Stella felt the name was odd yet calming. And whatever concept it was that made it that way...
She didn't mind.
With the urge to have a good strong drink so she forced her footsteps towards the door.
With a light push, the door opened, she drew in a deep breath and stepped into the club.
The doorman shot her a quick assessing glance, and not being a familiar face, he drew up a conclusion.
She was ...a first timer.
Stella gaze swept over the club from her stand point. A wave of warm heat washed over her rejuvenating her damp spirit that she felt her burden lifted.
"Welcome Miss." The doorman said with a soft knowing smile.
"Thank you." She smirked flashing him a smile.
"What do we offer you?" He asked, with no company, he had the feeling she wouldn't be able to find her way around in the bar.
Even for second time visitors without no good sense of direction it wasn't always easy.
"To hit the bar." Stella answered as she quickly assessed the door man.
His lips curled into a soft, gentle smile. "Young lady, are you sure you really want to hit the bar?" He smirked , his lips curled up.
Stella smiled knowingly, her gaze swept the door then she glanced outside. "Any thing wrong?"
The door man shook his head and swiftly gave her the direction to the bar. Stella thanked him and walked away.
Music throbbed the wide floor, hot and sensual. Dancers twisted on the dance floor in rhythm to the music.
With a slow steady steps she walked over to the bar, took a seat before the barman and watched as his hands skillfully blended the spirits for the guests and another served them.
With the last glass taken away, he directed his attention to her; his fiery red eyes vanished as though they hadn't been there.
Stella rubbed her temples. "I can't be hallucinating, right?" She muttered under her breath.
"A fiery red eyes? Was that possible?
She shook her head lightly clearing off the thought while blaming her unstable emotions as the reason why she could hear and feel things around her.
She met the man's gaze again, his eyes clear and wide waiting for her instructions, Stella swallowed. "I must have seen it wrongly."
"What do you want?" he asked, snapping Stella out of my thoughts.
With no knowledge of any basic drink, she opted for the last idea that came to my mind. "Your club specialty drink," she answered without care.
The barman's gaze narrowed. "My club specialty drink? Are you sure?" he asked.
"What? You don't have any?" She repeated, meeting his gaze head-on. When he noticed she was not willing to back down, he shrugged his shoulders.
If for anything he had always had one prayer in mind...may the club be filled with patrons who are ready to prove his skill was superb.
He inhaled deeply meeting her challenging gaze."Interesting then," he smirked, a smile playing on his lips.
With clear precision, he mixed her drink and pushed the glass forward to her. "Your drink, miss," he clipped.
His gaze trained on her face as though he was waiting to see if she would be bold enough to take that drink.
Stella lifted the glass to her lips, her nose taking in its unique fragrance, then she took a slow sip, her brow furrowed slightly.
It was unlike every other wine she had taken in the time past.
With just a limited knowledge of drinks served in bars. She couldn't guess what the drink tasted like.
She shot the bar man an inquisitive look and then her lips parted "What's the name?" She smirked while she swirled the glass lightly.
First time in a club and all by herself she really want to keep this memory. She wanted to know the name of the drink and possibly the name of the bartender.
The bartender's gaze narrowed. His suspicious mounting at every moment, his veins bulging.
Was he angry? But why?
That was the one question Stella failed to answer.
Anyway she had nothing to do with him and whatever he was feeling...Stella was unbothered.
"Luna Kiss," he mumbled under his breath.
"Luna kiss?" Stella mumbled under her breath.
Then she twirled the glass in her hand and downed it in one go. She pushed the glass toward him again. He refilled, and she downed it.
Another and another.
By the time she was served the fourth glass,her breath was already shallow, her eyes blurry—exactly what she wanted for the pains of the evening.
Stella smiled warmly at the man. "You aren't handsome when you always frown." She smirked and pushed herself down from the high stool she was sitting.
She tried to stand, but she felt the hall spinning. The bartender's gaze glued on her. A wave of emotions coursed through his eyes...worried and helpless.
Stella chuckled slightly at the bartender's expression and stumbled towards the dance floor, careful not to step on anyone.
Tonight, she really wanted to be free, feel the world as it was, dance to the rhythm of the song in place of my engagement dance.
It should be quite thrilling.
But then I felt a hand pull at me, and with a swirl, I fell into a warm embrace and a steady heartbeat. My heart raced at the touch, heat crawling up my body.
His hand tightened around my waist. I blinked hard, trying to make out the face, but I couldn't.
No doubt, I must have been too wasted with too much drink.
*
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*
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~Stella POV~
"Where are you headed?" he asked softly, his voice low, charming, and strangely calming despite my fuzzy head.
I laughed quietly, lifting my hand to trace his features. I wasn't sure why I did it, perhaps I wanted his face etched into my memory.
I wouldn't deny it, but he was impossibly handsome, the kind of man whose presence drew every gaze in the room without effort.
"I… wanted… to dance," I murmured. I felt so comfortable in his arms that I didn't bother standing up.
Or was it the drink that had my head spinning, making me think wild?
Or was it just because of his touch?
The noise of the club faded, replaced by the rhythm of his heartbeat and the faint, intoxicating scent that surrounded him.
Instinctively, I drew closer, my cheek brushing against his chest. "Your scent?" I mumbled hazily.
"What about my scent?" he murmured back, his breath warm against my ear. The whisper sent heat coursing through my veins.
I felt drowsy and tired. No doubt, it must be the drinks messing with my head, yet with such a handsome man cradling my body gently, I didn't want to sleep.
I forced my lids to keep awake, my eyes opened wider, but my breath hitched. His eyes were ringed with gold, blazing in the club's neon lights.
I found myself trapped in them. "Your eyes?" I murmured.
"Natural," he chimed.
"Natural?" I echoed, confused but before I could say more, I felt weightless. My feet were no longer touching the ground.
My hand instinctively wrapped around his neck. "Sir…," I tried to draw his attention, my voice trembling. "Put me down."
"You can sleep for a while," he murmured, voice soft yet commanding; then a low growl escaped his lips, and the entire hall fell into silence.
~Next Morning~
I stirred awake, yet reluctant to open my eyes, my head pounding, my hand instinctively reaching out to grab my phone on the nightstand.
But the next moment, I froze; my eyes flew open, and I scrambled up from the bed, pulling the blankets over my body, scantily clad in a thin nightdress.
A handsome, well-chiseled jaw, distinct chin, straight pointed nose, and thin lips were in bed beside me.
My heart raced with trepidation. "You... how did you come into my room?" I asked, my heart beating wildly. I dared not admit I felt a little fluttering in my chest at his sight.
He groaned, his hand instinctively shielding his eyes from the sun rays, an action that reminded me of a fact.
The window of my room was at the head of my bed, not the foot. My gaze quickly swept around the room.
It was magnificent and definitely wasn't my room. Alarm bells blared in my head.
"Where is this?
Who are you?"
"What do you want?" I fired in a flurry. I pulled away the blanket from my body slightly to check; my face paled.
Slowly, he propped himself up on the bed with his elbow.
"Your husband," he clipped, his gaze meeting mine and those eyes…
I blinked; I couldn't be distracted. I had to find answers. "Hus…band?" I asked, my lips trembling.
"We got married last night," he smirked as he pulled away the blanket from his body. My heart raced, and instinctively, I lunged forward to grab his hand and stop him.
The next moment, I found myself trapped beneath him, his burning gaze holding mine. My brow furrowed. "How fast?" I murmured silently.
"We can't be married; I have to go now," I whispered, either to myself or him.
"Mate, we are married," he growled softly.
"What mate? What marriage?" I fumed.
"As far as I remember, we've never met in school; how do we become mates?"
"But you are mine," he said, his palm sliding slowly along my back. Heat spread where his hand moved, leaving trails of fire and desire burning in its wake.
My breath caught; a soft gasp escaped my lips, yet the frustrating situation seemed to override my desire.
I tugged at my hair. "Can't you speak human language?" I almost screamed.
He sighed, his hand pausing briefly. "We are actually married. It was your suggestion, and I was only following your lead," he said.
I stared at him, dumbfounded. "My suggestion, and you are following my lead?" I asked in shock.
He only nodded as though that was the most basic thing to do.
My lips quivered, my thoughts raced. "How could he say I opted for marriage when I don't even know him?"
He exhaled slowly and pulled away, opening the side drawer. He brought out a file.
"Maybe you can take a look at this," he said softly as he handed me a signed document.
I sat up; with trembling hands, I took the file from him, my heart thumping as I pulled out the document inside.
My gaze fell on the bold title: CERTIFICATE OF MARRIAGE.