DANIEL
In the past hour, Daniel had tried on fourteen outfits at his favorite store. Josh had never seen his best friend this focused while shopping.
âAre you seriously going through with this, D?â he asked with a frown.
âWhy would I back out now? That little brat acts like I donât affect her and Iâm the only one who feels ~something.~ We will see just how unaffected she is tonight when Iâm flirting with her coworker.â Daniel smirked as he shuffled through the pile of clothes in his favorite store.
Josh shook his head. âI still canât believe Lexi agreed to go. Does she even like Hellfire? She doesnât really strike me as the type to enjoy a place like that.â
Now shirtless and shoeless, Daniel picked up a pair of leather pants and tried them on in the middle of the store. He saw a store associate catching a glimpse of his abs and deep V-line, and she nearly tripped over her own feet. He smiled at her and gave a knowing wink.
~Every woman falls at my feet. Every single one. I wonât give up until Little Ms. Attitude falls for me too.~
Daniel decided to buy the pants, as well as a white T-shirt with the Balenciaga logo printed below the neckline. He loved the way his muscles looked underneath it.
âIâll take these two,â he told the associate as he peeled off the pants in the middle of the store. Her eyes shot straight to the massive bulge in his boxers.
Daniel took his time getting redressed.
The woman stood there drooling, and he allowed her to drink it all in before finally snapping his fingers to pull her out of her daze. âI donât have all day. Chop, chop.â He handed the woman his American Express card and shooed her toward the cash register.
âWho is the decoy chick anyway?â Josh asked, clearly concerned. âWhat if she ends up thinking the date is real? How will you handle it?â
His best friend had never two-timed his wife and had no clue how to pull off such schemes. Nor did he want to. Daniel, on the other hand, was a professional player.
âHer name is Fiona. She wanted to spend the night with me as a reward, but I decided to give her a cash tip instead. I donât want to sleep with her anyway.â
Speaking as if he was about to go on a dangerous mission, Daniel continued, âIâm annoyed at myself for being so focused on getting Draya to fucking submit to me. Thatâs all I have on the agenda right now. I wonât be distracted by anyone else until I accomplish this.â
âMaybe you could just admit you like the girl and go on a real date with her.â
Daniel looked at his best friend as if he said something stupid. âI donât like anyone. I want to fuck her. Teach her a lesson. Thatâs all. Donât mistake any of this for actual feelings. How long have you known me?â
Josh laughed out loud. âItâs because I know you so well that I made that suggestion. Youâve clearly fallen for this one. I donât know how or why, but you have. Youâre in denial if you think youâll be able to treat her like everyone else.â
His words annoyed Daniel. Annoyed him to the point of anger. He saw red as he grabbed the shopping bag and shoved his card back into his wallet.
Danielâs phone rang for the fifth or sixth time that dayâall calls from different girls heâd boned in the past. Girls who wanted to please him ~again~. He was annoyed with himself that he wasnât interested in taking any of them up on their offer.
~That brat never calls me.~
For four days, Daniel had thought of Draya. Her face was permanently branded into his memory: her full lips, ocean-blue eyes, long, auburn hair, pale skin. She marked him like a tattoo, one he would need to make a great effort to remove.
He was even shameless enough to think of her as he stroked his cock to completion in the shower.
Daniel booked a hotel near Drayaâs home, telling himself it was because he had to pick her up and the traffic from another hotel might delay his plan. After showering and hanging his outfit for the night, he decided that he would wear Giuseppe leather shoes and a Rolex watch. All he needed to do now was wait for Fiona to show up, then charter a driver to be their chauffeur for the night.
Daniel was going to ask Johnson but changed his mind. The man would not shut up about Draya since they met, constantly asking Daniel when he would see her again. He spoke as if Draya was his new employer or his employerâs wife. Which is why Daniel decided to give his driver the night off.
The hours moved by slowly. So slowly Daniel could not find comfort in sitting alone, staring at the ocean outside his room.
He wondered what Daniel would wear tonight. He wondered how his body would react to her. His heart had already betrayed him several times.
Daniel wondered if sheâd be shocked to see him. Would she be happy or annoyed?
A tiny part of him even wondered if heâd be able to go through with the plan once he looked into her eyes.
***
Fiona arrived on time looking gorgeous, but Daniel took no interest in her efforts. Already dressed, and he didnât invite her in to chat; he simply grabbed his phone and wallet, then said coldly, âLetâs get this over with.â
Daniel closed the door behind him and walked with Fiona to the elevator. As they descended, he checked the time on his phone and texted the car service heâd ordered. The alert stated that the driver was parked and waiting at the front of the hotel.
Fiona decided to break the silence. âI didnât know you had virgins on your radar. I couldâve sworn I saw that on your list of rules when we first met.â
âSheâs the exception,â is all he said.
Outside Drayaâs apartment building, Daniel stayed in the car while Fiona went upstairs to fetch her. He made a checklist in his mind.
~Shower: check.
Brush teeth: check.
Cologne: check.
Outfit: check.
Credit cards: check.
Ticket: check.
He rubbed his palms together to stop his fingers from shaking. The movement in his chest didnât help to settle his nerves either.
Daniel balled up his fist and hit the place that felt most⦠uneasy. The place that should be quiet. But right now, his heart was beating out of control.
Deep breathing didnât work to calm him.
Nothing did.
He sat fidgeting as he waited for what seemed like an eternity.
Finally, he heard the sound of heels clicking on the sidewalk. Goosebumps appeared on his arms.
Calm the shit down, D!
The driver opened the backdoor, and the automatic ceiling light switched on. Fiona climbed in. Daniel held his breath as the wench whoâd caused him nothing but stress for the past couple of days followed.
When she did, he stopped breathing.
Draya wore a short, red dress with revealing cutouts. Through the thin material, Daniel could see that her nipples were hard. His cock twitched shamelessly in his boxers.
Shit.
He stared longer than he planned to, forgetting the lines he had rehearsed. Fiona must have noticed because she took the initiative to break the silence and introduce them.
Daniel prayed he wouldnât stutter while muttering a lame greeting.
He searched Drayaâs face, but she gave nothing away. That pissed him off.
Fiona had thrown her legs over him, getting cozy, but he never looked at her once. His eyes were glued to the blue-eyed young woman sitting across from him.
He wanted her to seem jealous or upset, but instead, Draya looked as if she just didnât care. And that hurt him worse than a punch to the face.