Chapter 5 The Morning After

• Her desperate struggle only seemed to fuel the man’s desire.
• “You little minx, you asked for it,” Her struggles only seemed to fan the flames in the man above her.
• “Little minx, you brought this on yourself,” he growled, his lips finding hers in the darkness with a fevered urgency. His hands quickly stripped her of her clothes.
• Riiip!
• The sound of tearing fabric froze her, and her eyes flew open in shock.
• “Mm!” Let go!
• But Lennox was beyond stopping, entwining with her despite her attempts to resist. Serena’s body, untouched and unaccustomed, began to betray her as his skilled hands set her senses alight, filling the room with an undeniable heat.
• …
• When Serena woke again, sunlight flooded the room, streaming warmly through the open curtains and casting a gentle glow.
• The slightest movement made her body ache as though she’d been run over. Memories from the night before flashed in her mind, and she felt her face pale. Desperately clinging to hope, she slowly lifted the blanket. Underneath, her body was bare, bruised with purple marks, especially around her wrists, which bore the deep imprints of his grip. Her fair, delicate skin only made the marks more prominent.
• She froze, every muscle tense.
• A low voice broke the silence.
• “Awake?”
• Serena instinctively pulled the blanket tight around her, shrinking back against the headboard as she eyed Lennox warily. She blinked, surprised. The man before her wasn’t anything like the lecherous predator she’d imagined. Instead of Victor’s round, oily face, here stood a man with striking features.
• Lennox had already showered and stood before her in a white robe. His tanned skin and sharp, chiseled features made him appear almost statuesque. And his eyes—dark as a frozen lake—seemed to pin her in place with just one look. This man had a powerful presence.
• “Who are you?”
• “Funny, isn’t it? Last night, you were all over my bed, and now you don’t even know me.” He crossed his arms and looked down at her, sunlight glinting off her shoulders where the blanket couldn’t quite cover. Marks dotted her exposed collarbone, and her tousled hair framed a sleepy, half-dazed expression that somehow made her all the more alluring.
• Just staring at her, Lennox felt his pulse quicken, and he clenched his jaw, sitting down on the couch to keep his composure.
• “Do you seriously not remember me?”
• Last night, he’d finally realized why she seemed familiar.
• Five years ago, in almost the same situation, also in this very hotel, he’d been sleeping soundly when a drunken woman had burst into his room, slipping right into his bed.
• At that time, he’d been in a terrible mood, and with her practically throwing herself at him, he hadn’t held back. But when he woke the next morning, she’d disappeared, leaving only a handful of Benjamins on the nightstand.
• He still remembered how furious he’d been, the urge to track her down and tear her apart. He, the CEO of GlobeX Corporation, mistaken for a cheap escort? He’d wanted to hunt her down, but work had taken over, and eventually, he’d let it go. And now, here she was again, with no memory of him at all.
• Serena looked at Lennox with confusion. Am I supposed to know you? But I don’t even recognize you.
• She hugged the blanket around herself, her gaze sweeping around the room. It was clearly a hotel suite, but it felt lived-in, almost cozy. After a moment, she realized her clothes were nowhere in sight.
• “Where are my clothes?”
• “Tossed them.”
• Serena clenched her jaw, glaring. “What right do you have to throw my clothes away?” This man was insane. Not only had he taken advantage of her, but he’d tossed out her things too!
• “I felt like it,” Lennox replied coolly, standing up from the couch and strolling out of the bedroom.
• She watched him leave, waited a moment, then quietly slipped out of bed. With no clothes on, she needed to find something to cover herself. The bathroom was her only hope for a towel or bathrobe.
• As soon as she moved, another wave of pain rolled through her, and she silently cursed Lennox to the depths. With gritted teeth, she managed to pull herself out of bed. But before she could reach the bathroom, the door to the bedroom opened again.
• They locked eyes.
• Boom!
• Serena’s mind went blank, the world narrowing to nothing but her shock.
• “You perv! Stop looking!”
• She swore she had never, in either of her lives, found herself stark naked, face-to-face, with a man like this.