"Lissa, wake up…" I said, opening her bedroom door and turning her light on. She squealed and pulled the blankets over her head. She was such a drama queen, I swear.
"The light, it burns. Please, make it stop." She begged. I shook my head and laughed at her.
"Get up. You have an hour till you have to be ready for work, and if you don't get up now, you won't get up at all, cause I'm fixing to leave." I said. She rolled back in forth in her bed, wrapping herself up in her comforter. I walked into the room and grabbed the blankets, pulling them off her and tossing them into the floor. "Up, now… or I'll roll you out of this bed." She sat up, and narrowed her eyes at me.
"You're such a bitch. Why are we even friends?" She snapped, grumpily. I laughed.
"Because if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have a job. Now, get your ass up." I walked out of the room, and down the hall into my bathroom. I ran the straightener through my hair once more, applied a little bit of lip gloss, and started for the door.
"I'm leaving. I'll see you this afternoon."
"What time do you get off?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Probably around five, why?"
"It's Friday. I want to go out tonight." She informed me. She then narrowed her eyes. "But you don't like to go out with Christian and me, because you don't have a date." She was mocking me. I hated it when she did that shit.
"I just don't feel comfortable going out with you two. I feel like-." She cut me off.
"The third wheel, I know. But Rose, you can't stop going out because you and Dimitri broke up. You've got to go out and find someone new, and better and toss that shit back in his face. Come out with us, tonight. Please." She begged. She used the full power of her big green eyes on me.
"Lissa, I just-." I trailed off, as she continued staring at me. "God damn you, alright. I'll go." I snapped. She grinned and jumped up and down, clapping her hands together.
"Good. You're not going to regret it, I swear." I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, whatever. I'll be home at five." I snapped, before walking out of our apartment, and downstairs to the parking lot. I pulled my keys out of my pocket, and opened the door to my beat up Honda Civic. The poor thing was falling apart, but she got me to work and school, and that was all I needed. I started her up, and allowed her to warm up before turning on the radio, and pulling out of our apartment complex. It was about a twenty minute drive to the coffee house I worked at in town. We stayed busy due to the fact we were right in the middle of the city. We had a lot of big names come in, but I'd never been lucky enough to wait on one of them. I pulled into the parking lot around back, and headed inside. The place was already swamped and it had only been open for a good thirty minutes. Mia looked up at me, and sighed.
"Thank God you're here." I laughed.
"In over your head?"
"You have no idea." She muttered, filling a cup and placing it in a holder, before handing it to the man at the register. I walked into the back and clocked in. I then took my place at the register beside Mia and began working. We stayed busy, for what seemed like forever. I didn't work morning shifts often, so when I did, I was just as in over my head as everyone else. Our manager was in today, observing and everyone in the building was working their ass off. Around one o' clock, we slowed down and we each got a break. When it came time for mine, I walked out to the parking lot and to my car. I reached in and grabbed my cell phone, checking for any messages. I was still praying for a text message from Dimitri, begging for me to take him back, and apologizing for all of the stuff he'd said and done. It was a false hope. I threw the phone back in the console, and sat down in my car. I reached into my purse in the passenger's seat and pulled out some Tylenol for the horrible headache I'd acquired. I carried them back inside, and went into the bathroom. I took the pills, and fixed my hair in the mirror. I jumped when someone walked in. They smiled warmly at me, and continued into one of the stalls. I walked out, and started to walk around the corner, when I ran smack into someone. I stumbled back, and heard the cup of coffee when it hit the ground. Please don't be hot coffee, please don't be hot coffee.
"Oh my God, I am so-." I trailed off, as I looked up to see who I'd run into. He was tall, lean and had messy copper hair. He was in a suit. From the looks of it, a very expensive suit, and I'd just caused him to drop his coffee, and spill it all over his pants legs and shoes. "I am so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going… I didn't even-." He reached up and took off his Ray Ban sunglasses, and shook his head. He had gorgeous green eyes, much like Lissa's but they were slightly brighter. This guy was freaking gorgeous.
"It's fine. Accidents happen." He said. I bit my lip, feeling like utter shit that I'd ruined his pants and shoes.
"I'm such a klutz. Geez, I'll make you another coffee, on the house of course. I'm so sorry, sir." He gave me a smirk, which caused my insides to quiver. What the hell was that about?
"Really, it's not a big deal. Like I said, accidents happen. I probably shouldn't have been wearing my sunglasses inside. If anything, it was my fault." I shook my head.
"I'll get you some napkins, so you can clean off." I murmured. I turned my back, walking away from him flustered and confused. I grabbed a stack of napkins, and walked back over to where he'd sat down. I extended the napkins to him, and shook my head.
"I can say my day is complete, now that I've officially ruined someone's clothes." I said, trying to lighten the mood as he wiped the coffee residue off of his black shoes. He looked up at me through his full lashes, and I felt my breathing hitch. What the fuck?
"You do this often? Maybe it was your fault after all." His lips twitched at the corners, almost a smile but not quite. I smiled, and shook my head.
"No, it isn't an everyday occurrence, but when it happens, I know I've had a full day." I said, playfully. He stood up, and wiped his hands with a napkin, before extending his hand to me.
"I'm Adrian Ivashkov." I recognized that name from somewhere, but I wasn't sure where.
"I'm Rose… Uhm… Rosemarie Hathaway." I said, laying my hand in his. He shook it, and smiled.
"I hate to seem rude, but I do kind of need that cup of coffee… I'm late for a meeting." He said, pointing to a SUV parked out front. On the side, in bold, black lettering it said IVASHKOV MARKETING & SALES. It was then I realized why I recognized the name. He was a successful, multi-million dollar company CEO. Then, I felt that much worse about his clothes.
"You're THE Adrian Ivashkov… oh jeez, now I can say I ruined millionaire's clothes today. That's scores extra points." I muttered. I ran a hand through my hair, and sighed. He gave me a slight smirk. "What were you drinking, sir?"
"Iced Mocha." He said, simply. I nodded once.
"I'll be right back with that." I turned and walked back around the counter, feeling like a complete imbecile. I filled the cup, and made his coffee, which only took a couple of minutes. After that I walked back over to him. I handed it to him, and smiled apologetically one last time. "I'm sorry I've made you late, Mr. Ivashkov." He smirked.
"It was well worth it, although my pants and shoes don't seem to think so." I blushed furiously.
"Once again, I'm sorry sir." He nodded once.
"It was a pleasure, Ms. Hathaway." He offered me his hand once again, and when I laid mine in his, he brought it up to his mouth and kissed it. When he released me, he put his sunglasses on and started back out the door. I realized after recovering that he'd left something in my hand. I opened it to see a fifty dollar bill. I felt my mouth go dry. I spilt coffee all over the man, and he left me a fifty dollar tip? What the hell was that about? I stood there, dumbfounded as he walked out to the SUV and got in. He spared me one last look before the door was closed behind him by the man who was obviously his chauffeur. I quickly turned, recovering quickly since I knew he could still see me. I walked back behind the counter, and clocked back in, realizing I'd gone five minutes over my break. Damn it. I shoved the fifty into my apron and continued at the register. As I worked Mia walked over to me as she got her break.
"What was that? With that guy earlier?"
"I ran into him, and spilled his coffee all over him." I answered, as I rang up a customer.
"Who was he? He looked fancy." She said, grinning at me. She was normally working when the big name guys came in. I'd gotten one this time, and I'd never felt more flustered in my life.
"Adrian Ivashkov." I said, simply. She gasped.
"The Adrian Ivashkov? The CEO of Ivashkov Marketing & Sales?" She asked me, obviously completely enthralled.
"The very same." I murmured, as I moved to make a latte. She followed.
"You spilled coffee on that hunk of sexy's pants? You should be ashamed." She said, reprimanding me. Trust me, I wanted to crawl in a hole and die. I handed the customer their drink, and turned to her at my free moment.
"I was just really embarrassed." I admitted.
"He's super hot. I can't believe I didn't notice it was him. I probably waited on him. Son of a bitch and he didn't even tip me. Cheapskate." I smirked, and reached into my apron, pulling out the fifty.
"He tipped me." I watched as her jaw dropped open, and jealousy spread through her eyes. I admit, it did give me some satisfaction to know I'd managed to get one of the bigger names. She sighed and walked away, as I grinned. Work dragged on forever, but for some reason I couldn't get Mr. Ivashkov out of my head. When five o' clock rolled around, I headed out to my car, tired and ready to go home and go to bed. It was then that I remembered Lissa wanted me to go out tonight. Fuck my life. I debated on not going home, and lying to her, saying I had to work over, but I knew she'd come and find me, psycho bitch that she was. I got into my Honda and headed home. I needed a drink after the day I'd had. When I got home, Christian was heading into the apartment. He must have heard my Honda coming, because he turned and smiled as I pulled onto our road and into the parking lot. When I got out, he smiled.
"I hear you're going out with us. How'd she rope you into that one?" I groaned.
"Those fucking big green eyes." I muttered. He laughed.
"That works on you? You're a sucker." I narrowed my eyes at him, before heading upstairs. When I opened the door to the apartment, the music hit me. She always blared music as she was getting ready to go out. She claimed it helped get her pumped up. I just thought she was clinically insane. Your Love is My Drug by Ke$ha screeched through the speakers of my sound system. I walked over, and turned it off, causing Lissa to come out of the bathroom. Her eyes fell on me, and she glared. Then she saw Christian, and it completely faded. Their love made me sick. It was as simple as that.
"So, what's the plan for tonight?" I asked, placing my hand on my hip.
"It's nice to see you to, Rosemarie." I growled at her as she used my full name.
"I asked you a question, Vasilisa." I snapped. She gave me that full green eyed glare, causing me to smile.
"We're going to that new club downtown. It's only been open for like, a week. We're going to check it out and see what it's like. If it's no good, we'll just go down to Harry's and hang out." She informed me. Christian nodded, and I just sighed.
"Alright."
"Now, go slut up, Rose. We need to find you a new man." She said. I turned and pointed to her.
"That's not what tonight is about, and if that's your plan, I'm not going. I'm not ready for all of that yet, and you know that." Christian looked down. I knew he'd still been in contact with Dimitri. He'd probably listened to Dimitri bash me, and talk about his new girlfriend. Well, fuck both of them. Lissa stared at me, apologetically before smiling.
"You're right. I'm sorry, Rose." She said. I nodded and started into my room to get ready. I settled with my favorite pair of holey jeans, and a really low cut, blood red top. I smiled as I gave myself a once over in the mirror. As vain as it sounded, I looked hott and I knew it. I walked into the bathroom, and restraightened my hair, and did my make-up. Lissa stood in the door way, nodding approvingly.
"You look cute." I turned to find her in a mini-skirt that was all too mini and a tank top. Her hair was in waves, framing her face and her make-up was dark. I smiled.
"You look hot." She shrugged.
"Yeah, but tonight isn't about me. It's about getting you out and having a good time. I seriously am sorry about thinking I was going to find you a new boyfriend tonight. I didn't mean it like that. When Aaron and I broke up, I never thought I'd find somebody else. Plus, you and Dimitri were together a lot longer than we were." I just nodded.
"Thanks, Lissa." She smiled.
"You ready?"
"I suppose. Whose car are we taking?"
"Christians." I nodded once, before we all heading out, and to Christians BMW. His family was pretty rich, part of the reason I think Lissa kept him around. He was a smart ass, and I don't know how she dealt with him. On the drive there, Lissa had Christian radio cranked all the way up. I sighed and shook my head. I would have to deal with this all night, and when she was drunk it'd be ten times worse. Jeez, why did I agree to this? When we pulled up to the club, there was a small line outside. We waited, and showed the bouncer our ID before we got in. Lissa went straight for the bar, Christian and I following behind her. I ordered a Margarita, and sat down at the bar. Lissa and Christian made their way out onto the dance floor. This was why I didn't go out with them. I was always left as the third wheel. I downed four margaritas before Lissa came back to me.
"Dance with me?" She begged, pulling me from my bar stool. At this point, I didn't care. I danced with Lissa and about five other people I didn't know. I was feeling good, and surprisingly I was having a decent time. I spun around, bumping and grinding on random strangers. I even found Christian, and laughed as we danced together. Lissa found it quite amusing too. I finally got tired, and went back to my bar stool, ordering another Margarita. I turned around, watching the people on the dance floor having so much fun. I felt this shock run through my body. I knew that feeling better than anything, but by then it was too late.
"How many have those have you had?" A familiar voice asked. That accent. Dimitri. God damn it, no. This was my place to escape him, and here he was.
"I don't believe it's any of your concern." I said, defiantly. He sighed.
"Rose-." He started.
"I obviously haven't had enough to deal with this. Good-bye, Dimitri." Lissa found me before I started wheezing, trying to compose myself.
"What the fuck is he doing here?" She demanded.
"Rose, I'm sorry. I'll go talk to him." Christian said. He disappeared in the crowd before I could stop him. My insides were quaking. I'd done my best to avoid him, but it was like I couldn't get away. Lissa grabbed me, pulling me back out onto the dance floor, drink in hand.
"Just forget about him. Christian will take care of it. Don't let this spoil your night, please." She begged. I nodded, and started dancing a long with her, once again making my way through the crowd. I went back to the bar, returning with a drink slightly stronger than my margaritas. Christian found us, and promised me that Dimitri wouldn't be a problem anymore. I was sincerely thankful for that. I caught sight of him a few times, looking directly at me. I was careful not to meet his gaze, or even acknowledge that he was here. It wasn't long before I was sincerely drunk. My entire body was sore from dancing and from the alcohol. I decided to take a break and went outside, and around to the small alley way beside the club. I laid my back against the wall, letting the cool night air sober me up slightly. It was definitely time to stop drinking, and that I knew. I wasn't sure how long I'd been outside, before I heard footsteps. I looked up to find Dimitri enter the alley.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." I grumbled. He sighed.
"Please, don't run off this time. I just really want to talk to you." He stumbled down the alley, coming closer and closer to me. He was wasted. I took a few steps away.
"Just stop… I don't want to hear it." I said, shaking my head.
"I love you."
"That's bull shit." I snapped at him. He'd broken up with me, left me for some blonde bitch. He didn't love me. Hell, he didn't know what love was.
"It's not. Rose, I made a mistake leaving you. I just… please." He begged. He took a few steps closer to me, and I shook my head.
"Just stop… It's over, Dimitri. You fucked up, and it's as simple as that. This is done. Now, let me go." I tried to walk around him, to head back inside, when he stepped in front of me, pushing me against the wall, pinning me there.
"This isn't over, Rose. I want you back." He slurred. Then, his mouth was on mine. I was drunk, but I still knew this wasn't what I wanted. I pushed against his chest, trying to get him off me.
"Dimitri stop." I said, around his mouth. I kept pushing, but it wasn't working. He was too strong. I couldn't move because he had my body pinned with his. "Let me go, Dimitri… no." I was trying to be loud, but it wasn't working since his mouth on mine muffled the sound. I kept squirming, and pushing as he tried to stick his tongue into my mouth. You've got to be kidding me.
"I believe the lady said no." I heard a voice say. He removed his mouth from mine, and turned his head. I looked up to find Adrian Ivashkov standing at the entrance of the alley. Thank God.
"And who the fuck are you?" Dimitri slurred, taking a step back, bowing up at Adrian.
"I don't think that's any of your god damned concern. She said no… now walk away." Adrian said. His voice was dark, and you could tell he meant business. The gleam in his eye frightened me slightly. It made me wonder what he'd do if Dimitri said no. Dimitri turned back to me.
"Is this your new boyfriend?" He looked pissed. Good.
"No, he isn't." I said, simply. He continued to glare at me. He stepped closer to me, which caused Adrian to step closer as well.
"You've got about five seconds to get the fuck out of here and leave her alone." Adrian almost growled at him. It wasn't even me Adrian was speaking to, and I was slightly terrified by this. Dimitri turned back to him, before walking out of the alley way. Once he was gone, Adrian's gaze fell on me.
"Are you alright, Rosemarie?"
"Please, call me Rose… and no. To be quite honest, I think I'm going to be sick." I whispered. He walked over to me, and placed a hand on my arm. This electric current shot straight up my arm all the way to my shoulder.
"Are you here alone?" He asked. I shook my head.
"No, I'm not. My friends are inside, and probably worried-." The rest of my sentence was cut off when the contents of my stomach came rushing out of me and onto the pavement. I'd done well in not puking on him, but regardless I was still puking in front of him, and this was extremely embarrassing. This just got better and better. He patted my back, and stood beside me as I emptied my stomach, and dry heaved for a few moments. Once I was done, my body ached ten times worse, and I was extremely tired now.
"Do you want me to go find your friends?" He asked me. His voice was hard, but his face was full of concern. I shook my head.
"I can go-." I started to walk, but stumbled into him. He caught me, and held me up.
"You're a lightweight, aren't you?" He asked, a teasing but annoyed tone to his voice.
"No." I tried to snap at him, but really the simple word came out jumbled. He propped me up against the wall, and pulled out his cell phone.
"Tyga's." He snapped into the receiver, before putting it back into his pocket. That was the name of the club, what was he doing?
"We're going to go find your friends, alright?" He asked. He wrapped an arm around my waist, and tried to escort me, but I was dead weight. I stumbled and fell to the concrete. "Fuck." He muttered. Such fowl language from such a beautiful mouth. That's when he reached down, and scooped me up into his arms. I was fading in and out of consciousness at this point, and I wasn't sure what was happening.
"What are you doing?" I slurred, as his grip tightened around me.
"We're going to find your friend, what are their names?" He asked.
"Lissa and Christian." I said, my voice fading in and out. He nodded, but didn't say anything else. "I can… I can walk."
"You can't even talk, much less stand. I doubt you can walk, Rose." He said, sounding like he was reprimanding me. I wanted to scowl at him. What the hell was I doing? I didn't know this man, and here he was carrying me like a child.
"Put me down." I demanded.
"You can't walk." He said, his voice growing more and more agitated.
"Please, put me down." He set me on my feet, steadying me. I stood there for a second, glaring at him. I started to turn, and stumbled into the wall. He wrapped an arm around my waist.
"Just let me help you, please." He helped me back in and leaned in close to me. I could feel his breath on my neck, and I felt goosebumps rise. "Do you see them?" He asked. I searched the crowd, but didn't catch sight of them anywhere. I stepped forward, looking at the bar, then the dance floor, then the tables in the back, and saw them nowhere. Christian's car was still outside, so I knew they were still here.
"I don't… I don't see them." I slurred. My knees were becoming weaker and weaker. I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand.
"Come on, we'll walk through the crowd, and see if they see you, or you see them." I took two steps forward, and that was all she wrote. My legs gave out from under me, and I started tumbling to the floor. He grabbed me last second, right before I would have hit the ground.
"God damn it." He scooped me back up into his arms, and carried me back out the front door. I wanted to protest, but this time, it didn't work. I was almost completely unconscious with a man I didn't even know carrying me away from where I knew my friends were. I felt something leather underneath me, and the new car smell fill my nostrils. I couldn't protest, or even speak. I was so out of it. I felt him reach into my pocket, and pull something out. My money? My phone? My ID? I didn't know what it was. It wasn't long before the blackness swallowed me, and my surroundings became obsolete all together.