Elena's POV

My eyes follow him up the stairs until his tall frame disappears from view. Even then, I angle my head, still staring at the first landing of the stairs a full minute after he left.

"Waiting for someone?" the lanky guy questions casually, nodding towards the glass of water still in my hands.

Right. I gulp it down just as I did with the liquor and slide it over to him. I doubt it is going to do anything right now, but I desperately hope it works because the last thing I want is to be drunk in a room filled with strangers.

Where the hell did Elizabeth go?

"I'm Elliot," he murmurs, angling his head.

"Elena."

"I know."

"What?"

He chuckles again as my attention returns fully to him. I study him under the dim lights. He has boyish features and charm, but I can tell he is much older. I can see it in his eyes, the gaze of someone who knows more than they let on.

But unlike the grey-eyed man, he is warm and actually friendly.

"You work at Café Black," he continues, filling two red cups and handing one over to me.

I shake my head. "I've had enough for one night."

"It's red wine," Elliot says. "This should be easier for you to consume."

I accept it, even though I know he is wrong. I have a very low tolerance for alcohol consumed in any form. It doesn't matter that red wine doesn't contain as much alcohol as vodka. It has the same effect on me.

But Elliot doesn't have to know that. I am hoping Elizabeth will be back soon so we can head home. I have to be at the café tomorrow.

"You frequent there?" I ask, taking a sip. I really doubt it. I would have noticed him, seeing as sometimes, the manager makes me attend to every single customer. He hates me. I have to give him that. But I can't complain because he signs my paycheck.

Elliot shakes his head.

"I own it."

The red cup is in between my lips when he says that, and my head jerks backwards, taking in too much at once. I start coughing, and Elliot grabs the cup from me, placing it gingerly on the counter. Then, his hand comes down on my back, patting gently.

"I guess I should have given you that information in bits," he chuckles.

"No." I shake my head and clear my throat. He retrieves his hand just as I sit straight again. "I just wasn't expecting you to say that."

What if I had said something bad about the manager? Or worse, called it a shabby place. I would have been fired before tomorrow morning without even knowing the reason.

"It is one of my babies." He seems fond of it. I wonder if he knows how his manager runs it. But the only thing I can think of right now is how Elliot is my boss and I have been dared to kiss him.

The rest of the group has returned to playing the game, but I can still feel their eyes on me at intervals. They are waiting.

I can't do this.

"What is on your mind?" Elliot pushes slowly.

I shake my head.

"Come on," he drawls. "You don't have to act differently towards me just because I am your boss. And I don't even like calling myself that. It's the reason I leave staff matters to my manager. To you, tonight, I can just be Elliot."

My lips open and close in rapid succession. What am I supposed to say?

"I can see it in your eyes," he continues. "You came from that group over there, so let me guess. You were dared to kiss me?"

"Close," I whisper. "I was dared to kiss you and then get your number."

"But you don't have to do any of that," I add quickly, shaking my hands in his face for emphasis. "I don't mind losing the dare and having them make me do whatever they want me to do. You don't have to...."

"Do you know what they will make you do, Elena?"

I look at him wide-eyed.

"You will be dared to stand on a table and dance for the whole of the room to see, and that is if you are even allowed to do it clothed."

I swallow. "What kind of ...."

"They are very passionate about their games. A piece of advice. Next time, when you come here, don't join them. They made their own rules for the game because it works for them. I don't think it does for you."

"I don't think it does, either," I murmur, my gaze going back to the spot he was seated a while ago.

I don't know what is wrong with me. I need to stop thinking about those gray eyes.

"Here," he starts, hooking a finger on my chin. "And I'll give you my number too."

When his lips come down on mine, it is nothing like the explosion I have heard is associated with first kisses. Elliot feels warm and kind, and his lips taste of the same red wine as mine. It is slightly intoxicating, but he pulls away before anything can form.

I touch my chest, waiting for my heart to race. It is racing, but not from this kiss, not from Elliot. He reaches out for a napkin and retrieves a pen from his pocket, scribbling his number into it.

"You can call me if you like."

I laugh. "Thank you, Elliot."

A tall blonde lady walks into the room with a lot of brightness in her eyes. She heads over to us, but has her eyes on Elliot. Understanding, I get off the stool and walk away, but I do not join the circle.

Instead, I go up the stairs, trying to find a bathroom. With all that alcohol in my system, it is bound to happen at some point.

"Are you lost, pretty girl?" a man drawls from the hallway upstairs.

"Bathroom," I squeak.

He points to a door down the hallway, and I scurry in that direction. But when I push the door open, what jumps back at me does in no way resemble a bathroom.

Elena's POV

"I'm sorry!" I gasp as soon as I walk in, but for some reason, I stay rooted to the spot, one hand covering my eyes and the door still open behind me. I hear his footsteps approach, and I seem to shrink into myself.

But he doesn't touch me. Instead, I hear the door close behind me. When I pull my hands away from my eyes, he is watching me with an amused expression, but somewhere in his eyes is a tinge of anger.

It is hard for me not to stare at his body, and I can't help it as my eyes roam through the broad shoulders, well-toned abs, properly structured body, and a lean waist. He has the makings of someone who takes his gym life seriously, and that is saying a lot.

The only thing I have been able to manage consistently is my daily job at Café Black.

"Done staring?" he teases, pulling away from me and heading further into the room.

His room.

"You live here?" I find myself asking before I can stop the words from tumbling out of my lips. I should be apologizing for coming in here and maybe explaining that I am searching for the bathroom.

Instead, my eyes follow him around the room, that dry feeling in my throat back in full force. At least, now I know it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with needing water.

"What are you doing here?" He leans on the edge of his bed and wraps his hand across his chest. "Are you done flirting and laughing with the man downstairs?"

He sounds angry.

"Why are you angry?"

"Who says I am?"

"Your tone. You dared me to do that, so you don't have a right to be...." My voice trails off when I realize this argument is all wrong. Whether he dared me or not, he still has no right to be angry with whoever I decide to talk to here at the party.

We didn't come together.

Hell, I didn't even know he existed until tonight.

He angles his head. "So?"

"So, what?"

"Did you kiss him?"

I nod. "It was your dare, and the alternative was standing on the table and dancing with my clothes off. I chose the best option. You and your friends need to do better."

He scoffs. "Who told you that? The lanky guy who kissed you?"

"His name is Elliot and he is a really nice person."

The gray-eyed man shakes his head slowly. "Don't be naïve. People aren't nice. They just pretend to be until they get what they want."

I shake my head. "You are just saying that because you have no bone of niceness in your body."

"I don't dispute that."

Arguing with him is pointless.

"I need to use the bathroom."

He points to the adjoining door, and I saunter in that direction, making sure to lock the door behind me while I do my business. I stare at my reflection in the mirror, the wide-eyed, flushed-faced girl staring back at me.

My phone beeps in my purse, and I retrieve it. It is Elizabeth. She says she will be gone longer than she expected, but I can hang around the house till morning. The guest, Jaden, doesn't bite.

I haven't even seen him all night.

Taking a deep breath, I wash my face and dry my hands. I still feel tipsy, but it doesn't cloud my judgment.

When I return to the room, I meet the gray-eyed man in the far corner, his hands on the spines of books on the shelf. My feet shuffle in his direction, even though I know I should head in the opposite direction.

"Tess of D'Urberville," I whisper. "Is that the first edition?"

He turns around to face me as my fingers graze the spine.

"Yes," he replies. "Just as every other thing in here is."

I look up at him, having the feeling that he is no longer talking about his books. His gaze has darkened as he regards me from underneath his lashes. He seems to be waiting for something.

He moves slightly, turning his body so that he is towering over me, and my back is pushed into the shelf. Just like Elliot, he brings a finger underneath my chin and gears my face up to look at him.

But while Elliot feels warm and kind, with this man, it feels like I have been set on fire. Every part of my skin cackles with the heat and ferocity of that single touch, and I find my eyes fluttering close on their own accord.

My body presses into his, and a groan slips from his lips. His other hand touches my neck gingerly, fitting underneath my hair.

"Why have you never had sex?" he whispers, his deep-set baritone travelling through my body in waves. I do not have to answer him, yet I want to.

"I have never found the person worth it," I reply, my heart thudding so hard against my chest that I am scared he will be able to hear it.

"There's nothing like a person worth it," he drawls, leaning impossibly closer to me. His warm breath caresses my face, and my lips part open. "You just decide whether you want to or not."

"Then, I guess I have never wanted to," I whisper. "Not until now."

That last bit seems to break whatever restraint he has, as his lips crash down on mine possessively. I gasp into his mouth, and he uses the opportunity to deepen the kiss. His tongue finds mine, and suddenly, I lose the ability to think.

My toes curl inwards as he cups the back of my neck, and the entirety of my being lets him have his way with me.

Because I want him to.

I bury my fingers in the strands of his thick black hair just as he picks me off the floor and walks with me to the bed. I lie back onto the soft sheets, and he comes in after me, his lips kissing every inch of my body like I am a literature text he is trying to remember every detail of.

Every piece of clothing comes off in a whisper, and I moan and thrash underneath him. And when we both lay naked, he whispers, "This should hurt a little," before plunging into me.

Elena's POV

It takes a whole month for Elliot to visit Café Black, but when I see him stride in through the doors, the memories from that night come flooding in. And it has nothing to do with him. His eyes scan the room until they land on me, serving the same student with her eyes glued to the screen of her laptop.

He waves at me, and I wave back, before heading back to the counter for a coffee refill. When I attempt to serve the other tables, he waves me over.

"Someone else can handle this," he says. "Come sit with me."

"But...the manager...."

"Yeah," Elliot chuckles. "I should make him attend to the tables one of these days, don't you think? That's a great idea, Elena."

"No!" I shake my head once as I slide into the booth with him. "That isn't what I meant. He doesn't like me doing other things while working."

"Well, this isn't other things," Elliot answers, shrugging. "You are helping your boss plan out something important to him."

Elliot calls over one of the other attendants and has her take the tray from me. She doesn't look too happy about that, but when Elliot introduces himself, she does a double-take, forces a smile my way, and then walks away.

She probably thinks being in my good books is better than becoming an enemy simply because it seems I am friends with the owner of the café. She couldn't be any more wrong.

"How are things going around here?" he starts, leaning into the seat.

"Great," I answer, hoping he doesn't make me say more than that. But with Elliot's uncanny ability to look into my eyes and tell that there is something else I am not divulging, I don't stand a chance.

"Come on," he drawls. "Tell me. I can't trust the words of my manager, especially when it comes to human management. And honestly, he seems a little scary."

"He is scary," I blurt, then hold my hand up against my lips. "I'm sorry. I should never have said that."

"I wanted to hear it, Elena. And maybe this is the sign I have been waiting for to ask him to leave. I have heard rumors of his maltreatment from some of the customers, but I have never witnessed it before. If you fear him this much..."

"He makes us fear him," I sigh, allowing the gates to push open. "And then, I run more shifts than I am supposed to, even though it doesn't reflect in my pay at the end of the day,"

"I'm sorry about that, Elena."

I wave his apology away. "It is worth it, I guess, because I have met some nice people in here as well. Like that student doing her assignment. We barely ever speak to each other because she is always busy, but I like her a lot."

"I'm glad to hear that." His tone becomes serious as she slides to the edge of his seat. "I need your help, Elena. Remember the girl from the other night? The one who came to meet me?"

I nod.

"Her birthday is coming up soon, and I have no idea what to get for her. I was hoping you could give me some pointers, since you know..."

I don't know why a part of me assumed that Elliot's visit had something to do with the man from that night. He got up before I opened my eyes, and I haven't seen him again since then. Before Elizabeth came to get me, I tried asking around, but no one seemed to know who he was.

Elizabeth said she couldn't remember who was sitting next to me, but she knew that everyone in that circle was a close friend of Jaden, with whom she spent the night. I am just so happy for her that her crush hasn't been in vain.

"What does she like?" I question, trying to sound excited.

"Flowers, a lot of food, great clothing, vacations....the typical girl stuff."

I stare at him blankly. I am a girl, and I don't think those are the first things that come to mind when anyone asks what I like.

I enjoy some peace, I like Yoga, learning new things, hiking, swimming... But then again, maybe all of these things would have been mentioned if I had grown up rich.

"Why don't you do all of these things as one then?" I suggest. "You could take her out of the country. I heard Japan has great scenery. You can take her shopping in preparation for the trip, get her flowers during a nice date night there, and get her meals. The spa sessions, swimming together, and all of that have to be included."

"Japan," he muses, stroking his chin. "Why did I never think of that?"

"Hey," Elizabeth chirps as she strolls in unannounced, as usual. I am about to make a comment when the wave of her perfume hits me, and suddenly, it feels like my insides are fighting against each other.

I stiffen for a few seconds, just as my eyes widen. Elizabeth stops. "What is wrong with you, Elena?"

But I do not have the time to answer as I race into the bathroom at the speed of light. I hear someone follow closely behind, but I am more focused on not getting the contents of my stomach on the gleaming marble floor.

Reaching the bathroom, I sit on the floor and throw up into the toilet bowl, retching out the only meal I have eaten all day. Elizabeth grabs some toilet paper and cleans up after me, watching me warily as I lean against the tiled wall.

I have been feeling sick since yesterday. Maybe I should see the doctor.

"What is happening, Elena?" Elizabeth asks quietly. "I noticed this yesterday, too. And you have been complaining of fatigue."

"It could be stress," I murmur, feeling another wave of nausea hit the moment she steps closer to me. "Or your perfume."

"I have been using the same thing for years now, and you have never reacted this way to it before."

She stops just as our eyes meet in the huge bathroom.

"Elene, are you..."

I shake my head. No. I can't be.