Happy New Year, my dearies!!!

Sorry for the late update - I got stuck with a lot of errands and I could only wish to learn how to create clones to finish all of them...

*Cries in the corner while eating ice cream*

Here you go.

:-)

Vee's POV

My head was throbbing when I woke up and I was surprised to find myself in an unfamiliar room. Trying not to panic, I quickly glanced around without moving underneath the bed covers, and realized that I was in a hotel suite based from the furniture.

One thing I hate about drinking at parties is that I always lose control and find myself too intoxicated to even remember whatever happened to me while I was enjoying. Well, it doesn't happen when either Lenka or Guy is with me since either would ensure that I get to consume only what could stay in my freaking stomach. Obviously, last night I was alone and I totally forgot about self-control. Max, as usual, was right in trying to persuade me to let him watch over me and stay at the bar, but my stubborn self only told him that I could manage on my own.

The last time I got really drunk and wasted was on my twenty-first birthday, and it didn't turn out to be the best one. I remember swearing never to touch alcohol again, but that was mainly because what happened that day was the worst I could ever pick from my list of unfortunate experiences. The scenario was close to what I'm in now - finding myself alone in a hotel suite, wondering where the rest of my friends are. I could clearly remember that day, though, I was supposed to be with my then boyfriend, Drew, but I never got to be with him at the party and even at the hotel room we booked. It was Lenka who took care of me and tucked me to bed, and she left a note on my bedside table which I found the next day. She didn't want to ruin my birthday, but she wanted to teach me an important lesson and make me open my eyes to a harsh reality.

The note told me to pay a surprise visit to another suite and she even got a key card to it. Lenka noted that the key card was for the suite I booked with Drew and where I found myself in upon waking up was hers. I had no idea what she was planning to show me, but when I swiped the key card and entered the room, I witnessed the biggest horror of my life - well, at that time.

I could still clearly picture in my head what I saw that day. Drew was butt naked in the middle of the room, standing right next to the king-sized bed. At first I thought he was just doing some weight lifting exercises, but then I realized that he was actually carrying a naked woman's body upsidedown, her legs spread over his shoulders as they dirtily pounded away. I was too shocked to even move, but when they noticed that I was there watching them, Drew even had the guts to get mad at me and yell for me to leave. His unapologetic actions made me see red, and my rage made me uncaring enough to hold him by his dirty dick and drag him out the room. The girl he was having sex with was quick to run away with only the bedsheet covering her body, but I knew that she was one of the new models I worked with.

I didn't realize that angry tears had started rolling down my cheeks until I tasted something salty. Wiping them away, I looked around the room again, sat up on the bed and sighed. This time, I knew I wouldn't find anything loathsome in the room, and the only thing I found on the bedside table was a glass of water and a pain reliever capsule - no important notes which contained bad news. I instinctively took the medicine and emptied the glass, then marched out the bedroom. As I reached the kitchen area, I stopped dead in my tracks when I smelled food being cooked. Although my stomach grumbled in hunger, the mere thought of having another person in the room drained all the blood from my head and made me wish I never got drunk. Slowly, I peeked behind the post which separated the kitchen area from the bedroom, and saw Jordan setting the table with some delicious-looking breakfast. I don't know what I exactly felt, but seeing him instead of some unknown man made me relax a little bit.

"Good morning," he greeted, without looking at me. I almost jumped, wondering how he knew that I was already awake and creeping behind the post. "Your photoshoot will be in three hours. I asked for room service too early that's why I had to reheat some food. I'm leaving after you eat." He explained, all the while not sparing me a single glance. I wondered what I could have done to piss him off.

"Thanks," I said, adjusting the bathrobe which I just realized was the only thing I had on. "Did I mess up last night?" There, I had to ask. I noticed his jaw tense up a bit as he turned his back on me and refilled his mug with coffee. "Uhm... Jordan?" I couldn't help but persist, not wanting to be left with hazy ideas of what really happened to me last night. I waited for him to respond, but he seemed not in the mood to talk. I tentatively picked up a toast and munched on it as I watched him walk to the living area, his eyes deliberately avoiding me. For half an hour, I ate all the food he served and tried not to talk. The awkward silence only made me worry all the more and think of crazy things that I may have done last night, with or without Jordan involved. I swallowed hard at the thought.

Jordan occupied himself with the television watching random shows and flicking from one channel to another. When I finished eating, I cautiously sat next to him on the couch. Again, I saw him become uncomfortable, his biceps visibly tensed as I looked at him. Before I could even start asking questions, he finally looked at me, although begrudgingly, and snappily talked.

"You better watch your booze consumption," he said. "You won't always have babysitters coming in handy." 

I blushed, knowing that he actually made a point. I apologized, but he quickly brushed it off.

"Except for you dancing like you were at a strip club, everything else was quite normal," he added, this time looking away from me. I blushed all the more, knowing very well how I tend to dance when intoxicated - Guy once showed me a video of myself, and boy, he was so proud of how seductive I looked. I kind of liked that other side of me, but hearing Jordan's description made me think otherwise. I watched as he grumpily bit on an apple while diverting his attention to his phone. 

"Did I really look like a stripper?" I finally asked quite indignantly, refusing to accept the idea. Jordan heaved a deep sigh and without warning, pushed me against the couch. I found myself lying on my back, his body inches away from me as he stared into my eyes.

His expression was unreadable, and the usual twinkling in his eyes was gone. There was fierceness with the way he looked into my eyes, like he was ready to burn me if I moved inappropriately. His breathing was heavy as his face came closer to mine, his lips grazing the tip of my nose. As opposed to how I remembered his lips felt, they were eerily cold this time. I felt like my heart stopped beating as I stared into his eyes in shock.

When he moved his face so that his lips rested on my neck, I felt a sudden burst of feverish excitement.

"If you wouldn't want to be taken to bed without you even knowing it," he whispered, "you better limit your booze, and keep your sultry moves to yourself."

With that, he suddenly moved away, harshly grabbed his leather jacket from the armrest and left the suite. I lay on the couch panting as though I just ran a mile. It took a few minutes before I realized what happened, and all that was left in my mind was the tingling sensation that his lips burned on my neck.

*****

"What?!" Lenka's right eyebrow raised threateningly after Katie told her and Vee that Jordan was once again out of his office. "Are you sure you're not just keeping him away?" She accused the distressed-looking secretary.

Vee had to intervene when she noticed that Katie was starting to feel nervous around Lenka. She pulled her best friend aside, and hastily whispered, "you're scaring her!" 

Since the incident at the hotel suite with Jordan, Vee couldn't pluck up the courage to set up a meeting with him to talk about their wedding plans. She convinced Lenka to accompany her, and became quite successful in not having to disclose the real reason why she was embarrassed to face Jordan.

"Katie," she called, "would you have an idea whether Jordan will report to work today or not?" She smiled at the secretary to make her feel a little better. Katie's response made her pout afterwards, though.

"It seems not, Miss Yates," Katie replied. "Mr. Gallagher is with Miss Aya again, and he always spends at least a day or two with her whenever they are together."

Lenka didn't seem to like what she just heard, as her eyes suddenly narrowed and she was quick to settle herself on poor Katie's desk. With her arms crossed, she interrogated Katie like she was a cop working on a case. "This... 'Miss Aya' that you speak of," she growled, "who is she?" 

Vee swallowed a lump in her throat, an uncomfortable feeling forming in her stomach made her not want to hear Katie's response.

"I-I don't have any idea, Miss Lenka," came Katie's nervous reply. "All I know is she seems someone special..." She wrinkled her nose and it was too obvious that Lenka's eyes suddenly twinkled with interest. Feeling more uncomfortable than ever, Vee decided to sit on the couch in the hallway facing the elevators to avoid hearing the conversation. The office was too quiet, though, that even Lenka's toned down voice could still be heard.

No matter how hard she tried not to listen, Vee could still clearly understand what Lenka and Katie were talking about. According to Jordan's secretary, the building guards have been given orders to always escort the lady named Aya to the CEO's office anytime she comes, whether or not she had called in for an appointment. Aya was even allowed to ride the elevator which was exclusively for the Gallaghers' use. Katie also pointed out that Jordan seems to neglect his CEO duties whenever the lady visits.

"You sound resentful, Katie," Lenka chuckled, earning a flushed expression from the latter. "I think we are on the same team." Her eyes travelled from Katie's face to Vee's as she listened to the secretary's ranting. Apparently, whoever Aya was, she seemed to love bossing Jordan around and in Katie's words "acts as though Mr. Gallagher was her showdog."

After receiving sufficient information from Katie, Lenka finally decided to join Vee in the hallway. She voiced out her dislike on what was going on, and in her opinion, she saw Jordan's actions as a form of cheating. Vee was too resentful towards the word that she cringed upon hearing it. Although she could feel a weird tinge of displease, she reminded herself and Lenka that Jordan was supposed to have his own life which they don't know anything about prior to becoming the Gallagher heir who is betrothed to the Yates heiress.

"Oh, come on," Lenka rolled her eyes. "And you didn't have a life of your own, is that what you're saying?" She suddenly stood up in annoyance. "As far as I could remember, he was the one who came out in public to declare that you were so-called engaged." She dramatically raised her fingers to form quotation marks.

It was understandable that Lenka got pissed by Jordan's seemingly uncaring attitude towards the impending wedding, since she never really liked it whenever Vee gets acquainted with irresponsible men. She had always treated Vee as her younger sister, and there was no way she could let Jordan get away with it "no matter how hot he is," she spat. She had always chosen to believe that Jordan didn't agree with the betrothal only to satisfy his father's last Will, but also because he really liked Vee. She had high hopes whenever the two were together, but it seems to be getting ruined now that another lady has entered the picture.

"Let's go back some other time," Vee shrugged, pressing the down button to the elevator. Lenka reluctantly followed and they waited for the doors to open as the soft ding sound announced the elevator's arrival.  When the doors opened, Vee felt like a bucket of ice was emptied on her head as her eyes caught Jordan inside. He was pinning a beautiful woman against the wall while groping her body, both of them oblivious of their audience as they exchanged hungry kisses.

A/N

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