Page 1 of Ruthless Secrets
Chapter One
CLARA
Wearing my wedding dress,which I designed and made myself, while sipping champagne at the bar in the Plaza Hotel should be a dream come true.
I am hopelessly romantic and have dreamed about my wedding day ever since I was a little girl after all.
Except, my ring finger is still bare, and I can’t wait for this day to be over.
“Another!” I slam down my empty shot glass on the bar.
The bartender eyes me warily but when I shoot him a look, he decides not to question me.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out why I’m drowning my sorrows with tequila.
A prickle at the back of my neck as the bartender sets another shot of tequila down in front of me has me glancing to my right, and I almost fall off my stool.
“Are you a mirage?” I try not to stare at the handsome stranger who is watching me with the darkest brown eyes I’ve ever seen.
“Excuse me?” The hint of a smile tugs at his lips.
“It should be illegal to look like that,” I mutter under my breath as I reach for my shot.
His answering chuckle is deep and gravelly, and it sends a shiver down my spine.
Damn, I must be drunk. I never normally have the courage to speak to handsome men at bars. But then again, I’ve been in a relationship for the past five years, so I haven’t really had much need to.
His eyes still weigh on me as I throw back the shot and slam the empty glass down.
I don’t even bother with the lime or salt. That would only take up valuable drinking time.
“Don’t ask,” I warn the sexy man sitting next to me before waving at the bartender to bring me another.
The alcohol barely even burns my throat anymore, but the buzz is starting to kick in and I reckon after a few more, I won’t even remember anything about the last few hours.
That is the goal at least.
“Wasn’t going to say a word.” He smirks.
My skin is on fire under the heat of his gaze. Though that may also be due to the fact that I’m wearing ten layers of fabric and a corset that is so damn tight I haven’t been able to take a full breath in five hours.
I know what he’s thinking. I know what everyone in this damn bar is thinking.
I should just go upstairs to my hotel room to change, but the thought of entering the honeymoon suite alone is more depressing than sitting at the bar in my wedding dress. So, I stay put and order another shot.
I turn in my seat to face the sexy man next to me. “Let’s play a game.”
My words come out a little more slurred than I’d like but in all fairness, I think most of the blood in my body has now been replaced with tequila.
“What kind of game?” He leans against the bar.
He’s undone a couple of buttons on his black shirt to reveal his tanned skin underneath, and the sleeves have been rolled up to the elbows, showing off his powerful forearms.
I think I might actually be drooling. I didn’t think men could actually look likethat.
“Never have I ever.”
I can tell that the man is trying not to laugh from the way his eyes crinkle at the edges, but his lips remain firmly sealed.
