Chapter 2 Who's Backing Out

"Who's backing out?" Whitney retorted. Her body swayed as she let out a tipsy hiccup. The man gave her one last, deep look before pulling her out of the bar. The drunk Whitney had no idea how she ended up in a black car or how she got to the hotel room. It wasn't until the man pushed her against the wall and the coldness of it hit her back that she finally saw the warm glow of the lamps in the room. "Turn off the lights..." she mumbled. The man, his eyes dark as night, stared at her without reacting to her request. Instead, he said in a deep voice, "You can still back out now." Whitney felt like he was looking down on her. It was just a one-night stand. What was there to be afraid of? "If Damian can, why can't I?" With that, she placed her hands around the back of his neck, straining to stand on tiptoe. She focused on his well-defined lips and kissed him. Her soft lips brushed his, but they were barely touching. The man froze as he realized she didn't know how to kiss. Just as she was about to pull away, he gently cupped her waist with one hand and cradled the back of her head with the other. He gently guided her into the kiss, leading her through the exploration. Whitney felt herself enveloped in his gentleness. Her heart raced, but it gradually eased into the moment. As things heated up, the man softly reassured her, telling her not to be nervous. Frowning, Whitney gazed at the tremble of his long, dark lashes. His handsome face was set in a controlled expression. A sudden intensity caught her off guard, bringing tears to her eyes. The man held her tightly. Soon, Whitney sensed something different—her own desire for more. The moment he glanced down and noticed her expression, he let out a low chuckle, then pulled her deeper into the moment. … Whitney opened her eyes to the bright light of day. Disoriented, she wasn't sure where she was at. As she sat up, the memories of the night flooded back like a tidal wave. "Do you want me? You won't lose out." Gosh, what had she said? She glanced at the messy bed and almost fainted. Whitney turned to her side at once. Just as she was relieved to see the space on the bed next to her empty, the sound of water running from the bathroom echoed, and a shadow moved behind the frosted glass. Forgetting about her discomfort, she quickly got dressed, grabbed her bag and shoes, and rushed out of the room. As soon as she stepped out of the hotel, a cab was waiting. She immediately jumped in. Once Whitney calmed down, her mind kept replaying the scenes from last night. She couldn't believe it. She had just slept with a stranger. Her first kiss was gone. And... they had three rounds in one night. By the time she reached the office, it was already past working hours. She walked into the secretary's office, where a colleague immediately approached her. "You're late. Mr. Howard is looking for you." At Howard Group, except for Damian's assistant, Billy Lawson, no one knew she was engaged to him. "There was traffic on the way. I'll see him now." Whitney set down her bag and grabbed the document Damian was supposed to sign yesterday before heading toward his office. She knocked twice, and his voice called, "Come in." Damian was seated at his desk, going through documents. After a moment, he looked up and walked over to her. "Why didn't you answer my calls last night?" he asked gently. His face showed a trace of concerned reproach. "I was so worried about you." On the way over, she had seen Damian's missed calls. She stared at his face. His expression was so genuine, as if he truly cared about her safety. "The bridal shop called yesterday after work to say the dress was ready. I wanted you to come with me, but you weren't here. After I was done with that, I went to visit my mom in the hospital. I had my phone on silent and didn't hear it ring." Damian gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "The branch office had an issue, so I had to go there. You should've called me. So, how's the dress? If you don't like it, we can redesign it. There's still time." Whitney scrutinized his expression carefully. However, she couldn't detect the slightest hint of guilt, as if everything she overheard outside the fitting room yesterday had nothing to do with him at all. For a moment, she wondered if she had misheard. Was that person in the fitting room not Damian? "Is something wrong?" he asked, noticing her intense stare. "You look pale. Did your mom's condition worsen?" Whitney shook her head and said in a hoarse voice, "I probably didn't sleep well at the hospital last night." Damian took the document from her hand and placed it on the desk. "Take the day off today. I'll have the driver take you home so that you can rest, alright?" Whitney looked into his gentle eyes and nodded. "Okay, I'll make you dinner when you get home." Damian ruffled her hair and smiled. "I'll look forward to it." That evening, Whitney cooked some of Damian's favorite dishes and waited at the table. Time passed, but he didn't show up. Even when the food went cold, the door still remained silent. Just as she was debating whether to reheat the food, she received a call from Billy. "Ms. Spencer, Mr. Howard has something to do tonight. He asked me to tell you not to wait for him and to get some rest." Whitney hung up the phone. She sat in silence for a moment before dialing another number.