Chapter 1

She didn't know what had gotten into her tonight, bursting into someone's bedroom at the penthouse where the party was, tearing off the clothes of a complete stranger. Nope, she definitely knows what has gotten into her. It was all the alcohol surging through her veins.

She can't even remember how everything started or who initiated but she now found her face pressed against his.

His lips were soft and hard all at once as he kissed her hungrily and she moaned into his mouth, arms wound around his neck. Her long fingers tangled in his soft auburn locks and his muscled arms were around her waist. Not long later, he was gripping her thighs, hoisting her up and backing her into the wall, never breaking the kiss.

Butterflies swarmed her stomach as he bit her bottom lip gently until their tongues were sliding against one another. She tightened her legs around his torso as if she would fall at any second even when she knew she wouldn't. Her lips tingled from all the kisses and when he pulled away, she gasped for air and he nipped down the nape of her neck.

One of his arms were under her butt to hold her in place and the other was wrapped around her waist as he started walking towards the bed. Like the gentleman that he was he gently placed her on the bed on whosever bedroom they were in and hovered over her. His hand slid up her bare thighs, squeezing them as his lips teased her agonising ones.

Her fingers traced the muscles on his torso and stomach, leaving her wondering if he was in the military. From his appearance, politeness and haircut to the way he carried himself. Definitely military. She was sure of it.

Slipping her hands under the hem of his boxers, he shivered under her soft touch. His hands travelled up further and grasped her breast, making her moan as he squeezed gently. He smirked deviously before kissing her again and trailing his hands down the expanse of her body, pushing her legs apart so he was in between them. Fingers brushing her inner thighs, making her let out a hefty moan of pleasure before he caresses her core with his thumb, fire ignited deep in her belly.

His lips descended, rubbing her faster before plunging into her folds, causing her to scream and spread her legs even wider, inviting him to touch her how ever he wanted.

She straddled him one last time before he positioned himself in between so he could thrust into her. Clutching his shoulders, she leaned down, chest to chest, them kissing each other deep, their tongues dancing against one another as she grind on him, driving her hips back and forth. Gasping each time he went deeper.

As the night ended, she slowly creeped out of the bedroom and out the once alive, music blaring penthouse, hopping past passed out bodies. She went ahead with the walk of shame back to her best friend's apartment since she definitely couldn't risk walking into her house the way she is and not face the wrath of Hank Voight.

Stumbling into Kim's apartment, she flopped down onto the couch. The night faded away. His face, his freckles, his baby blues, his auburn curls forever gone. Disappearing into a bundle of tangled memories in her head. Memories that she will most likely never recall.

As she fell asleep in her tangled sheets, a cheeky grin plastered her face. She lived wildly for once in a very long time and now that it was over, she didn't regret a second of it.

The bright sun rays pierced through her closed eyelids as Kim very intentionally pried the curtains apart, purposely torturing her friend.

"HOLY SHIT!" Erin exclaimed, covering her now overly sensitive pupils with a pillow. Someone must have bashed her brains into a wall since it was literally throbbing against her skull. Kim laughed at watching her friend freak out and Erin tried to wipe drool off her chin.

"Ugh! I'm never drinking again." she groaned while rubbing her eyes. "Tell me again, why you didn't stop me..." she reached out for the cup of concoction Kim handed out to her. A concoction of god knows what.
"You being the stubborn Erin...that I love so dearly..." she began then quickly tried to save her ass with the added analogy, "Well, you didn't listen to me so..."

Erin brought the cup to her lips, the stench was so fowl that just inhaling it was enough to sober her up. She didn't need to drink it anymore. But she still willingly chug the awful, bitter liquid down her throat, leaving her with a questionable aftertaste on her tongue.

They sat quietly for a while, listening to the birds chirping outside, until she felt Kim's piercing gaze burning right through her. She knew what she wanted.

Details

Sure enough as she looked up at her; a grin spread across her face, her brow was arched and her elbows propped on her lap with her chin on her palms.
"Soooooo?" she probed.

"What?" Erin shrugged, pretending as she didn't know what she was talking about.
"Oh c'mon, Erin!" she raised her brow again, tapping her nails against the coffee table, impatiently waiting for her response.

"Fine. I had sex. Happy?" she finally blurted and just as quickly Kim gasped loudly. So loudly that she almost choked on all the air she had just breathed in.

Kim looked at her in sheer disbelief, blinking a couple more times to ensure reality. Her mouth gaped seemingly about to say something but she quickly snapped it shut. It wasn't like Kim to be speechless, she always had something to say or too much to say. It was clear she was in complete shock.

Erin wasn't one to sleep around with anyone and everyone in sight but last night, it was different.

He was different.

He was a perfect gentleman. From what she could remember that is. No one in her entire life had treated her the way he did. It was probably the alcohol that made him look like a saint in her eyes.

Still, last night, she felt alive for the first time in a very long time. For the first time in six years, ever since Voight took her off the streets, she felt free. Though she very much appreciated all Voight's efforts in helping her straighten up her life, she felt constricted at times, as though she couldn't and shouldn't disappoint him. Just so as to please the old man, she never, not once, until last night, went to her old ways.

"You're crazy!" Kim exhaled. "You got balls, Erin Lindsay! I can't ever do that...I mean one night stand-"
"Whoa! Don't call it that!" she cringed at the term.

"What do you wanna call it then? You hooked up with a stranger for one night. No strings attached. The total definition of a one night stand."

"Please! You're just jealous cuz you're playing house with what's his name!" she joked.
Kim smacked her friend's shoulder, knowing she didn't meant it and playfully rub the huge rock on her ring finger in her face, "So was he any good?"

She paused for a moment and pressed the mug to her lips, still embarrassed and not wanting to discuss the matter but she had to share it with her best friend. It was just too good to keep it to herself.
"It was amazing. No scratch that it was incredible...I think it was...well, definitely the best sex I've ever had!" they laughed and squealed gleefully liked schoolgirls, "And that's all I can literally say on that matter."

"Like hell you can!" Kim protested, "You cannot use that many adjectives to describe how great the sex was and just leave me hanging! Spill it!"
"Girl, if I could, I would." she shrugged, "I just can't remember much. All I can remember were his piercing ocean blue eyes and how my palms felt against his soft, soft auburn hair." she felt goosebumps rippled through her entire body at the little information she recalled of last night.

"Redhead. Umm that's a first. So I guess you won't be seeing him again?"

She sighed, taking a slow sip and stared off into space. "Not in a million years. Chicago is a huge city, my dear."
"So look him up on Facebook or something." she nudged, smiling brightly at her own witty idea as if she just found the cure to cancer.

Erin laughed again then settled her concoction on the coffee table and glanced back to her best friend who still was gleaming.

"Do you know his name? Cuz I don't."

"Erin!" the sharp tone of Voight's gravelly voice snapped her out of her deep slumber and she practically jumped out of bed.
"You get down here right now!" he yelled, slamming the front door, the four walls shook angrily at her.

Scrambling to her feet, she debated whether going downstairs was a smart move. She could just stay in bed and pretend to be asleep or simply face the old man. Either way, he would never let it go.

She sighed, mentally preparing herself as she very reluctantly strutted down the steps. Sure enough a fuming Hank Voight stood at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed over his chest.

"Yes?"

He simply looked at her disapprovingly. "You wanna tell me why I got a call from your instructor telling me that you didn't show up today?!" he yelled, shaking his head. He definitely was not expecting this kind of behaviour from her. At least not anymore. Old Erin would defile him till the end of time but new Erin, never. She was about to graduate on top of her class in the Academy so he doesn't understand what has gotten into her.

She looked down at the ground as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Twenty one years old, six years later, he was still screaming at her like she was fifteen. Never did she want to disappoint him but she did anyway. "I'm sorry. I wasn't feeling so good this morning."

Ever since that night, four weeks ago, she have been under the weather. Hangovers weren't supposed to last this long. Since a majority of her young adult life comprised of cheap booze, cigarettes and weed, she knew something wasn't right. She was supposed to be the Queen of Hangovers. Something was definitely wrong with her. The pounding in her head never seemed to go away no matter how many Tylenols she popped. And to make matters worse, her stomach churned none stop. This morning she found herself heaving into the toilet, rendering her incompetent for today's defensive tactics class.

Voight's frown deepened, his expression soften as he approached her. "Why didn't you call me?" he asked. With all the cases, late nights and piled up paperwork, he haven't been home in days.

"I didn't want to disturb you." she shrugged, "I know you're busy. Besides I'm a big girl now, I can take care of myself." she forced a smile, looking at the man she knows as dad.

"Nonsense." he shook his head, "You'll always be my baby girl." he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in for a side hug, "Don't tell Justin this but you've always been my favourite."

She chuckled and they stayed like that for a while, father and daughter, before he began once again, "I'm so proud of you, kiddo. You've come a long way. Feels like it was yesterday I brought you home. I still remember how freaked Camille was that day." she smiled at the memory and they both looked over to the sofa.

On her first day at the Voight household, Camille had just returned back home from work to find a delinquent lying on her pristine white couch with her walkman blaring and filthy converse, causing a black stain that, still, to this day, nobody could wash out.

"Now in four months, you'll graduate on top, 90th percentile...or higher. No pressure. I'm just saying you're smarter than your old man, you can do way better than me."

Little did they both know of the disappointment that lies ahead.