and start writing.

Don't be a stranger "Boss"

403-591-0438

-Daniella

Maybe he'll think I'm crazy and not bother. Before I can change my mind, I place the sticky note in the center of the desk and put the pen back where I found it. Walking over to the door, I take one last look at the luxurious space before I walk out and back down the stairs.

Before the door in the very back of the club closes, I see Braxton holding that asshole, Zeke Palmer, against the wall by his throat. I won't say the shithead deserves it but I'm glad to see it. Letting my eyes wander over to the bar, I find Leighton sitting in the same spot and see that my seat next to her is still open. Making my way over, I give her a quick peck on the cheek and ask if she's ready to go. Within fifteen minutes, we're in an Uber on our way home.

Leighton was the first to speak. "Where did you disappear to? I saw your text." I really hate lying to my best friend but she would kill me if she knew what I was doing.

"I just needed some air so I stepped outside quickly." The answer seems to be enough because she doesn't question me further. We arrive back at the apartment and I head straight to the shower to clean off the sweat from dancing. As I stand under the water, I think about Braxton and the way he looked at me with fire in his eyes. His stare alone sent shivers through my body and the thought of him made my knees weak. I hope he finds that note and the feelings are mutual. Even if he ends up just being a distraction, at least he can make me feel things other than pain. I finish up my shower and dry off. Putting on silky pajama shorts and a lacy bralette, I head back to my bedroom. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I fall fast asleep.