Chapter 2: A cold Stranger
Lif's POV
You must have been wondering who I was. Well, my name was Lif Ben, and everything about me had been different since I was born. Even my name, Lif, was different. My mother gave it to me because she believed I would live longer. But I never understood what she meant — until my father revealed the secret or rather a curse behind my mother's bloodline. He said we were witch, and we were cursed. He told me that every woman in my mother's family never lived past thirty - two years; we were doomed. I had no reason to doubt him because I felt that what he said was true. My mother died at thirty - two years age so did her mother and others. And that truth had been making me scared, scared that I would be leaving this world soon without reaping the fruit of all my struggles. I had never dated. Never had sex. It wasn't because guys never approached me, it was because I never accepted their proposal. I thought dating was wasting of one’s time and only focused on my work and tried to make money to live a good life; a life my parent never gave to me. But now, it all felt meaningless to me.
I went back inside, losing interest to dance since my conversation with my best friend had ruined the moment. And even if I wanted to dance there was no man to dance with, I couldn't look for the previous man I danced with. No, not after all I endured with him, and now what I thought I needed was some glasses of hot and strong drinks to quench the sadness that was surrounding me like a barrier.
I walked to the cabinet where the drinks were served and found my seat at one of stools there.
“Can I have a drink?" I asked the bartender.
“Which one?" He questioned and I went silent for a moment.
Since it was my first time at a club, I didn't know anything about alcohol or any liquor drinks. All I ever drank in my life was a coke and other similar drinks.
“Just.... just give me anything that's strong." I replied, stuttering. I was unsure if I could go on with my plan, since Carly's words had had something in me, eating away my confidence timidly.
“You are new here, aren't you?" The bartender asked without stopping his business.
“How do you know?" I asked surprisingly, wondering if it was that obvious.
“It shows on your face." He replied, putting a glass of drink in front of me. “And there must be a reason you are drinking, some terrible reason. Or isn't it?" He asked, staring at me questioningly.
“It is. And which is why I want to drink to bury it deep down. I planned to get drunk. Hope you can help with that?" I replied and he gave me a reassuring smile.
“You can count on me on that," he said and I smiled, taking the goblet from the cabinet and sipping from it.
I was in the middle of my third glass when I felt that I was starting to lose myself already. My senses were becoming dull and my earlier worries were slowly melting away like ice, making my mind free. And I liked that, it felt good, it was like restarting my memories.
“Same as usual." A deep hoarse and cold voice said beside me and I convincingly turned, finding a man. Unlike the dance stage, the bulbs at the drinking spot was very bright, making me have a better look at him.
My breath cut immediately in my throat when I caught sight of him, he was nothing like the man I danced with. He was pure and clean, and even I could have his scent from where I was sitting; it was intoxicating and distracting. I didn’t know a man could smell this good. I found myself staring at him longer than normal, finding it difficult to withdraw my gaze from him.
He got glimpse of me watching him, so he looked at his side and our eyes locked for a moment, drawing the air away from my lungs. He was really a very handsome man, pale and beautiful like a Greek god. I noticed the sharpness of his jaws, his high-bridged nose and his reddish thin lips. I wondered how a man could have such a red lips.
His eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown when he noticed how strange I was looking at him, then a small smirk released from his lips that caused my heart to leap.
The bartender gave him his drinks and he made his way to the couch some feet away from the cabinet.
“Who's that?" I asked, unable to keep my curiosity in check.
“That man...?" He tried to confirm. “Well, he is just a regular customer here. Why?" He asked, keeping his curious gaze on me.
“I'm just wondering," I muttered, still couldn't draw my eyes from him.
“You should stay away from that one, he's a mysterious one." He whispered, as if fearing that he could hear him.
“What makes you say so?" I demanded, his words tingling my interest.
“He's usually silent, he doesn't talk much. And also the aura that emit from him... You too could feel it, right?" He mumbled, shaking his head helplessly. “It's danger." He said, and instead of me to be scared of him, I felt drawn to him even more.
A dangerous man?
It wouldn’t be bad sharing a bed with a dangerous man tonight. Would it?
Then shaking my head to my thought, I stood up, muttering my courage to approach him.
“Where are you going?" The bartender demanded in a concern tone.
“I need to see for myself," I told him and his jaw dropped in response, but oblivion to his amazement, I made my way to the man.
“Isn't it lonely to drink alone," I said to him, but he didn't say anything. “Can I join you?" I added, still silence. “Why are you silent? You don't want me here?"
“Didn't your friend warn you about me?" He asked coldly, making me freeze for a moment and wondering how he knew about that. “I would advise you to listen to him," he said dismissively, taking a sip from his drinks.
“What if I don't?" I questioned, making a bold move closer to him. I didn't know where I found the courage from, even when everything about him spoke of danger. His cold and nonchalant attitude and also his appearance. “What if I want you?" I added, sitting on the cushioned chair beside him. My hand found its way to his captivating bicep, laying cautiously on it. The coldness of his skin shot through my skin, taking me by surprise and making me swallow hard anxiously.
Since I was a doctor I had touched many men, but none of their bodies was this cold.
How could his body be this very cold, just like his voice? I thought, curiosity battling my mind.
“I warned you," he informed, his voice dripping with humourless.
“So?" I asked, drawing my hand to his face. “I want you. Just one night.”
“I'm a dangerous man," he confessed, cringing, making my hand fall. “I wouldn’t want to harm anybody, especially woman.”
“What makes you think you could harm me?” I countered, my eyes focusing on his beautiful face. “I am not a threat, I just want to have fun with you. And also, having a dangerous man tonight won't be that bad, will it?" I demanded, finding myself acting up with a strange confidence. “I want you, tonight." I added and he looked at me, his brows furrowing and his lips slightly parting, as if he wanted to say something but stopped. “Is that too much to ask?” I concluded, with our eyes locking onto one another.
There was a long silence as the eyes contest dragged on, my chest humming with the anticipation of the consequences of my words. A cold sweat trickled down my spine as his dark and dangerous piercing eyes stared down at me coldly and deadly, like a predator did to his prey.
What was he thinking?
Didn’t he want me?
How could he just stare at me without saying anything? I became worried and curious.
Then standing up abruptly, I said irritably, “It’s fine if you don’t want me. I will look for another man to share the night with, and…” Before I could complete my words, his cold hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me down violently, making me flop back on the cushioned chair. I had wanted to protest against his attitude when his mouth fell on mine, and immediately I felt my
heart froze in place and my mind went numb.