CHAPTER 1 - Tequila Nights: When Restraint Slips Away
Ryan woke early, the hotel room dim as dawn clawed through the curtains. He rubbed sleep from his eyes, groaning as he swung his legs out of bed. The day loomed--endless meetings, a late dinner, a hangover waiting to claim him. Booking the room had been practical: the grind started at sunrise and wouldn't relent until midnight. He steeled himself, bare feet hitting the carpet, and braced for the slog.
The meeting room buzzed with relentless monotony--slides flickering, voices droning, jargon clotting the air. Coffee kept him alive--dark, scalding, poured into flimsy cups that singed his fingers. The bitter jolt cut through the haze, its earthy bite a lifeline as fatigue sank into his bones. By dusk, he'd endured, and the group spilled into a Mexican restaurant. Salsa stung the air, grilled meat smoked, glasses clinked over vibrant chatter. String lights cast a warm glow, easing the day's edge.
The restaurant hummed, plates clattering as dinner stretched late. Ryan slouched at the table's corner, khakis creased, navy polo clinging to his six-foot-one frame. Beside him sat Fiona, five-foot-three and delicate, her slacks and knit top hugging her curves--breasts pressing faintly against the fabric. Her light brown hair framed her face in soft waves. Their eyes darted all night--quick, charged, a heat honed over a year of stolen glances at work, wedding bands be damned.
It had started small--a smirk across a conference table, her fingers brushing his arm at a happy hour, lingering just enough to spark his skin. Once, late at the office, she'd leaned over his desk, hair grazing his cheek as she teased, "You're hopeless without me." The tension had simmered, a live wire, until now. Tequila flowed, softening the room's edges. Fiona shifted, and then he felt it--her bare foot, slipped from its flat, tracing his calf with a slow, brazen rub. Heat spiked through him. He met her sly smile, kicked off his loafer, and let his foot glide up her shin. Her eyes glinted, daring him under the tablecloth.
Dinner dissolved into the July night, the group scattering. Ryan lingered by the door, towering over her as he caught her elbow. "Need a ride?" His voice was steady, pulse hammering.