Kristina lounged on the velvet couch, relaxed and unbothered, a circle of male escorts around her as she drank without restraint.
During the past three years, she had already settled every obligation she once owed Matthew. If he ever tried to order her around again, she would make certain he paid dearly for it.
A male escort wearing a translucent black shirt knelt between her thighs and held up a glass of wine for her.
Kristina only tilted the rim with a playful flick, letting the wine spill straight into his mouth instead.
The liquor splashed across the front of his shirt, soaking the thin fabric until it clung to his chest and traced the firm lines of his well-built muscles.
Mabel burst into laughter, her whole body shaking with it. "What do you think of this one, Kristina? Big enough to suit your taste?"
Kristina lifted a finger and tapped the man's quivering chest, nudging him aside. "I'd rather have someone a little more innocent."
That remark only made Mabel laugh harder, as though the two of them had slipped right back into their old carefree days.
She caught hold of a young man who looked barely out of college and pushed him toward Kristina. "This one has to be a virgin."
The man staggered forward and brushed against Kristina's leg by accident, then hurriedly straightened up with his face burning red.
His looks were fresh and striking, carrying the softness of youth.
His wide, moist eyes held a gentle warmth, paired with a shy and hesitant expression.
Kristina had already knocked back several glasses of strong liquor. Her gaze turned hazy as she cupped the guy's chin and studied his face more closely.
Through the blur clouding her sight, his face seemed somewhat like Matthew's, yet there was a depth of feeling in his eyes that Matthew had never once shown her.
Memories flooded back, and the ache she believed had faded suddenly surfaced again.
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, he asked softly, "Miss, would you like to spend the night with me?"
For a moment, it sounded exactly like Matthew speaking to her.
Kristina abruptly seized the back of his head, her beautiful face moving close in an instant until their noses nearly touched.
A strange heat rushed through her body, and an uncontrollable desire surged upward.
Realizing something was wrong, she quickly let him go and headed straight for the restroom.
She splashed cold water over her face, yet the restless heat inside her only intensified, almost swallowing her whole.
With irritation, she tugged at the collar of her shirt until the buttons nearly sprang loose.
A black camisole hugged tightly against the full curve of her breasts beneath the fabric.
When she turned around, she collided with a solid chest.
A faint woody fragrance mixed with a cool, crisp scent drifted toward her. It seemed to calm the restless desire in her body, yet at the same time, it stirred an even stronger one.
Her control nearly shattered in a single instant.
She eagerly slipped her arms around the man's neck. Her drunken, half-closed eyes could not see his face clearly; she only sensed that his features reminded her faintly of Matthew's.
She assumed he was the male escort who had been asking her to book him for the night. He really was stubborn.
Her red lips curved faintly. Her cool fingertips traced along the man's jaw before settling at his Adam's apple, brushing over it lightly. "I'll book you for the whole night. Show me what you can do."
As she spoke, her hand grew increasingly bold. No longer content to toy with his throat, it slid down across his chest and drifted lower toward his waist.
But a large hand, its palm rough with faint calluses, caught hold of her wrist.
"Are you certain you want to book me?"
The man's voice was deep and husky, nothing like the clear tone she had heard earlier at the booth.
Kristina gave a faint shake of her head, though her vision remained blurred. As she tried to pull her hand away, it accidentally brushed between the man's legs.
She broke into laughter.
"So a man's voice changes when he's excited," she murmured. "It actually sounds pretty good."
Before the last word left her lips, she lifted onto her toes and pressed a kiss against his Adam's apple, licking it recklessly.
A muffled groan escaped the man as desire stirred within him.
In the next second, he simply scooped her up and walked away.
From the elevator ride to the top-floor suite, they kissed as if they were both drunk on each other. By the time they staggered into the bedroom, most of their clothes had already been torn away.
Kristina's desire burned fiercely. She shoved him hard against the door, ripped open the belt that stood in her way, and wrapped one long leg around his waist.
