(Theme Song of the Chapter: LBD - Becky G)

Sophie◆Cruz

THERE ARE VERY few moments where I felt myself lose control, relentlessly making risky choices to satisfy needs I couldn't even understand for myself.

Growing up I was put in what I deemed as a specialized gridlock constructed by my mother who made sure whatever I became, wanted, and achieved were all under the confines of what she wanted. It's ironic because she managed to have so much say in my life growing up, without even being present 50% of the time.

"Dumb girls don't go far, Sophie."

Her words echoed in my head as I laid in my bed staring up at the ceiling. My thoughts began to incessantly replay the choice I made the day prior. What I almost allowed to continue without any halt yesterday morning at the Accardi estate scared me more than anything.

I could still feel his cool breath on my skin and his soft lips domineering my own. I could still picture his fingers making there way down my core. He was a patient. My very own patient. And yesterday morning none of that mattered to me except the exhilarating feeling of his touch.

Dumb girl.

I groaned sitting up from my bed and running my fingers down my long locks of brown hair. I checked my phone and was almost relieved at the absence of notifications from Aiden regarding any scheduling for our sessions. A big part of me could not even face him after yesterday.

But a smile crossed my face when I see text messages from my group chat of best friends inquiring about going to Ocean Drive for drinks tonight.

I mean a night out seemed amazing, and I hadn't had one in so long. I had been somewhat of a recluse since my break up with my ex-boyfriend, Luke, last year. I mean how else does one react when 6 years goes down the drain with their high school sweet heart, the only man I've ever dated or ever really known.

So I buried myself in my work as a physical therapist and building a cliental. My goal was to eventually save up enough money to start my own practice, maybe open up a location in Orlando. And with all the money Aiden was going to pay me for my private work with him, that dream may actually come true sooner than I anticipated.

I began to respond to the group chat.

I'll think about it.

The responses I got back from my best friends were hilarious yet humbling, with messages shading my reclusive behavior and questioning how I even stayed so tan despite 'never' seeing the sun.

But going out to the Miami strip and getting wasted was just not on my Pinterest board anymore. I chuckled to myself as the group chat continued on with piling messages, but my joy was short lived when Aiden's name popped up on my phone.

Need to speak with you.

◆◆◆

I sat idly in the living room of the mansion, kicking my feet in anticipation while waiting for Aiden to come downstairs and talk to me. I honestly wouldn't be so nervous if he would just be more direct in his messages instead of being so cryptic.

Aiden Accardi was the embodiment of cryptic behavior, and this became apparent to me the night of the banquet two days ago. The more I dwelled on it, the more I realized I truly knew nothing about this man.

I knew nothing about him, yet I knew the feeling of his touch. I knew nothing about him, but I could vividly recall how his long fingers traced my panties. As I sank deeper into the plush sofa of the living room, my thoughts continued to dwindle.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps descending the stairs and moving across the grey wooden kitchen floors adjacent to the living room. An open wall gave me a glimpse into the kitchen, but I couldn't see who it was.

Had Aiden forgotten he had messaged me to come over?

With an annoyed huff, I got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. I stopped in my tracks, surprised to see that it wasn't Aiden rummaging through the large fridge. Instead, I saw the back of a young woman wearing shorts so small they might as well have been underwear and a large T-shirt pulled up in the back, a T-shirt I remembered Aiden taking off during one of our sessions.

The young woman snapped her head around, and I was instantly met with bright green eyes and a round face decorated with freckles. She looked like a model off duty with her blonde hair pulled up into a messy bun, and her skin glowed as if she had just finished a workout.

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at me, her gaze wandering over me. "Can I help you?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and stood up a bit straighter. "I'm looking for Aiden," I murmured.

The blonde furrowed her brows before taking a clear water bottle from the fridge and sipping it in front of me. She gave me a bored expression before letting her hair down from the messy bun with a long sigh.

"Why?" she asked skeptically, glancing me over once again.

I narrowed my eyes at her subtly. I had no idea who this woman was and I had no idea why she felt I needed to answer to her.

"Can you just tell him I'm down stairs please?" I asked her, attempting my best to hide the growing annoyance in my voice.

She stared at me for a good five seconds before walking away. I could hear long legs trudging up the large staircase and her high pitched voice calls for Aiden in a long drawn out squeal.

It wasn't long before she came back downstairs with a smug look on her face. She doesn't say anything but leaned back against the marble island, her emerald eyes not leaving me.

"And?" I questioned her growing more weirded out and confused by her behavior. "What did he say?"

She shrugged, her disinterested eyes fall to the floor. "He's coming down."

On cue, heavy footsteps echoed down the stairs, and the girl in front of me locked me into an uninvited staring contest. Her look of distaste shifted the moment Aiden entered the kitchen. Her entire demeanor softened in his presence. Her eyes clung to him like magnets, and a faint smile crept onto her face, clearly enamored by the tall, attractive man before her.

Aiden wore a pair of black sweats that hung low on his hips, his shirtless torso on full display. His jet-black hair was messy, adding to his rugged look. Strong, tattooed hands rested in his pockets as his dark brown eyes met mine. His stoic expression didn't falter, even as the blonde woman trotted over to him and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

He shot her an expressionless look, and I could see the woman's confidence falter as she stared up at him.

"It's gonna be a late shoot today, but I can leave early to meet you back here before you leave?" The woman said, her voice was desperate, and she announced her words with lingering anticipation.

He doesn't even making eye contact with her as she began to leave and Aiden responds with a firm. "Don't even bother."

I could see her lower her head until she was completely out of sight, leaving me alone with him—alone with him and the sinking feeling in my chest. A feeling I hadn't experienced in so long that it felt foreign in my body. A feeling as green as the eyes of that blonde.

Why was I so bothered?

Well, maybe because while he was tongue deep in my throat yesterday morning he failed to mention that he had a...girlfriend?

"You wanted to talk..." I said with a raised brow. There was a sass to my tone but I couldn't control it as I had another set of emotions influencing my actions.

He stood there looking at me so coolly as if not even bothered at my tone of voice. "Yeah, just wanted to let you know I am leaving for a business trip in two days, so for the rest of the week you're off."

Was he serious? He couldn't have just texted me that?

On top of that, how could he stand there so unfazed, as if what happened yesterday morning never did.

"Okay." I said simply, turning my body around and getting ready to walk out.

"And Sophie," His deep voice entered my ears.

"Yes?"

"You will have that NDA signed by the end of the week, correct?" His voice is firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

I sighed. I had completely forgotten about the NDA papers Walter had sent to me the other day when I first moved into the guest house.

"I can hand it over by the end of tomorrow." My words were tense and I bit my lip in frustration.

And as minutes later, as I am scanning through the fortitude of documents that I had sent down to my lawyer, my conclusion about the mystery of Aiden Accardi ceased to be corrected. The terms of the agreement were so meticulous, you would think I was working for the president.

The longer I sat alone in the guest house, staring at the NDA, the angrier I became. My thoughts kept circling back to him and that blonde from earlier today. If I didn't know any better, it seemed like Aiden couldn't stand her. Then who was she to him? Why was she wearing his t-shirt? And why did that infuriate me so much?

I got up and made my way to the bathroom, stopping to stare at myself in the wide mirror. Grabbing the hairbrush resting on the countertop, I began brushing my hair roughly. In the mirror I saw a 23 year old woman stressed over a man she simply did not know—over a man who merely kissed her and got her panties wet.

I had been so out of the dating market for so long, I was growing unreasonable. Aiden Accardi was just one of many men. I had no claim towards him...nor did I want to have any. He was my client. He was legitimately a complete stranger. And I was a single woman who was just informed she had the week off.

I walked into my walk-in closet and grabbed my sexiest little black dress.

So let me start to act like it.

◆◆◆

"Bottoms up!" We all said in unison, clinking our shot glasses.

The nightclub was filled with heavy bass and vibrant lights, the music thrumming through our bodies as we downed our drinks. The bitter liquid burned as it made its way down my throat, and I already began to feel at home after a year off from night life—if there was one thing about me as an avid social drinker, I loved lemon drop shots.

Samantha, my best friend since high school, with her fiery lavender hair and bold fashion sense, was the first to slam her empty shot glass on the table. "Another round?" she shouted over the music, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"You already know!" Melody replied, her dirty blonde curls bouncing as she nodded enthusiastically. Melody was the free spirit among us, always ready for an adventure, and tonight was no exception. She had a contagious energy that made every night out feel like a grand escapade.

Landon, the only guy in our group, chuckled as he signaled the bartender for another round. He was the perfect definition of all things flamboyant and quick witted at that. I mean what else would you expect from a fashion coach—and yes, that is a real job.

"You ladies are going to be the death of me," he joked, a playful look present in his brown eyes.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure you're burried with your weed stash." Samantha retorted, and we all burst into laughter.

I glanced around at my three friends, each looking at me expectantly as I laughed at their wide eyes. "W-What?" I asked.

"Firstly," Samantha said, brushing her lavender hair to the side and looking at me eagerly, "you like never come out anymore. Soph, you've been acting like a librarian ever since you broke things off with that asshole Luke."

I watched as Landon raised a finger in the air, directing it at Samantha. "Girl, don't bring him up again. We don't want her to relapse. Luke who?"

We all chuckled at Landon's look of disgust at my ex's name, and I couldn't help but raise my glass to that.

"Screw him," Melody added, adjusting her signature sunglasses that caught the flashing lights of the club. Leave it to Melody Shields to wear sunglasses in the club.

"Second," Samantha continued, "you quit working with Vitality, and now Aiden Accardi is your sole client?"

I looked at her with wide eyes, not understanding how she knew such information since I never told my friends any of this. Landon and Melody's eyes mirrored mine as they turned to me in shock.

"Hold up—" Landon started. "Aiden Accardi, as in trust fund baby, raging socialite, and may I say sexiest man alive in Miami?"

I nodded, causing them all to break out in shrieks.

"Samantha, who even told you?" I asked her.

Samantha smirked before taking another sip of her drink. "Did you forget your former supervisor Edith is my longtime good friend? That girl can't keep a secret for anything. Complete blabbermouth."

Before long, the three hammered me with questions, and I dodged them the best I could.

"Guys," I trailed off, "I just signed an NDA."

"Okay, but can you at least tell me if y'all hooked up yet?" Landon asked, earning stares from both Samantha and Melody.

"Landon," Melody chastised, though her expression was amused. "That's her client. She can't do that."

I felt my stomach sink. I shouldn't do that... it didn't mean I couldn't. And if an intense make-out session with some brief finger play counted as hooking up, then I was guilty as charged. But that was never happening again, especially with what I had witnessed earlier today.

"As if," I said, causing the three of them to chuckle unanimously. "He's hot but so not my type."

Lies. Lies. Lies.

Landon rolled his eyes at me playfully. "Yeah, yeah..."

"So you're like staying at the Accardi mansion?" Melody asked, trailing off into, "Can we visit?"

Landon and Samantha seconded Melody's question, their excited eyes prying for any answer.

I shook my head disappointedly. "No, Aiden has all these rules for my stay. One of them is that I can't bring anyone over."

"Well, be careful," Samantha trailed off, taking another sip of her drink. "The Accardi family... weird things are always happening with them."

Landon nodded in agreement. "Yeah, did you hear what happened with their dad a few years back? Ricardo Accardi died in a brutal car accident, but what's weird is that the same week of his death, his sister and his former mistress all died in accidents on the same street at around the same time..."

Chills ran up my body as Landon spoke. That was certainly peculiar.

Melody let out a sheepish laugh. "What are you trying to say?"

Landon put his hands up and looked at us innocently. "I'm just saying, maybe those car accidents weren't accidents at all..."

Landon's sentence was cut off by a group of individuals making their way to the opposite area of the club, their commanding presence splitting the crowd in two. I watched in awe as the familiar raven hair and inked skin of Aiden Accardi came into view. His brothers, who bore similar features, walked next to him, all three of them holding a magnetic, domineering presence.

An entourage of men and scantily dressed women followed them into the VIP section, and I watched as a bouncer opened a red rope and let them inside without hesitation, nodding his head in respect to Aiden.

"Speaking of the devil..." Samantha whispered.

My lips twitched into a frown, and my body, which had felt so loose and free due to the alcohol, grew uncomfortable and annoyed.

"Guys, I'm going to go to the bathroom," I said, excusing myself.

I slipped away from the bar on the dance floor and made my way up the stairs to the second floor of the club, weaving through the throngs of people. The music and lights faded slightly, creating a more subdued atmosphere. I pushed open the bathroom door, washed my hands,  trying to shake off the unsettling feeling from seeing Aiden.

After a moment, I stepped back into the corridor and noticed a door at the end marked "Balcony." Needing some air, I made my way towards it. Pushing open the door, I was greeted by a cool breeze and a view of the city lights. The balcony was quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos inside.

As I leaned on the railing, I noticed movement below in the alleyway. My curiosity piqued, I squinted to get a better look. A group of men, dressed in dark clothing, were unloading large black trash bags from a van. They moved with a sense of urgency, speaking rapidly in what sounded like Italian. I couldn't understand a word they were saying, but their body language told me enough—something was definitely off.

One of the men glanced around nervously before tossing a bag into a nearby dumpster. The way they handled the bags, too careful for objects filled with garbage, sent a strange wave of unease down my spine.

Suddenly, a deep voice broke through my thoughts. "Enjoying the view?"

I spun around, my heart leaping into my throat, and collided with a solid chest. A familiar scent of cologne enveloped me, and I looked up to see Aiden Accardi standing there, his dark eyes piercing into mine.

"Aiden..." I stammered, stepping back, my mind racing.

His expression was unreadable, but his eyes held a dangerous glint. "What are you doing up here, Sophie?"

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If there was anybody to voice the character of Aiden Accardi, picture the voice of Rio from the show "Good Girls". Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter. Please do me a favor and vote, comment, and follow. Your support means so much <3