Chapter 2 Falling For Your Lips

• My left hand held the toilet lid while my right hand scraped the back of my throat.
• The sharp smell of alcohol mixed with food scraps poured out, so harsh that it brought tears to my eyes.
• After I was done, I took out some perfume, sprayed it into the air, and walked through the mist.
• I touched up my makeup but didn't leave right away. Instead, I pulled out a yogurt from my bag, drank it, and then headed back out.
• As I sat next to Oberon, maybe the faint scent of perfume caught his attention. He gave me a deep look.
• The bald guy raised his glass again to toast me.
• Oberon placed his hand over my glass and clinked his drink with the bald guy's.
• After downing it, Oberon said to me, “Drink less. If it's too much, stop. Don't induce vomiting.”
• A sudden warmth spread through me. No one had ever treated me like that before.
• However, if I didn't drink, I wouldn't make money, and my rent was due tomorrow.
• I smiled and nodded, then lifted my glass to clink with the bald guy.
• After finishing the drink, I leaned toward Oberon and whispered in his ear, “I've got to take good care of your friends, Mr. Zimmer.”
• Maybe my hair brushed against his nose because Oberon pressed a thumb under his nose, saying nothing in response.
• It was clear the bald guy wanted to get me drunk.
• Fine, bring it on! I had just emptied my stomach, so I was ready for the challenge.
• The second time I went to the bathroom, I calculated that the drinks I finished were worth at least five hundred.
• Drinking and throwing up wasn't the hard part. The hard part was drinking, throwing up, and then drinking again, over and over.
• By the third round, the bald man was obviously struggling.
• Even though I had thrown up everything, the alcohol had still entered my bloodstream, numbing my brain.
• I was already feeling fuzzy when I finally managed to drink the bald man under the table.
• The problem was, just as he was about to pass out, the bald man called someone else to come drink with me.
• A girl next to me whispered, “Don't drink too much. Looks like Mr. Zimmer is going to take you out tonight.”
• I snapped to attention and shook my head.
• I wouldn't leave with him.
• She sneered at me, but I ignored her and continued drinking with the young guy the bald man had called over.
• After one more drink, Oberon stopped me from having another.
• “She's had enough,” Oberon said calmly, casting a glance at the guy.
• The guy awkwardly stopped mid-toast, not daring to push any further.
• As the night wore on, the guests began to leave.
• The bald man, who was half-passed out, suddenly perked up and loudly insisted on taking me out.
• “I've already made plans to grab a late-night snack with her,” Oberon interjected, blocking the bald man's attempt.
• The bald man stared at Oberon for a few seconds before chuckling. He raised his glass to Oberon, then downed his drink.
• When it was time to settle the bill, Oberon handed me a stack of cash—three thousand. My heart skipped a beat as I took it.
• “That's your tip for tonight,” Oberon said, noticing my hesitation. Only then did I smile and accept the money.
• “Let's go.” Oberon stood up.
• I hesitated. I watched some of the other girls walk out, arms linked with their clients.
• I knew exactly what they were up to.
• I bit my lip and shook my head.
• Drinking was fine, even flirting was okay, but nothing more than that.
• Oberon smiled but said nothing. The bar manager, however, pulled me aside.
• “If Mr. Zimmer wants to take you out, you should go. Don't worry, it's fine.” I knew the boss was just trying to curry favor with Oberon and didn't care about what happened to me.
• I looked over at Madeline, the shift supervisor, and she nodded at me.
• That put me at ease. If Madeline gave the okay, Oberon was probably a good guy.
• “Okay, thank you.” Oberon escorted the other guests out to the door but didn't go with them to the hotel. Instead, he had his driver take them.
• “Where are we going?” I asked, as Oberon didn't take me to his car right away.
• In my line of work, most clients were overweight, greasy, and barely decent. There were very few men like Oberon—handsome, fit, and wealthy.
• One of the girls had texted me earlier, saying if I slept with him, everyone would think I'd struck gold.
• Oberon laughed, turning to look at me. His narrow eyes sparkled under the streetlights, like a sky full of stars.
• “What's wrong? Afraid I don't want you?” he teased, his lips curving up slightly.
• His thin lips were undeniably sexy.
• I didn't know if it was the alcohol or something else, but that night, I found Oberon ridiculously attractive. He was, by far, the best-looking man I had ever seen.
• He once asked me what my first impression of him was. I would just stare at his lips, giggling, never answering. I always thought to myself that I had fallen for his lips.
• Of course, that was just my personal taste.
• I preferred older, more experienced men. Men whose lives had left lines at the corners of their mouths, each one telling a story.
• Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was something about Oberon that had me completely spellbound.
• In that fleeting moment, I actually thought about giving myself to him.
• “If you don't want me, you'll regret it,” I teased, standing on tiptoe and wrapping my arms around his neck, deliberately breathing out near his lips.
• Perhaps it was the courage from the alcohol, or maybe infatuation clouding my judgment, but after uttering those words, I suddenly felt a rush of heat to my face.
• “I can afford that loss,” he replied with a grin, one arm wrapping around my waist.
• I laughed, half-closing my eyes as I leaned into him, my body supported by his embrace. I moved closer, and then closer still.
• Finally, I opened my mouth and gently bit his Adam's apple, swirling my tongue slowly.
• I let out a faint, almost indiscernible moan, as if I was moved by passion. Soon enough, I heard the deep, suppressed sound coming from his throat, just as I had hoped.
• I suddenly burst into laughter. He had been too close to me just now, and I could sense a change in him. That gave me a feeling of triumph.
• “You're impossible!” He laughed, pulling me along. “I'll take you somewhere.”
• He waved down a taxi, and I was shocked when he gave the address—it was near where I lived.
• I had no idea what he was up to. “I'm going to get my car. It's parked over there,” he told me.
• “You've been drinking. Can you drive?” I asked. At the time, drunk driving wasn't illegal yet.
• “You'll see soon enough,” he said with a hint of suggestion, his first time showing a playful side all night.
• My heart raced when I heard that.
• We arrived at the parking lot and I spotted his car—a Land Rover.
• It suited him. Rugged and masculine.
• “Get in the car,” he said.
• I climbed into the passenger seat, looking around curiously.
• “Where to?”
• “Where do you live?” This question instantly cleared my mind, yet at the same moment, confused me. Many years later, I asked him what he had been thinking when he said that. He looked at me in surprise, saying he simply wanted to take me home.
• I wasn't about to give him my address. What if he turned out to be a bad guy?
• I didn't answer, and he didn't push. He just started driving slowly.
• My mind was hazy, and I faintly remember him asking me again where I lived. I mumbled something, already half-asleep.
• After some time, he shook me awake.
• I looked around and realized we were outside a hotel.
• I instantly sobered up, glaring at him, my mind spinning out of control.
• A surge of anger, intoxication, fear, and injustice welled up within me, bringing tears to my eyes.
• Later, Oberon told me I had looked like a lioness that night, pouncing on him and biting him in frustration.
• Oberon pushed me off. “What are you doing?”
• I laughed bitterly through my tears. “You brought me here to f*ck me, didn't you?”
• He gave me a wry smile. “I asked you several times where you lived, and you wouldn't tell me. So, I brought you to a hotel. What are you thinking?”
• I fell silent.
• “Thank you. And I'm sorry,” I finally said after a long pause.
• I gave Oberon directions to my place, then found myself slipping back into a state of semi-consciousness.
• When the car stopped not far from where I lived, the sudden halt woke me up again.
• I glanced at him, focusing on his Adam's apple, his lips.
• I didn't know why, but they seemed especially tempting—like a crime waiting to happen.
• “Ever done it in a car?” he asked, almost casually.