DANIELLE'S P.O.V.

The sea waves, unlike the turmoil in my mind, were calm and peaceful. They rolled slowly and crashed with their white caps cresting over and plunging back into the water, displaying the beauty of the sea from the shoreline on which I stood. I buried my bare feet deeper into the sand which was wet from the sea water and took in a deep breath of the fresh, salt tinged air before letting out a deep sigh.

I had hoped that walking along the beach would clear my head and my mind, but it had only barely managed to somewhat soothe my nerves. The tension that had driven me all the way to the beach's shoreline still sat heavily on my shoulders while the wheels of my memory kept spinning the burning scene of abject betrayal that I had been privy to earlier in the day.

I recalled how I had stood, frozen with shock at the doorway to Tony's room earlier that day while my brain had refused to process what my eyes had been subject to. I had refused to believe the scene that unfolded right before my very eyes; the image of Tony, my now ex boyfriend, rolling in bed, stark naked, with a woman whom I was all too familiar with. A woman whom he had introduced to me as his younger sister; a woman whom I had loved and treated like a real sister.

The shock on both of their faces had mirrored mine, and maybe I would not have felt so pissed and insulted if the son of a bitch had not dared to utter the words, "Dannie, it's not what you think it is."

It wasn't what I thought it was? What an absolute joke!

As I gazed out at the wide expanse of the ocean, memories of the failed relationships from my past replayed in my mind, unfolding in my head like a movie. While they continued to run through my mind, I came upon a realization; as different as my exes were and as diverse as the situations were, when compared to one another, they all had one particular thing in common. And that was the fact that they had all gotten into the relationship with ulterior motives.

I had thought Tony was different, but he turned out be just the same; as always, those assholes only chased after me for my money. They had only dated me because they knew just how much they stood to benefit and gain from being in a relationship with the only child of the city's third most popular and successful conglomerate family.

I closed eyes, willing the tears, which threatened to spill over, to remain at bay. Even though I hated to admit it, the pain of the betrayal was a heavy weight on my chest- one that drilled a well of emptiness inside of me. As I watched the sun dip lower, casting a warm glow across the large body of water, I made a silent promise to never get myself involved in a romantic relationship with another man. I would never crush on, like, or fall in love with another person from the opposite gender. Hell, I would never get married to anybody for as long as I lived.

And alongside that promise, I swore to heal from the pain of the numerous betrayals. I swore to never let the betrayals define who I was, and instead I would leave it as a chapter of my past that would remain forever closed.

The vibrating of my phone alerting me of a message notification drew me out of my reverie. I unlocked the mobile device to see a text message from my Dad.

"Come home, now. We need to have an important discussion." It read.

Letting out another deep sigh, I took one last longing look at the ocean body before turning on my heels and heading towards the parking lot where I had left my car. The drive home was filled with a quiet anxiety as the possible reasons behind my dad’s urgent message, and by the time I was pulling into the estate, I had come up with nothing. As I walked into the house and caught no sight of my father in the living room, I headed for his study, knowing full well that he had holed himself in there with his work.

“You’re here.” He simply said when I pushed open the door to his study.

“You wanted to see me urgently” I said, taking my seat on the chair opposite him.

“Right.” He said, removing his reading glasses and placing them on the table before him.

“What is the important thing you wanted to discuss with me?” I asked.

“You’re getting engaged to be married.” He said.

For the second time that day, I was frozen with shock and surprise. For a few minutes, all I could do was stare at my father, hoping that he would burst into laughter and claim that he had just cracked a funny joke at my expense, but the only expression that remained on his face was stoic and serious.

"You have got to be joking, right Dad? I did not hear you very well; you did not just say that I would be getting married." I said.

"I can not afford the time for jokes, Danielle. I have set your engagement." He said.

"What the hell? What do you mean you have set my engagement?" I yelled, standing up in fury.

"Watch your tone and mind your language, young lady. I can take many things from you, but not disrespect."

"You expect respect when you are upending my life? Really?" I asked.

"This topic is not for discussion. I have told you what is to be; the sooner you accept it, the better for both you and I." He said with a tone of finality and dismissal before resuming his work.

I stormed out of his office, my chest heaving with anger. In that dire moment, the idea of running away was birthed, and the hours following that were spent at the bank, withdrawing as much money as I could in order to fund my get away.

THE CLUB was packed that night and the heat of the room caused my dress to cling to my body like a second skin. The disco balls lit up the dance floor in bright, flashy colors, and the dance floor was crowded with both couples and lone dancers moving in tune the music which blared from overhead speakers.

I threw back my shot of vodka, grimacing when I felt the liquid burning as it slid down my throat. Once I had deposited the contents of the glass into my throat, signalled to the bartender to get me another. My plan was to get intoxicated enough to forget that I was on the run from my sad reality; a reality in which I had no control over my own life.

I threw back my new shot of vodka and looked around the room in search of any form of entertainment. That was when I saw him; his handsome side view made me wonder how good looking his face was. As he sipped his alcohol, I willed him to look at me so that I would be able to see his face better, and when he started to look around the club, I sat up straighter in my seat. By a stroke of luck, his eyes finally made contact with mine and his ethereal features made me catch my breath in awe.

He continued to stare at me and I felt an intense rush as I stared back at him from across the room. Feeling tipsy and wreck less, I approached him without breaking eye contact, sat beside him, and greeted him with a flirtatious smile.

"Hi" I greeted.

"Hey" he greeted back.

His voice was so husky, it caused my heart to beat faster; I loved the way it made me feel.

"What are you having?" I asked him, tracing my fingers across his glass.

"Rum and coke" he answered.

He was still staring at me and his mesmerizing blue eyes felt like they were piercing my soul.

"Big boy" I purred while boldly moving my index finger across the length of his hand.

His eyes turned a shade darker as he looked at me. I ran my tongue across my upper lip and watched as he gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing. The movement of his Adam's apple was very enticing, and I felt a pool of warmth between my legs. The influence of the alcohol encouraged me to be brazen.

"Come with me?" I asked him.

I stood up slowly and walked towards the back door not waiting for his reply. At that moment, I congratulated myself for purchasing my outfit.

I had on a black strapless dress which enunciated my wide hips and backside, and silver pumps that made my legs look longer than they were. My natural brunette waves were packed up in a simple hairdo framing my small face. From my ears, diamond earrings dangled, and clasped around my left wrist was a simple diamond bracelet. I knew that I looked sexy and I felt even more sexy as I seemed to be successful in my attempts to seduce the absolutely handsome stranger.

The back door of the club was empty and the deep thumping of the club's music was dull in that part of the room. I watched as the handsome stranger walked towards me, his gaze intensifying as I moved my hips seductively, in time with the beat of the music. He pulled me close to him and placed his hands on my hips while I wrapped my arms around his neck, our intense staring starting all over. His eyes become hooded as I ground up on him and he took in a sharp breath before leaning into my ear and biting the lobe gently.

Knowing that I was pressing the right buttons made me giddy, and maybe it was the sweltering heat in the club, or the alcohol messing with my head.

Maybe it was the way his arms felt, wrapped around my waist, or the way he looked at me like I was a treat that he could not wait to taste.

Maybe it was the intensity of his gaze, or the way he made me feel like the sexiest woman in the room.

Maybe it was for one of these reasons that I leaned towards his ear and whispered,

"Let's go somewhere...private."